The marvellous Istana Besar, once the Johor royal family’s principal palace, was flung up in Victorian style by Anglophile sultan Abu Bakar in 1866. It was opened as a museum to the public in 1990, displaying the incredible wealth of the sultans to the hoi polloi in over 60,000 pieces. It's now the finest museum of its kind in Malaysia with beautifully manicured 53-hectare palace grounds (free entry); an extensive upgrade of the museum saw it shut for many years.
Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¼´Ê±¿ª½±'s must-see attractions
12.56 MILES
Take a tour through the Battlebox Museum, the former command post of the British during WWII, and get lost in the eerie and deathly quiet 26-room…
4.2 MILES
The line between zoo and botanic oasis blurs at this pulse-slowing sweep of spacious, naturalistic enclosures and interactive attractions. Get up close to…
13.99 MILES
Singapore's 21st-century botanical garden is a S$1 billion, 101-hectare fantasy land of space-age biodomes, high-tech Supertrees and whimsical sculptures…
13.09 MILES
Connected by a striking aluminium and glass canopy, Singapore's historic City Hall and Old Supreme Court buildings now form the city's breathtaking…
10.86 MILES
Singapore's 74-hectare botanic wonderland is a Unesco World Heritage Site and one of the city's most arresting attractions. Established in 1860, it's a…
12.21 MILES
Made up of a series of parks and hills connecting Kent Ridge Park to Mt Faber and the Labrador Nature Reserve, the Southern Ridges will have you trekking…
9.46 MILES
MacRitchie Reservoir makes for a calming, evocative jungle escape. Walking trails skirt the water's edge and snake through the mature secondary rainforest…
13.45 MILES
Baba House is one of Singapore's best-preserved Peranakan heritage homes. Built in the 1890s, this beautiful blue three-storey building was donated to the…
Nearby Johor Bahru attractions
0.38 MILES
Sitting magnificently atop Bukit Timbalan, the imposing Bangunan Sultan Ibrahim is a mighty melange of colonial pomp, Islamic motifs and indigenous design…
0.38 MILES
The stunning whitewashed walls and blue-tiled roof of this Victorian-inspired mosque speak of a mix of architectural influences. Built between 1892 and…
0.47 MILES
Well-displayed exhibits chronicling the history of Chinese immigrants in this part of the Malay peninsula are the highlight of this three-storey museum…
0.53 MILES
Wandering around the characterful heritage area between Jln Ibrahim and Jln Ungku Puan is a high point of any visit to Johor Bahru. Walk past colourful…
5. Arulmigu Rajamariamman Devasthanam
0.57 MILES
This beautiful Hindu temple, with ornate carvings, devotional artwork and a tall, brightly painted gopuram (tower) entranceway, is the heart of JB's Hindu…
6. Johor Bahru Old Chinese Temple
0.58 MILES
Once the centre of JB's Chinese immigrant community, and used by five different ethnic groups to worship five different Chinese gods, this small but…
0.94 MILES
Step through the looking glass into this wonderland of a temple built from mirrors, glass and metal – not a single inch of the vaulted roof or wall has…
8. Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve
1.94 MILES
Sungei Buloh's 202 hectares of mangroves, mudflats, ponds and secondary rainforest are a birdwatcher's paradise, with migratory birds including egrets,…