Getting to Ipoh on a Budget: A Guide to the Most Affordable Ways to Travel

4.2K

Ipoh is a great place to visit in Malaysia, and there are a few different ways to get there. The most common way to get to Ipoh is by bus. There are bus routes from Penang, Kuala Lumpur, and the Cameron Highlands. Buses are cheap and frequent, making them a great option for budget travellers. There is also a train station in Ipoh, on the KTM West Coast Line. Ipoh also has an airport, but flights are limited to one route, from Singapore. In this guide, I’ll explain how you can get to Ipoh from other popular spots in Malaysia, how much it costs to get to Ipoh, and where to book tickets. I’ll also give you some tips on how to make the most of your trip to Ipoh.

Where is Ipoh Located

Here is where you can find Ipoh on the map.

Ipoh is a mid-sized city on the west side of Malaysia. It’s within close proximity to the Cameron Highlands, (one hour). George Town, Penang, (two hours). And Kuala Lumpur is 4 hours away. Ipoh can be reached by road or by rail.

Transport Links and Facilities in Ipoh

There is a train station and a bus station both with frequent arrivals and departures. There is an airport, however, flights are limited. Using the Malaysia bus network is the cheapest way to get to Ipoh, regardless of the starting point. Malaysian busses are spacious and comfortable and often the most convenient choice too.

Train Station in Ipoh (Stesen Keretapi)

Ipoh train station is in a central location in Ipoh’s old town. The station is served by KTM Trains.

KTM operates five rail services in Malaysia. All five KTM Train routes stop at Ipoh Station Ipoh. Four KTM rail routes pass through Ipoh and one service (KTM KL Sentral–Ipoh) begins, and terminates in Ipoh station. A visual representation of these train routes. can be seen on the map below. Check prices, times, and book tickets on the KTM Website.

Ipoh is easily accessible by train from many popular places in Malaysia, including Butterworth in Penang and Kuala Lumpur Sentral. The train station in Ipoh is a historic landmark that is included on the city’s heritage trail, so be sure to check it out if you’re looking for things to do in Ipoh.

Ipoh Bus Terminal (Amanjaya Bus Termina)

The most common method of getting to Ipoh is by taking the bus. Malaysia has a fantastic bus network, which is well-organised and efficient. The name of the bus station is Amanjaya Bus Terminal. It is located a 15-minute drive from Ipoh old town. Bus routes to and from Ipoh include destinations like the Cameron Highlands(Tanah Rata), Kula Lumpur(TBS) and even further afield such as Hat Yai(Thailand) or even direct to Singapore.

Ipoh Airport (Sultan Azlan Shah Airport)

Ipoh Airport, otherwise known by its official name: Sultan Azlan Shah Airport (IPH). The small airport is located a 15-minute drive from Ipoh’s old town.

Flights to and from Ipoh Airport (IPH) are limited to two destinations. The airport is served by two airlines, Scoot, and Air Asia. Ticket prices for flights outbound of Ipoh airport are inexpensive. Inbound flight tickets are much higher.

• The average cost to fly from Ipoh to Johor Bahru (JBH) is 100 MYR.
• The average cost from Ipoh to Singapore is 145 MYR.
• The average cost to fly from Johor Bahru to Ipoh is 210 MYR.
• The average cost to fly from Singapore to Ipoh is 530 MRY.

Flight Schedule to Ipoh from Johor Bahru (JBH):

• Johor Bahru (JHB) – Ipoh (PH): Morning flight by AirAsia
• Ipoh (IPH) – Johor Bahru (JHB): Afternoon Flight by AirAsia

Flight Schedule to Ipoh from Johor Singapore (SIN):

• Ipoh (IPH) – Singapore (SIN): Morning Flight by AirAsia
• Singapore (SIN) – Ipoh (IPH): Afternoon Flight by AirAsia
• Ipoh (IPH) – Singapore: 3x Scoot Air Daily Flights (AM, Midday and Afternoon)
• Singapore (SIN) – Ipoh (IPH): 3x Scoot Air Daily Flights (AM, Midday and Afternoon)

Flights to Ipoh are cheapest when booked one to two weeks in advance. Check flight prices using Skyscanner.

Get to Ipoh From Kuala Lumpur (KL)

• KL to Ipoh Distance: 200 Kilometers
• Travel Options: Bus or Train
• Bus Travel Time: 2 Hours, 50 Minutes
• Train Travel Time: 2 Hours, 15 Minutes
• Travel Cost – Bus: 24 MYR, Train: 37 MYR.

The distance from Ipoh to Kuala Lumpur is a little over 200 Kilometers.

Tourists can book a day tour to Ipoh from Kuala Lumpur which includes all the necessary round transportation.

The other choice is to take a bus or a train. There are no flights to Ipoh from Kuala Lumpur.

Kuala Lumpur to Ipoh Train

There are 5 trains a day from Kuala Lumpur to Ipoh. The service is operated by KTM Trains. The first train leaves at 08:47 AM, the last train leaves at 08:47 PM.

Trains to Ipoh, from Kuala Lumpur leave from KL Sentral Train Station. You can also catch the train from KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport), changing at KL Sentral. A cheaper and more convenient to get from KL Airport to Ipoh is to take the train to TBS Bus Terminal and then take the bus to Ipoh.

This website is useful for checking train schedules from KL Sentral to Ipoh. Tickets should be booked with KTM directly.

Kuala Lumpur to Ipoh Bus

Buses leave from TBS Bus Terminal in Kuala Lumpur, there are regular bus services (10+) throughout the day and multiple companies operate this route. Go to this website to check the times and to book tickets. Tickets should cost 40 MYR. The travel time is 3 hours.

Kuala Lumpur to Ipoh Taxi Fare

There are not many reasons I can think of where you’d want to take a taxi to Ipoh, instead of a train or the bus. But according to this booking website, a private car from Kuala Lumpur to Ipoh would cost 700 MYR to book.

Getting to Ipoh from the Cameron Highlands

• Cameron to Ipoh Distance: 90 Kilometers
• Travel Options: Bus or Taxi
• Bus Travel Time: 1 Hour.
• Travel Cost – Bus: 28 MYR, Taxi 400 MYR.

Cameron Highlands is a very popular destination to visit after Ipoh. There is only one option for travelling between Cameron Highlands and Ipoh, which is to take the bus. Use this website to book bus tickets from the Cameron Highlands to Ipoh, or vice versa.

Bus tickets cost between 25 to 40 MYR, it is usually cheaper to book in advance. The distance is 90 Kilometers, and the travel time is a little over one hour. The roads between the Cameron Highlands and Ipoh are filled with twists and turns which can cause nausea. My advice is to have a light breakfast if you’re taking the bus to Ipoh, from the Cameron Highlands.

Get to Ipoh From George Town, Penang (Butterworth)

• KL to Ipoh Distance: 130 Kilometers
• Travel Options: Bus or Train
• Bus Travel Time: 3 Hours, 30 Minutes
• Train Travel Time: 1 Hour, 40 Minutes
• Travel Cost – Bus: 28 MYR, Train: 40 MYR.

There are two ways to travel from George Town to Ipoh: by train or by bus. Both services leave from Butterworth, which has a central transportation hub called Penang Sentral.

To get to Butterworth from George Town, you can take a taxi or a shuttle boat between Penang and Butterworth. The taxi costs 10-15 MYR, while the shuttle boat costs 1.20 MYR. The shuttle boat leaves every 20-30 minutes from Swettenham Pier in George Town and takes about 10 minutes to cross the water.

Once you arrive in Butterworth, you can walk 100 meters to Penang Sentral to catch the train or bus to Ipoh. Buses to Ipoh’s Amanjaya Bus Terminal depart regularly throughout the day, and tickets cost 28 MYR. Trains depart six times per day, and tickets cost 31-40 MYR. The first train leaves at 05:15, the last at 18:45.

You can book bus tickets online at 12Go. You can book train tickets online at the KTM Website.

Get to Ipoh from Mellaka

• Melaka to Ipoh Distance: 360 Kilometers
• Travel Options: Bus + Bus, or Bus + Train
• Bus+ Bus Travel Time: 6 Hours
• Bus + Train Travel Time: 8 Hours
• Travel Cost – Bus: 34 (10+24) MYR, Train: (10+37) 47 MYR.

From Ipoh to Melaka the bus is the easiest option. You’ll need to change in Kuala Lumpur.

First take a bus from Melaka Sentral bus station to Kuala Lumpur, TBS Bus Terminal. Once there you can switch to the bus to Ipoh. Tickets for each leg should be booked separately.

Tickets from Melaka Sentral to Kuala Lumpur TBS cost 10-12 MYR and can be booked here.

Tickets from Kuala Lumpur TBS to Ipoh cost 24 MYR and can be booked here.

It takes around six hours to make the entire trip, which allows for a one-hour stopover when connecting buses at KL Sentral. Buses are usually reliable and on time in Malaysia.

It would also be possible to take the bus to Kuala Lumpur and then take the train to Ipoh, although you would need to connect via KL Sentral. Doing so would make the trip more time-consuming and expensive.

Get to Ipoh From Abroad

Malaysia shares a land border with Thailand, in the north. And a border with Singapore, in the south. Both countries have road and rail connections to Ipoh.

Thailand (Bangkok) to Ipoh

• KL to Ipoh Distance: 1,200 Kilometers
• Travel Options: Train
• Train Travel Time: 21 Hours
• Travel Cost – 160 MYR

From Bangkok to Ipoh you’d need to take the Special Express – Train Number 45, from Thailand to Malaysia. This SRT (State Railway Thailand) train departs Bangkok and arrives at Padang Besar Station. You can then switch to the KTM Communtor train to Ipoh. The train to Padang Besar costs 900 THB(RM120) and Padang Besar to Ipoh costs 26 MYR.

Buses also operate between Hat Yai in Thailand and Ipoh in Malaysia. From Hat Yai, you travel onwards to many other regions in Thailand. Check bus prices, costs and schedules for Ipoh to Thailand here.

There are no direct flights from Bangkok to Ipoh. It would be possible to take a flight from Bangkok to Singapore and then connect with a flight from Singapore to Ipoh.

Singapore to Ipoh

Flights from Singapore to Ipoh are cheap, and cost between 85 to 103 MYR. There are four daily flights three of which are operated by Scoot Air and one operated by AirAsia. Flights on the return leg, Ipoh to Singapore are much more expensive and cost between 400 to 535 MYR.

To take the train from Singapore to Ipoh you need to first take the train to Woodlands Station(Singapore). From Woodlands there is a train service to Ipoh with KTM Communtor, tickets cost 87 MYR.

You can also book a bus from Singapore to Ipoh using this website. The travel time is 7 hours and tickets cost 105 MYR.

Getting to Ipoh. TL; DR.

Ipoh is well connected with the rest of Malaysia. The town has an airport, a bus terminal and a train station. The cheapest travel choice is to take the bus to Ipoh, but the train can be more suitable if your journey covers a longer distance.