On my trip to Malaysia, I visited this beautiful city of Alor Setar, which is located in the Northern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The city is popularly known as the royal and administrative capital of the state of Kedah and for some site seeing. The city is not only unique but packs many attractions in a small place. The place although is not visited quite much by tourists and is less known like Kota Bahru and Kuala Terengganu it still has a large number of attractions compared to the two cities. The best part of this city is that since it shares its border with Thailand you can get a glimpse of the element of Thai culture in this beautiful city of Alor Setar.

On my itinerary, the first place that I was supposed to visit was the Architecture that was developed by the Moorish which is spread out all across the town and depicts the different cultures that exist within the city.  One of the most significant places, which is necessary visit, is the signature landmark of Menara. Standing tall at 165 metres the structure is considered one of the tallest in Malaysia and can be seen from almost all parts of the city.   You do not have to worry, as there is an elevator all the way up to the top.

Other places that you can visit here are Masjid Zahir which is Malaysia’s most popular mosque, Balai Nobat which is a vibrant yellow tower housing musical instruments of the ancient era. While on your way to this royal museum featuring different instruments you will come across a few museums as well as art galleries. After I had visited some of the most important places here it was time to conclude my journey in the city of Alor Setar.

Owing to its proximity to Kuala Lumpur, the next challenge was how to head to this beautiful capital. After figuring out my options and on the recommendation of a colleague, I decided to take a bus to this city. Kuala Lumpur being one of the most visited places in Malaysia, all road routes leading to the city were well developed and maintained.   I booked my bus tickets from redbus.my and was quite happy with the experience. I selected my choice of seat, which was obviously a window seat while sitting in the comfort of my hotel room. I made the payments online and there was literally no need to visit any ticketing booth of the Operator. It was all on my phone.

There were about 3 popular Operators plying on the route between these two cities which were Sri Maju Express, Etika Express and Transnasional. Sri Maju Express had about 5 buses plying throughout the day starting from 7:00 am in the morning till 5:30 in the evening.  The duration of the journey was about 6 hours but if you head out early in the morning, you may cover the distance in about 5 hours. Transnasional and Etika Express both had buses at the same time leaving at 8:30 am in the morning. The cost of the tickets started from SGD42 and went up all the way to SGD55 depending upon the class of Coach you book.