How to get from Kuala Lumpur to Langkawi

Why visit Langkawi?

Langkawi is an archipelago of 99 islands off the northwest coast of Malaysia. Its biggest island — also called Langkawi — is dotted with white-sand beaches and jungle-clad hills. Far from a quiet retreat (it is bustling with duty-free outlets), Langkawi does still offer some natural wonders and vibrant diving spots.

The so-called “Jewel of Kedah” is an ideal place to go island-hopping, submerge yourself in waterfalls and get lost in rice fields. All of which can be seen from the Langkawi Sky Bridge. A little tip, though: go early in the morning or you’ll be sharing this view with lots of other tourists exploring Langkawi!

There are 4 ways to travel the 415 kilometers (258 miles) from Kuala Lumpur to Langkawi. You can choose between the bus via Kuala Perlis, train via Kuala Kedah, flight and train via Kuala Perlis. The journey takes 1 hour 50 minutes to 13 hours 30 minutes and the quickest way is by flight. If you're on a budget, the cheapest option is by bus via Kuala Perlis with tickets starting at 77 MYR ($17.30).

It is possible to travel from Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Perlis by bus. This option is more convenient than the train options, as the bus station is just walking distance from the ferry terminal.

There are also more bus departures to Kuala Perlis, but this route has the longest travel time at 8 hours 25 minutes to 13 hours 30 minutes.

Buses to Kuala Perlis are available at TBS Kuala Lumpur, around 15 km away from the city centre.

Several bus companies offer both day and night trips from Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Perlis. We recommend taking an overnight bus so that you can save time and a night’s accommodation. This way, you can also take a morning ferry ride to Langkawi.

Bus fares start from 50 MYR ($11.30) and travel time is 7h 10m - 12h.

Below are our recommended bus schedules. The day trips would bring you to Kuala Perlis before the last ferry departure. For the night trips, you would still have to wait a few hours for the first ferry departure of the day.

Klang Sentral

Express

Kuala Perlis

23:00

11h 48m

10:48

23:00

7h 24m

06:24

Prisma Express

From 71 MYR ($16)

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• 24/7 customer support

71 MYR ($16)

23:00

11h 48m

10:48

Check on BookAway

• 24/7 customer support

76 MYR ($17.20)

23:00

7h 24m

06:24

Check on BookAway

From Kuala Perlis Ferry Terminal, a ferry ride to Langkawi takes around 1 hour 15 minutes. Ferries usually operate from 06:30 to 17:30.

Departure times vary, but you can easily check the latest schedules at the Langkawi Ferry Line website. You can also book your tickets in advance through this website.

A ferry ticket costs 27 MYR ($6.10).

Ferry arrival port in Langkawi

The ferries dock at the island’s main ferry terminal, Kuah Jetty, which is still 20 km away from Pantai Cenang. You’ll have to take a taxi to get to your hotel. Fares start from 40 MYR ($9) for the 40-minute taxi ride.

If you’re travelling solo, you can get cheaper rates by taking one of the shared taxis that you can find just outside the port.

One way to travel by train from Kuala Lumpur to Langkawi is via Alor Setar in Kuala Kedah. From here, you’ll still need to take a bus and a ferry to Langkawi.

If you’re thinking of taking the train and are on a budget, we recommend this route. This option is cheaper than travelling via Kuala Perlis and also the next option to the flight with the shortest travel time at around 6 hours 50 minutes to 7 hours.

There are several trains that operate from Kuala Lumpur Sentral to Alor Setar daily.

Ticket prices start from 70 MYR ($15.80). Gold and Platinum trains are basically the same trains. The difference is that ETS Platinum stops only in major stations.

All trains have the same travel time of about 4h 55m - 5h 5m. Below are our recommended train schedules:

From Alor Setar Station, you’ll have to walk 10-15 minutes to the nearest bus stop, where you can take the local bus to Kuala Kedah Ferry Terminal.

The bus ride takes around 25 minutes for 3 MYR ($0.70), but note that buses come only once every hour.

Alternatively, you can take a 20-minute taxi to the ferry terminal with rates from 20 MYR ($4.50).

There are several ferries operating the Kuala Kedah Jetty to Langkawi route daily.

Departure times vary, but there are trips as early as 07:00 on some days. There are about 4-6 ferry departures until the afternoon or early evening.

Ticket prices cost 35 MYR ($7.90) for non-Malaysian residents. Travel time is about 1.5 hours.

Tickets can sell out fast, so it’s best to book them online through the Langkawi Ferry Line website. You can also view the full schedule on this website.

Ferry port in Langkawi

Ferries dock at Kuah Jetty, the island’s main ferry terminal that is located around 20 km east of Pantai Cenang. To get to your hotel, you can take a 40-minute taxi with rates from 40 MYR ($9). Shared taxis are also available around the port if you’re looking for cheaper fares.

You can also take a train from Kuala Lumpur to Langkawi via Arau Station in Kuala Perlis. This town is next to Kuala Kedah in the north and is around 480 km away from Kuala Lumpur.

Compared to the train route via Kuala Kedah, this option is a bit more expensive, as the land travel is longer. But since Kuala Perlis is closer to Langkawi, the ferry ride is shorter for this route.

From KL Sentral, you can also take a train to Arau Train Station. Gold and Platinum trains are also available for this route.

Ticket prices start from 75 MYR ($16.90) for the Gold train and 100 MYR ($23) for the Platinum train. Travel time takes 5.5 hours for both trains.

Below are the train schedules that will get you to Langkawi within the same day.

The most convenient way to travel the 20 km distance from Arau Station to Kuala Perlis Ferry Terminal is by taxi. The journey takes around 30 minutes with rates starting from 35 MYR ($7.90).

It is also possible to take the bus, but there are no direct buses to the ferry terminal. You need to first take a bus to the capital city of Kangar and then transfer to another bus to the ferry terminal. With that, travel time can easily take around 1 hour.

Kuala Perlis is closer to the island of Langkawi than Kuala Kedah, so the ferry ride would take only 1h 15m. The ferry ticket is also cheaper at 27 MYR ($6.10) for non-Malaysian residents.

For this route, departure times also vary from day to day. Usually, there are at least 3-5 ferry departures daily from 06:30 to 17:30. You can check the latest schedules at the Langkawi Ferry Line website.

The ferry also docks at Kuah Jetty, which is still 40 minutes away from the main tourist area of Pantai Cenang. You can complete your journey by taking a private taxi with fares from 40 MYR ($9). Alternatively, you can take a shared taxi for cheaper rates.

A flight from Kuala Lumpur to Langkawi takes only a little over an hour. However, travel time to and from the 2 airports brings the total travel time closer to 1 hour 50 minutes.

There are 2 airports in Kuala Lumpur: Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL) and Subang Airport (SZB). Since fares from Kuala Lumpur Airport are often at least 50% cheaper, we’ll focus on that route.

TIP: If you decide to travel by plane, please consider including a carbon compensation fee to reduce your impact on the environment.

Kuala Lumpur Airport is located some 45 km south of the city centre. To get to the airport, you can take a 30-minute train from 50 MYR ($11.30), a 1-hour bus for 10 MYR ($2.30), or a 1-hour taxi from 90 MYR ($20).

Due to heavy traffic in the city, we highly recommend taking the train, especially if you’re heading to the airport during peak hours. For more info, check out our page on Kuala Lumpur Airport.

AirAsia, a low-cost Malaysian airline, offers multiple daily flights from Kuala Lumpur to Langkawi.

If you book early, you can get a ticket for as low as 100 MYR ($23) for the 1-hour flight.

There are also a few flights with Malaysia Airlines and Malindo Air, but their airfares normally cost more expensive than Air Asia’s.

Langkawi Airport is around 8 km away from the main tourist hub of Pantai Cenang.

Taxis are a common mode of transportation on the island and are available 24 hours every day outside the airport. You will be charged a fixed price based on your destination.

To get to Pantai Cenang, you can take a 15-minute taxi with fares from 20 MYR ($4.50).

If you’re staying in the district capital of Kuah, you can also take a taxi that will take around 25 minutes. Fares start from 25 MYR ($5.60).