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Kota Bharu
Place in Kelantan, Malaysia

Kota Bharu

Kota Bharu, colloquially referred to as KB, is a town in Malaysia that serves as the state capital and royal seat of Kelantan.

Plan a trip to Kota Bharu→From Ipoh

It is situated in the northeastern part of Peninsular Malaysia and lies near the mouth of the Kelantan River.

Get in

Getting to Kota Bharu

Kota Bharu is served by the small but efficient

  1. 01
    Sultan Ismail Petra Airport
  2. 02
    Wakaf Bharu
  3. 03
    Kota Bharu Bus Terminal
See

Worth seeing

Kota Bharu itself offers many museums near Independence Square (Padang Merdeka). Several of the museums and the nearby Istana Balai Besar (the downtown Royal Palace) were built in a unique kind of elegant architecture that is well worth seeing. Arguably the most amazing building is the central market (Pasar Besar).

  1. 01
    Muzium Kraftangan
  2. 02
    Muzium Negeri
  3. 03
    Memorial Peperangan Dunia Ke II
  4. 04
    Muzium Diraja
  5. 05
    Muzium Islam
  6. 06
    Muzium Adat Istiadat Diraja Kelantan
Do

Things to do

Go to the day and night markets. Have Nasi Kerabu for lunch at the day market and Ayam Percik at the night market. Walk around the downtown area. Bicycle around Pengkalan Chepa area (airport), see old WW2 British pillboxes near beach at Pantai Sabak. For history buffs only but no beach anymore due to erosion. Go to the beach, either PCB Beach or Irama Beach (Beach of Melody).

  1. 01
    Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium
Eat

Where to eat

Kota Bharu is full of delicious Kelantanese food, a unique cuisine influenced by Thai and Indian styles, among others. Lots of goodies are to be found in the pasars and in coffee shops throughout the city. Chinese food is also available at various restaurants and food courts.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see file page), Wikimedia Commons.