Getting to Ipoh is easy as there are various transportation services to and from major towns. The most common way is by land. For the oversea tourists, one can take a bus directly from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. However, for the local tourist, one can take buses directly from the Puduraya Terminal or the Putra Bus Terminal. Other major cities like Penang and Johor Bahru will provide similar bus services as well.
From the airport, one can opt to take a taxi that will take you directly to Ipoh town centre as well. However, if you are in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, one would have to charter a taxi that goes long distance to visit Ipoh. For the more adventurous, driving to Ipoh is easy and painless. From Kuala Lumpur, a short drive of about 2 to 3 hours will get you directly into the city of Ipoh. One can take either the North South Expressway or the trunk road, just follow the roadsigns.
For those who would like to travel by train, the national Train service under the management of Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) provides daily services to and from Ipoh via major towns. Ideally from Kuala Lumpur’s main station, the KL Sentral, trains depart at 8.45pm daily. These services normally take about 3 hours or so.
One can also choose to get to Ipoh by air. The Sultan Azlan Shah Airport in Ipoh provides facilities for domestic flights from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport for those using Malaysia Airlines while one can choose to fly from the Kuala Lumpur Low Cost Terminal when flying Air Asia, the budget Malaysian airline.
In Ipoh, transport services are slightly different. While the bus services are nothing to shout about, one can easily catch a taxi at affordable rates. There are two types of taxis in Ipoh, those that run on meters and those meterless ones. While it is pretty straight forward for the meter driven taxis to charge the passengers, they would have to discuss the fare before boarding any taxis if the passenger decides to opt for the meterless taxis.
Car rentals are abundant in Ipoh. Where it is concerned, the airport and train station will have the car rental companies setting up booths and offices nearby for the convenience of the traveler. For doing so, one would need a valid driving license (for oversea tourists, an international driving license will be needed) and a valid credit card will do.
Ipoh – Getting There
