Johor abounds with a wide range of shopping opportunity for the visitor. These range from modern shopping malls and hypermarkets to traditional bazaars, handicraft centers, night markets and duty free complexes. The larger shopping establishments are open from 10.00 a.m. to 10p.m., seven days a week. The smaller traders start earlier and end trading at around 8.00 p.m. The shopping malls in Johor Bahru are stocked with a wide selection of local and imported goods including designer wear, branded goods, electrical and electronic items, fabrics, household products, ladies and men's accessories, jewelry, sports wear and equipment, cosmetics and fragrances. Annual sales offering attractive shopping discounts and bargains are organized by most establishments. Among the major shopping centers are Plaza Pelangi, Tun Abdul Razak Complex, Pelangi Leisure Hall, Perling Mall, Plaza Kotaraya, Holiday Plaza, Lien Hoe Complex and Plaza Angsana. Hypermarket such as Carrefour, Giant and Makro are also popular with both locals and foreigners.

Visitors looking for duty free goods can shop in comfortable surrounding at the Johor Bahru Duty Free Complex located at the Johor Bahru International Ferry Terminal on the city's eastern shoreline. The complex consists of a large duty free department store and supermarket encompassing over 160 retail outlets. A dazzling variety of local and imported goods are available here.

For visitors who are keen to experience shopping with a local flavor, try the night markets or "pasar malam" that can be found at several locations around Johor Bahru. The most popular of these markets is the Kampung Melayu Majidee Night Market along Jalan Tebrau. Open from 5.00 p.m. to 10p.m. every Monday, the wide assortment of locally made goods on sale here include leather items, clothing, fruits, fresh produce, household ware, costume jewelry, sundry goods and local dishes. Other markets can be found at Taman Pelangi on Tuesdays and Kampong Setagi and Jalan Kebun Teh on Wednesdays.

Eating out

The mix of cultural influences in Johor has resulted in a wonderful blend of culinary delights that has made it a gastronomic paradise in its own rights. Visitors should not miss the famous Laksa Johor, a noodle fish served with gravy cooked with coconut milk, flaked fish and sprinkled with fresh vegetable. Another delicacy is lontong, pressed cubes of rice which are eaten with vegetable cooked in a rich coconut sauce. Of course, ever popular satay-skewered beef, chicken or lamb barbequed over an open fire and consumed with a thick peanut sauce is easily available. For those with a sweet tooth, the popular icy dessert, ais kacang, or a variety of local cakes and puddings are just perfect to cap off one's meal.

Johor Bahru is obviously one of the best places to sample many tempting dishes. Most of food stalls and dining spots come to alive when night falls over the city. For the adventurous, head for the stalls at Lido Beach and Stulang Laut to try the local favorites and hawker fare. An exciting place to dine is at the Eden Floating Palace Restaurant, anchored off the Johor Duty Free Complex. This restaurant is a unique dining and entertainment center serving fine Malaysian Chinese food where diners can pick their choice of seafood and vegetables from a market style setting have it cooked for them. The restaurant can accommodate up to 1,100 guests.

One of the best places for authentic Malay cuisine, the Mawar Complex Restaurant located at Jalan Sungai Chat offers a daily buffet lunch of local favorites. Reasonably priced and authentic in taste, it is a treat to be savored.

Other popular seafood dinning spots are located in Tepian Tebrau, Jalan Skudai and Lido Beach.

Entertainment

Johor Bharu offers many exciting entertainment centers for an evening of relaxation and fun. Apart from entertainment outlets in the hotels, there is also a wide choice of discotheques, karaoke lounged and pubs around Taman Century, Sentosa and Stulang Laut Beach.

Getting around

Johor Bahru is connected to the rest of Peninsular Malaysia by a good network of highways, trunk roads, and railways. A road and rail link causeway used to be the only link to Singapore but there is now a second crossing by bridge at Tanjung Kupang, 30 kilometers from the town. Taxis, stage buses and express coaches are available for travel within the city, as well as to the outlying areas and to other states. A regular express bus service as well as commuter trains ply between Johor and Singapore. Visitors heading to Desaru and other tourist spots in eastern Johor can use the ferry service that operates between Changi Point in Singapore and Tanjung Belungkor in Johor.