Johor

Johor Bahru — JB to everyone — sits at the southern tip of Malaysia, directly across the Causeway from Singapore. For travellers, it means one thing above all: LEGOLAND Malaysia, Asia's first LEGOLAND, at Malaysian prices. Add cheap food, big malls and an atmospheric old town, and JB earns a night or two on a Singapore–Malaysia trip.

Think of it as the value add-on: families based in Singapore cross over for the parks, and travellers heading north use it as their first stop in Malaysia.

LEGOLAND Malaysia Resort is the headline — a full LEGO theme park with over 70 rides and attractions, plus a separate water park and a SEA LIFE aquarium, all walkable from the LEGOLAND Hotel. Miniland's LEGO-brick Asian landmarks impress adults too. It suits kids up to about 12 best; buy a combo ticket if you want park plus water park in one day.

Walk the JB old town. The streets around Jalan Tan Hiok Nee and Jalan Dhoby mix heritage shophouses, murals, hipster cafes and old kopitiams. The 100-year-old Hiap Joo bakery's banana cake, baked in a wood-fired oven, is the famous snack.

Visit the landmarks. The blue-domed Sultan Abu Bakar State Mosque overlooking the strait is JB's grandest building, and the glass Arulmigu Sri Rajakaliamman temple is a one-of-a-kind Hindu temple lined with mirrored glass panels.

Shop and eat. Mid Valley Southkey and Johor Bahru City Square malls sit minutes from the border, and food courts serve Malaysian classics at half Singapore prices — the streets near the old town cover Malay, Chinese and South Asian food between them.

With an extra day and a car, the Desaru coast (about 1.5 hours east) adds a big water park and quiet beaches.