Free things to do in Johor Bahru

28 places in Johor Bahru with free entry or no charge, based on guide listings and map data.

Ranked with the travel guide's picks and well-known places first.

Do
Aerofly Johor Light Aircraft and RC Plane Runway
Open space runway for light aircraft and aeromodellers enthusiasts, suitable for fixed-wing, gliders, helicopters and drones.
Free
See
Arulmigu Rajamariamman Devasthanam Temple
Free admission for visitors. Everyone has their shoes in the racks beside the gate entrance. The temple also features the Indian Heritage Centre cultural centre.
5:30AM-noon, 6-9PM
See
Chinatown
This historical Chinese community area is located mostly along the Tan Hiok Nee Street. It consists of various restaurants, shops and landmarks, such as Johor Bahru Chinese Heritage Museum, Museum of 24 Festive Drum, Senso Art Gallery, Art 52 Gallery and the nearby Johor Bahru Kwong Siew Heritage Gallery.
Free, except when visiting individual establishment
See
India Mosque
Masjid India
This mosque has two different minarets and was founded by the city's Indian Muslim community. It is a modern-looking mosque with white walls, blue-tinted glass cladding on both its minarets and a blue and silver dome.
Free
See
Johor Bahru City Square
Dataran Bandaraya Johor Bahru
Johor Bahru City Square is a public square that was constructed in conjunction with Johor Bahru being granted city status on January 1994. A grey-coloured building with a gigantic clock tower built stands on the north edge of the square. The square is surrounded by two sports fields on the south side and three sports fields on the west side. Many outdoor events are held here.
Free
See
Johor Bahru Hokkien Association Museum
新山福建文物馆
The museum showcases the important historical events, such as Malaya during World War 2, cultural relics and the historical development of Fujian.
Mon-Fri 9AM-5PM, Sat 9AM-1PMFree
See
Johor Bahru Old Chinese Temple
柔佛古廟
It is a Chinese temple believed to be built in 1870 by a group of Chinese community leaders led by Tan Hiok Nee, a famous, local Teochew businessman. This is where five different Chinese dialect groups - Cantonese, Hainanese, Hakka, Hokkien and Teochew - worshipped their respective deities and their effigies are all found inside the prayer hall. The Goddess of Mercy and the Weather God are also worshipped here; their effigies are found outside the prayer hall. The prayer hall is straight ahead as you enter the wooden gate entrance from Jalan Trus. There is a small museum behind the prayer hall which have illustrated descriptions of the five deities and the history of the temple, as well as giant photos showing Chingay Parade. Captions are mostly in Chinese only. The temple organizes the annual 4-day Chingay Parade. The climax of the parade occurs on the night of the 3rd day when the deities are paraded around the city centre.
Closed · opens 7:30 amFree
See
Little Paris
Little Paris at Mount Austin
A French-themed street with various shop houses, cafes and outdoor eateries, brighten up by lights during evening time.
Free, except when buying food or stuffs
See
MBJB City Forest
Hutan Bandar MBJB
13-hectare recreational park. Maintained by the municipality, this gem of a public recreational park contains seven lakes surrounded by tropical rain forest. There is a big fountain at the north end of the southernmost lake. Within the park are jogging/hiking tracks, wooden bridges and platforms, a children's playground, climbing wall, skatepark, parkour ark and an open-air water park. There is also an orchid park with many different species of orchids. There is a car park just beyond the park's entrance on Jalan Tasek Utara. There is a food court beside the car park.
7AM-11PMFree
See
Mahmoodiah Royal Mausoleum
Makam Diraja Mahmoodiah
This is a royal mausoleum of Johor state. The first sultan of Johor laid to rest here was Sultan Abu Bakar in 1895, as are the three sultans that reigned after him: Ibrahim, Ismail and Iskandar. Other persons interred here include: sultanahs (wives of the sultans) Sultanah Fatimah, Sultanah Ungku Maimunah Ungku Abdul Aziz, Sultanah Rogaiyah, Sultanah Tun Aminah; other royal family members; notable politicians like Dato' Jaafar Muhammad, Dato' Onn Jaafar, Tan Sri Othman Saat and Dato' Muhamad Salleh bin Perang. The mausoleum is not open to the public.
Free
See
Merdeka Park
Taman Merdeka
Public park surrounding a large lake with pavilions, an open-air theatre, rock sculptures, an independence monument, 2 bridges, two twin 2-storey white buildings, cannons and a clock tower. There is also a paid-per-entry shared gym within the park.
7AM-7PMFree
See
Mount Austin Lake
Tasik Mount Austin
Lake surrounded by high-rise residential buildings, ideal for relaxing and fishing.
Free
Do
Rock Yard
Wall climbing inside the forest, divided into the low wall and high wall.
Free
See
Serene Square
Laman Serene
This is a public square in front of Serene Palace. Built on a 433 m² of land, it costed RM6.8 million to be built. It features a 12-m-high star and crescent statue. The ground features a double 5-corner star, which makes it in total of 10, representing the total numbers of districts in Johor.
24 hoursFree
See
Seri Austin Lake
Urban lake surrounded by residential area, equipped with pedestrian around it.
Free
See
Setia Tropika Town Park
Town in the middle of a residential area with lake at its centre, equipped with children playground and picnic site.
Free
See
Stulang Beach
Pantai Stulang
This small stretch of beach facing the Johor Strait is a great relaxing place at night, which is also near to many eateries establishment which all are within walking distance.
Free
See
Sultan Abu Bakar State Mosque
Masjid Negeri Sultan Abu Bakar
Located on top of a small hill and overlooking the Straits of Johor, this state mosque took eight years to construct (1892-1900). It has four minarets that resemble British clock towers. It was inaugurated by Sultan Ibrahim. It is made of white marble and is a combination of Moorish and Victorian architecture. It can accommodate 2,000 worshippers.
Free
See
Sultan Iskandar Mosque
Masjid Sultan Iskandar
Built in 2013, the mosque has been declared as Malaysia's first tourism-friendly mosque after the Malaysia Tourism Quality Assurance certificate issued by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture. It also consists the An-Nur Gallery.
Free
See
Taman Pelangi Indah Lake and Park
Tasik dan Taman Taman Pelangi Indah
A park which consists of 4 different lakes, surrounded by forest vegetation and walking path.
Free
See
Tanjung Kupang Memorial Park
Memorial Peringatan Tragedi Tanjung Kupang
This memorial was erected by the Johor state government in memory of the 100 passengers and crew members killed when Malaysia Airlines Flight 653 (MH653) Boeing 737 crashed at Tanjung Kupang (about 20 km west of Johor Bahru) on the evening of 4 December 1977. The names and nationalities of all the 100 victims are inscribed on a less than two-meter-high wall clad with shiny, black stone.
Free
See Not mapped
B5 Johor Street Market
Pedestrian zone with container as theme. It consists of eateries, shops, supermarket and a performance stage for regular entertainment and art-related performances.
Free, except when buying food or stuffs
See Not mapped
Spring Labs
Hang out places for colourful eateries and retail in an outdoor pedestrian setting with cafes, convenient store, shops, studios, laundry and playground.
Free, except when buying food or stuffs
See Not mapped
TD Point Retail Mall
Outdoor concept of retail and F&B parks, which includes various restaurants and shops.
Free, except when buying food or stuffs
See
Adda Heights Park
An urban park with walking path encircling a lake.
Free
Do
Petrosains PlaySmart Johor Bahru
Science centre for children.
Sat-Wed 9AM-5:30PM, Thu 9AM-4PMFree
See
Setia Indah Park
Park.
Free
See
Setia Tropika Linear Park
An urban park with walking path and children's playground.
Free

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Johor Bahru (CC BY-SA 4.0).