Getting There and Around in Langkawi
Part of the Langkawi travel guide — see every topic in All Langkawi Guides.
Langkawi is well connected for an island of this size: direct flights from Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Singapore and several regional cities, plus ferries from Kuala Perlis, Kuala Kedah and Penang. Once you are there, the island is about thirty kilometres across with no public transport worth the name, so the practical choice is a hire car, a scooter or Grab. Distances between the main areas are twenty to forty minutes, which is enough that having your own transport genuinely changes the trip.
Flights
Langkawi International Airport at Padang Matsirat handles frequent flights from Kuala Lumpur — about an hour, and cheap on the low-cost carriers — along with Penang, Subang, Singapore and seasonal regional services. The airport is fifteen minutes from Pantai Cenang and twenty-five from Kuah. Fares rise sharply for Chinese New Year, school holidays and Hari Raya. Baggage allowances on the budget carriers are strict, which matters if you are carrying duty-free bottles home.
Ferries
Ferries run to Kuah jetty from Kuala Perlis (about an hour), Kuala Kedah (about ninety minutes) and Penang (two and a half to three hours), with several departures a day on the mainland routes and fewer on the Penang one. Fares are 20–70 ringgit. There is also a service to Koh Lipe in Thailand during the Thai high season, which makes an easy onward hop. Sea conditions can be rough in the wetter months and services are occasionally cancelled; book ahead over holidays.
Getting around the island
There is no useful public bus network. Car hire is inexpensive at 80–150 ringgit a day, roads are good and quiet, and this is what most visitors do; an international driving permit is required. Scooters rent for 30–60 ringgit a day and are pleasant on Langkawi's light traffic, with the same licence rule and the same insurance consequences if you ignore it. Grab operates but coverage is thin outside Cenang and Kuah and waits can be long. Taxis run on fixed-price coupons from set points.
Distances
Pantai Cenang to the airport is fifteen minutes; to Kuah twenty-five; to the cable car twenty; to Kilim jetty forty; to Tanjung Rhu forty; to Datai fifty. Nothing is far and the roads are good, but the island is spread out and the sights are on opposite coasts. A day with a car comfortably covers the cable car, Seven Wells and the north-west coast, or Kilim and Tanjung Rhu, but not both. Fuel is cheap and parking is free almost everywhere.
Getting There and Around at a glance
| Flights | 1 h from KL; also Penang, Subang, Singapore |
|---|---|
| Airport | Padang Matsirat, 15 min from Pantai Cenang |
| Ferries | Kuala Perlis 1 h, Kuala Kedah 1.5 h, Penang 2.5–3 h |
| Car hire | RM 80–150 per day; scooter RM 30–60 |
| Public transport | Effectively none — you need a vehicle |
| Onward | Seasonal ferry to Koh Lipe, Thailand |