Johor Bahru

From a distance it does not read as a mosque. Victorian columns under Islamic minarets put it closer to a government building, finished in 1900 on a rise above the strait. White walls, blue roof, and non-Muslims go as far as the outer courtyard.

This is where continental Asia stops. Boardwalks over mangrove lead out to a globe marking the southernmost point. Cargo ships file down the strait beyond it. Ninety minutes from town by car means half a day goes to it.

Asia's first Legoland, opened in 2012, with a water park attached. In midsummer the midday queues stand outside any shade, so outdoor rides in the morning and indoors in the afternoon works better.

The sultan's palace opened as it stood. Gifts from European courts and hunting trophies fill room after room, and cameras must stay in your bag. Opening is irregular and royal events close it without notice, so a phone call before you set out is safer.

Over 150 years old, holding the deities of five dialect groups under one roof. On the twenty-first day of the lunar first month the statues are carried through town and the centre closes to traffic.

Do not walk with a bottle in your hand. Macaques go for bags and anything held. At 654 metres with a paved road to the top it is less a climb than a long uphill walk, three hours up and down, with people stopping at the halfway waterfall.

Ninety minutes east of town on the South China Sea coast, with enough swell that it suits walking more than swimming. From November to January the monsoon closes the water on some days.

It connects underground to the border checkpoint, so it is the first mall anyone walking in from Singapore reaches. Money changers and phone shops fill the ground floor and weekend evenings block the walkways. Prices sit visibly below those across the strait.

The sultan laid it out as a private garden in 1928, which makes it the oldest zoo in Malaysia. It is small and dated enough to disappoint, though admission is cheap enough that local children fill it after school.

A fishing village built on piles over the water, the whole of it joined by wooden walkways. The sea sits directly under the houses and shows through gaps in the boards, and the restaurants steam what the boats bring in. It is ninety minutes southwest of town.

A shophouse street in JB's old town, named for a Teochew pioneer leader. Cafes and murals have moved in between old shops, and a Chinese heritage museum sits along it. On weekend evenings stalls set up and the crowds grow.

Arulmigu Sri Raja Kaliamman, a Hindu temple clad floor to ceiling in coloured glass fragments. Sunlight sets the interior glittering. Tourist hours are set apart from, and shorter than, those for worshippers, so check first. Leave shoes at the door.

Johor’s highest mountain, home in Malay legend to a princess. The falls and streams at its foot make a day out; if you are heading for the summit, look up the national park’s climbing procedures before you go. It is two to three hours’ drive northwest of JB.

Falls tumbling off the slopes of Gunung Muntahak into pools where local families swim. Weekends are packed, so a weekday visit is quieter. Evenings pair it with a firefly boat ride on the nearby river.