Muar : The Royal Town of Johor Private Day Tour from Kuala Lumpur

A good-looking spot on the river, with plenty of heritage architecture and an infectiously languorous mood, the royal town of Muar (once known as Bandar Maharani, or 'Empress Town') was historically a very important commercial centre. So important in fact, that it had its own rail system, known as Muar State Railways, running from 1889 to 1925.

With each road in its central core painted a certain colour, Muar is very pretty and well worth spending a day exploring. It was also voted the cleanest city in the Asean region in 2018. Most of the heritage buildings are handily inscribed with their year of construction.

Central Chinatown sees most of the action, showing off its handsome pre-war architecture, temples and a handful of good restaurants and Chinese teahouses. Muar makes for an intriguing and rewarding off-the-beaten-track stop between Melaka and Johor Bahru.