Kuantan is a city on the central east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, connected by flight and road routes most easily from the nearest major cities of Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru and Kuala Terengganu. While relatively small, the city has a good network of roads and transport infrastructure, which is rapidly expanding as economic opportunities increase and urban zones expand.
Domestic flights (less than an hour by air) are available from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) via Malaysian Airlines (MAS), Malindo Air and China Airlines (seasonal) while budget carrier Firefly operates scheduled routes from Penang and Changi Airport (Singapore). Most visitors prefer driving their own vehicle.
Directions
Kuantan is connected to the west coast via Kuala Lumpur (KL) through Karak Highway and East Coast Expressway, covering 250km over the mainland, with alternative access routes by trunk roads leading from central, southern and northern states in Peninsular Malaysia. The East Coast Expressway also connects highway travel from major towns and cities in Terengganu to Kuantan.
This is a tolled highway that incurs charges depending on distance and exits. With the help of a map or navigation device, visitors can use smaller trunk routes that are free from virtually all over Malaysia. For visitors from Singapore, a coastal route winds from Johor Bahru (JB) through Mersing, then Pekan, before reaching Kuantan - a distance of 360km.
Express bus rides are available from most major cities including KL, JB, Kota Bharu, Melaka, Penang as well as Singapore. Terminal Sentral Kuantan (TSK) connects all these destinations together on the urban outskirts that in turn, connects directly with the city via a Rapid Kuantan bus route.
Getting Around
Rapid Kuantan operates public transport by bus around the city and surrounding tourist attractions such as Bukit Gambang Resort City, Sungai Lembing, Taman Gelora while beach destinations covered include Teluk Cempedak, Beserah and Pantai Balok. Rapid Kuantan's central hub is Hentian Bandar ('City Stop'), a modern station within the city center located near Stadium Darul Makmur.
Buses ride from 6m till 11pm daily with fares ranging between MYR1 and 2. Visitors heading towards Cherating on public transport need to catch any Terengganu-bound bus (especially Kemaman) from Terminal Sentral Kuantan and inform the driver for a stop along the selected beach of Cherating's long coastline. Finally, taxis are also available along with private tour vans from hotels.
