Every CNY, malls across Malaysia transform into mini movie sets; giant lanterns, booming music, lion dances that make even the ground vibrate. It’s fun, it’s flashy, it’s Insta-worthy.
But walk out onto the streets and something softer greets you, something familiar. The smell of incense. A grandmother is tying a red ribbon for good luck. Kids running between lantern-lit alleys. A shopkeeper sweeping his five-foot way for the 10,000th time because “it’s CNY, must clean properly.”
This is where the celebration feels personal.
This is where the Chinese New Year feels lived.
And this festive season, redBus wants to take you on that journey, across Malaysia’s Chinatowns, each with its own mood and magic as we welcome the Year of the Horse.
Where the New Year Breathes Before the City Does: Petaling Street, Kuala Lumpur
Nearest Bus Terminal: Terminal Bersepadu Selatan 15km away
KL doesn’t sleep, but Petaling Street wakes up differently during Chinese New Year. If you’re there before sunrise, the whole place feels stripped down to its essence; quieter than you’d expect, almost tender.
A trader hangs up lanterns one by one. A coffee shop owner unlocks his shutters while roasting beans. Someone lights the first joss stick of the day.
Walk these streets.
Feel the city before it gets loud.
Then reward yourself with wantan mee or creamy tau fu fa the way KL folks swear it should taste; unpretentious and ridiculously comforting.
Petaling Street doesn’t try to impress you. It just shows up as it is; layered, alive, and full of stories.
The Street That Turns into a Festival: Jonker Street, Melaka
Nearest Bus Stop: Malacca Sentral (6km)
Jonker Street during CNY is like walking into a glowing, red-lantern dream. By sunset, the entire street shifts, the same way your house feels different when relatives start arriving with kuih and oranges.
People come early to beat the crowd, and the night market slowly comes alive; the smell of satay celup, someone frying putu piring in rhythm, and pineapple tarts disappearing faster than you can count.
And then there’s the Nyonya laksa; creamy, fragrant, a cultural love story in a bowl. Spots like Jonker 88, 486 Baba Low, and Cottage Spices are redBus Food Map favourites for a reason.
Come on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday night. Jonker doesn’t just get crowded, it gets joyful. Loud in the best way. Warm in the way CNY is meant to feel.
Where CNY Moves Slower: Kampung Cina, Terengganu
Nearest Bus Stop: MBKT Kuala Terengganu (2km)
Some celebrations don’t need firecrackers.
They whisper instead of shout.
Kampung Cina in Terengganu is the kind of place where time seems to exhale. This riverside Chinatown is over 300 years old, and every pastel shophouse, old wooden door, and mural feels like a memory still standing.
During Chinese New Year, locals drift in and out of Ho Ann Kiong Temple, carrying traditions with the kind of gentleness you don’t find in big cities.
Here, you linger more.
You find yourself chatting with shop owners as they share bits of local history.
Peranakan snacks become something you savour, not rush through.
And slowly, the place begins to settle into you; its colours, its calm, its stories.
It’s a celebration that reminds you CNY isn’t only about noise, it’s also about roots, reflection, and belonging.
Where Heritage Gets Playful: Chinatown, Kuching
Nearest Bus Stop: Kuching Sentral (12km)
Kuching doesn’t do boring, even its Chinatown starts with a giant white cat statue posing proudly on Padungan Road. If you don’t stop for a photo, you’re basically breaking the law (unofficially).
The streets that follow; Carpenter Street and the Main Bazaar, blend old and new in that uniquely Kuching way. Wooden temples sit beside hip cafés, craft shops beside noodle stalls. It’s heritage, but with a cheeky grin.
CNY here feels light-hearted. Playful. Friendly in that Sarawakian way that makes even strangers feel like they’ve met before.
Explore in the late afternoon when everything lights up without the crowd rush. Then glide over to the waterfront for dinner as the river reflects the city’s glow.
A Chinatown That Can’t Be Contained: George Town, Penang
Nearest Bus Stop: Sungai Nibong (12km)
Penang never sticks to the script, so of course its Chinatown isn’t confined to one street. Instead, it spills across George Town like a mosaic: temples glowing with offerings, clan houses telling family histories, bakeries rolling out pastries before dawn.
Walk Armenian Street, Lebuh Chulia, Campbell Street.
Listen to the sizzle of char kway teow.
Follow the scent of fresh egg tarts.
Peek into Khoo Kongsi’s ornate walls.
Wander the clan jetties where families once lived above the water.
This year, Penang gets even sweeter with redBus promo code RBPENANG, up to 20% off your trip.
Call it fate. Or just a really good deal.
One Festive Season, Thousands of Stories
Chinese New Year in Malaysia is never just one version of celebration. It’s a mosaic; noisy mornings, soft afternoons, lantern-filled nights, aunties stuffing you with pineapple tarts, uncles repeating the same joke every year, strangers holding open doors at temples.
Each Chinatown gives you a different piece of that story.
Together, they make the celebration whole.
Many travellers don’t realise how easily these destinations connect by bus, a few hours, a few clicks, and you’re in a new city with a new CNY flavour waiting.
With redBus, you’re not just booking a seat.
You’re creating your own Chinese New Year trail; one stop, one memory, one Chinatown at a time.
