Ipoh to Langkawi by Train
If you are looking to travel from Ipoh to Langkawi by train, there are a few ways you can go about planning your journey.
You will first have to decide if you want to take the boat from Kuala Kedah (close to Alor Setar railway station) or Kuala Perlis (close to Arau railway station).
Please note all Intercity Train services have been cancelled from 19th May 2016.
From this date you will now have to take the new fast Electric Trains (ETS) to Alor Setar or Arau.
For the timetable of the new ETS Train from Ipoh to Alor Setar or Arau click here >
Ipoh to Langkawi by Train via Alor Setar for Kuala Kedah Jetty
Catching the ETS Train from Ipoh to Alor Setar there are a number of services every day.
From the railway station in Alor Setar you can either take a taxi or walk around 10 minutes into the city centre.
From here you can catch a cheap and regular local bus to the ferry terminal at Kuala Kedah which is approximately 15 kilometres away.
Ferries from Kuala Kedah leave every hour or so from 7 in the morning until 7 in the evening.
For more about the ferry from Kuala Kedah to Langkawi click here >
It is advisable to book your train tickets are far in advance as possible.
You can buy your tickets from any KTMB mainline station, or:
online from our train ticketing page here >
Ipoh to Langkawi by Train via Arau for Kuala Perlis Jetty
Another way to get from Ipoh to Kuala Perlis Jetty is to continue on the train to Arau railway station.
The only advantage to doing this is that ferries from Kuala Perlis to Langkawi island are slightly cheaper, depart more often, plus it is slightly quicker, as it is the shortest distance of any of the ports on the mainland to the island.
However, getting from the Arau train station to the ferry port at Kuala Perlis will be more expensive as it is further away from the port and the only buses that can take you there go via Kangar Bus Terminal (Bukit Lagi), then you change buses at Kangar to Kuala Perlis (so it is a much longer journey compared to travelling by taxi).
For information about the ferry from Kuala Perilis click here >
Via George Town, Penang
If you are on a tour of Malaysia, the most popular place to stop off at if you are heading north from Ipoh, is the UNESCO World Heritage City of George Town on Penang Island.
You can get to Penang easily from Ipoh by either train or bus.
For information on trains to Penang from Ipoh click here >
For information on buses from Ipoh to Penang click here >
From Penang you can continue on to Langkawi by either a ferry from George Town to Langkawi or go back to the mainland and catch a bus to Kuala Kedah (via Alor Setar) or Kuala Perlis.
Please see our Penang to Langkawi page for all your travel options >
How to travel to Kuala Perlis Jetty from Ipoh >