Bukit Chagar RTS to Johor Bahru: Best Day Trips & Transport Guide
For Singapore travellers, getting into Johor Bahru is set to become much easier with the arrival of the Johor Bahru–Singapore Rapid Transit System, better known as the RTS Link.
The new cross-border rail connection will link Woodlands North in Singapore directly with Bukit Chagar in the heart of Johor Bahru. According to Singapore’s Land Transport Authority, the approximately 4 km journey is expected to take about five minutes by train, with passenger service targeted to begin around the end of 2026.
For many travellers, however, arriving at Bukit Chagar will only be the beginning of the trip.
Johor Bahru and the surrounding areas have grown into a destination for food, shopping, family attractions, resorts and short weekend escapes. Once you have cleared immigration and stepped out of the RTS station, the next question is likely to be: where should you go from Bukit Chagar?
This guide looks at some of the best ways to turn an RTS journey into a comfortable Johor Bahru day trip, whether you have only a few hours or an entire day to explore.
Why Bukit Chagar Will Change Johor Bahru Day Trips
The RTS Link connects Woodlands North in Singapore with Bukit Chagar on the Malaysian side of the border. Both countries’ customs, immigration and quarantine arrangements are designed to be co-located at the point of departure, simplifying the cross-border rail journey.
Singapore’s Land Transport Authority says the system is designed to carry up to 10,000 passengers per hour in each direction during peak periods. The official project information can be viewed on the Land Transport Authority RTS Link page and MRT Corp’s RTS Link website.
For leisure travellers, the biggest change may be convenience. Instead of planning an entire day around road congestion at the Causeway, visitors will have another way of reaching central Johor Bahru before continuing to restaurants, shopping centres, attractions or destinations farther afield.
Bukit Chagar is therefore likely to become not merely an arrival station, but an important starting point for Johor day trips.
Option 1: Spend the Day Exploring Central Johor Bahru
If this is your first visit after arriving by RTS, there is no need to travel far. Central Johor Bahru has enough food, shopping and sightseeing to fill several hours comfortably.
Start with breakfast or brunch
One of the pleasures of visiting JB is starting the morning with Malaysian favourites such as roti canai, nasi lemak, kaya toast, wantan mee or a local kopitiam breakfast.
Rather than rushing straight to a major attraction, a relaxed breakfast makes a good first stop after crossing the border.
Explore the old city area
Parts of downtown Johor Bahru are best experienced slowly. The traditional shopfronts, cafés and heritage streets around the old city offer a contrast to the modern shopping centres nearby.
Travellers who enjoy café hopping can easily spend part of the morning moving between the heritage district, Jalan Tan Hiok Nee and nearby streets before continuing to lunch or shopping.
Leave time for shopping
Shopping remains one of the most popular reasons Singapore residents make short trips to Johor Bahru. Depending on your itinerary, you can combine malls, local shops, dining and a massage or spa session without travelling far outside the city.
This type of itinerary is ideal if you want an easy RTS day trip rather than trying to cover large distances.
Option 2: Bukit Chagar RTS to Legoland Malaysia
Families arriving through Bukit Chagar can also use the RTS as the starting point for a day at Legoland Malaysia.
Legoland is located in Iskandar Puteri rather than central JB, so you will still need onward transport after reaching Bukit Chagar.
For families with children, this is where planning the final part of the journey becomes particularly important. Carrying backpacks, pushchairs and shopping bags while changing between several forms of transport can quickly turn a simple day trip into a tiring one.
A pre-arranged vehicle allows the family to meet the driver after leaving the station and travel directly to the attraction. At the end of the day, the same arrangement can be made for the return journey to Bukit Chagar or for dinner elsewhere in Johor Bahru before returning to Singapore.
For larger families, a private MPV or larger vehicle can also be more practical than separating the group between multiple cars.
Option 3: Shopping at Johor Premium Outlets
Travellers whose main objective is shopping may prefer to continue from Bukit Chagar to Johor Premium Outlets, commonly known as JPO.
JPO is outside central Johor Bahru, near Kulai, so it makes more sense as a planned excursion than an impromptu walk from the RTS station.
A typical day could look like this:
- Morning RTS journey from Singapore to Bukit Chagar.
- Meet your pre-arranged driver after arrival.
- Travel to Johor Premium Outlets.
- Spend several hours shopping and having lunch.
- Continue to central JB for dinner, or return directly to Bukit Chagar.
This arrangement is particularly convenient if you expect to return with several shopping bags, as you will not need to carry everything between multiple transport connections throughout the day.
Option 4: Make It a Desaru Day Trip
If you have a full day available and want to get beyond the city, Desaru offers a very different Johor experience.
The coastal area is known for resorts, beaches and family-oriented attractions. Because Desaru is considerably farther from Bukit Chagar than central JB attractions, it is best treated as a full-day excursion or overnight stay.
For a day trip, an early start is useful. Travellers can arrive at Bukit Chagar in the morning, meet a driver and head directly towards Desaru, then arrange a return to Johor Bahru later in the day.
If you are staying overnight at a Desaru resort, the same arrangement can work as a direct hotel transfer from Bukit Chagar without having to return to JB Sentral to search for onward transportation.
Option 5: Build Your Own Multi-Stop Johor Day Trip
Not every Johor trip needs to revolve around a single attraction.
In fact, one of the advantages of arranging a vehicle for the day is the ability to create your own itinerary.
For example:
- 9:00am: Arrive at Bukit Chagar and meet your driver.
- 9:30am: Local Johor breakfast.
- 11:00am: Shopping or sightseeing.
- 1:00pm: Lunch at a restaurant outside the immediate city centre.
- 2:30pm: Family attraction, café stop or massage.
- 5:30pm: Shopping and dinner.
- 8:00pm: Return to Bukit Chagar for the journey back to Singapore.
The actual itinerary can be adjusted according to your interests, available time and the opening hours of the places you intend to visit.
Public Transport, Ride-Hailing or a Private Day Vehicle?
There will not be one correct transport choice for every RTS passenger.
If you are staying around the centre of JB and travelling light, public transport or local ride-hailing services may be perfectly suitable.
A private day vehicle becomes more useful when your itinerary includes several stops, destinations outside central Johor Bahru, young children, elderly family members or significant luggage.
It can also remove the need to repeatedly search for another vehicle after every meal, attraction or shopping stop.
Private day transport can make sense when:
- You are travelling as a family or larger group.
- You want to visit several places in one day.
- Your destinations are spread across different parts of Johor.
- You are carrying luggage, a pushchair or shopping bags.
- You want the driver to pick you up again after each stop.
- You are travelling to Legoland, Desaru, JPO or other locations outside central JB.
BookMyTaxi.my provides pre-arranged private vehicles for travellers who prefer this type of itinerary, including day transportation from the Bukit Chagar RTS area.
The intention is not to replace the RTS journey itself. Instead, the vehicle handles the part of the trip that comes after you arrive in Johor Bahru.
Arriving at Bukit Chagar with Luggage
The RTS will not only be useful for day visitors. Travellers staying in Johor may use it as the first stage of a longer Malaysian holiday.
For example, passengers arriving with suitcases could continue directly from Bukit Chagar to a JB hotel, resort, Legoland area accommodation or another Johor destination.
Those flying from Senai International Airport can similarly arrange onward transportation instead of treating the RTS station as the final destination.
When booking any onward transport, provide the number of passengers and an indication of your luggage quantity so that an appropriately sized vehicle can be arranged.
Tips for Planning Your RTS Johor Bahru Day Trip
Don’t overfill the itinerary
Johor may look compact on a map, but driving between locations takes time. Three enjoyable stops are often better than trying to squeeze six attractions into one day.
Keep your return journey in mind
Once the RTS begins passenger operations, check the official operating hours and ticket arrangements before travelling. These details may be updated as the opening approaches.
Allow extra time for popular periods
Weekends, Singapore public holidays and Malaysian public holidays can create heavier visitor traffic around major attractions and shopping areas.
Book ahead if your itinerary depends on a vehicle
If you are travelling with a family or need a specific vehicle size, pre-arranging your transport reduces the risk of finding that the vehicle you need is unavailable after arrival.
The RTS Gets You to Johor Bahru — What Comes Next Is Up to You
The RTS Link is set to transform one of the busiest cross-border travel corridors in the region. A train journey between Woodlands North and Bukit Chagar will make central Johor Bahru more accessible to travellers who want to visit without driving across the Causeway.
But Johor has much more to offer beyond the RTS station itself.
You might spend the morning exploring central JB, take the children to Legoland, fill the boot with shopping bags at JPO, escape to Desaru or design a completely customised food-and-shopping itinerary.
For travellers who prefer not to organise separate rides throughout the day, BookMyTaxi.my can arrange a private MPV or larger vehicle to meet you around Bukit Chagar and continue your journey around Johor.
The RTS can handle the border crossing. Your Johor adventure can begin from there.
