Bring Back a Slice of Malaysia for Your Family and Friends. Your Ultimate Guide to Shopping for Malaysian Gifts and Souvenirs in 2020

Besides being popular for its food, Malaysia is known for its shopping attractions which include clothing, shoes, perfumes and more at a fraction of the prices back home. So whether it is a new wardrobe or a cool souvenir, Malaysia is your place to go! Malaysia's shopping is best in Kuala Lumpur where you will find a variety of shopping malls with designer stores along with budgeted stalls as well as in the Bukit Bintang Area. Then Penang is the next stop with its 3 top malls with an assortment of stuff on sale that includes budget buys to items that range in the latest technology category.

There are night markets here as well where the prices are comparatively lower to those in Kuala Lumpur. For your duty-free shopping, Langkawi and Labuan off the Sabha coast are popular shopping spots, where you’d have access to tax-free items like chocolates, cosmetics, alcohol and a variety of local souvenirs. In Malacca against the backdrop of heritage structures, colonial estates and ancient landmarks, you’d find a range of vintage styled shopping suites to mega-malls and a series of old galleries/museums offering a splendid collection of local artifacts and gift items.

As is true for the rest of southeast Asia, for a decent price you’d need to practise your haggling skills in Malaysian markets as well. However, this holds true only when you’re bargaining for items for which the prices aren’t fixed. For instance, restaurants, super-marts, shopping malls, food courts or small shops don’t allow bargaining as such and if you get a receipt for your goods then there’s no lowering the price! Most shop owners in Malaysia are Chinese Malaysians who sell a wide range of trinkets, clothes and other items and if you’re in a market where there are a lot of ex-pats roaming, then you’d find these goods selling at exorbitant prices! Before you begin negotiating your price, it is best to know what the price range is for that particular item. Another way to get your price met is to express shock when you’re quoted a price, smile and then be willing to walk! If you buy in bulk then it is easier to meet your price, however as a non-resident, prices will always be higher for you vs. a local.

Shopping in Malaysia entails visiting a series of top markets and malls in its most popular tourist spots like Kuala Lumpur, Cameron Highlands and Langkawi and each destination is brimming with the choicest of things to buy. Petaling Street in KL is where you’d find Malaysia’s best, like in China town where you’ll get a variety of vibrantly coloured artificial flowers, apparel, electronics, bags and more. Besides shopping, indulge your taste buds in some of the best Chinese fare as well as delicacies from different parts of KL. Central Market is another artsy shopping complex at a walking distance from the Pasar Seni MRT Station where you can buy souvenirs, handicrafts, fashion accessories and artworks of Indian or Chinese origin.

For your street shopping needs, visit the Kasturi Walk next to the Central Market. Surya KLCC in the Petronas Towers is considered one of the best places to go shopping with a variety of luxury brands and cheaper stuff as well. The Berjaya Times Square Mall is one of the world’s largest shopping malls situated in a 48-storey building that houses a hotel, theme park, restaurants and offices along with a series of entertainment options as well. There are over 100 stores that sell cosmetics, apparel, footwear, candies and more! In Langkawi, there are over 40 shopping, food retail and entertainment outlets for all kinds of shoppers looking for souvenirs, fashion accessories, electronics, liquor, handicrafts, cosmetics and more. The Langkawi Fair Shopping Mall, Zon Shopping Paradise here are must-visit destinations. In Cameron Highlands, the Cameron Square and Central Market are the best shopping complexes.

Malaysia’s batik is extremely popular with some of the best motifs beings those of flowers and leaves. This print is usually made using the wax and dye method and is available in a large variety of colours and designs. Malaysian batik adorned with humans or animal motifs are rare on account of them being forbidden in Islam, however, you’d find some beautiful geometric designs. Malaysian batik patterns are larger and simpler to create and are typically done with brush painting with lighter yet vibrant colours. The Central Market in Malaysia is one of the best to explore painted silk batik fabrics, hand-decorated and vibrantly coloured. From serving as gorgeous pieces of apparel and accessories to be used as wall hangings or decor items, batik in Malaysia can be used in multiple ways. You can also purchase block prints in batik at pocket-friendly prices. Lightweight, Malaysian batik in block-prints comes at ₹ 74.00 per meter, while the handprints cost about ₹ 4,600.00 per meter. You can buy Malaysian batik at Koleksi Melayu, Central Market Annexe between 10 am to 10 pm.

Malaysia is renowned for its traditional handicrafts, art and trade. Some of the best Malaysian crafts include Wau Kites along the Kelantan coast, where you’d find a well-known Kite Maker known for creating traditional Malaysian kites by hand, each with a unique history, design and persona. Then, there are other hand-woven crafts like those made of rattan, coconut shells, bamboo or pandan leaves, mengkuang. You will find gorgeous handcrafted handbags that are lightweight and quite stylish as well to take back as souvenirs for your women friends. These hand-woven purses come in the range of ₹ 150.00 in the smaller category and you’ll find them at Central Market Annexe, Ka50, G23, Jalan Hang Kasturi.

Songket is a fabric from the brocade family of textiles and is handwoven in cotton or silk. Intricately designed with silver or gold thread-work, the threads in a Songket shine through the background and create a shimmering effect. Considered a traditional, luxurious and well-respected fabric that’s used mostly for special occasions, ethnic cultural events and religious festivals, Songket is usually worn by brides and grooms for their wedding ceremony as well, especially in Bali, Minangkabau and Palembang. A typical Malaysian Songket takes from about a month to 3 months to be ready, while an ordinary one can take just 3 days. Its price ranges from ₹ 1,800.00 to ₹ 20,000.00. You can even buy a short-length Songket for ₹ 700.00 at the Central Market in different colours and use it for decor, keepsakes or to cover your jewellery box. Look out for the Malaysian Songket at Peninsular Arts & Borneo Crafts, KB09, Central Market Annexe.

An ethnic Malaysian hairpin made of silver, gold or other materials, Cucuk Sanggul is typically long and thin with a decorative end that features a mythological creature or some other form of Malaysian art. Used originally to secure a woman’s bun, during a traditional wedding, the modern-day Cucuk Sanggul isn’t as elaborate as it used to be. The pins range from ₹ 1,800.00 – ₹ 5,000.00 or higher depending on the material used to craft it and you’d most likely find authentic varieties in a specialist shop. You can visit Tuah KTC at the Central Market or the Kuala Lumpur Craft Complex for traditional Malaysian Cucuk Sanggul

Experience Malaysia’s art and crafts at the Kuala Lumpur Craft Complex where you’d find an assortment of handmade crafts or the National Visual Arts Gallery, the hub for art enthusiasts and collectors. While the ground floor houses exhibitions by south-east Asian and Malaysian artists, the second & third levels display over 2,000 works of art as part of its permanent displays. The gift shop here is an excellent place to choose from a wide array of local artwork, publications or souvenirs. There’s the Royal Selangor Visitor Centre as well, where you can find captivating and unique showpieces to decorate your living space with.

A Malaysian rice wine – Lihing, originated from the Sabah State and is made from the glutinous rice ‘Pulut’. Also known as Hiring, Lihing is sold all over in Sabah and is typically used in the making of Tuaran Mee and ice cream. One can enjoy the rice wine as an aperitif at room temperature or chilled and also mixed with different fruit juices. A special type of liquor Lihing is made of fermented rice and distilled into a vodka-like drink and is mostly available in Sabah or Sarawak in a litre for as little as ₹ 180.00 – ₹ 350.00.

An intricately fabricated Malaysian moon-kite with floral motifs mostly, Wau Bulan is a traditional Malaysian kite and one of Malaysia’s national symbols as well. The Wau kite can be found in different varieties with the cat or the peacock kites as some of the popular variants. The Wau Bulan is typically larger than any other Malaysian Kite and sized at 2.5 m in width and 3.5 m in length. The designs on the kite are clearly visible when up in the air and they are also adorned with large and vibrantly coloured patterns for a distinctive edge. The Wau kite is usually large and as such cannot be carried in your luggage, hence you’d find the miniature kites at Ka50, Central Market in beautiful colours in the price range of ₹ 350.00 – ₹ 500.00

People who love pearls get excited when they get freshwater or saltwater pearls, as these natural marvels are not only classy but also much preferred for their charm and beauty. Malaysia is abundant with pearls, especially its native cache of pearls where Borneo pearls are locally cultivated and harvested. Sabah’s pearls are available in Darvel Bay, Tabawan Island, etc. You can also explore reasonably priced genuine pearls at Sinsuran Complex, Gaya Street and the Filipino Market, Kuala Lumpur or Central Market. These natural pearls are available in pink, white, cream and bluish-grey colours in a variety of necklaces, earrings, rings or bracelets. The value of these pearls varies on the basis of their size, number of strings, quality and colour of the pearls. For instance a pearl ring’s price can vary from ₹ 180.00 – ₹ 20,000.00.

In Malaysia, white coffee is considered quite distinct from the dark coffee when it comes to the aroma, taste and colour of the drink. Produced by roasting coffee beans with margarine that creates a lighter hue of the beans, in addition to milk, the sweetly fragrant and rich white coffee comes to flavour. Creamy and delightfully rich in taste, this coffee comes in instant packs in renowned brands of Old Town, Aik Cheong and Ah Huat in the price range of ₹ 200.00 – ₹ 250.00. You can buy instant white coffee variants in Old Town coffee shops or supermarkets in Malaysia.

Kuala Lumpur is known to sell Chinese medicines and herbs for multiple health conditions as herbal remedies which are traditional and considered safe. You can explore Jalan Petaling market stalls that are abundant with colourful brown bags of spices and herbs and are available for different ailments ranging from flu to a headache, sinus allergies or other health conditions. Available in pocket-sized packs, they are easy to carry around and take back home starting with a price of about ₹ 200.00.

Besides the usual trinkets, fridge magnets, key-chains or t-shirts, there are some really unconventional souvenirs you can take back from Malaysia for yourself and your loved ones. Here’s a small list to help you find your way!