KL to Alor Setar by car is about 430 km, nearly all of it on the North–South Expressway, and takes four and a half to five hours of driving before you stop. Alor Setar is the capital of Kedah, a royal town with a famous mosque, a tall tower and the paddy fields of the Kedah plain all around it.
The road, in order
You join the expressway at Bukit Lanjan or Sungai Buloh, on the PJ side of KL, and head north. The kilometre posts on this stretch count down towards the Thai border, so the numbers get smaller as you go.
Rawang comes up within the first half hour, the first rest area northbound. Don't stop yet. The first proper break is Tapah, around 140 km in, and it's the natural breakfast stop if you left early. Gopeng comes next, then Ipoh; the exits for the city are 138 to 141, and our KL to Ipoh guide covers the town if you'd like to break the trip there.
Sungai Perak, just after Ipoh, serves both directions and is roughly halfway. Then come Bukit Gantang, near Taiping, and Gunung Semanggol. Taiping is worth a night of its own; our KL to Taiping guide explains why.
After Gunung Semanggol the expressway runs past the turn-offs for Penang, and the bridge to the island is a detour off to the left. Our KL to Penang guide covers that road. Carry on north into Kedah. Sungai Petani's exits are 168 and 170, the last rest area is Gurun, and from there it's paddy country most of the way.
Leave the expressway at Alor Setar South, exit 177, or Alor Setar North, exit 178, depending on where you're staying. Put the hotel into Waze or Google Maps and let it choose.
| Stop | Roughly from PJ | What it's for |
|---|---|---|
| Rawang | 30 km | Too early; skip it |
| Tapah | 140 km | Breakfast and petrol |
| Sungai Perak | 220 km | Lunch, halfway |
| Bukit Gantang | 245 km | Short break near Taiping |
| Gunung Semanggol | 275 km | Short break |
| Gurun | 390 km | Last stop before Alor Setar |
Distances are worked out from the expressway's kilometre posts and rounded.
What to see in Alor Setar
- Masjid Zahir. Built in 1912, with a main dome flanked by five smaller ones. Entry is free; dress modestly.
- Menara Alor Setar. A 165.5-metre tower with a revolving restaurant.
- Balai Besar and Balai Nobat. The royal audience hall, first built in 1735, and the tower that holds the royal orchestra's instruments, which are only played at royal ceremonies.
- Pekan Rabu. A market of more than 350 stalls selling local food, crafts and clothes, open daily from mid-morning to evening.
- Muzium Padi. The rice museum at Gunung Keriang, outside town, in a building shaped like a bundle of paddy stalks, with a 360-degree mural of the rice-growing year. You need the car for this one.
Kedah's weekend is Friday and Saturday (as at November 2026), not Saturday and Sunday. Some places close on Friday, including the state museum, so check opening days if your trip starts on a Thursday night.
The car and the kilometres
A return trip is about 860 km before you drive anywhere in Kedah. Every Grandpride rental includes 120 km a day, so even a four-day trip includes only 480 km. Add unlimited mileage when you book; it costs less per kilometre than paying the car's per-km rate afterwards.
Pick something comfortable for five hours on one road. The Mercedes-Benz GLC250 4Matic at RM 1,700 a day is a quiet SUV for a family, and the BMW 530i at RM 800 a day is a long-legged saloon for two or three. The SUV list has bigger options.
Only the named renter may drive, so one person does all 430 km each way. That's the best reason to stop at Tapah and Sungai Perak even if nobody's hungry. Take a Touch 'n Go card with the keys for the tolls, loaded with RM 50 to RM 500, and bring the car back with the fuel level it had at collection.
If nobody fancies the drive, a Grandpride chauffeur can do it one way, priced on distance; our guide to a private driver from KL to other cities explains how those trips are priced. And if Alor Setar is a stop on the way to Thailand, read KL to Hat Yai by car first, because the rental car has to stay on this side of the border.
