Exploring Malaysia 
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Kampung Kraftangan (Handicraft Village and Craft Museum)
Set within a village setting the Handicraft Village complex encompasses the Craft Museum, craft shops and a tourism office. It displays Kelantan’s exquisite range of handicrafts ranging from silverware, ‘songket’, batik and wood carvings with live demonstrations and shows held in the courtyard. The experience will give you an insight into the traditional practices in the state including making silver articles, batik printing, and songket weaving among others.
Culture Centre (Gelanggang Seni)
This is the hub of all of Kelantan’s cultural activities, where you will see huge tops(gasing) twirl effortlessly, giant gaily-coloured kites(waus) frolic in the air, energetic wayang kulit performances (shadow play), silat a form of malay martial arts and listen to the rhythmic thump of the rebana ubi (drums). Here is also where you can enjoy the unique Kelantanese ‘Dikir Barat’ performance, a lively group performance in the local dialect, accompanied by elaborate hand movements and local musical instruments. The Cultural Centre is only open from February to September every year.
Fishing Villages
A visit to Kelantan would not be complete without visiting its fishing villages. Two of the most well known ones are at Sabak Beach and Kuala Besar, both about 14 to 15 km from Kota Bharu. The brightly coloured fishing boats of Kelantanese fishermen, are unique with varied hand-painted designs and multitude of dazzling colours. To fully appreciate the experience make your way to the villages late in the afternoon when the boats arrive with the day’s catch to witness the feisty haggling that ensues between the fishermen and their customers. You can also watch the village folk at work mending their nets or setting out fish to dry at other times of the day.
Kelantanese Cottage Industries
In the outskirts of Kota Bharu, along the beach and villages are the sites of thriving cottage industries which give you the opportunity to see Kelantanese culture in the making.
The famous richly woven Kelantanese Songket (Malaysian brocade) - silk and other materials laced with gold and silver thread - once solely reserved for royalty is now used by many it during ceremonies and weddings. The Songket Weaving factories along the way to Pantai Cahaya Bulan is where you can see for yourself the intricate weaving process of and even purchase some for yourself!
The giant kites called ‘Wau’ are a distinctive symbol of the state. The fine art of making the kites is traditionally handed down from father to son. Designs are varied, ranging from the peacock kite (wau merak), bird kite (wau jalabudi), moon kite (wau bulan) and cat kite (wau kucing). You can see the expert craftsmen at work along Pantai Cahaya Bulan, Kampung Kijang and Kampung Redang.
The famed Kelantanese filigree silverware can be found at Kampung Marak and Kampung Badak, en-route to Pantai Cahaya Bulan. Kelantanese Woodcarving, which mostly favours floral inspired designs, considered among the best in Malaysia, can be found at Pakatan Jurukir Tradisional in Pengkalan Chepa among others. Kelantanese batik, block printed by hand or using modern methods can also be seen at factories around Kampung Puteh, Kubor Kuda and Kampung Badang.
Homestays
One of the best way of experiencing the life of a typical Kelantanese resident would be the Kelantanese homestay programme which gives you the opportunity to stay with families of fishermen, farmers, silversmiths and other artisans. Some of the locations you could try are at Kampung Pantai Suri (Tumpat), Kampung Blok Ulu Kussial (Tanah Merah), Kampung Renok Baru (Gua Musang) and Kampung Bukit Jering (Jeli).
Buddhist Temples
While Islam is undoubtedly the main religion practiced by the people of Kelantan there is freedom of worship in the state. With its proximity to Thailand, practice of Buddhism is strong here and the state features several impressive temples worth a visit. Wat Phothivihan, Wat Machimmaram and Wat Laikatong are three temples located in Tumpat, where you will find the largest reclining Buddha in South-East Asia (40m), second largest Sitting Buddha in South-east Asia (30m high), and the standing Buddha (43m) respectively.
