Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the largest city in Malaysia. Known worldwide for the 451-meters high Petronas Twin Towers located in the south-western region of the country. The city still have buildings from the British colonial era, such as the Kuala Lumpur Train Station and the Sultan Abdul Samad building.
With that said, here are some of the best things to do in Kuala Lumpur if you are thinking about stopping by…
1. Petronas Twin Towers
To access the Sky Bridge, you’ll have to buy a ticket costing RM98.00 (accurate to 2023 rates). Tickets can be purchased on the spot at the box-office at the ground floor of the towers, or you can also buy it online to avoid the long queues.
The visits are normally guided-tours. The first stop is the 41st floor, this is the bridge that connects both towers. Then you may continue to go up to the 86th floor to experience a great view of the city from up above! Certainly something that you shouldn’t miss among the things to do in Kuala Lumpur. To check on the updated ticket prices and the opening times CLICK HERE.
Snacks Fact!
The bridge was constructed for the Petronas Twin Towers not just for the looks and tourism. As the designers thought about the safety-aspects of the sky-scrapers, they finally decided to connect the towers with a bridge to ‘ease’ the traffic in the event of an evacuation. What other ways you can evacuate people off this building? Parachutes anyone?
Suria KLCC
At the ground floor between the Petronas Twin Towers sits this impressive modern shopping center. Even if you’re not a big fan of going shopping, we highly recommend you to take a peek inside because it’s really nice to walk around the complex.
You can always make a stop to go to the toilets or refresh yourself with the air conditioning inside. Hey why not? And, I’m proud to say that toilets are FREE to use here, but you could also opt for the Premium Toilets for a small fee.
KLCC Park
Located at the backyard of the Petronas Twin Towers, it has a massive water fountain and (probably) 100 year-old trees. At lunch time you can find a lot of office workers have their lunch in the parks or just relaxing under the trees and huts.
But the best of this park happens every night at 8pm, 9pm and 10pm as it offers a colourful water light show that makes the park even more magical! Don’t miss it! Yes, we have one of our pictures taken at the light-show on Instagram.
2. Perdana Botanical Gardens
It’s the largest park in Kuala Lumpur (KL) covering an area of 91.6 hectares. It was established in 1888 to house large, beautifully sculpted and manicured gardens, and there are lots of things to do inside such as:
KL Butterfly Park
You Need Tickets. To check on the updated prices and the opening times CLICK HERE
KL Orchid Park
FREE Entry – Woohoo!
Orchid and Hibiscus Gardens
FREE Entry – Woohoo!
KL Bird Park
You Need Tickets. To check on the updated prices and the opening times CLICK HERE
KL Deer Park
FREE Entry – Woohoo!!!
Planetarium Negara (the National Planetarium)
You Need Tickets. To check on the updated prices and the opening times CLICK HERE
3. KL Tower
The KL Tower, or also known as Menara Kuala Lumpur (Menara = Tower in Malay ), is the tallest telecommunications tower in Southeast Asia and the seventh tallest in the world. Another thing to do in Kuala Lumpur is to go up this tower and enjoy the 360º city views.
Especially at night where the city is brightly lit with colourful lights, mesmerizing. The tower opens daily from 9.00am to 10.00pm but you need a ticket to go inside. To check on the updated prices CLICK HERE.
4. KL Forest Eco Park
Located (almost) next to the KL Tower is this natural tropical forest located in this metropolitan city. This forest consists of a few nature trails and a very high 200-meter canopy walkway which passes through the treetops for you to enjoy the wonderful views.
The best thing about this place, admission is FREE! and don’t forget to bring your camera! or phones (duh!)
5. Shopping in Kuala Lumpur
The “Shopping District” of Kuala Lumpur was located in Jalan Bukit Bintang (Jalan = Street in Malay ). Here we can find a few shopping malls connected to each other. Among them are the famous Pavilion and Fahrenheit-88.
Also walking through these streets you can find other shops from big brands and local stores. Also many restaurants from all over the world where you can taste delicious dishes at a good price.
Snacks Tip!
If you’re hungry and want to grab a quick ‘snack’, try this takeaway Halab Shawarma near the junction of McDonalds & Lot 10. Or just click HERE for the GoogleMaps link or their Facebook page. Its Harris’ favorite place for chicken-shawarma-kebab comfort-food. But please note that there would be a queue to get your order, it is that good and worth the wait!
6. Merdeka Square
Merdeka Square, as the name suggests, is the Independence Square in Kuala Lumpur. It’s located opposite the Sultan Abdul Samad building and right next to the Royal Selangor Club.
Formed for a few well-kept green gardens, and a centerpiece with the flagpole of the highest flag in the world (95m) proudly displaying Jalur Gemilang (Malaysian flag).
This is where the Independence Day (Hari Merdeka) processions happen every year on the morning of 31st August. Thousands gather to watch the events happening all around the city since the first in 1957.
7. Central Market
The Central Market of Kuala Lumpur is the center of culture, art and crafts of Malaysia. It’s located in the center of the city and just 5 minutes walk away from the Merdeka Square. It’s a good place to visit, which in addition to offering us unique purchases, gives us more of the architecture of Malaysia.
This building was renovated recently, better than it was before, all modern, clean and comfortable.
8. Visit ChinaTown
Make a visit around Chinatown, specifically Petaling Street. At the beginning of the street is the red Chinese gateway that gives way to this bustling commercial district with sellers offering a wide variety of products, like clothing, footwear, accessories and you can’t miss their famous food!
Also in this area, street murals on “KWAI CHAI LANE” are also becoming very popular. Years ago some of the Chinese mafias were settled in these streets, now it has been renovated and painted with these murals to attract tourists and street mural lovers. Kwai (Ghost) Chai (Child) actually translates from Cantonese (Chinese) to a bad-boy character as it probably was a bad-neighbourhood long ago.
9. Night Markets in Kuala Lumpur
As lovers of night markets, we recommend you to visit the night markets to get good food and shop like the locals. Known as Pasar Malam because it’s usually held from 5pm to 10pm. They are all held on different days as shown below (accurate to May 2023)
a. Pasar Malam Jalan Berhala, Bukit Bintang — Thursdays
b. Pasar Malam Lorong Tuanku Abd Rahman, Bukit Bintang — Saturdays
c. Pasar Malam Lorong Tar, Bukit Bintang — Saturdays
d. Pasar Malam Jalan Berhala, Bukit Bintang — Thursdays
For other Pasar Malam or Night Markets in Kuala Lumpur (KL) areas, click HERE for an updated list.
10. Batu Caves Temples
Another icon of Malaysia is the Hindu Temple known as Batu Caves (Batu = Rock in Malay). It’s a rocky-mountain that has a few caves and temples inside, being one of the most important temples for Hindus.
At the entrance stands the massive golden statue of the god Murugan of 42-meters (138 feet) high. To get to the top of the cave you will have to climb its 272 colourful steps!
The temple is located in the north of the city and a little far-away from the city center. Car parking costs RM2.00, because we went by car. If you are coming by train then its FREE, you won’t have to pay anything apart from the shops that sells souvenirs (if you like to get something, they take cash only).
Yes, there are wild monkeys around the vicinity. Please keep away anything grabbable-items into a backpack, don’t bring any food, bottled plain water is okay. The monkeys would even snatch sunglasses, glasses, necklaces or even mobile phones. Well, they are called monkeys (monyet mor-nyet in Malay) for a reason!
11. KL City Gallery
This was probably one of the most visited places in KL since it opened its doors for the big letters in red of “I LOVE KL”.
The colonial-style building is 114 years old and is located next to the Merdeka Square. Here you will find a collection of paintings and photos of the history of Kuala Lumpur, as well as miniature models of the most famous monuments of the city. To check on the updated prices and the opening times CLICK HERE.
12. The National Museum
The National Museum is located on Damansara Street and very close to the Perdana Lake Gardens. It gives us an overview of the history and culture of Malaysia. In addition to that, the main wall of the building includes elements of traditional Malay and modern features. To check on the updated prices and the opening times CLICK HERE.
The Bottom Line
There are lots to see and do in Kuala Lumpur. If you have more time and travel budget, take your time to plan your visit.
Kuala Lumpur is a city that (almost) never sleeps, after dark, the city transforms, looks totally different to the daytime vibes. Whatever you do, stick to the rule-of-thumb, no side-lanes, back-lanes or oh-thats-a-shortcut-I-found-on-Google and you should be safe. If you’ need help, walk up to any locals, they speak English.