Kuala Lumpur is the capital city of Malaysia. It is often referred to as KL and is the cultural, financial, and economic center of Malaysia. KL is located near the central west coast of Peninsular Malaysia with a population of around 8 million. What are the best things to do in Kuala Lumpur?
Kuala Lumpur attracts visitors from all over the world and can cater to any type of traveler whether they are a budget traveler or luxury traveler. In Kuala Lumpur, you can enjoy shopping, seeing Petronas Towers, amazing nightlife, and much more to do that will keep you busy for a few days.
In this post, we will go through things to do in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. Let’s get started!
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Is It Worth Visiting Kuala Lumpur?
Kuala Lumpur is worth visiting especially if you enjoy exploring places like the famous Petronas Towers, shopping, and nightlife. The local food is amazing in Kuala Lumpur offers an amazing variety, cheap and good.
Things To Do In Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur is located near the central west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and it is the capital city of Malaysia. There are fun things to do in Kuala Lumpur that will keep you busy for a few days.
Here is our list of things to do in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.
Visit Batu Caves
One of the most famous tourist spots in KL is Batu Caves. It is located 13 km on the north side of the city. Simply put it is a temple inside a cave. This temple is the most popular Hindu temple situated outside India, dedicated to one of the Hindu gods, Murugan.
In order to reach the temple, you have to take the stairs which have more than 270 steps. There is a statue of the Murugan god which is the highest in the world. Once you reach the top of the stairs the main temple of Murugan is inside the cave and this involves more steps inside the cave.
The statue is popular for taking photos with it in the background. Visitors also like to take photos with hundreds of pigeons flying around the site and monkeys you meet as you walk up the stairs.
Explore The Historical Sites
If you like visiting historical sites, you should visit Merdeka Square. It is located right in the city center. It has important historical value for Malaysians because this is the place where the independence ceremony of the country was held 60 years ago.
Around Merdeka Square are many historical buildings. Such as.
- Royal Selangor Club Complex.
- Sultan Abdul Samad Building.
- National History Museum.
- St. Mary’s Cathedral.
All of them make the place look like an old city.
Visit The Mosques
Talking about exceptional buildings in KL, this city has a lot of mosques that are one-of-a-kind designs. Here the mosques are not only places for praying but they are also open to tourists who want to enjoy the unique architecture of the mosques.
Some of the most popular ones are.
- Jamek Mosque.
- National Mosque of Malaysia.
- Federal Territory Mosque Kuala Lumpur.
Female tourists who visit the mosques are obliged to wear loose and long clothes.
Visit Petronas Tower
Another must-visited destination is Twin Tower or Petronas Tower which is located in the KLCC area. KLCC itself is the biggest shopping center in Kuala Lumpur. If you go to Kuala Lumpur but you don’t take photos of the background of the tower, your visit is not complete.
The Twin Towers is the main icon of Kuala Lumpur if not Malaysia. The best time to visit Petronas Tower is from the late afternoon to the evening so you can enjoy the view of the tower with the lights as it gets dark.
Many people say that the tower looks more stunning in the evening because of the flickering lights. Around 7 in the evening, there is a dancing fountain show in front of the tower that you can enjoy.
There is an Aquaria KLCC. It is a great place for visitors with children. Inside the giant aquarium, you can see many types of fish in various sizes. It is open from 10 am in the morning to 8 pm in the evening every day, including on national holidays.
Try The Local Food
Kuala Lumpur is heaven for food lovers. There are many places that serve unique cuisine that’s worth trying. The most famous one is the Nasi Lemak. Nasi Lemak is cooked with pandan leaf and coconut milk served with chicken or meat, and spicy sambal, of course. This food is available everywhere in the city.
KL is also popular for its street food. You can go to Petaling Street Night Market. Here, you can enjoy Malaysian typical food. There are lots of lanterns at this particular night market, adding an oriental vibe.
The best time to go to this place is after 4 pm when hundreds of food stalls start to open. Most of the food served here is Chinese food. Another similar place is Alor Street. You must visit both of them.
Go Shopping
Kuala Lumpur is also a paradise for shoppers. This city has many state-of-the-art malls where you can find everything from fashion to electronics. There are also food courts with various food options. One of the popular shopping malls in KL is the Pavilion shopping mall.
In front of the mall, there is a giant Sphinx statue. The whole of the mall is designed in Egypt concept. Another well-known mall is Suria KLCC. It is located right under the Twin Tower.
It is where to go when you want to shop for branded items like Jimmy Choo, Balenciaga, and many others. In addition to the malls, there are still many other places where shoppers can go. Central Market is one of them.
There, you can buy souvenirs. The stuff sold there can vary from sandals, to ethnic clothes, and many others. In the market, visitors can bargain with the items they want to buy.
Not far from Central Market, there is Kasturi Walk which sells similar items as in the Central Market. Both places offer cheap prices for the items they sell.
How To Get Around Kuala Lumpur?
You don’t need to worry about transportation in KL as there are many options of public transport that can take you anywhere throughout the city. The most efficient and cheapest way is to use MRT.
The MRT has many stations. For first-timers, it is advised to learn about the routes as it may be a bit confusing at first. But as you get familiar with the routes, traveling by the express train is also very convenient.
Taxis should be the last option because they are expensive and not as fast as the train. Using Grab is a good option and better than taxis. The bus is a cheaper option but it is usually very crowded.
USEFUL TRAVEL RESOURCES
Book Accommodation
Booking.com has a large range of properties from hotels, hostels, guesthouses, and resorts where you will find the best deals. Airbnb and Hostelworld also have a good range of places to stay at good prices.
Booking Flight
Skyscanner is a flight search comparison website that searches millions of flights all at once. Ultimately it is the best flight comparison website online at the moment.
Booking Transportation & Things To Do
Rome2rio and 12Go are useful to plan how to get anywhere by searching train, bus, car, and ferry routes. Especially useful in countries like Vietnam or Thailand. While Klook is great for exploring things to do in each place.
Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is cheap and more than likely you will never need to use it but you will have peace of mind if something does happen, you are covered in case of an emergency. World Nomads have great customer service and competitive prices.
Check out our resource page for the best companies to use when you travel.
Wrapping Up
Finally, Kuala Lumpur is a great place to visit especially if you enjoy exploring places like the famous Petronas Tower and seeing old colonial buildings. You can also enjoy shopping and the amazing variety of local food available across the city and a good price.
And that’s it for now! I’d love to know if this guide on the things to do in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia has helped you. Let me know if you have any questions and let me know if there is more to add.