10 Places to Visit in KL
Kuala Lumpur (KL) is a modern city filled full of culture, skyscrapers and many things to see and do. KL is a boiling pot of cultures, including Chinese, Indian and native Malay. KL was one of those places, similar to Singapore, where every street or every experience reminds you of another fascinating place in Asia. I visited KL in 2018 and really enjoyed the city for its vibrance, buzz and multiculturalism.
I would recommend spending around 3-5 days in KL, so check out these 10 place to visit in this bustling city.
1. The Petronas Towers
I unashamedly could not stop calling The Petronas Towers, The Expecto Patronum Towers, if you’re a Pothead you’ll know what I’m talking about. The Petronas Towers dominate the KL skyline with their distinctive H shape. The towers are the tallest twin towers in the world and have been since 1996.
The towers are the headquarters of Petronas, Malaysia’s biggest oil and gas power company. But they are also filled with a diverse range of activities. Home to one of Malaysia’s best shopping malls as well as KLCC Park and KLCC Aquarium, there’s plenty of things to do.
Entry: ADULTS: 80MYR (£14), CHILDREN: 33MYR (£5.80)
Opening Hours: Tuesday – Friday (10AM- 6PM), Saturday – Sunday (10AM-9PM), Monday (CLOSED)
Location: Lower Ground (Concourse) Level, PETRONAS Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur City Centre, 50088, Kuala Lumpur
2. Sri Mahamariamman Temple
This is one of the most intricate and beautiful temples I have ever been too; and having lived in Vietnam and China for 3 ½ years I have been to my fair share of temples. Incredible carvings adorn the temples tower in all their colourful glory. The Sri Mahamariamman Temple is the oldest Hindu temple in KL and is well worth a visit. Built in 1873 this temple is located in between two Buddhist temples on the outskirts of Chinatown. This Hindu temples location between a collision of Buddism and Chinese culture shows the diversity of Malaysia and how these cultures can happily coexist.
Location: Jalan Tun H S Lee, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
3. Heli Lounge Bar
I have never been one of those people who searches for good bars on holiday, but I travelled to KL with South African’s so naturally I ended up at this rather incredible bar. Ever wanted to drink on top of a helicopter landing pad? Well, Heli Lounge Bar is the place for you. Wander inside and into the elevator and you may just think this is a cool inside bar, themed around aviation, but push open a grey door and you will find yourself on top of KL. We went for sunset and stayed into the night; it was amazing. Watching the city turn its lights on all from the sky with a refreshing drink in hand. The whole time I couldn’t help but admire the tennis match that Roger Federer and Andre Agassi played on the helicopter landing pad of the Burj Al Arab Hotel. Scary stuff!
Entry: 50MYR (£8.70) – This is cover for the door but includes an alcoholic drink
Location: 34 Menara KH, Jln Sultan Ismail, Bukit Bintang, 50450, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
4. Wander Around China Town
The heart of KL’s China Town is Petaling Street, and the area might be a little dilapidated and crowded but it’s vibrant and atmospheric. I actually stayed at the Mingle Hostel in Chinatown and the moment you exited the hostel there were strong and alluring smells and a real atmosphere, even in the middle of the day.
Find some good deals at Petaling Street market or Central Market, visit Chan See Shu Yuen Temple and certainly tuck into some of the delicious street food from any one of the hundreds of stalls that line the streets.
Location: Jalan Petaling, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
5. National Museum of Malaysia
If you’re looking to become more knowledgeable about Malaysia and its history, economy, geography, culture and art then head on over to the National Museum of Malaysia. After visiting the museum, you can head to the beautiful and tranquil Perdana Lake Gardens, which has an installation that somewhat resembles the glass structure inside the Singapore Changi Airport.
Entry: The cost of the museum is next to nothing, with foreigners being charged 5MYR (88p) for adults and just 2MYR (35p) for children.
Location: Jabatan Muzium Malaysia, Jln Damansara, Perdana Botanical Gardens, 50566 Kuala Lumpur
6. Kuala Lumpur Railway Station
OK, so visiting a railway station doesn’t exactly sound like a tourist attraction, but hold on one minute, did you see this building? Construction was completed in 1917 and this railway stations is a mixture of western and Mughal styles. Adorned with horseshoe arches and two distinctive golden gazebo style towers, its quite impressive!
Location: Kampung Attap, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
7. Thean Hou Temple
This extravagant red, white and copper orange temple has six tiers for you to look round. Thean Hou Temple is a temple dedicated to the Chinese sea goddess Mazu and is one of the oldest and largest temples in Southeast Asia. The temple was built by the Hainanese people living in Malaysia and was completed in 1989. The Hainanese people of China come from the smallest of the country’s provinces, Hainan, a tiny island in the south of China.
Entry: FREE
Opening Hours: Daily between 9AM-6PM
Location: 65 Persiaran Endah, Off Jalan Syed Putra, Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan 50460
8. Batu Caves
Arguably Malaysia’s biggest tourist attraction, the Batu Caves are located just outside the boundaries of KL. The Batu Caves are a series of caves inside a limestone hill. The domineering golden Sri Muruga Statue stands proud and there are 272 steps leading up to the cave. When I was there in 2017 the steps were plain, but by August 2018 they had been painted multicoloured. The jury’s still out for me on whether this colour change was an improvement. On the one hand you cannot beat a rainbow but on the other they don’t exactly look in keeping with the environment. Top tip: hold onto your possessions or a monkey might just come and grab them.
I personally found the caves themselves a little underwhelming, but it was a great day out all the same with the outside being far more impressive than the inside.
Its pretty easy to get to the caves from KL. Just take the KTM Komuter train along the Batu Caves-Port Klang route from KL Central Station. The train should cost around 2MYR (35p) one way. There are stalls selling nik-naks along the walkway from the train station, I don’t normally bother with those things, but I did pick up a colourful bracelet which has been tied to my arm for the past 5 years.
Location: Gombak, 68100 Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia
9. Masjid Jamek Mso
10. Kuala Lumpur Tower
We started with the Petronas Towers we will end our list of places to visit in Kuala Lumpur at the Kuala Lumpur Tower. The KL Tower stands at 421m high, just shorter than the 452m high Petronas Towers. Head up the tower to the observation deck for 360 ° view of KL.
It should be noted that due to COVID the KL Tower’s Observation deck is currently closed.
Entry: Adults: 29MYR (£5) Children:14MYR (£2.45)
Location: No. 2 Jalan Punchak Off, Jalan P. Ramlee, 50250 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
BONUS ATTRACTION
11. Sultan Abdul Samad Building
Another of KL’s spectacular and elaborate and detailed buildings, the Sultan Abdul Samad Building was built during the British occupation of Malaysia. It is the current location of the Ministry of Information, Communication and Culture of Malaysia.
Location: Jln Raja, Kuala Lumpur City Centre, 50050 Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Haz Mapz 