Published on November 29, 2017
Central Market near Petaling Street, Kuala Lumpur. Image courtesy of Tourism Malaysia.
Kuala Lumpur is the world’s gateway into Malaysia, but don’t treat the capital as a mere layover!
For an awesome city adventure, take the KLIA Ekspres train from KLIA to KL Sentral station, a journey of only 28 minutes; from Kuala Lumpur’s main transport terminal, you can throw yourself into any number of activities, no matter where your interests lie.
The 92-hectare Perdana Botanical Gardens combine aviaries, orchid gardens, landscaped hills and a scenic lake on its grounds. Located close to the KL Sentral station, you can spend an afternoon just taking in the greenery, before visiting the nearby National Museum or National Mosque.
The Dataran Merdeka (Independence Square) stands close to the Gardens, with a shuttle service connecting the two. Visit this large open plaza to relive the British colonial experience in Malaysia: a free tour of the square and its buildings can be arranged, permitting you to enter the National Textiles Museum, Sultan Abdul Samad Building and Royal Selangor Club.
The Chinese enclave centered around Petaling Street combines history and retail therapy, with houses of worship like the Chan See Shu Yuen Temple and Sri Maha Mariamman Temple just around the corner from shopping hotspots like the Central Market.
Brickfields is Kuala Lumpur’s Indian enclave: once a brickmaking center in the late 19th century, it is presently home to a number of historic houses of worship, a bustling trade in Indian cuisine, media and goods; and places of learning.
The Golden Triangle is Kuala Lumpur’s hyper-modern shopping and business hub, covering Bukit Bintang and the Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC), combined into “BBKLCC”. Apart from an endless succession of malls, shopping centres and luxury hotels, you’ll also find two iconic structures that define Kuala Lumpur: the KL Tower and the dizzying Petronas Twin Towers.
KL Tower at night, Kuala Lumpur. Image courtesy of Tourism Malaysia.
Petronas Twin Towers. Image courtesy of Tourism Malaysia.
Similar Southeast Asia Experiences
Southeast Asia’s major cities let you peek into the local culture without needing to travel far. Try visiting Brunei’s Bandar Seri Begawan; Cambodia’s Phnom Penh; Indonesia’s Jakarta; Singapore; Thailand’s Bangkok; and Vietnam’s Hanoi.
