The 10 Best Places to See in Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia, where do you start? I’m the best travel planner ever. Not at all. While others have thought up elaborate routes months in advance and planned entire days, I’m lucky to know roughly three days in advance which direction I’m heading in. I hate planning. So all I knew about Malaysia was what I could glean from the travel guide. It wasn’t much. Anyway, it’s more exciting to experience things with my own eyes and so I explored the most beautiful sights in Kuala Lumpur.

What to do in Kuala Lumpur a few facts

A few rough facts about Kuala Lumpur before I provide you with some really cool tips for your Kuala Lumpur visit:

• Kuala Lumpur is the capital of Malaysia and is rather small for a major Asian city with a population of around 1.6 million
• The Petronas Towers are THE landmark of the city and WERE once the tallest building in the world, but are still the tallest twin towers in the world for it
• Multicultural: In Kuala Lumpur, as in the rest of Malaysia, a wide variety of cultures and religions live in a very small area: Chinese, Malays, Indians, Arabs, Buddhists, Muslims, Christians, Hindus – everyone finds their place here.

Petronas Twin Towers

There is no getting around the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur. Polished to a shine and with the interesting shape details, the twin towers are truly an extraordinary piece of architecture. Not to mention the huge height. By the way, you can also go up. Attention: Tickets for the observation deck are sold online up to 24 hours in advance. Those who decide spontaneously can get hold of remaining tickets on the same day from 9 am. And this is really advisable, simply going there during the day usually does not work. Tip: The sunset from up there is supposed to be fantastic!

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Merdeka Square

A little something for history buffs: Here the Malay flag was hoisted for the first time in 1957 and independence from England was celebrated. Actually just a big lawn, used to be a cricket field. But the building on the square, the Sultan Abdul Samad Building, with its huge clock tower and unusual spiral staircases and arcades, is quite worth seeing. Another good reason to stop by are the two tourist information centers. Once the national tourist office for all of Malaysia in the Sultan Abdul Samad Building and a few meters around the square the tourist information for Kuala Lumpur. Here you can stock up on really informative brochures and the staff are consistently very nice and happy to help with tips.

Chinatown

There are definitely more Chinese and exciting Chinatowns in the world than the one in Kuala Lumpur. Nevertheless, there are some great temples and a nice Indian market, you should not miss:

Central Market

There are some nice souvenir stores and stalls here and a good and cheap food court on the upper floor.

Sri Mahamariamman Temple

A Hindu temple in the middle of Chinese Chinatown – that’s Malaysia. In multiculturalism, no one can fool them anymore. At the entrance you give off your shoes, even in Hindu temples you only walk around barefoot, and then you can also look at the temple from the inside. Again, the slap tight hot pants are better covered up. Saris can be rented on site.

Guan Di Temple

A few meters away from the Hindu temple, one is immersed in a completely different world. That’s how quickly you jump from one world religion to another here in Malaysia. Guan Di Temple is a Taoist shrine dedicated to the god Guan Di, patron saint of martial arts. Police officers and triads alike reportedly come here to ask for protection. Crazy.

Petaling Street

I didn’t find it that spectacular, but if you still want to shop for Chinese knickknacks, plastic teddy bouquets and original unoriginal Louis Vuitton bags, you can still visit Petaling Street, a covered shopping mall in the middle of Chinatown and the heart of the district.

Jalan Alor Food Street

The best place for nighttime street food adventures is Jalan Alor! You can find everything here – but especially a lot of Chinese cuisine. One restaurant follows the other, food stalls without end and live music from time to time.

Those who have tasted enough, then move on to Changkat Bukit Bintang – a street nearby with many bars, music and nightlife.

Batu Caves

The absolute temple highlight! A Hindu temple carved into the middle of a huge crevice! The imposing statue at the entrance shows the way: steep stairs lead up to the innermost part of the Batu Caves. Along the stairs in the trees live tons of monkeys: Do not feed, hold small parts (cameras etc.) well (monkeys can steal really well) and find cute!

By the way, construction has just started at the temple, and the workers are happy to help, since the temple is donation-funded and does not charge an entrance fee – just take a bucket of sand at the entrance upstairs, leave it at the construction site, and take an empty bucket with you on your way out.

Heli Lounge Bar: The best rooftop bar

Rooftop bars are always a good idea. But the Heli Lounge Bar is really unique, not only for aviators. A REAL helipad (!) in the middle of Kuala Lumpur on top of a nondescript skyscraper with a spectacular, unobstructed view of the sparkling Petronas Twin Towers. Railing? There is no such thing. Free as a bird over Kuala Lumpur – plus drinks at their best. During the day, the helipad is actually used, but at night, the landing pad becomes the most unusual rooftop bar in Kuala Lumpur.

A bit more expensive, a bit difficult to find as there is hardly any signage at the entrance below – but definitely worth it. Downstairs is the lounge bar proper, but stairs and narrow metal staircases take you up to the helipad with the best view ever. It really doesn’t get any cooler than this.

Address: on the Menara KH high-rise, 34th floor, Jalan Sultan Ismail

open from monday to saturday from 18.00

in the bar downstairs order the first drink and carry it up yourself, but the following ones can be ordered upstairs at the table

Practical tips for travel and transportation in Kuala Lumpur

• Kuala Lumpur has two airports: Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL), called KLIA, and Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport (also Subang Airport). The latter is the older of the two and is closer to the city, but is now served by only three smaller Malaysian airlines (Berjaya Air, Malindo Air, Firefly). There is no direct flight from Germany to Kuala Lumpur (KUL) – I flew from Berlin with Qatar Airways via Doha, which was the shortest connection.
• The public transport system in Kuala Lumpur is very well equipped with subways and buses – but I really didn’t use it much, because in Kuala Lumpur I finally became a total Uber and Grab fan. The two services are unbeatably cheap and super convenient.
• The bus station TBS (Bersepadu Selatan) is located just outside the city and offers connections in all directions. Tickets can be bought well in advance via easybook.com, which saves waiting time as you just have to pick up your ticket at an extra counter.

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Reading tips on Kuala Lumpur:

See, Feel and Taste Kuala Lumpur Blogpost by Travel on Toast
Thaipusam in the Batu Caves Blogpost by Love and Compass

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All blog articles about Malaysia:

• The 10 Best Places to See in Kuala Lumpur
• Cameron Highlands: Malaysia’s Famous Tea Plantations
• Best Things to Do in Ipoh, Malaysia
• Full Guide: The Perhentian Islands in Malaysia