Kuala Lumpur

A city rich in food and littered with shopping malls. The hardest part about visiting KL is fitting in enough time to eat everything!

This is where my family lives, so every trip to Malaysia involves spending a decent amount of time in the city, Kuala Lumpur. Coming here to visit family, I don’t often visit the major tourist attractions. In fact, it was only on my most recent trip that I knocked off some of the classic tourist destinations. Instead, a lot of my time in KL is spent living like a local - early morning wet markets, walks in local parks, day trips to small villages and towns, and delicious but lesser-known restaurants located in building complexes, clubhouses, or only accessible by car.

Below I’ve listed both some of the main tourist attractions, but also lesser-known areas, and my recommendations. Main tourist attractions will be listed first, and more local recommendations listed after.

KLCC and Bukit Bintang

Bukit Bintang is considered the main tourist strip with hotels, restaurants, and malls to suit every budget. You’ll find the mid-luxury 7-floor Pavillion Mall, round the corner from the famous Jalan Alor street food market, which backs onto Changkat Bukit Bintang where many bars and pubs sit. Tourists and locals alike fill the streets day and night, all out looking for a good time.

Things to do in Bukit Bintang:

Bar crawl along Changkat Bukit Bintang and try out the different bars and clubs along the way. My personal recommendation is The Rabbit Hole.
If you happen to be stuck for ideas on a rainy day head to Berjaya Times Square for shopping, eating, and entertainment including a huge indoor theme park
If you’re looking for food then definitely check out Jalan Alor street food market. The market is alive at night. Check out my page on food for recommendations on what to eat, but my suggestion would be to go with an empty stomach and an open mind and try something new.
Some restaurant recommendations:

Congkak (Indo/Malay cuisine. Order their nasi ambeng)
Restoran Mon Chinese Beef Roti (These breads went viral, with people queuing for hours to get their hands on these. They do pork and chicken too.)
Lot 10 Hutong Food Court
El Cerdo (for something a little different, try this Spanish restaurant famous for it’s baby pig. Not for the faint hearted, the dish involves guests chopping a whole piglet with a plate before smashing it on the floor. I eat meat, but after that experience my appetite was long gone.)

Jalan Alor night market in Bukit Bintang

Jalan Alor Night Market

Pavillion Mall

Just north of Bukit Bintang is KLCC, Kuala Lumpur City Central. It is possible to walk from Bukit Bintang to KLCC via a covered walkway in under 20 minutes. I often make this walk when making my way between malls Pavillion (Bukit Bintang) and Suria KLCC. This walkway is very useful as the roads here are not well designed for pedestrians and will often lead onto busy highways or lack pavements.

The better known attractions in KLCC are the PETRONAS Twin Towers, which are illuminated every night with an accompanying animated water fountain display in KLCC Park. The KLCC area is high-rises, fine dining, high-end hotels, and expensive bars.

Things to do in KLCC

You can’t visit Kuala Lumpur without spotting the bright glow of the PETRONAS Twin Towers on the skyline. Suria KLCC shopping mall is housed at the base of the towers. Admission to the towers includes walking the double-decked skybridge between the two towers on the 41st floor, and a visit to the observation deck located on the 86th floor. Closed on Mondays, you can find more information on their website.
At the foot of the PETRONAS Twin Towers is KLCC Park. A well-kept park with wide pathways for walkers, joggers, and cyclists alike. Every evening at Symphony Lake a water show is put on at 8pm, 9pm and 10pm. Music, lights, dancing water.
For a different view of the KL, try a swanky rooftop bar. There are plenty in the KLCC and bordering Bukit Bintang area. I think Vertigo @ Banyan Tree has some of the best views. You can also try:

SkyBar (a more affordable option)
Marini’s on 57 (smart dress code, strict photo/video rules)
Sky51 (gorgeous interiors)
Man Tao Bar (an infinity pool with a view)
CanopyLounge (rooftop shisha)

Get a taste of the finer food at the only Michelin-star restaurant in Kuala Lumpur, Dewakan Restaurant. Reserve a table for their tasting menu (800RM).
Another shining beacon on the KL skyline is the Menara Tower. You can visit the observation deck, open-air SkyDeck, glass-floor SkyBox, or the revolving restaurant for 360 views. For a little extra thrill, strap on a harness and take a walk outside the tower with Tower Walk 100.
Surrounding the Menara Tower is KL Forest Eco Park / Taman Eko-Rimba KL (TERKL). Walk through this primary rainforest for a chance to see some monkeys and cross the canopy walk suspension bridges. Admission fees by cash only.

 View from Vertigo @ Banyan Tree

View of the Menara Tower from TERKL

Chinatown and nearby

Chinatown is one of my favourite areas in Kuala Lumpur. Every trip to Malaysia will involve multiple trips to Chinatown and Central Market for shopping and eating. The old Chinatown area has been well looked after with great restaurants and cafes serving both traditional and modern takes on Chinese and Malay cuisine, and amazing street art. Your Instagram will pop after a trip here. Come with an empty stomach, money in your wallet, and enjoy your day.

Things to do in Chinatown

Take a walk into Kwai Chai Hong. This little alcove transports you back in time to the original Kuala Lumpur Chinatown. They have great street art and seasonal installations, perfect for photos. Stop by on a weekend for a chance to catch street performances and for your best chance to see all the food stalls open.
Petaling Street Market is a large covered open-air market selling plenty of fakes and look-a-likes as well as souvenirs. Come ready to haggle. There are a couple of snack carts and hawker stalls hiding about where you can refuel.
Chinatown has some great street art that depicts past life. Here are some sweet spots:

Lorong Petaling 2 - Old Kuala Lumpur Street Art
Lorong Panggung - Petaling Street Street Art and Kwai Chai Hong street art
Jalan Petaling
Jalan Balai Polis - The Goldsmith Street Art

Ali, Muthu & Ah Hock (a chain restaurant with a focus on multi-cultural food, plates from Malay, Indian and Chinese cuisines.)
The Hungry Tapir (vegetarian & vegan restaurant)
Pandan Republic (pandan flavoured sweet treats)
Da Bao (for some over-sized bao buns)
Nam Heong Chicken Rice (a chain that has locations in food courts, malls and hawker stalls)
Ah Har Corner is a small hidden courtyard with hawker stalls. High rated food, poorly rated hygiene.
Lai Foong Lala Noodles (Lala means clams, famous for their clam soup noodles)
Yooi Kee Chee Cheong Fun (a stall set up in Petaling Street Market selling rice noodle cannoli, one of my fav dishes)
Wong Mee Coffee Stall (breakfast hawker stall)

Do not miss Central Market! Souvenirs, both high end and cheap and tacky, handicrafts, food stalls, supermarket, food court, and a whole floor dedicated to batik (traditional fabrics). Check out their website as they often have events on.
For something a little different to the traditional sites in the area, pay a visit to REXKL Cultural Centre. See their website to check their event calendar and ticketed experiences, or just pop-in on the day and see what’s going on. There are also food stands, shop stalls, and a large maze-like bookstore to spend time in.
The tallest building in Malaysia, and the second tallest in the world, was built right by Chinatown. Merdeka 118 is hard to miss. Mainly consisting of offices and a hotel, it does have a restaurant and observation deck that you can visit.
Some restaurant recommendations:

Sri Maha Mariamman Temple is Kuala Lumpur’s oldest Hindu temple. Women need to cover their knees and shoulders. Shoes are removed before entering, and you pay a couple of coins to store your shoes on the shelves at the entrance.
Guan Di Temple and Sin Sze Si Ya Temple are just down the road from Sri Maha Mariamman. They are Chinese Taoist temples. There is no official dress code, just make sure you look respectable.

There are a handful of temples and shrines within the vicinity of different religions. If you’re short on time and unable to travel to some of the larger temples, stopping by these is a great way to still experience the culture and religion.

Lorong Petaling 2 - Old Kuala Lumpur Street Art

Sri Maha Mariamman Temple

Central Market

Jalan Petaling

These next attractions are not in Chinatown directly but in the nearby areas all within walking distance. Make a day of it and create your own walking tour.

Merdeka Square, the site where independence was declared. Surrounded by some excellent architecture, you can walk around some of the grounds of the surrounding buildings.
The walk to Merdeka Square from Chinatown goes along the River of Life. This will pass some street art, a couple of waterfront restaurants, and has great views of Sultan Abdul Samad Mosque and Building.
The Lake Gardens are an expansive park and garden and an excellent break of greenery for those looking to escape the buzz of the city. The Lake Gardens contains a Deer Park, Bird Park, Butterfly Park, conservatory and much more. It is popular with joggers and walkers with many visiting at sunrise to beat the heat.
On the outskirts of the Lake Gardens are a couple of museums including the Islamic Arts Museum, the National Planetarium, and the Royal Malaysia Police Museum.
Nearby is one of my favourite places in Kuala Lumpur, the National Mosque of Malaysia. Free to visit during non-prayer hours, men and women are provided with appropriate modesty clothes. The mosque is absolutely beautiful, tranquil, and has great views over KL.

National Mosque of Malaysia

National Mosque of Malaysia visiting hours

KL Sentral and Brickfields

KL Sentral is the largest railway station in Kuala Lumpur and serves routes across the city, including the KLIA line that transports you directly to the airport within 40 minutes, and the KTM line that runs intercity including to Singapore. As with most transport hubs in Malaysia, KL Sentral has a large mall, NU Sentral, attached.

Brickfields is the Little India of KL. The main street, Jalan Tun Sambanthan, is lined with colourful arches and boutique stalls. The area really comes alive a night.

KL Sentral and Brickfields is generally a good location to stay in the city. It’s served by good transport links and is within walking distance to many tourist areas including Chinatown should you choose to walk. The serviced apartments and suites of The Establishment (KL Bangsar Sentral Est) is where I stay in the city. You can book rooms through booking.com and Airbnb.

Things to do in KL Sentral

Learn about the history and culture of Malaysia at The National Museum of Malaysia.
Check out the amazing architecture at the Kuala Lumpur train station. I caught a couple having a photoshoot amongst the arches in formal wear and it looked gorgeous.

Things to do in Brickfields / Little India

Visit the night market stalls along Jalan Tun Sambanthan. The stands and shops along the road sell clothes, fabrics, jewellery, garlands and food. Always a fun and lively area, the bright colour clothes and the glittery jewels are a sight for sore eyes.
Banana leaf restaurants are very popular in Malaysia, and many great ones can be found in Little India. Try ABC Bistro Cafe.
Some restaurant and food stall recommendations:

Peter’s Pork Noodles
Brickfields Pisang Goreng (fried banana stall across the road from the YMCA)
Ah Keong’s ABC & Ice Cendol Stall (shaved ice stand across the road from the YMCA)
Lawanya Food Corner

Jalan Tun Sambanthan, Brickfields Little India

Other tourist areas and attractions

Kampung Baru neighbourhood

Just north of KLCC is this traditional Malay neighbourhood. Visit for a glimpse of traditional rural life. Book onto a walking tour, or search online for self-guided options.

Chow Kit Wet Market

This is Malaysia’s largest wet market (wet markets sell fresh seafood and meat, in some cases sold alive or killed in front of you fresh). The market also sells fresh and dry produce such as fruits, spices and fresh noodles.

MidValley Mega Mall

Shopping in Kuala Lumpur is great and there seems to be a mall at every turn. Pay a visit to the aptly named MidValley Mega Mall with its many luxury and highstreet stores and food stalls located in its basement.

Thean Hou Temple

A favourite spot of mine is this gorgeous Chinese temple that is very popular for weddings and pre-wedding photoshoots. It’s located at the top of a hill so has great views over the city, and at night is lit up by lanterns becoming a warm beacon on the skyline.

The ground floor of the temple has a food court and souvenir stalls.

There is no strict dress code, just that women are dressed appropriately with not too much skin showing. Signs indicate that backless clothes, spaghetti straps, and overly short skirts/shorts (allowed to be above the knee) are not appropriate, but a lot of the locals and wedding photoshoots were not abiding by these dress codes. A picture of the dress code sign is below.

Batu Caves

A very popular tourist attraction. Batu Caves is a series of cave systems which house multiple Hindu shrines found at the top of 272 steps.

Shoulders and knees should be covered for women and sarongs are provided at the foot of the steps for a small fee.

Located in the north on the outskirts of KL, you can reach Batu Caves by train from KL Sentral (about 45mins).

Sunway Lagoon and Sunway Pyramid

Sunway Lagoon is a theme park and water park for kids and adults alike. Malaysia being a Muslim country many people wear clothes in the water park. It’s not necessary, and you are fine to walk around in swimwear, but if you don’t want to stand out I’d recommend bringing a t-shirt with you.

And, of course, located next to the theme park is a mall, Sunway Pyramid.

Thean Hou Temple

Thean Hou Temple

Batu Caves

Bangsar

Across the highway from Brickfields is Bangsar, an area with many restaurants, shops, bars etc. This is the area where my family used to live, so I have spent a lot of time in Bangsar. Here are my local recommendations.

Bangsar recommendations

Haidilao Hot Pot (Hot Pot is a sharing meal where a big pot of broth, the hot pot, is centred on the table and food is cooked in it. Haidilao restaurant is so popular that people will queue for hours for a table. During that time Haidilao provides their guests with snacks, drinks, ice-cream, a nail bar, a beauty bar and more, all for free. This whole experience is well worth the wait.)
Bala’s Banana Leaf (Great roti canai and banana leaf dishes)
Bangsar Village shopping malls have expanded to 3 different buildings. They have pretty standard stores and plenty of good food options. I also always stop by Za Altera for affordable alterations and repairs on my clothes.
Bangsar Venicia Restaurant (a very good Chinese/Malay restaurant located in a condominium complex)
Bangsar Shopping Centre has some really great, highly-rated restaurants including De.Wan 1958, Grand Imperial, Dancing Fish, and IPPUDO.

Petaling Jaya (PJ)

Not a neighbourhood in Kuala Lumpur, but a neighbouring city. I come over this way a lot to eat, and there are some cool neighbourhoods in the area, most noteably SS2, Sea Park and Taman Paramount.

Petaling Jaya recommendations

SS2 Pasar Malam (Pasar malam means night market. The SS2 night market is held on Monday nights and is located around the SS2 food court. It is mainly a street food market, but will also sell some fresh produce and other items like clothes. There is another SS2 pasar malam on Thursday nights in Chow Yang.
Go for a sweaty hike to Denai Tiga Puteri Peak. It’s a fairly easy and short hike with a viewpoint.
Between PJ and Bangsar is MAHSA Avenue. Created in collaboration with the neighbouring MAHSA University, this unit was designed to promote and encourage young entrepreneurs and start-up businesses. Lots of small shops, eateries, beauty and wellness parlours, and art. I’ve been visiting this place for the past 3 years and many of the shops are still in business which is testament to its success.
Restaurant and hawker stall recommendations:

Ai Jiak Penang Food (get a taste of Penang Nyonya food. I recommend the belacan chicken wings, otak otak, and bubur cha cha)
A’Han Nyonya Kuih (Kuih is a brightly coloured Malaysian rice cake dessert)
Hasan’s Rojak & Cendol (A highly rated stall, loved by the locals for rojak, a salad dish)

Need to knows

The pavements in KL are not great and are not consistently available. Unfortunately, Google Maps doesn’t know this and you will often get led onto some busy and unsafe highway road. Be careful. Sometimes, ordering a car may be the safer option.

Special Recommendations

Food: Too many to choose from!

Attractions: Chinatown. It has everything - culture, food, shopping and photo opportunities.

Accommodation: The Establishment

R’s take

I love Kuala Lumpur, and I’ve watched over the years as it has become more developed. Like many major cities, Kuala Lumpur is safe, but keep your wits about you, particularly in tourist hotspot areas where pick-pocketing is more common.