Known as KL to all the inhabitants (not just the too-cool-for-school expats), Malaysia’s capital is definitely a contradiction. It’s loud, bright, shiny, modern, undeniably a city... and yet the city still has an element of old-school Asia, filled with Chinese street restaurants, Indian canteens and the occasional shanty-town area. You’ll feel a happy, buzzing and vibrant atmosphere here as you walk along the main streets that comprise the famous Golden Triangle in the city centre. You can shop for the trendiest clothes, visit the oldest temples, and stare in awe at some of the world’s most advanced buildings. Yes, KL is certainly a surprise – but a very pleasant one.
Transport
Get used to walking! You can get buses around KL, but it’s a fairly complex process – your best bet is to ask at your hostel which bus goes to the destination you’re after, and when you catch it, double check with the driver. You can, however, walk from the centre to most of the city attractions, e.g. Petaling Street and the Lake Gardens. The other reasonable option is taxis – they are not too expensive around the city and they are metered so are usually honest enough. And honestly, KL can be so ridiculously hot that the idea of an air-conned taxi might appeal a bit more than traipsing halfway across the city.
Stuff to see
Petronas Towers
Up until fairly recently the Petronas towers were the highest towers in the world, and they are still the world’s highest twin towers. The Burj Dubai in Dubai is currently the tallest building in the world, as of 07.04.08. The Petronas Towers, however, are still spectacular, and they are also free to go up! There is a limited number of tickets available each day to go up the tower, so the best thing to do is go at 8.30am to pick up your ticket and then come back later in the day. When you go up the tower, you can only go as high as the Skybridge separating the two towers at the 41st and 42nd floors. Closed on Mondays.
KL Minara
In a way, this tower is better than the Petronas Towers. Okay, it’s not technically as tall or pretty, and, admittedly, you do have to pay to go up there...
but the two big pluses are these: First, you can actually go a lot higher up the KL Minara than you can the Petronas Towers, and second, you can see the Petronas Towers from the observation deck, in all their space-age glory. It costs about 10 ringgit to get up there, but you can stay as long as you like.
Sri Mahamariamman Temple
With a large Indian population in Kuala Lumpur, you will see many Hindu temples throughout the city. The Sri Mahamariamman Temple is the oldest and most rich Hindu temple of them all. It was founded in 1873, although several additions and repairs have been made more recently.
Lake Gardens
A vast expanse of greenery in the middle of this developed city, the Lake Gardens have a bit of everything. In the nearly 100 hectares of land you will find the famous Kuala Lumpur Bird Park, which, as well as containing almost all the main species of birds from across the globe, has an incredible array of the exotic birds you will find in South East Asia. You will also find the Orchid Garden and the Butterfly Park, both of which have wide varieties in their respective fields and are very peaceful. There is also small Deer Park, admittedly containing the Mousedeer – the smallest hoofed animal in existence. But overall, the Lake Gardens are a wonderful place to relax and enjoy some nature.
Petaling Street
Petaling Street is one of the busiest streets in KL, right down in the middle of Chinatown. You’ll find vast amounts of stalls selling bags, clothes, jewellery, dvds, software, everything you could imagine and all as dodgily acquired as you can imagine. If you do stock up on dvds, be very careful crossing borders – Singapore doesn’t take kindly to you bringing in ripped off goods. There are also quite a few Chinese restaurants along the street, which provide good places to do some serious people watching.
Batu Caves
This is a great day trip from KL, and one of the most popular ones. These incredible limestone caves are the home to several ornate Hindu shrines, and the whole site has become something of a pilgrimage route for worshippers. You’ll have to walk up a few hundred steps into the caves, which are plagued by monkeys who like nothing more than to steal anything they can get their hands on from you. Don’t feed them! Macaques are not cute! It’s about an hour by bus, and the bus numbers change, so ask at your hostel which one goes there and where you can catch it from. You can get a taxi there and back, but you must get it to wait for you because you can rarely catch one back from the caves. This can work out pretty pricey because the taxi will have to wait for you. If you get the bus, remember that to catch it back you’ll have to get it from the other side of the road from the one it dropped you off at! If you find yourself here at Thaipusam time, it’s going to be manic but wonderful. Have a look at our Event information for Thaipusam for more on that.
Bars
Reggae Bar – Off Petaling Street – go to the end and follow the signs. Backpackers’ heaven and probably the cheapest place within the city centre! Reggae bar is, in its decor, anyway, a kind of shrine to Bob Marley. It has somewhat varied music, but it does skirt the well-tended acres of pop, dance and rock, usually with some classics thrown in. Add a couple of pool tables and you’re good to go!
Bukit Bintang – The street running right through the middle of the famous Golden Triangle is a lively place to be at night. There are all sorts of international chain restaurants and bars along the main strip, such as Planet Hollywood. Along Bukit Bintang you’ll also find Carnegie’s for similar Western rock and roll stuff. If you’re looking for something a bit more upmarket, you can give Frangipani, a very elegant cocktail bar, a try. There is also Little Havana, a good Latin bar.
Bangsar – And this is the area where you go if you know where to go... Bangsar is getting trendier all the time for slightly wealthier locals and expats, but as it’s not the kind of area that you can stumble across, it’s remarkably tourist-free. It’s time to change that, we think! Here’s a few bars in the Bangsar area that might do nicely.
Telawi Street is where you’ll find Bar Flam for cocktails and also a good selection of nice food. This is somewhere that you’ll end up coming for a boogie. You’ll also find Absolute Chemistry, definitely radiating the club vibe and a young, trendy vibe. Another option around here is T Club and Bistro, which tends to be a more chilled-out option until it’s a bit later and time for the club beats to kick in. You can get some good house music here. If you’re aiming for something less clubby and more elegant and cocktailish, head for Telawi Street Bistro (and prepare to dig a bit deeper into your pockets!).
Restaurants
Restaurants in KL are good quality, surprisingly varied and prolific. You won’t struggle to find somewhere to eat, we promise. This being Malaysia, the main food groups tend to be Chinese, Indian and an interesting mix of the two. But there are plenty of American style restaurants as well as from other nationalities, and here are a few ideas.
Tarbush Restaurant - No. 138, Jalan Bukit Bintang – Lebanese restaurant with ridiculously good and incredibly authentic food. Not too staggeringly expensive. Yum yum yum.
Petaling Street – As mentioned above, there are some nice restaurants along Petaling Street that aren’t very expensive. Mostly Chinese fare (what with it being Chinatown, and all), with plenty of outside seating. Great atmosphere, great people watching. The best thing is when some stall-minders suddenly realise the police are coming and gather up their goods in about 10 seconds and leg it down the street. Most amusing.
The big (and good quality food) American restaurants are all located along the Bintang Walk, which is the strip of Bukit Bintang from Lot 10 (shopping mall) to the Marriot Hotel. Here you’ll find Planet Hollywood and a few others you’ll doubtless recognise. The Starbucks seems to produce cakes that we’ve found in no other Starbucks in the world. Mmmm.
Jalan Alor runs parallel to Bukit Bintang, just outside the Golden Triangle. Along this street you’ll find lots of local Chinese restaurants such as Lim Kee, and a good selection of Indian and Malay restaurants too. There tends to be lots of street seating and open-air cooking, and it’s a great place to get some local grub.
Food courts – There are many in Kuala Lumpur, and essentially there are many stalls with many different kinds of food, and you and your mates can each get what they want and then eat it in a communal eating area. Good idea. Usually not too expensive. There’s one along Bukit Bintang.