Kuala Lumpur (KL) is the capital of Malaysia and its largest city. Its skyline is filled with skyscrapers, including the iconic Petronas Towers; the tallest twin buildings in the world. These are some of the best things to do in Kuala Lumpur.
Kuala Lumpur is a very modern city with a transport infrastructure to rival Bangkok. It also has more than its fair share of historical buildings and traditions, making it a true city of contrasts.
How To Get To Kuala Lumpur From Cameron Highlands
We had considered using busonlineticket.com but we didn’t want to risk buying a ticket and having to wait for a bus that may be delayed. Instead, we decided to risk just turning up at the bus station. This proved to be a good option as there was a bus getting ready to leave and there was plenty of room available. The bus was with ‘C.S. Express’ and I highly recommend using this company if you get the chance as there is free wifi which made the 2.5 hour journey fly by.
The bus dropped us at KL Sentral (map) and from there we took a Grab cab to our accommodation. With our backpacks, we didn’t want to attempt public transport just yet.
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Things To Do In Kuala Lumpur
As you’d expect with a capital city, there is no shortage of activities to keep you busy in Kuala Lumpur. Public transport is good, reliable and affordable so you can get around the city very easily. Grab is also available. These are the Kuala Lumpur attractions we visited.
Batu Caves
Batu Caves is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Kuala Lumpur. It is easily reachable by train but do not rely on Google Maps info as it was completely wrong and we arrived at one station only to find our train had departed over an hour earlier than Google had told us it would. Another couple of travelers were in the same boat, so I suggested we shared a taxi to save money and we got there in no time.
The caves are huge and very beautiful but I think our enjoyment of them was lessened by a recent visit to the caves in Ipoh, which were more impressive in our opinion. We stayed for about 10 minutes then made our way back to town. Map.
Batu Caves Opening Times: 6 am – 9 pm, every day.
Batu Caves Entrance Fee: Free admission.
Batu Caves, Kuala Lumpur
Chinatown Kuala Lumpur
No visit to Kuala Lumpur would be complete without a visit to the vibrant ‘Chinatown’ area. It is a shopper’s paradise with hundreds of stalls selling genuine and counterfeit goods. Unless there is a ‘fixed price’ sign, don’t be shy to haggle. There is also plenty of interesting street food to try and many durian sellers. Check out the ‘Sri Mahamariamman Temple’ (map) and the ‘Central Market’ (map) whilst you are in the area. Map.
Picking up bargains in Central Market, Kuala Lumpur
Sri Mahamariamman Temple, Kuala Lumpur
Couchsurfing Weekly Social Kuala Lumpur
There is a Couchsurfing weekly social that usually meet at ‘Hugo’s KL’ (map). It’s a great way to meet up with fellow travellers and make new friends. The bar is a good place for these events as it is a laid-back environment with some nice, non-intrusive, live acoustic music playing in the background. After the bar closed, a group of us headed to pub street for many more drinks and dancing. We had a great night on this CS event; it was definitely one the best ones we had been to on our travels.
GMBB Mall
This was a real surprise. Located just around the corner from our hotel, we had walked past it many times and never considered going in. On our last day, we decided to go in, mainly to get some air conditioning and maybe buy some snacks. We discovered it wasn’t a conventional mall at all but a three-storey art space with shop units dedicated to numerous local artists. There was some great work on display and no pressure to buy anything. In fact, most of the units were empty apart from the art and some contact details. Map.
GMBB Opening Times: 11 am – 8 pm, every day.
GMBB Entrance Fee: Free admission.
One of the ‘shops’ in GM Mall, Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur City Gallery
This is a great place to begin a tour of Kuala Lumpur’s heritage enclave and admire the incredible architecture (see also National Textile Museum, Sultan Abdul Samad Building, Dataran Merdeka, Panggung Bandaraya City Theatre and Masjid Jamek of Kuala Lumpur). The downstairs section provides information on Kuala Lumpur’s history, present and future. Upstairs offers visitors the chance to interact with the exhibits before watching the ‘City Model Show’ which is a 12 x 15 metre sound and visual presentation of the city. One of the best free things to do in Kuala Lumpur. Map.
Kuala Lumpur City Gallery Opening Times: 9 am – 6.30 pm, every day.
Kuala Lumpur City Gallery Entrance Fee: Free admission.
Sultan Abdul Samad Building, Kuala Lumpur
Masjid Jamek of Kuala Lumpur
Little India Kuala Lumpur
It seems every city in Malaysia has its own ‘Little India’. Surprisingly, this seems smaller than the one in George Town. There are still enough restaurants and Indian stores to create that Indian atmosphere and this is where you will find the best Indian food in Kuala Lumpur. Map.
Little India, Kuala Lumpur
National Museum Of Malaysia
Providing a history of Malaysian culture from pre-historic times to the present day, this well-presented museum is certainly worth an hour or two of your time. Malaysia has a colourful history and it is interesting to see how the many cultures have developed side-by-side over the years. Map.
National Museum Of Malaysia Opening Times: 9 am – 5 pm, every day (check on Mondays).
National Museum Of Malaysia Entrance Fee: 5 MYR.
Perdana Botanical Gardens
Walking through the botanical gardens, I could not understand where all the people were. It was practically empty, save for a few people hanging out in the bamboo playhouse. Maybe it was just too hot? We approached the gardens from the planetarium, accessing them via the deer park. They are beautiful and thankfully well-maintained. It was one of the unexpected highlights of our visit to Kuala Lumpur. A great place to escape the city and one of the best free things to do in Kuala Lumpur. Map.
Perdana Botanical Gardens Opening Times: 7 am – 8 pm, every day.
Perdana Botanical Gardens Entrance Fee: Free admission.
Petronas Twin Towers
Probably Kuala Lumpur’s most famous and iconic buildings, you can see and feel their presence from just about everywhere in the city. You can choose to visit the towers and look out across the city from the viewpoint (it is advised to book in advance) or you can just admire them from below, as we did. One of the must visit places in KL. Map.
Petronas Twin Towers Opening Times: 10 am – 6 pm, Tues – Sun. Mon closed.
Petronas Twin Towers Entrance Fee: 80 MYR (advance booking is recommended).
Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur
Planetarium Negara
Located in the city’s botanical gardens, we were looking forward to a couple of hours of interactive space fun. We decided on the free exhibits before deciding whether to pay extra for the movies and extra again for the space pod. I don’t think these were actually an option as I think they were both broken, as were many of the free exhibits. The planetarium needs an upgrade as it just felt old and unloved. A shame. Map.
Planetarium Negara Opening Times: 9 am – 4.30 pm, every day.
Planetarium Negara Entrance Fee: Free admission (12 MYR for planetarium shows, 24 MYR for space pod).
Joanna trying hard to have fun in the Planetarium Negara, Kuala Lumpur
Symphony Lake Water Show
With the ‘Petronas Twin Towers’ as a backdrop, visitors are treated to a stunning visual and musical display in the lake of KLCC Park. Shows start at 8, 9 and 10 pm. In between these times, there are light shows so its best to get there any time, find a good spot to sit, relax and wait for the main event. Map.
Symphony Lake Water Show, Kuala Lumpur
Taman Burung Kuala Lumpur
Quite expensive for Kuala Lumpur, but definitely worth it is this bird park where birds are able to roam free, allowing visitors to get up close. It’s a very beautiful area and the birds are looked after. There are lots of familiar birds but plenty that you won’t have seen before. Map.
Taman Burung Opening Times: 9 am – 6 pm, every day.
Taman Burung Entrance Fee: 63 MYR.
Pigeons do not look like that back home!
Is Kuala Lumpur Worth Visiting?
When in George Town, we were sat having a drink with some locals and we asked, “What is Kuala Lumpur like?” They replied, “Apart from the twin towers, it’s just another city.”
I couldn’t disagree more. We had a great time in Kuala Lumpur; seeing the main sights but also looking beyond the usual tourist activities to find small events and places to visit.
Kuala Lumpur is a great city with plenty to offer any traveLler.
Our next stop, Malacca!
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