Travel Kuala Lumpur; Getting to Know Malaysia’s Capital

Kuala Lumpur has an amazing mix of modern shopping malls, heritage-listed buildings, temples, mosques, and stunning gardens. I love to travel to Kuala Lumpur, experiencing all the variety of the city. And all the different cultures which blend so beautifully together. Even if you’re only in the city for a couple of days, there are so many fun places to go and delicious food to try.

A few years ago, I spent about 2 months exploring Malaysia, primarily in the country’s capital city, Kuala Lumpur. Since my first visit, I have always loved KL.

Kuala Lumpur is a large city, full of many different districts, that all have their own vibe. This can be a bit intimidating if you’re visiting for the first time. But I feel like, after all the time I’ve spent in KL, my knowledge will be helpful for anyone planning to go & hopefully you’ll love this city as much as I do. 

Getting From KL Airport to the City

Whenever you’re traveling the last thing you want is stress as soon as you land. Here are the best options to get from Kuala Lumpur international airport to the city. The journey from KL airport will take around 1 hour. There are 3 main ways to go: taxi, train or bus. The train (KLIA Ekspres) costs RM55 per adult, one way and for a taxi, we were quoted RM100.

The transport I recommend is the Star Shuttle Bus. This bus only cost RM10 and is direct from the airport to the city. You can’t beat this price & it was super easy. The buses leave from just across the road from the terminal and we booked our tickets when we arrived.

Within the city, I’ve never really used public transport. Taxies are everywhere but they’ll try with all their might to rip you off. This happened to me during my first visit and of course, I felt like an idiot when I realized how close my destination was. As you begin to get your bearings you’ll notice when taxis are quoting ridiculous fares. Nine times out of ten you’ll see they have their meter covered up! This is because if they run the meter, they’ll be charged government tax on top, therefore generally wanting cash jobs. And in my experience, this doesn’t make the fare any cheaper. You can ask them to use the meter and if they refuse, I’d try another taxi.

As Kuala Lumpur isn’t the most walkable city, last trip we signed up with the app Grab. We found it to be the cheapest and easiest way to get around! It’s basically the same as Uber. You’ll need internet on your phone and you can connect a credit card or buy prepaid grab credit at convenience stores.

Food in Kuala Lumpur

This is pretty standard for me when I travel, but one of my favorite things about Malaysia is the food! Kuala Lumpur is very diverse making it really easy to find food from many different Asian cultures.

The best street food I found was along Petaling Street, night markets. This is a busy market in Chinatown, so I wouldn’t say this is the cheapest place to eat in KL but the food has always been really good. You can find Chinese, Indian, and Malaysian food here, serving hot dishes as well as sweets, and drinks. 

If you want local Malay food, I’d go to the area of Kampung Baru, in downtown KL. This was recommended to us by a local, so we figured it had to be good. Kampung Baru has a more village vibe than a busy city. We went at night and ate at Nasi Lemak Antarabangsar. It was basically a buffet, but the staff would serve the food for you. No one there spoke English, but it wasn’t a problem. Everyone was very friendly and we’d just point to the dishes we wanted. Kampung Baru is about a 20-minute car ride from Chinatown.

You’ll even find amazing food in any of the big shopping mall food courts, more expensive than the markets but still delicious and heaps of variety. 

The Best Things to do When You Travel to Kuala Lumpur

Walking Tour

As this was my husband’s first time in KL, I thought it would be fun to book a walking tour to help us get our bearings on the city. And also to learn some of the city’s history. We booked through a company called Withlocals. On their website, you’ll find heaps of different tours available, including food, history, etc. And also, a short video from the guides introducing themselves. We really enjoyed this tour and it was great having a guide that grew up in Kuala Lumpur.

Chinatown Petaling Street Markets

Not only is the food amazing but the shopping is too. Typical Asia knockoffs and souvenirs but everything I’ve bought in the past has been of good quality. As you travel around Kuala Lumpur you’ll find everyone is very friendly, so of course, this makes shopping and bartering at the markets a lot of fun.

Shopping in Kuala Lumpur

If knock-offs aren’t your thing, that’s ok because Kuala Lumpur has some massive shopping malls that meet every budget. You’ll basically find every international brand in Kuala Lumpur and also plenty of cheaper stores as well. I never thought I’d say this but during my first trip, I actually got tired of looking at shoes!! The three malls that stuck out most for me were Times Square (there’s also a theme park on level 5, with an awesome roller coaster), Pavilion (all the high-end brands are here), and Lot 10 (smallest of the three but they also have an awesome food court).  

Petronas Twin Towers

These are by far the most beautiful buildings in the city. The Petronas towers can be seen from many places in the city but during the day I’d recommend going to KLCC park for the best views, from ground level. You can also visit the Petronas Twin Tours inside by joining a tour, where you’ll learn about the company’s history.

Then in the evening get glammed up and head over to the Sky Bar at Traders Hotel. The bar is on level 33. If you can manage to get a booth next to the window, you’ll have amazing, uninterrupted views of the Petronas Towers. So, while you’re sipping on your cocktail you can watch the sun go down and the Petronas Towers light up the sky. 

The first time I traveled to Kuala Lumpur was in 2011. During this trip, I spent weeks exploring the city and visited even more places. I’ll just quickly list them because they are definitely worth seeing. I just don’t have any recent experiences there, so I don’t want to go into much detail;

• Batu Caves (The stairs were re-painted in 2018 and now look like a beautiful rainbow)
• Sunway Lagoo (theme park)
• Kuala Lumpur Bird Park
• Perdana Botanical Gardens 
• Kuala Lumpur Butterfly Park 
• Genting Highlands (located about an hour out of the city).  

Where to stay in Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur has some of the cheapest 5-star hotels in the world and also some extremely cheap, basic accommodation options. 

During my first trip to KL, I stayed in the area of Bukit Bintang. Here you’ll find many hotel options that are generally located within walking distance from the big shopping malls. During our recent visit, we stayed in Chinatown. We booked at Swiss Inn Chinatown, this place was in the most perfect location but nothing flash. One night only cost $25.  

I love all of Kuala Lumpur though, so it really depends on what you’re after. I hope this article has helped you plan your trip or persuaded you to stop by Kuala Lumpur next time you travel to Asia. If you have any questions, please comment below. 

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Thanks for reading,

Happy Travels