Kuala Lumpur is known as the Gateway to Asia, possibly because of its excellent flight connections with other parts of the world, or because it's a cultural melting pot where each community pursue its own art, music, cuisine, festivals, and fashion. For a long time, Kuala Lumpur has stood out as a shining example of a diverse place that functions well – and is, in fact, strengthened by its diversity, elevating Kuala Lumpur onto the international stage. Malays, Chinese, and Indians are the major ethnic groups, and you can see how the overlapping heritage of these three cultures defines Kuala Lumpur.
What's the best way to get around Kuala Lumpur
The public transportation system in Kuala Lumpur is fantastic. With the use of the subway or bus, you can reach all the interesting sights of the city and also get to Batu Caves. Although public transport is very convenient, we decided to use Grab Taxi while traveling around the city. Making the most out of our time in Kuala Lumpur was our main concern, so we didn't want to waste time looking for subway stations and waiting for buses. We found Grab Taxi to be a great value, as we never paid more than 20 Ringgit per ride.
Top-10 Things to do in Kuala Lumpur
Here are the top 10 things to do in Kuala Lumpur to make the most of your trip! We visited all of these places during the two days we spent in the capital of Malaysia. Follow our detailed itinerary and check if one weekend is enough to see all the unmissable places in Kuala Lumpur. To give you an idea of how the trip went, all the places are listed in the order we visited them.
Batu Caves
Batu Caves Temple stands as one of Malaysia's most captivating and recognisable landmarks. Resting upon a limestone hill, it's housing a network of caves and temples, drawing both religious devotees and tourists alike. Dedicated to Lord Murugan, the Hindu god of war, the temple boasts a towering 42-meter statue at its entrance. Estimated to be approximately 400 million years old, Batu Caves is renowned as the largest Hindu shrine beyond India, attracting pilgrims from across the globe.
The ascent to the temple, consisting of 272 colourful stairs, has become a popular spot for travellers to capture their photographs. Early morning visits offer the chance to enjoy the scenery before the crowds gather. During our visit coinciding with a Hindu festival, the busy area outside the cave initially dampened our spirits. However, upon entering the main cave, we were greeted by scenes of devout worship and ceremonial rituals, far more captivating to photograph than empty stairs.
Entrance to the main cave is free, with the only requirement being modest clothing covering arms and ankles. Inside, a vibrant temple awaits, where worshippers offer prayers and light incense sticks. Illuminated by natural light filtering through the cave's expansive openings, the interior possesses a divine ambiance, seemingly purposefully sculpted by nature's hand.
How to get to Batu Caves
Batu Caves are located outside of Kuala Lumpur. You can easily reach Batu Caves from downtown using public transportation, but the most convenient way to get there would be using Grab taxi.
Petronas Twin Towers from KLCC Park
The iconic Petronas Twin Towers of Kuala Lumpur have remained unchallenged as the tallest twin towers in the world since 1996. The best place to see the towers is undoubtedly the KLCC park. There's an unnamed viewpoint on the hill just next to the playground from where you can have a great view of the towers.
The park is very small, and although it's pretty, there's not much to do there. Underneath the towers, there's a large shopping mall which could be a good place to have lunch. Eating out in the mall is a common practice in Southeast Asia, so we did that too, and we really enjoyed the food there.
Stay in a hotel with a rooftop pool
Kuala Lumpur is known for its affordable luxury. There are many good-value options for different budgets that allow you to stay in a room with an awesome view or a rooftop pool, giving you every reason to make your visit to Kuala Lumpur extraordinary. We stayed at Expressionz Suites. In my opinion, this hotel has the best view over the cityscape, with all the landmarks aligned together in the panorama. To be honest, we didn't really enjoy either the room or the service at the hotel, as it had some flaws, but the rooftop pool and the view from there made up for it.
We ended the day by watching the sunset from the pool, getting some rest before the long day ahead.
Thean Hou Temple in Kuala Lumpur
This Buddhist temple is dedicated to Thean Hou, a patron goddess who watches over the fishermen. Many locals come here to worship Guan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy. Other than being a spiritual place, Thean Hou is known for its beautiful Chinese traditional architecture and as a fantastic lookout point over Kuala Lumpur.
If you enjoy visiting temples and sacred places, you'll surely enjoy a visit to Thean Hou, as in our opinion, this is the most decorative temple in Kuala Lumpur. We spent about an hour walking around the temple, observing people praying and performing rituals, and at the end, watching a dragon dance show, performed during the Lunar New Year.
Chinatown of Kuala Lumpur
Petaling Street is known as the Chinatown of Kuala Lumpur. This long street is full of street vendors trying to sell designer clothes for pennies. Although many tourists enjoy walking around and bargaining prices for fake goods with the sellers, this was the least interesting place we visited in Kuala Lumpur.
Way more fun was exploring the narrow backstreets of Kwai Chai Hong, full of fun murals, art shops, and interesting bars. This alley is quite small, but it's worth visiting Chinatown just to check out this place. Another reason to visit Chinatown is the local restaurants. We came to try out some authentic Hong Kong-style cuisine right on Petaling Street.
Sri Mahamariamman Temple
The Sri Mahamariamman temple is the oldest Hindu temple in Kuala Lumpur and the oldest functioning Hindu temple in Malaysia. The temple is just a few blocks away from Chinatown, so it's worth stopping by if you're already here. Built in the South Indian style, the temple's most outstanding feature is the impressive 30 m high pyramid-shaped gate tower, decorated with depictions of Hindu gods. This temple is impossible to miss, as you can see this beautiful tower right from the street. Entrance is free. The only thing required is taking off your shoes and having a proper outfit covering your shoulders and knees - typical of other Hindu temples.
Kuala Lumpur Tower
Another great thing to do in Kuala Lumpur is to get high and see the cityscape from this unique bird's eye perspective. Many people choose to visit the viewing platform in the Petronas Twin Towers, but this viewpoint has one problem - it's not possible to see the Petronas Towers if you're on them. I can't imagine observing the Kuala Lumpur cityscape without the Twin Towers in my line of sight. The KL Tower is 421 meters high, and you can comfortably walk around, watching a 360-degree panorama of Kuala Lumpur. Visiting the viewing platform in the KL Tower is also twice as cheap as the one in the Petronas Towers.
KL Forest Eco Park
The KL Forest Eco Park is one of the oldest permanent forest reserves in Malaysia. It is the only remaining rainforest in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, with several hiking trails and a forest canopy walkway. The KL Forest Eco Park is often overlooked by visitors to Kuala Lumpur, but for outdoor enthusiasts like ourselves, walking on hanging bridges in the jungle in the center of the Malaysian capital was a true highlight of our visit, and you also shouldn't miss it during your stay in Kuala Lumpur.
