Kuala Lumpur, a large westernised city with so many things to do, so much to see and most importantly, so much to eat. We had three full days here and were determined to make the most of our time, armed with a list of ‘must do’s’ from a friend who used to live there, so helpful by the way.
You’ll find plenty of accommodation options for all budgets given it’s a big city and getting around is fairly straight forward and definitely not as noisy as some other places we’ve visited. The locals honk their horns less here for sure.
Where we stayed
We hadn’t planned it this way, but ended up in an ideal location, close to both Central Market and Chinatown. Pacific Express Hotel offered a comfortable enough room (even if we did choose the windowless option to save some dollars) and a mighty fine view from the rooftop pool, the cherry on top.
We also found the reception staff pretty helpful and when it came to extending our stay for an extra night (once we heard the Formula One Grand Prix was in town), they were more than happy to oblige.
We booked through Agoda for this one.
http://www.pacific-express.com.my/
How to get around in KL
So we cheated slightly here and took Uber and local taxis whenever possible and spent the rest of our time walking between places. I say cheating, but once you realise how cheap Uber is, how large the city is and how convenient taxis are, you’ll probably do the same.
There are public transport options that service the city, in particular trains, but as we weren’t located close to the station, our train trips were limited to the airport route and a similar journey to the Grand Prix, which happened to be on the weekend we visited. We relied on taxis and Uber to and from Central Station, which worked well, once we worked out we had to get a taxi ticket inside the station, before joining the queue outside.
Things to do in Kuala Lumpur
Food and Drink
Unashamedly, much of our time in KL revolved around food. While this isn’t too different from most of our other stops, we had a clear and decisive list of where we wanted to eat this time and even what we wanted to order. We were still open to other suggestions, but most of our meals were already planned. Our favourite places to eat were S.Wine, Jalon Alor, Central Market and Chinatown. Check out the full details here, including a secret bar we found and loved!
Batu Caves
They’re on everyone’s list for KL and had to be on ours. The caves aren’t too far north of the city, but far enough away that public transport was going to be a mission and Uber proved too cheap and easy. We had a great driver on the way there who filled us in on how the city worked.
The Caves are a sacred Hindu temple, accessible only by a couple of hundred stairs. Don’t be put off by the number of stairs, you’ll be kept entertained on the way up by the monkeys trying to steal from the tourists and of course there’s the view, which only gets better the closer you get to the top. I was arrayed in short shorts on the day of our visit, but was loaned a sarong at a small refundable fee by the ladies at the bottom of the stairs.
There’s two main caves at the top of the stairs, Dark cave being located to the right and requiring a fee for a cave tour. We gave this and all the snakes and bats a miss and instead headed for the main cave, where you’ll see the temple and statues for worship. We spent an hour or so at the caves in total, but allow longer if you did want to do the Dark Cave Tour. Sadly, the large gold statue at the entrance to the caves was under maintenance when we visited, but still very visually impressive.
Chinatown
Given a large percentage of the Malaysian population is Chinese, some think it’s crazy there’s even a Chinatown here, and feel it’s no more than a tourist gimmick. This might be the case, buuut….it’s still pretty good and worth at least one visit. We were staying close by, so we visited daily.
Along with offering one of the better permanent street markets in South East Asia, if you’re shopping for souvenirs, fakes or electronics, Chinatown also has a pretty decent selection of food hawkers, as well as some great restaurants and bars, just on the outskirts.
We’ve written more about our recommendations here, but our absolute favourite was the Dim Sum stall, which we ate from more than once due to the incredible pork bao, we also found a hidden bar by the name of PS150, offering pretty rad cocktails and Old China Town Café, all which are worth a visit (depending on your budget of course).
If you’re into photography, I’d recommend Chinatown too, I’m not sure that we captured it perfectly, but there’s so much going on, you’ll find a decent picture or two.
Central Market
Like Chinatown, Central Market is a permanent fixture with a lot of history attached. It’s close to Chinatown, so we’d recommend walking between the two and giving yourself half a day to enjoy both.
We didn’t love the shopping options quite as much at Central Market, but it’s still worth a look and the upstairs food court provides a decent choice of foods for lunch. Take a walk round and pick what you’re having. There’s a decent amount of variety.
Markets
Apart from the aforementioned markets, you’ll find a variety of other ones to enjoy, should you not be shopped out. We were lucky enough to be in KL on a Saturday, so enjoyed one of the Saturday markets, Lorong Tuanka Abdul Rahman.
We liked this market due to the variety of cheap and tasty food on offering and the fact we stumbled across it quite by accident. It’s advertised as a night market on Saturday, but we found it in full swing mid-Saturday morning too. You have to try the Asam Boi and Lime drink or iced Milo being sold in the large vats. The best for quenching your thirst in the humidity.
We also visited KL’s largest wet market, Chow Kit Market, which proved to be interesting, as local markets tend to be in Asia. We find them fascinating, even though you’re not necessarily about to buy anything.
Shopping Malls
You’ll not have to be in KL long before you realise that it’s pretty much got a shopping mall on every corner, in the central city at least, providing a perfect respite from the heat.
Some of our favourite malls were Publika Mall, (mainly due to the amazing grocery store which boasts some fine food options, which you can read about here), Pavillion and Star Gallery. While you’ll not likely buy anything on a backpacking budget at Star Gallery, it a fancy mall worth taking a look at. There’s an array of bars and restaurants on the ground floor, which while pricey look pretty cool.
Jalon Alor
We talk more about Jalon Alor in ‘Where to eat and drink’, but it’s worth a separate mention on its own and is definitely not to be missed. Think hundreds of people, hundreds of food options lining a stretch of road not far from the city. We were headed for the famed Chicken Wings of W.A.W, but also stopped for Dim Sum and Sugar Cane Juice as they were too hard to resist.
We took an Uber here and taxied back to the hotel afterwards, but just a warning, it does get pretty hectic here on the weekend.
Petronas Towers
Pretty much top of the list for most people visiting KL, but we went only kinda coz you have to. While I’m a fan of the towers, the other half is less overwhelmed by the architecture, so took some convincing to visit.
The good thing about visiting Petronas if nothing else, is they’re home to a fairly substantial shopping mall, where you can take a break for another iced coffee, should you need one after a day of walking like we did.
