3Masjid India, Kampung Baru & Northern KL
Surrounding the mosque of the same name, Masjid India is not to be missed for its Saturday night market. To the east are the traditional wooden houses of Kampung Baru, a Malay village within the heart of the modern city. Chow Kit, north along Jln TAR, has a reputation for drugs and vice, but by day it also hosts a wonderful wet market. Further north are the leafy surrounds of Lake Titiwangsa and Sentul, both providing respite from the city with parks and the chance to watch performing arts.
4Lake Gardens, Brickfields & Bangsar
Born of the British desire to conquer the teeming jungle and fashion it into a pleasant park, the Lake Gardens remains a lush breathing space in the heart of KL. It's mainly covered by the Tun Abdul Razak Heritage Park and includes major institutions such as the Islamic Arts Museum, National Museum and Masjid Negara. KL Sentral and neighbouring Brickfields are immediately south of here, while the upscale residential area of Bangsar – one of the top locations in the city in which to shop and eat – is to the southwest.
Bukit Bintang & KLCC
Sights
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
Sports & Activities
Bukit Bintang & KLCC
Neighborhood Top Five
1Petronas Towers Admiring the architectural wonder from within at the 86th-floor observation deck and strolling across the Skybridge that connects the twin skyscrapers.
2KLCC Park Exploring the imaginatively designed park and joining the evening crowds gathered to watch the Petronas Towers light up and the Lake Symphony fountains' show.
3Jalan Alor Enjoying a variety of tasty dishes washed down with a cold beer at the bustling food street.
4Pavilion KL Shopping for international and local-brand bargains at Bukit Bintang's stellar malls.
5ILHAM Viewing the latest exhibition at the cutting-edge gallery housed in the stunning 60-storey ILHAM tower designed by Foster & Partners.
Explore Golden Triangle & KLCC
The intersection of Jln Sultan Ismail and Jln Bukit Bintang marks the heart of Bukit Bintang, KL’s premier shopping, dining and nightlife district, an area studded with office towers, condominiums and glitzy shopping malls. The construction of a new MRT underground station here, due to open by July 2017, has meant several years of building works and hoardings.
Changkat Bukit Bintang is the city's most raucous nightlife area and has some good restaurants, while nearby Jln Mesui is more laid-back. The new entertainment complex TREC, a taxi ride east of Bukit Bintang on Jln Tun Razak, is where you'll find KL's biggest club, Zouk, and a number of bars and live-music venues which come to life on Friday and Saturday nights.
An elevated, covered walkway links Bukit Bintang with Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC), anchored by the iconic Petronas Towers. Also here is a spacious landscaped park, huge convention centre, aquarium, excellent children's museum, world-class concert hall and Suria KLCC, another of KL’s great shopping malls.
Out towards Jln Tun Razak you'll find a few interesting things to see and do, as well as in the Imbi and Pudu areas and the city's financial district, Tun Razak Exchange.
Local Life
AHawker heaven Join the locals for breakfast at the Imbi Market stalls at ICC Pudu and stick around for great eats at the evening hawker stalls on Jln Sayur, aka Glutton Street.
AMarkets Rise early to pick through Pudu Market, where price-conscious KL residents shop for groceries.
AMeditation and lunch The vegetarian fare at the serene Dharma Realm Guan Yin Sagely Monastery Canteen is popular with office workers.
AFood courts KLites know that food courts are the best place to refuel during a hard day's shopping at the malls. Feel spoilt for choice at Food Republic and sample the wares of some of the city's top hawkers at the stalls at the food court Lot 10 Hutong.
Getting There & Away
AMonorail The best way to access the area, with stops along Jln Imbi and Jln Sultan Ismail. Avoid the evening weekday rush hour, 6pm to 8pm.
ABus There are four free GOKL City Bus loop services, but they can get snarled in traffic.
AWalking The fastest way to get around during rush hour. Take advantage of the partly air-conditioned covered walkway between KLCC and Pavilion KL.
AMRT New stations Bukit Bintang and Tun Razak Exchange due to open in 2017.
Lonely Planet's Top Tip
Go to concierge desks in each of the major malls to sign up for free discount shopping cards that may entitle you to free gifts and often save you 10% or more on prices at many outlets.
Best Places to Eat
A Kedai Makanan Dan Minuman TKS
A Bijan
A Sushi Hinata
A Glutton Street
A Imbi Market at ICC Pudu
Best Places to Drink
A Heli Lounge Bar
A Marini's on 57
A Fuego
A Pisco Bar
A Zouk
Best Shopping
A Pavilion KL
A Sungei Wang Plaza
A Suria KLCC
A Starhill Gallery
A Kompleks Kraf Kuala Lumpur
TOP SIGHT
Petronas Towers & KLCC
MIXA/GETTY IMAGES ©
Resembling two silver rockets preparing for take-off, the twin towers of Kuala Lumpur's iconic landmark are the perfect allegory for the meteoric rise of the city from tin-miners’ hovel to 21st-century metropolis. The magnificent stainless steel skyscrapers are the crowning glory of the KLCC.
Petronas Towers
Opened in 1998, the Petronas Towers reach up nearly 452m; for six years they were the tallest structure in the world and they remain the world's tallest twin towers. The design for the 88-storey-high tower blocks, by Argentinian architect César Pelli, is based on an eight-sided star that echoes arabesque patterns. Islamic influences are also evident in each tower's five tiers – representing the five pillars of Islam – and in the 63m masts that crown them, calling to mind the minarets of a mosque and the Star of Islam.
The starting point for guided 45-minute tours of the towers is the ticket office in the towers' basement. First stop is the Skybridge connection on the 41st floors of the towers at 170m. Having walked across this you'll then take the lift up to the 86th-floor observation deck at 370m.
Dewan Filharmonik Petronas
Tucked away at the base of the Petronas Towers is KLCC's premier concert hall, Dewan Filharmonik Petronas, a handsomely decorated space with excellent acoustics. The polished Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (www.mpo.com.my) plays here (usually Friday and Saturday evening and Sunday matinee, but also other times), as do other local and international ensembles.
KLCC Park
The Petronas Towers are the star attraction of the KLCC (Kuala Lumpur City Centre), a development covering 40 hectares of land that was once the Selangor Turf Club. The site includes the imaginatively landscaped KLCC Park, designed by Brazilian Roberto Burle Marx, who never lived to see its completion. Naturally, the park is the best vantage point for photos of the Petronas Towers. In the early evening, it can seem like everyone in town has come down here to watch the glowing towers punching up into the night sky.
Galeri Petronas
Swap consumerism for culture at the excellent Galeri Petronas showcasing contemporary photography and paintings. It’s a bright, modern space with interesting, professionally curated shows that change every few months.
Petrosains
Fill an educational few hours at this interactive science discovery centre with all sorts of buttons to press and levers to pull. Many of the activities and displays focus on the wonderful things that fuel has brought to Malaysia – no prizes for guessing who sponsors the museum. As a side note, 'sains' is not pronounced 'sayns' but 'science'.
Masjid Asy-Syakirin backed by the Petronas Towers | DASHUKI MOHD/GETTY IMAGES ©
Don't Miss
AObservatio
n deck
ASkybridge
AKLCC Park
ADewan Filharmonik Petronas
Practicalities
A MAP GOOGLE MAP
A%03-2331 8080
Awww.petronastwintowers.com.my
AJln Ampang
Aadult/child RM85/35
Ah9am-9pm Tue-Sun, closed 1-2.30pm Fri
Ac
A LRT KLCC
Top Tips
ABuy your ticket online. Up to half of the 1500 tickets issued daily can be bought via the website until 24 hours before the visit time.
AIf you don't have an advance booking, get in line around 8.30am to be sure of securing one of the remaining tickets.
AGo early for the best views. Mornings in KL tend to be clearer than afternoons, when it is more likely to rain or be hazy.
For a lip-smackingly good bowl of noodles head to Little Penang Kafé, one of tens of dining options at Suria KLCC, the mall adjacent to the towers.
Across the road at Avenue K is the family-friendly restaurant Wondermama selling tasty modern Malaysian food.
1Sights
Petronas Towers oILHAMGALLERY
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.ilhamgallery.com; 3rd & 5th fl, Ilham Tower, 8 Jln Binjai; h11am-7pm Tue-Sat, to 5pm Sun; LRT Ampang Park)F
KL's latest public art gallery provides an excellent reason to admire close-up the slick 60-storey ILHAM Tower designed by Foster + Partners. With a mission to showcase modern and contemporary Malaysian art, ILHAM kicked off with a blockbuster show of works by Hoessein Enas (1924–95). There's no permanent collection, with exhibitions changing every three to four months.
Talks, performances, film screenings and children's workshops are also held here, often tying in with the theme of the current exhibition. Outside the tower the giant copper-clad sculptures are the first permanent public work by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei to be installed in Southeast Asia.
oKLCC ParkPARK
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Jln Ampang, KLCC; h7am-10pm; LRT KLCC)
The park is the best vantage point for eyeballing the Petronas Towers. In the early evening, it can seem like everyone in town has come down here to watch the glowing towers punching up into the night sky. Every night at 8pm, 9pm and 10pm the Lake Symphony fountains play in front of the Suria KLCC.
A 1.3km soft-surface jogging track winds its way around the park past the excellent children's playground, paddling pool and Masjid Asy-Syakirin.
Aquaria KLCCAQUARIUM
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %03-2333 1888; www.aquariaklcc.com; Concourse, KL Convention Centre, Jln Pinang; adult/child RM64/53; h10am-8pm, last admission 7pm; c; LRT KLCC)
The highlight of this impressive aquarium in the basement of the KL Convention Centre is its 90m underwater tunnel: view sand tiger sharks, giant gropers and more up close. Daily feeding sessions for a variety of fish and otters are complemented by ones for arapaimas, electric eels and sharks on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday (see website for schedule). Free dives (RM424), cage dives (RM211), and a Sleep with Sharks (RM211) program for kids aged six to 13 are also available.
DiscoveriaMUSEUM
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %03-2181 7218; www.discoveria.com.my; level 4, Avenue K, Jln Ampang; adult/child RM40/50; h11am-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-8pm Sat & Sun; c; LRT KLCC)
Kids will love this interactive exhibition with animatronic dinosaurs, climbing walls, treasure hunts and games.
Dharma Realm Guan Yin Sagely MonasteryBUDDHIST TEMPLE
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.drba.org; 161 Jln Ampang; h7am-4pm; LRT Ampang Park)F
The calm spaces, potted plants, mandala ceilings and giant gilded statues create an appropriately contemplative mood for quiet meditation at this colourful modern temple. The complex is dedicated to Guan Yin, the Buddhist goddess of compassion, represented by the central statue in the main building. There's an excellent vegan canteen behind the complex staffed by volunteers and monks.
Rumah Penghulu Abu SemanHISTORIC BUILDING
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 2 Jln Stonor; suggested donation RM10; htours 11am & 3pm Mon-Sat; DRaja Chulan)
This glorious wooden stilt house, which was once the family home of a village headman in Kedah, was built in stages between 1910 and the 1930s and later moved to the grounds of Badan Warisan Malaysia. Worthwhile tours of the property provide an explanation of the house's architecture and history and of Malay customs and traditional village life. You can wander around outside tour times (and since it's built with ventilation in mind, you can easily look in).
Check out the stunning hand-carved canoe under the house. The boat was used in religious ceremonies in Kelantan and has the head of a fantastic-looking bird carved into the prow.
Galeri PetronasGALLERY
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %03-2051 7770; www.galeripetronas.com.my; 3rd fl, Suria KLCC, Jln Ampang; h10am-8pm Tue-Sun; LRT KLCC)F
Swap consumerism for culture at this excellent art gallery showcasing contemporary photography and paintings. It’s a bright, modern space with interesting, professionally curated shows that change every few months.
PetrosainsMUSEUM
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %03-2331 8181; www.petrosains.com.my; 4th fl, Suria KLCC, Jln Ampang; adult/child RM30/18; h9.30am-4pm Tue-Fri, to 5pm Sat & Sun; c; LRT KLCC)
Fill an educational few hours at this interactive science discovery centre with all sorts of buttons to press and levers to pull. Many of the activities and displays focus on the wonderful things that fuel has brought to Malaysia – no prizes for guessing who sponsors the museum. As a side note, 'sains' is not pronounced 'sayns' but 'science'.
Muzium KrafMUSEUM
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %03-2162 7459; www.muzium-kraf.blogspot.co.uk; Jln Conlay; adult/child RM3/1; h9am-5pm; DRaja Chulan)
At the back of the Kompleks Kraf Kuala Lumpur is this surprisingly good museum dedicated to Malaysia's traditional crafts. There are special exhibits and regular displays of batik, wood carving, pewter, kites and drums. Exhibits are nicely accompanied by informative posters.
Badan Warisan MalaysiaHISTORIC BUILDING
(Heritage of Malaysia Trust; MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %03-2144 9273; www.badanwarisan.org.my; 2 Jln Stonor; h10am-4pm Tue-Sat; DRaja Chulan)F
This heritage preservation society has its head office in a 1920s colonial bungalow. The building, once part of a neighbourhood of British officers' quarters, is one of the few remaining, though it's worth strolling Jln Conlay to see what's left. The trust holds exhibitions and has a small shop stocking wooden antique furniture, local handcrafted items and books.
Tabung HajiARCHITECTURE
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 201 Jln Tun Razak; LRT Ampang Park)
Designed by celebrated Malay architect Hijjas Kasturi, this distinctive tower houses the hajj funding body. The five main exterior columns represent the five pillars of Islam, while the overall structure recalls the drum used to summon pilgrims to the hajj and the shape of a traditional Arabic perfume vessel.
WORTH A DETOUR
PUDU
Once a Chinese village on the edge of the city, Pudu is now firmly part of KL, hosting a lively fresh-produce market, a street of wonderful hawker stalls and one of the city’s best Chinese restaurants. Its most famous landmark, Pudu Jail, was demolished in 2010 and is now the site of the Bukit Bintang City Centre (BBCC) development, an ambitious complex featuring a shopping mall, a concert hall, a 1.2-hectare rooftop public park and an 80-floor signature tower, due to be completed by 2025. Only the original entrance gate to the jail remains.
Sights
Pudu Market (Pasar Besar Pudu; GOOGLE MAP ; Jln Pasar Baharu; h4am-2pm; LRT Pudu), KL’s biggest wet and dry market, is a frenetic place, full of squawking chickens, frantic shoppers and porters forcing their way through the crowds with outrageous loads. Stalls here sell everything from goldfish to pigs’ heads, cows’ tongues and durians in baskets. Arrive early in the morning to experience the market at full throttle. From Pudu LRT station; go south along Jln Pudu, left on to Jln Pasar, then right down Jln Pasar Baharu, passing the colourful Choon Wan Kong, a
Chinese temple dating from 1879.
Eating & Drinking
ICC Pudu ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Jln 1/77C; dishes RM5-10; h6am-2pm; LRT Pudu) The famous Imbi Market vendors now dish up tasty breakfasts at their new home, the ground floor of the Integrated Commercial Complex in Pudu. Several stalls – including Sisters Crispy Popiah – are located in the kopitiam Ah Weng Koh Hainan Tea ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.facebook.com/AhWengKohHainanTea/; Lot G85 ICC Pudu, Jln 1/77C; dishes RM3-10; h5.30am-2pm; LRT Pudu) on the right-hand side immediately after the main entrance. Look for Ah Fook Chee Cheong Fun (lot G31) at the back of the main food court; there will probably be a queue for his delicious rice-flour noodles.
Glutton Street (Pudu Wai Sek Kai; GOOGLE MAP ; Jln Sayur; noodles RM5-10; hmost stalls 5pm-midnight; LRT Pudu) This atmospheric alley of hawker stalls is best visited at night. Grazing could include addictive fried chicken, chai tow kway (radish cake stir-fried with soy sauce, bean sprouts and egg), prawn fritters and barbecued dried squid, all for bargain prices.
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