7 things to see and do in Kuala Lumpur

What to see and do in Kuala Lumpur? We visited Malaysia's capital a few years ago and today we're bringing together all the information from previous blog posts about the city in one place. Here's our guide to the hectic, multicultural and exciting city of Kuala Lumpur. Do you have any more tips?

Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur, or KL as it is called by its residents, is the capital of Malaysia and a relatively new city. The city was actually founded as late as 1857, making it one of the youngest capitals in the world. In other words, there's not much point in looking for really old buildings here, but instead you'll find all the more new and modern high-rise buildings.

Kuala Lumpur is a modern, cosmopolitan and multicultural city. Malaysians live here mixed with Chinese and Indians, and there are expressions of Islam, Hinduism and many other religions. But mostly you feel that you are in a very modern and dynamic city. Slightly older buildings can be seen in Merdeka Square, including the 19th century Abdul Aamad Building, which is built in the Moorish style.

1. check out the Petronas twin Towers

Almost everywhere you go in Kuala Lumpur, you can see the famous Petronas Twin Tower, which is perhaps not surprising given that it is the 11th tallest building in the world. The building is 451.9 metres high, has 88 floors and was the tallest in the world when it was built.

In the lower part there is a shopping centre open to the public. Every day, tourists can also queue for a limited number of tickets to access the bridge. Checking out these towers is a definite must-do in Kuala Lumpur!

2. check out the KL Tower

If you haven't had enough of tall towers, you can also check out the Kuala Lumpur Tower, or KL Tower as it is also known. This tower is 421 metres high, almost as high as the Petronas Twin Towers. We settled for looking at the tower from below, but if you go up to the top you get a great view. Just remember to be here early, as there is often a long queue.

3. shopping

Kuala Lumpur is a paradise for those who like to browse in shopping malls. There are just as many malls as possible! We looked around in the mall under the Petrona Towers, the Pavillion mall and the Lot10 mall.

Here you'll find every chain store you've ever heard of, as well as lots of different Asian chains and even smaller boutiques. If you want to shop for handicrafts and the like, you can go to the Central Market, which is open every day.

4. Experience Chinatown

Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur can be described as a myriad of colours, smells and sounds. Brightly coloured balloons, flags, lanterns and t-shirts hang everywhere, the smell of small hole-in-the-wall restaurants spills out onto the street and vendors shout out the day's amazing prices. 

The main items are clothes, handbags, sunglasses, jewellery and watches. Almost everything is a fake version of a fine brand and it is of course possible to haggle over everything. On the other hand, most of it is really cheap from the start.

5. Eating Asian food

When you're in Malaysia and other parts of Asia, you should of course take the opportunity to eat Asian food. You will find good Malaysian food in Kuala Lumpur, but also a fantastic range of Chinese, Thai, Indian and Japanese food, for example. For a light meal, you can eat in one of the many food courts in the shopping malls.

In the evening you can pick and choose between many restaurants. For our part, the lot fell on the Chinese restaurant Ah Yat Abalone, where we ordered a bunch of dishes to share: roasted duck, pork in sweet and sour sauce, butterprawns, pak choi and vegetables "deluxe" with, among other things, lotus flowers. Fantastically good! For those who want to immerse themselves in the food culture, there are also various exciting food tours.

6. see Batu caves

We missed the Batu Caves during our visit to Kuala Lumpur, but next time we come here we won't miss this famous place. Batu Caves is a sacred place with temples and statues inside caves.

Perhaps the most famous statue is the giant gold statue of Lord Murugun, which is the tallest Hindu statue in the world. The caves themselves are made of limestone and are said to be 400 million years old. You can get here by train from Kuala Lumpur.

7. Go to Langkawi

When in Kuala Lumpur, Langkawi is just a short flight away. Here you will find long fine sandy beaches and cosy restaurants as well as exciting excursions including mopeds, sailboats and motorboats in mangrove swamps. Langkawi is well worth a visit!

More things to do in Kuala Lumpur?

What else is there to do in Kuala Lumpur? In addition to the above, there is a bird park, Bird Park, where many of the birds fly freely. There are also several other gardens and parks, such as the Lake Garden, Orchid Garden and Butterfly Park.

Another interesting destination could be FRIM - Forest Research Institute Malaysia, where there are apparently nature trails, botanical gardens and suspension bridges between the trees. Last but not least, we want to mention the Chinese temple Thean Hou Temple, which is located a little bit outside Kuala Lumpur and is a temple in classic Chinese style.

Where can you live?

Kuala Lumpur is a big city of international dimensions and there are of course lots of different hotels to choose from. We stayed at Corus Hotel, which is a large hotel with a very good and central location, right next to the Petrona Towers. The hotel was possibly a bit worn, but the price was on the other hand quite ok.