10 Awesome things to do in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur. A few people had said to me it’s a boring transit hub, not worth stopping etc so imagine my surprise when I asked my pilot friend Steve where his favourite places were (this dude has been EVERYWHERE) and he said one of his favourite places was KL. After basing himself here for a bit when working with AirAsia and explaining a bit I knew it was for me. It sounded just like Bangkok…..not in the fact the two are the same, they aren’t at all but in that a couple of days here just isn’t enough to appreciate those intense, incredible layers of culture, food, sights and smells. It is so much more than a good flight hub and city of skyscrapers and to think so is definately an injustice.
Little pig baby
It was our second trip to Malaysia, we’d (far too) briefly visited Penang earlier in the month and I was so excited to return. We had a wonderful 4 days and I left with a growing list of things I needed to see and do not only upon return to KL but on return to Malaysia. I feel whilst there are some things that obviously aren’t possible when you travel with kids the huge advantage is you travel slower, enjoy almost “living” in a place and has helped me connect with where we are going. You almost have to get stuck in and live within a community as you are the same as locals with kids, you need nappies/kid food/parks, people approach you more, you tend to mingle with “traditional” tourists and backpackers a bit less as your people are the ones where your kids can share a bag of crisps in the park and talk to you about what parenting is like in the West. It’s not always perfect but for me it’s helped me so much to slow down and appreciate a place. Anyway I digress. Kids or no kids, here is 10 awesome things to do in Kuala Lumpur.
1.Food
Number one….hmmm we all know what you are here for and what I’m here for right? Food. It couldn’t be anything else. Malaysia is one of the places in the world to eat……In my humble opinion (but I am an experienced eater). Why? Well because it has it all. An amazing melting pot, the amazing Chinese food, Curries of Little India, incredible afternoon tea all because there is a melting pot of different settlers, whatever it is I am here for it!
Some standout eats for me are:
Lot 10 Hutong (in lot 10 mall) which was described as a food court Inspired by the foodie streets of Hong Kong. This effort by the Lot 10 shopping mall doesn’t just have various types of Malaysian hawker food under one roof, but also boasts a strict selection process. According to the ‘gourmet heritage village’s official website, a track record that dates back at least 40 years and a brand identity that is instantly recognisable is the minimum criteria for any stall. I would definitely eat Kim Liam Kee Signature Hokkien Mee noodles but it’s super cheap and you can try lots of dishes.
Anything at Little India…..the Indian food in Malaysia is incredible and again, so cheap! You can get so many varieties, Hoppers and Masala Dosa are my absolute favourite and for an amazing eating experience try Vishal, you sit and will be eating with your hands straight off a banana leaf and sharing with strangers. To be fair just wander around brick fields and you will find something wonderful.
Afternoon tea….where else to drink tea than the place that combines China, India and Britain? Surely these are the three countries with tea at the core of their culture? Most places offer quite a smart and therefore sometimes pricey affair but you can download the Eatigo app and put KL as your location for some good offers on hotel dining/afternoon tea.
Cafe culture. As with any big Asia city there is an abundance of your cool coffee shops. Best brunches are found here and I imagine it’s a really cool place to do remote work, we really like Lucy in the Sky cafe.
Finally, throwing a few drinks in there….the nightlife is really cool in Bukit Bintang so if you are able, I would definitely check that out. There is a real buzz, we mainly stayed in and got takeouts with Netflix in the evenings but walking around the bars is just really cool.
2. Petronas towers
Love or hate touristy hotspots? I’m less of a fan these days but when it comes to anything high up I’m a bit of a sucker for it…..it’s not cheap and Ben wasn’t convinced but I loved it. It’s the tallest twin towers in the world and if viewpoints are your thing I would give it a go. Adult entry is RM80 (£15 at time of writing) and kids over 3 are RM33 (Around £6). To be honest I spent ages just looking at the amazing campaign from Visit Malaysia and pretty much planned a 3 week trip (which we will now be doing). It’s really cool for the kids too which plenty of space to run around and they only let so many people up at once to stop overcrowding. If you aren’t on a Super tight budget and enjoy viewpoints I would recommend, if you are on a budget/don’t like touristy things you could skip it.
Twin towers
View from Petronas towers
3. Check out the religious sites..
As I will keep banging on about there are so many different cultures in Kuala Lumpur but it’s so cool to check out the different temples, mosques and churches. Most are free, just remember to dress respectfully.
4. Wander Merdeka Square
So basically it’s a huge open square, where Malaysian independence was declared in 1957. It houses one of the world's tallest flagpole and without sounding to basic is like wandering a historic film set. The square is cool but the real gems are the cultural melting pot of heritage buildings that surround it. There is the magnificent Sultan Abdul Samad building and St Mary’s Anglican Cathedral, both designed by AC Norman. To me this area just sums up Malaysia and it’s beautiful buildings, interesting heritage (Boo to colonial Britain 👎🏼) but also how religions can sit together peacefully.
My hubs just loves the humidity 😂
Beautiful buildings around Merdeka Square
5. KLCC Park
The best Park! Again more useful if you have kids, but such a lovely stroll if you have some time spare. There’s a couple of awesome parks (mostly metal so go early before it gets too hot) an awesome mini water park, no rides obviously but it’s huge and loads to do so amazing for cooling off and a brilliant water feature, loads of grass so lovely for a picnic. It’s right next to the Petronas towers and the beautiful mall that accompanies it….this mall is definately a more “designer-y” mall just FYI more brands and less local but nice to cool off and you can grab your picnic from M&S 😉.
The kids splash park at KLCC Park
6. Swim in a rooftop pool
I know you could do this anywhere but the value in KL is incredible. I would 100% reccomend an Airbnb here because the quality and value is so good and you get the best pools with the best views. I really love the Robertson building and we are staying here when we return, it has two pools, you can walk to the malls easily, there’s a nice cafe/coffee shop down stairs and you get decent food delivery options. What’s not to love? Expect to pay from £34-£60 per night depending on what you need (we’ve paid £42 for a two bed flat-last time £25 for a one bed) but yeah just pop in the Robertson on Airbnb and you will get a couple of options. Sunset and Sunrise swims are super lovely!
Infinity pool at the Robertson-great view of the commuter train
7. Visit the malls
Ok yes, I know what you are thinking…..but malls are a really big part of culture in Asia it seems. Families gather at food courts to eat, one mall had an amazing mini theme park inside, we ate some of the best food we had in malls, I got a piercing in a mall in KL which was cool and it’s great for browsing stuff you can’t get back home (HELLO Korean beauty). After 3 months away from home I was joyful to find an M&S with Percy pigs and chocolate shortbread….Ah the little things. It’s also great to cool off with the small ones and there are an abundance of soft play areas.
8,9,10……The things we missed. Cooking, Batu caves and forest walkway.
These last 3 are things we actually didn’t manage to fit in from our original bucket list. I have included them as they will be first on our list when we return late this year (all being well with travel restrictions) and are well known top things so I feel it’s right to include.
8. cooking class/food tour….I tend to do a DIY food tour wherever I go as food is always highest on my agenda but the locals will always know best. This time we will definitely do a cooking class, before we wanted just to relax and see a few bits but we have booked a whole week this time so with the boys being older and able to join in we will definitely do some cooking. I think it’s the best way to connect with locals and learn about their culture. There are some amazing looking courses on Airbnb and trip advisor, I just book with whoever has great reviews.
9.Batu Caves…..I feel like everyone will have seen this “insta worthy” spot. The famous rainbow steps leading to the giant limestone caves looks incredible. The reason we missed it on our last trip is because it was incredibly hot and we had one day left so decided to take it easy with the kids. When we return our plan is to go really early and get there around 7.30 as it gets super crowded and now they are older they should be able to climb the steps! The easiest option is to get to Batu Caves by train. The price for a one way train ticket to Batu Caves is only 2.6 MYR. The trains leave from KL Sentral every half an hour and the ride takes about 26 minutes. It’s free to get in the caves but you need to remember they are a religious site and so you need to dress appropriately. Everyone I know has said not to take food because the monkeys are rude and will steal…..
10. Hanging Bridge of Forest Eco Park. Again something I really wanted to do and ran out of time. Also known as Bukit Nanas forest reserve, this park is the only remaining stretch of tropical rainforest within the city limits of KL and has an awesome canopy walk 200m above the reserve. I believe it costs 40MYR to enter (around £7.50) and we will definately take the boys on our return.
Rainstorm in the distance
So there you have it, hopefully this has made you want to visit Kuala Lumpur. It’s really easy to get around and cheap! I can definately recommend the food panda app to get food delivered and also grab for all your taxi needs. Have you been to Kuala Lumpur? Anything you would add?
