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Kuala Lumpur

A skyline punctuated by minarets, Mogul-style domes and skyscrapers; colourful, food-stall-lined streets shaded by a leafy canopy of banyan trees – this is Kuala Lumpur.

Multicultural Modernity

Malaysia’s sultry capital is a feast for all the senses. Here you'll find historic monuments, steel-clad skyscrapers, lush parks, megasized shopping malls, bustling street markets and lively nightspots.

Essential parts of the vibrant mix are the incense-wreathed, colourfully adorned mosques and temples of the country’s Malay, Chinese and Indian communities. A reverence for these ancient cultures is balanced with a drive to be plugged into the modern world, a desire that's reflected in a creative contemporary-art and design scene, an ambitious riverbank-regeneration project and dynamic architecture: the new Exchange 106 tower is taller than the iconic Petronas Towers.

Historical Canvas

Today's KL-ites are separated by barely a handful of generations from the tenacious Chinese and Malay tin prospectors who founded the city, carving it out of virgin jungle. By the time the British made it the capital of Peninsular Malaysia in the late 19th century, erecting grand colonial buildings, KL had only been in existence for a couple of decades.

Since then, KL has been centre stage on Malaysian history. Stadium Merdeka was where, in 1957, the country’s first prime minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, declared independence. The city also celebrated as a new national government came to power in 2018.

Shopping

To fully connect with locals, join them in two of their favourite pastimes: shopping and eating. Malaysian consumer culture achieves its zenith in KL, where you could spend all day browsing glitzy air-conditioned malls such as Pavilion KL, Suria KLCC and Mid Valley Megamall in search of designer fashion and bargains. Bangsar and Publika are the places to go for local labels and the work of offbeat independent designers. Alternatively, explore Central Market for locally made souvenirs and handicrafts; and hunt out the few remaining artisans and antiques dealers still keeping shop in and around Chinatown.

Street Feast

Despite the heat, this is a city best explored on foot. Walk and you can catch all the action and save yourself the frustration of becoming entangled in one of KL's all-too-frequent traffic jams. Walking, you'll discover parts of KL retain the laid-back ambience and jungle lushness of the kampung (village) it once was. What's more, you'll be sure to come across some of the city's best dining spots: the hawker stalls and traditional neighbourhood kopitiam (coffee shops) that beckon you over with the aroma of freshly cooked food and the promise of refreshment with tropical juices and cooling drinks.

Explore Kuala Lumpur

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Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Kuala Lumpur.

  • Tower

    Menara KL

    Although the Petronas Towers are taller, the 421m Menara KL, rising from the crest of Bukit Nanas, offers the best city views. The bulb at the top…

  • Mosque

    Masjid Jamek Sultan Abdul Samad

    This graceful, onion-domed mosque, designed by British architect AB Hubback, borrows Mogul and Moorish styles with its brick-and-plaster banded minarets…

  • Buddhist Temple

    Thean Hou Temple

    Sitting atop leafy Robson Heights, this vividly decorated multistorey Chinese temple, dedicated to Thean Hou, the heavenly queen, affords wonderful views…

  • Buddhist Temple

    Sin Sze Si Ya Temple

    Kuala Lumpur's oldest Chinese temple (1864) was built on the instructions of Kapitan Yap Ah Loy and is dedicated to Sin Sze Ya and Si Sze Ya, two Chinese…

  • Museum

    Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia

    Inhabiting a building that's nearly as impressive as its collection, this museum showcases Islamic decorative arts from around the globe. Scale models of…

  • Gallery

    National Visual Arts Gallery

    The artworks on display at the NVAG are worth a trip out of central KL for their inventiveness and sheer scale. In rotating exhibitions by regional…

  • Tower

    Petronas Towers

    Resembling twin silver rockets, the Petronas Towers are the perfect allegory for the meteoric rise of the city from tin-mining shanty town to 21st-century…

  • Gallery

    ILHAM

    Housed in a 60-storey tower designed by British architects Foster and Partners, this impressive art gallery presents exhibitions spanning various media…

  • Square

    Merdeka Square

    The huge open square, where Malaysian independence was declared in 1957, is speared by a 95m flagpole, one of the world's tallest. In the British era, the…

  • Park

    KLCC Park

    At the heart of the mammoth KLCC development, this excellent park offers a 1.3km soft-surface jogging track, a great children's playground and paddling…

  • Monument

    National Monument

    On a palm-fringed plaza, with fine views of KL's skyscrapers, stands this bombastic monument. Commemorating military sacrifices in the name of Malaysian…

  • Workshop

    Me.Reka Makerspace

    Search out this innovative project space, where various contemporary design and technology skills are taught and can be practised. Laser engravers, 3D…

  • Park

    Taman Tugu

    The first stages of this 27-hectare park have opened in recent years, with the third and final stage originally due for completion some time in 2020. It…

  • Gardens

    Kebun-Kebun Bangsar

    A community group led by local architect Ng Seksan has created this garden on an 8-acre linear strip of land reserved for the national electricity company…

  • Nature Reserve

    KL Forest Eco Park

    KL's urban roar is replaced by buzzing insects and cackling birdlife at this forest of tropical hardwoods, covering 9.37 hectares in the heart of the city…

  • Museum

    Royal Museum

    You can tour the first two floors of this grand mansion, originally built as a family home in 1928 by Chinese tin tycoon Chan Wing. From 1957 it served as…

  • Gallery

    Ruang Pemula

    Pakhruddin Sulaiman and his wife, Fatimah, have been amassing one of Malaysia's top private art collections since around 1996, when they bought two major…

  • Historic Building

    Stadium Merdeka

    Built for the declaration of independence in 1957, this open-air stadium is where Malaysia’s first prime minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, famously punched…

  • Museum

    National Museum

    This museum offers a good primer on Malaysia's history, from prehistoric to present day. The country's geological features and prehistory are tackled in…

Top experiences

Whether it’s a guided tour of a historic landmark, private tasting of local delicacies, or an off-road adventure — explore the best experiences in Kuala Lumpur.