Kuala Lumpur - The Garden City of Lights
Updated: May 24, 2021
Kuala Lumpur, known as "The Golden Triangle"
The words Kuala Lumpur literally means 'Muddy Confluence'. The metropolis got this nickname because it was founded near the place where the rivers Klang and Gombak intersect a skyline punctuated by minarets, Mogul-style domes and skyscrapers; colorful, food-stall-lined streets shaded by a leafy canopy of banyan trees.
Kuala Lumpur, commonly known as KL is the capital and largest city in Malaysia. It is the fastest growing metropolitan cities in the South East Asia, in both population and economic development. Kuala Lumpur is the cultural, financial and economic center of Malaysia. It is also home to the Parliament of Malaysia, and the official residence of the Malaysian King (Yang di-Pertuan Agong), the Istana Negara.
Country: Malaysia
City: Kuala Lumpur
Area: 243 km² (94 sq mi)
Population: 1,790,000
Time Zone: UTC+8
Currency: Malaysian Ringgit
Places to visit:
1) Petronas Twin Towers: Petronas Towers or known as Petronas Twin Towers are the twin skyscrapers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. They are the world's tallest twin towers. Located in Jalan Ampang, opened on 31 August, 1999. They are a total of 88 floors.
Height
Architectural - 451.9 m (1,483 ft)
Tip - 451.9 m (1,483 ft)
Roof - 378.6 m (1,242 ft)
Top floor - 375 m (1,230 ft)
2) Menara KL - It is the 7th communications tower in the world with a height of 421 m. The construction started on October 4, 1991 and completed on 1st March, 1995. An amazing view of the city from the Observation Desk.
3) KLCC Park - KLCC Park is in Kuala Lumpur city center near some of the famous sights of KL like Petronas Towers. The park was designed by Roberto Burle Marx and it was designed with the aim "leave the world a little more sensitive and a little more educated to the importance of nature". The park features Lake Symphony which is a 10,000 square meter man made lake with water fountains and the fountain can shoot water up to a height of 18 metres. At night, there are lights, musics and fountains daily. It has a an amazing view, must visit at night.
4) Jalan Alor - If you are a foodie this is the foodie paradise road. Jalan Alor is one of the famous road for street food. Situated in the Bukit Bintang area and if you are staying at the Radius Hotel in Bukit Bintang then it is only 1 minute walk to Jalan Alor. Open late night and different variety of food for a bargain.
5) Suria KLCC: Suria KLCC is a shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur City Centre, with many shopping attractions for locals and visitors, making it the best place in Malaysia for shopping.
6) Berjaya Times Square: First thing came to my mind was Times Square New York but it wasn't. Berjaya Times Square is a 48-floor, 203 m twin tower, hotel, condominium, indoor amusement park and shopping center complex in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was opened in October 2003 by the 4th Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato Sri Dr Mahathir bin Mohammad.
7) Jamek Masjid: One of the oldest mosques in Malaysia, built in 1909 and designed by Arthur Benison Hubback. It is located at the confluence of the Klang and Gombak River and may be accessed via Jalan Tun Perak.
8) Jalan Petaling: Petaling Street is a Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur, from food stalls to souvenirs at a bargaining price. A good place for budget shopping and trying some local delicacies.
9) Bukit Bintang: Known as Jalan Bukit Bintang, upscale malls, fresco bars, live music and the best street food; all in one place. One stop shopping mall would be Bukit Bintang; the center of everything is Bukit Bintang.
10) Batu Caves - Limestone caves at the top of steep steps housing Hindu temples & shrines, plus a huge deity statue. Batu Cave is also a city nearby and this is one of the most popular Hindu Shrines outside India and this is dedicated to Lord Murgan which is 42.7 meter (140ft), making it the tallest Lord Murugan statue in the world. There is a also a huge statue of Hanuman to view.
Batu Caves are 3 hours drive from Kuala Lumpur city center.
11) Putrajaya - Situated 25 Kms (15.5 miles) from Kuala Lumpur city and 20 Kms (12.4 miles) from KLIA (Kuala Lumpur Intenrational Airport). A 4931 hectares land with some beautiful sights, some of the point of interests at Putrajaya are:
Putra Masjid
3- Tiered Putra Bridge
Green Domed Perdana Putra
Seri Wawasan Bridge
Steel Masjid
To reach Putrajaya, you can take the E1 bus from the Pasar Seni LRT station, which is part of the Kelana Jaya-Putra LRT line. This bus is operated by Rapid KL. This bus also stops at Jalan Tun Sambanthan Street, which is near KL Sentral.
12) Malacca - Also known as Melaka, which is dubbed as Historic State. Situated 150 Kms (93 miles) away from Kuala Lumpur central . It is a historic city with the imprints of British, Dutch and Portuguese. Some of the famous sites in the area are:
A'Famosa Melaka
Christ Church
Stadthuys
St. Paul's Church
Jonker Street
Melaka Sultanate Palace
Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum
Transportation
Kuala Lumpur has a comprehensive road system which is supported by an extensive range of public transport networks, such as the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT), Light Metro (LRT), Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), monorail, commuter rail and the airport rail link. Kuala Lumpur is one of the leading cities in the world for tourism and shopping, being the tenth most visited city in the world in 2017.[11] The city houses 3 of the world's 10 largest malls.[12]
Kuala Lumpur has been ranked by the Economist Intelligence Unit's Global Livability Ranking at No. 70 in the world, and No. 2 in Southeast Asia after Singapore.
Food and Dining
Kuala Lumpur is a foodie paradise! From street food to fancy restaurants, it has a wide range of local delicacies. Restaurants are very diverse, contributing from different cultures of Malaysia (Indian, Malay and Chinese).
Some of the Malaysian delicacies you must try when in KL. Keep in mind Malaysian delicacies are spicy!
Nyonya Chicken Curry
Bak Kut Teh
Asam Laksa
Fried Lala
Red Malaysian Snapper.
Nasi Lemak.
Creamy Salted Egg
Murtabak
Fried Red Fin Fish.
Currency
The official currency is Malaysian Ringgit and major currencies are accepted for conversion. Below are the rates of Malaysian Ringgit to different major currencies:
Airport
Kuala Lumpur has two airports , KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport) and the other is LCCT (Low Cost Carrier Terminal).
KLIA
KL International Airport. KL's main international gateway lies 75 km south of the city center at Sepang. KLIA (KUL) has two terminals: KLIA (Terminal M, Main Terminal, or KLIA1) which serves full service airlines both Domestic and International flights. KL City Air Terminal, sometimes known as Kuala Lumpur City Air Terminal or KL CAT located at KL Sentral is a virtual extension of KL International Airport where city check-in services are provided. Some of the Airlines check in can be done from KL City Air Terminal are: Emirates, Malaysian Airlines, Thai Airways.
It is a 30 minutes ride from KL Central to KLIA by KLIA Express.
LCCT (Low Cost Carrier Terminal)
This is the low cost terminal (Budget terminal), hub for Air Asia and other low cost airlines serving domestic and international destinations.
Weather
The climate in Kuala Lumpur is quite humid overall, and one must always be ready for rains at any time of the year. Therefore, the best time to visit Kuala Lumpur is from May to July or December to February.
