A great deal was made about how the Petronas Towers was the tallest building in the world at 1483ft (452m), but really that’s not quite true as the CN Tower is actually the tallest building at 1815ft (553m) as I can personally attest. The Petronas Towers was in fact the tallest office block in the world, although the Sears Tower in Chicago still had the highest occupied building floor, more than 200ft higher than the highest occupied floor of the Petronas Towers – so the jury was out on that claim as well, especially considering the Taipei 101 building has now surpassed that record this October

Erm, the record for the world's tallest two freestanding towers?

But it DOES look far swankier than those buildings, and I’m sure there was no coincidence that the hotel room we booked had a clear view of it.

That first night we hightailed out to KLCC for a look round and gazed in awe up at the sheer majesty of the beautiful structures above us!

The next morning we woke up early to make sure we got a couple of only 800 daily free tickets for the Sky Bridge on level 41 (closed on Mondays!), so you could miss out if you turn up late! Once you have your tickets you go into a sort of mini museum on the construction of the building, followed by a guided tour up on the Sky Bridge itself.

The tapering twin towers share an Islamic-influenced geometric octagonal plan with 88 floors (all these ‘8’s are on purpose as they signify the lucky Chinese number. If you fancy some background revision, check out the movie Entrapment, which features the Petronas Towers in some detail.

There is also a fantastic shopping centre here and we got to see the spectacular movie Hero on its opening day in Malaysia, a film that had yet to see general release in the West at the time.

By day they are two gleaming metal and glass structures reaching up into the sky, but by night they come alive.

The shapes of the building are quite different from any other building I have come across, and the fact that there are two of them makes it all the more distinctive.

They are the world’s tallest twin structures and reach a height of 452 meters, with 88 stories. In the middle, on levels 41 and 42, is the skybridge that joins the two towers. You can walk across the double-decker skybridge to get views of the city. It is just a shame that this is as high as you can go as a visitor. You need a ticket in order to walk the bridge and they are free, however you have to queue to get one. Visitor hours are between 9am and 5pm Tuesday to Sunday. Tickets are issued from 8:30am.

I did not have time to queue for a ticket, and quite honestly, my hotel had a good view of the city, so I wasn’t bothered about going up it anyway. If you could go to the top of the towers, now that would be an experience! However, I think the best view is from the outside of the towers, looking up at them. At night, go into the KLCC park below the towers and just look up--the view is stunning.

The views from across the city towards the towers can be a little disappointing as it is quite smoggy in the city and the views across are often very cloudy. You are best getting up-close and personal with the towers to see them at their best.

Getting up to the skybridge, however, is a much more difficult task. We tried three times but were not able to get tickets (our fault for not reading all the information clearly the first time). First, Monday is the day that the towers are closed (we tried that first). Second, only a certain number of tickets (with a time stamp to return) are issued each day, so if you go late in the day or with a time constraint, you probably won't get a ticket. We had fun looking at the towers anyway!

As these towers seem to be nearly always in your sight, you couldn't come to KL and not go up to the viewing platform.

The towers themselves are so modern and dominating they appear almost surreal against the skyline. Amazingly, the exteriors of the towers are made entirely of stainless steel and glass; this is very unusual and very expensive.

Although these are among the tallest buildings in the world, the high-speed elevator only whisks you up to the 42nd floor. The view is still great, but if you were hoping to make it to the top you will be disappointed.

On the bright side, entry is free. You collect your ticket from the ticket counter where it is stamped with the time of your ascent. You go off and shop for about 25 - 30 minutes and then come back and wait for your turn. It is all very efficient.

If you have your credit card, the KLCC centre is at the base and offers some of the most exclusive shopping in the city.