Areas of Kuala Lumpur and Getting Around

The Golden Triangle

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The Golden Triangle Photo - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

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The Golden Triangle area of Kuala Lumpur lies adjacent to the office district of the city centre and is home to the major shopping centres. There is little here for the sight seer, but it is an absolute must for shoppers everywhere.The newest shopping centre is right at the top of the triangle and is called Time Square. It is an absolutely massive building that features two huge towers spanning fourteen storeys. There is every kind of shop you can imagine in this complex as well as expansive food halls, an IMAX cinema, a bowling alley and even an indoor theme park. The theme park is worth the visit alone and includes a series of white knuckle rides as well as some suitable for younger visi...Read More

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Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC)

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Attraction | "Kuala Lumpur City Centre"

Kuala Lumpur City Centre Photo - Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

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Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) is an area of the city that every visitor will visit because it is home to its most famous tourist attractions, as well as many of the major hotels.Without a doubt the most popular attraction here are the Petronas Towers, the world's tallest twin towers. If you are thinking of visiting the towers, which you definitely should, you will have to plan your trip carefully as only a certain number of people are permitted entry each day and you will have to arrive at the towers early in the morning to reserve a place for later on in the day. The towers stand at 88 floors high and there is a skybridge that you can walk accross at the 42nd floor. If you pay a little ...Read More

Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) is an area of the city that every visitor will visit because it is home to its most famous tourist attractions, as well as many of the major hotels.

Without a doubt the most popular attraction here are the Petronas Towers, the world's tallest twin towers. If you are thinking of visiting the towers, which you definitely should, you will have to plan your trip carefully as only a certain number of people are permitted entry each day and you will have to arrive at the towers early in the morning to reserve a place for later on in the day. The towers stand at 88 floors high and there is a skybridge that you can walk accross at the 42nd floor. If you pay a little extra you can visit the 86th floor of the building which I would highly recommend as the views are absolutely outstanding. There is also a small display area at the bottom of the towers that forms part of your visit and includes some interesting exhibits about the construction of the towers and the effect that lightning has on them.

Also in this area is the KL Communication Tower, which is another popular attraction, not least because it is located at the top of a hill and from the top of it you actually look down on the Petronas Towers. Once again, the views are splendid and the photograph opportunities are terrific. The KL Tower also plays host to a mini theme park which includes a traditional cultural village and a small zoo either of which can be included in the price of your ticket.

If you are looking for somewhere to stay in this area, I would recommend the Hotel Equatorial, which offers comfortable accomodation in a good location just a few minutes walk from the Petronas Towers. The hotel has a couple of highly recommended restaurants as well as a lovely cocktail bar that has live music every evening.

Food wise, the choices are varied, we particularly enjoyed the good food and sevice at the Hard Rock Cafe based in the gound level of the Concorde hotel. Likewise you are spoilt for choice for bars in this area as there are many that have happy hours all night. Remember though that Malaysia is a predominantly Muslim country and so alcohol is expensive even at happy hour prices.

The area in generally is good to visit; there are some very impressive buildings, even if you exclude the two towers I have already mentioned. The thing we noticed most about this area though is just how clean it is. There is absolutely no rubbish to be found anywhere and this is thanks mainly to the cheerful army of road sweepers that work tirelessly to keep the roads clean but always have time to stop and wish you a good morning or afternoon.
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Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC)

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

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Colonial Core

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The Colonial Core Photo - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

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The Colonial core is located on the Western side of kuala Lumpur and offers an alternative to the high rise modern buildings and the hustle and bustle of the rest of the city.The area centres around Merdeka Square and is very much reminiscent of olde worlde England, with its mock tudor style buildings and large grassy areas. It is the oldest part of the city and we very much enjoyed the completely different experience it offered us.The area is very much at a slower and quieter pace than the rest of the city and it is a lovely place to while away a very hot afternoon in Kuala Lumpur. There are plenty of areas to sit and admire the views and enjoy the relaxation, especially by th...Read More

The Colonial core is located on the Western side of kuala Lumpur and offers an alternative to the high rise modern buildings and the hustle and bustle of the rest of the city.

The area centres around Merdeka Square and is very much reminiscent of olde worlde England, with its mock tudor style buildings and large grassy areas. It is the oldest part of the city and we very much enjoyed the completely different experience it offered us.

The area is very much at a slower and quieter pace than the rest of the city and it is a lovely place to while away a very hot afternoon in Kuala Lumpur. There are plenty of areas to sit and admire the views and enjoy the relaxation, especially by the beautiful waterfalls and fountains which give you a very welcome spraying of cold water!

There are a couple of things to see here too, the most notable being the huge one hundred metre high flag pole, which is the tallest in the world and is adorned by a massive Malaysian flag. It really is quite pretty fluttering over the square.

The surrounding buildings were built in the 1890s and formed the old cricket club. It really does feel like you've taken a step back in time and you can easily imagine what it might have been like there back in the day.

There are also a number of small museums in the area, namely the Bank Negara Money Museum and the Museum of National History, both of which are free to enter, although they do only house very small collections. At the side of the square opposite the flag pole is a cute little church called St Mary's. It is the oldest Anglican church in Malaysia and was built in 1894. It is a very pretty building and worth a look.

Down the road from Merdeka Square in the Colonial Core is the old railway building. It is still used as a station, but maintains much of its old charm. Many of the features are original including the waiting room, the signs and the station clocks.

This area in general is a must visit for something completely different to everything else in Kuala Lumpur and it really is a very pretty place to go. Read Less

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Petaling Street Chinatown

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Attraction | "Chinatown"

Petaling Street Photo - Petaling Street Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

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Petaling Street is the main thorough fare through Kuala Lumpur's Chinatown district and no visit to the city would be complete without a trip here. It has all the hustle and bustle that is expected of a thriving area of a Far Eastern major city and is full of atmosphere and great smells.The street is lined by all manner of shops, cafes, hotels and backpackers hostels and offers something for every visitor. The area really comes alive though in the late afternoon and into the evening when the centre of the wide street plays host to a temporary market of hundreds of stalls. The stalls sell all kinds of 'replica' items including watches, designer tee shirts and bags. You are free to barter ex...Read More

Petaling Street is the main thorough fare through Kuala Lumpur's Chinatown district and no visit to the city would be complete without a trip here. It has all the hustle and bustle that is expected of a thriving area of a Far Eastern major city and is full of atmosphere and great smells.

The street is lined by all manner of shops, cafes, hotels and backpackers hostels and offers something for every visitor. The area really comes alive though in the late afternoon and into the evening when the centre of the wide street plays host to a temporary market of hundreds of stalls. The stalls sell all kinds of 'replica' items including watches, designer tee shirts and bags. You are free to barter exceptionally good deals on all of the wares and it becomes something of a fun battle of wills to get a good price on a copy Breitling watch or a Armani sweater.

Along the sides of the street are lots of buffet type cafes frequented by locals and offering a mouthwatering choice of Malaysian delights for bargain prices. When you enter one of the cafes you are met with delicious smelling food laid out on counters and you simply take a plate and help yourself. You are charged by the number of different items you have on your plate and you pay and take a seat at one of the long benches. The choices range from spicy prawns and beef rendang (the national dish) to jasmine rice and garlic covered vegetables. We got a large plateful of food that was more than enough for lunch for two of us and it cost just two pounds.

There are a number of places to visit in the area. Firstly, when you get off the monorail, you should stop at the Chinese Temple on your right hand side, which is the largest in the area and is full of ornate carvings of major events in Chinese history. Just off Petaling Street on one of the side streets is the Sri Mahamammian Indian Temple which is fronted by a huge ornate sculpture made from gold, precious stones and tiles that shouldn't be missed. At the top of Petaling Street is the central market which is full of bazaar type stalls offering a range of local crafts and souvenirs as well as health food shops.

If you want to head here for an evening meal, go to the Old China Cafe which offers great food in an atmospheric setting at very reasonable prices.

You really do have to go to Petaling Street to experience the fabulous atmosphere and bustling feel, if nothing else - it's a great place to go and experience the real Malaysia. Read Less

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on June 21, 2011

Petaling Street Chinatown
Petaling Street
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 50000
+60 3 2693 6661 (Kua

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Getting Into and Around Kuala Lumpur

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Kuala Lumpur Internatial Airport (KLIA) is obviously the main entry point into the city and it is located around 70 kilometres from the centre. There are various ways of getting into the centre. You can take a coach which departs every half an hour for about £5 each way or you can use the train which goes to the Chinatown area for about £7 each way. The bus takes around an hour and the train about half of that and both run from 5am until around midnight. The bus goes to the main hub in the city centre, from which you can get on another bus for about £1 that goes around all of the city centre's major hotels.After a fourteen hour flight, we were in no fit state to be working out bus or train...Read More

Kuala Lumpur Internatial Airport (KLIA) is obviously the main entry point into the city and it is located around 70 kilometres from the centre. There are various ways of getting into the centre. You can take a coach which departs every half an hour for about £5 each way or you can use the train which goes to the Chinatown area for about £7 each way. The bus takes around an hour and the train about half of that and both run from 5am until around midnight. The bus goes to the main hub in the city centre, from which you can get on another bus for about £1 that goes around all of the city centre's major hotels.

After a fourteen hour flight, we were in no fit state to be working out bus or train timetables, so we decided to take a taxi which we picked up outside the arrivals hall and took us directly to our hotel in about thirty minutes and cost us around about £25. Be warned though: the taxis in Kuala Lumpur are all pretty old and air conditioning consists of opening the window and driving fast. Suspension is pretty much non-existent too, so expect a bumpy ride!

Getting around Kuala Lumpur is a strange thing. The city isn't really designed with pedestrians in mind as it is quite a sprawling city and the main attractions are spread out far and wide. That said, we did quite a lot of walking and found that, as long as you look both ways twice when you are crossing the road, it is a fairly safe way of getting around. The only problems that we encountered were the muggy temperatures that made being outside for long periods of time uncomfortable - so make sure you take plenty of water with you wherever you go.

We enjoyed walking around because the Malaysian people are so very nice and friendly. The street sweepers so hello as you walk past and even the busiest of locals will stop and offer you assistance if you are puzzling over a map - it really was a lovely change from the usual way of life we have come to accept over here in England.

Having said all that though, we did make good use of the Kuala Lumpur Monorail system, which we thought was fantastic. The monorail circles the city above street level and has stops near to most of the major tourist points of interest. It is only 20 pence per ticket and that will take you as far as you want along the system. The monorail carriages are all air conditioned, are relatively quiet most of the time and run every few minutes throughout the day and night. The best thing about them though are the views you get over the city as you travel around - it's great fun spotting the major buildings from the floor to ceiling windows. Read Less

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