Kuala Lumpur, popularly known as KL is the only city in the world that has a million year old primary forest located within the heart of the city. The colonial buildings evocative of the British era, the midnight lamps of the night market in Petaling street, modern office towers, the vibrant central market, the botanical and bird parks of the Lake gardens...Kuala Lumpur is a fascinating destination and meeting point of Malaysia's many attractions. Take this tour of Kuala Lumpur to check them out!
Kuala Lumpur
Located on the confluence of the Klang and Gombak river in central west coast of Peninsular Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur is bustling, vibrant and completely cosmopolitan. Surrounded by forests and hills, KL is the focul point of Malaysia's rich cultural heritage. Kuala Lumpur enjoys equatorial climate all through the year.
KL enjoys plentiful rainfall during south west monsoon season from April to September. Kuala Lumpur is directly connected to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, which has flights from many parts of the world. Local chartered flights and high speed trains services also connect Kuala Lumpur to other major cities.
Kuala Lumpur tourist spots
The Petronas Twin Towers: These majestic towers are one of the world's tallest buildings and second and third tallest singular towers with a height of 1453 feet. The twin towers are symbols of Malaysia's astounding growth over the last two decades. A tourist can scale the awesome 41st and 42nd skybridge link, although it is difficult to get to the top of the towers. The towers are located adjacent to the busiest shopping malls in Malaysia the Suria KLCC.
The Golden Triangle: The Petronas twin towers are located in the Golden triangle, which is the commercial hub of the city. High rise modern office building and classy hotels that define the capital's skyline are located here.
The Batu caves is located north of Kuala Lumpur. It is a Hindu shrine and dedicated to Lord Subramania. Batu caves consist of three main caves and a number of smaller caves. These caves are made of limestone. They are four hundred meters long and hundred meters high. There are two hundred and seventy two steps that lead the visitor to the caves. The temple cave is the biggest and best known of the caves. Thaipusam festival is celebrated with great aplomb and over a million visitors throng the temple caves to celebrate the festival. Few spots for trekking are seen on the other side of Batu caves for the tourists.
The Lake Gardens are 920,000 sq.mts of manicured gardens, located near the Malaysian Parliament building. A butterfly park, a deer park, orchid garden, hibiscus garden and a large bird park are all part of the enthralling Lake Gardens.
The Sunway Lagoon is located just outside of Kuala Lumpur. It is an eighty acre wet and dry theme park. Sunway Lagoon features water rides, wave pools as well as other water amusement rides, live entertainments, and structured activities for kids every day.
Sports stadiums: East of Kuala Lumpur are important sports centers - the National Stadium and the Merdeka Stadium. It was here that Malaysia was declared independent from colonial power. The Merdeka stadium has a seating capacity of 50000. Several national and international sporting events take place here.
Museums and Galleries: The National Museum is situated in Mahameru Highway and is well known for artefacts and paintings. Constructed in traditional Minangkabau design with two huge Italian glass mosaic flanking the entrance, the museum offers an overview of Malaysia's major historical events and cultural activities. The section on Peranakan culture which illustrates the unique fusion of Chinese and Malay traditions is particularly interesting.
The National Planetarium is well equipped with interactive exhibits. Space science shows and sky movies are screened here.
The Tun Abdul Razak Memorial is located at the scenic Lake gardens. This memorial was built in memory of the 'Father of Development', the second President of Malaysia.
Ths Islamic Art Museum is solely dedicated to Islamic Art. Eclectic and fascinating exhibits can be found here. The museum building itself is a masterpiece with its Italian marble flooring, Iranian tiles, Uzbekistan craftsmanship.
The Royal Malaysian Police Museum is where the archives of past crimes are kept.The operations of the police force from the time of Malacca Sultanate in 1511 AD can be learnt here.
The Petronas Art gallery is a center for fine arts. It is situated in Kuala Lumpur city centre. The Kuala Lumpur performing arts center in Sentul West is a noted center for performing arts notably the theatre and music. Many songwriters from various cultural backgrounds from both East and West Malaysia perform here. The Kuala Lumpur Philharmonic hall comprises a cast of international musicians and features regular concerts and traditional cultural performances.
Petaling street: This place is famous for bargain shopping. Beware of branded goods that are not genuine. Petaling street is other wise known as Malaysia's China town.
The Menara Kuala Lumpur is the world's fifth tallest telecommunications tower. It is located on the Bukit Nanas hill beside the convent Bukit Nanas.
National Mosque: This is magnificent in its architecture and its enchanting design incorporates Islamic, Gothic and Moorish eclectic styles.
Zoo Negara, which is the National zoo of Malaysia is located about five kilometres from Kuala Lumpur beside Taman Melawati. This zoo is a home to over four thousand animals and more than four hundred different species of wild life including birds.
The Genting Highlands is a very popular hill top resort near Kuala Lumpur. It is famous with the tourists for its casino and theme parks. One can see this spot from Kuala Lumpur downtown on a clear day and on most nights.
The Chan See Shu Yuen with its typical courtyard and pavilions, Sri Mahamariamman Temple in Petaling street with its elaborate gopuram and a façade of gold and precious stones, the quaint Chinese Sze Ya temple, the Merdeka Square, the Sultan Abdul Samad building - the Big Ben of Kuala Lumpur, the Selangor Club with its mock tudor architecture, the Cathedral of Virgin Mary which is one of Malaysia's oldest Anglican church, the colonial buildings with captivating Moorish designs.. these and several other architectural gold mines are a sure visual treat to the discerning tourist which cannot be missed at Kuala Lumpur.
Shopping at Kuala Lumpur
KL offers an exhaustive array of products from the locally produced handicrafts to international designer labels. The products at Kuala Lumpur are available at lower prices than many other Asian metropolises including Singapore.
The Suria KLCC is a premier shopping centre in Kuala Lumpur. It is spacious and elegantly decorated. Marks and Spencer, Burberry, Gucci, Hugo Boss, Hush Puppies are some of the high end retailers seen here. Tiffany & Co, the world class jewelry retailer is favorite with tourists. Asian souveniers and handmade jewelry can be bought at this complex.
The Mid valley megamall which is currently Southeast Asia's largest shopping mall is located in Kuala Lumpur.
The Sunway Pyramid is a twenty minute ride from the heart of the KL city. The impressive Egyptian façade and architecture are notable. A fortyeight lane bowling center and cool ice skating rink are popular with teenagers in this place.
Adventurous tourists who would like to bargain hunt in Kuala Lumpur can visit 'pasar malam' or night markets. Bintang Walk is a pedestran shopping haven similar to Singapore's Orchard Road. Sungei Wang, Bukit Bintang Plaza are other places to shop where variety of goods at a wide range of prices can be found.