Kuala Lumpur – known simply to the locals as KL – is the capital of Malaysia and one of South East Asia’s most iconic cities. Here are just a few great reasons as to why you should visit this Malaysian metropolis.
It’s home to the tallest twin towers in the world
The Petronas Twin Towers stand a whopping 451.9 metres. Since they were completed in 1996, they have maintained the record as the highest twin towers in the world. In fact, they were the tallest building in the world until 2004. If you’ve got a head for heights, you can buy tickets online to climb the tower. For those that would prefer to keep their feet planted firmly on the ground, there are plenty of great places to take photos from such as the KLCC park.
There are endless places to shop
There are shopping malls all around Kuala Lumpur. Some of these malls are vast such as Berjaya Times Square, which contains over 1000 shops, an indoor theme park and an IMAX cinema. If you want a more traditional Malaysian shopping experience meanwhile, you have the city’s various markets to explore too. Some of these markets are open at night and are great places to grab some tasty authentic street food.
There’s a husky café
Malaysia loves pet cafes. In fact, there are cat cafes located all over the country. However, Kuala Lumpur offers a café experience for a different type of furry friend – Huskiss Café is the first café to be dedicated entirely to huskies. There are specific timeslots in which you can visit and pet the pups whilst getting a free drink. If you love huskies, it’s the place to go.
You can go dining in complete darkness
Kuala Lumpur is one of a few cities to have a restaurant that allows you to dine in complete darkness (Dining In The Dark KL is the name of this restaurant). This makes for a unique dining experience and a fun challenge as you must negotiate the three course meal without being able to see it. You waiters also help to act as guides and only at the end is the menu revealed to you (obviously dietary requirements must be given at the beginning).
The nightlife scene is buzzing
There are plenty of bars and nightclubs to be found in Kuala Lumpur – it’s practically the party capital of Malaysia (although you could argue Langkawi takes the prize). This may seem strange considering the large Muslim population in Malaysia that don’t drink, however the city’s non-muslim population combined with the influx of tourists clearly make up for this as there’s no shortage of places to buy a drink.
You can explore the Batu caves whilst you’re there
14km north of Kuala Lumpur is the Batu caves, which is well worth a visit. These magnificent limestone caves were originally dug out to excavate guano in the 1800s, but are now a sacred site. In fact, they are regularly used to celebrate the Hindu festival of Thaipusam. A network of temples can be found in the caves as well as a native population of monkeys. Make sure you’re in good physical condition is you plan to visit these caves, as there are lots of steps.
As cities go, it’s very affordable
The prices in Kuala Lumpur are some of the most expensive in Malaysia, but compared to western city prices they’re not that bad. You can rent apartments such as these Arcoris Mont Kiara for very little and food prices across the city are very good (eating street food and drinking local beer will save you the most money). It’s certainly a lot more affordable that its South East Asian neighbour Singapore.
The weather is hot all year round
Kuala Lumpur is also a great city to go for getting some heat. It’s warm all year round and barely dips below 23 degrees Celsius even in December. Kuala Lumpur is a landlocked city but there are a number of beaches in close proximity if you want to cool off and sunbathe. There are also a number of hotels in the city with rooftop pools that could be perfect after a long day trekking around to see the sights.
