Last week, Louie and I traveled to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for five days, four nights. We have booked for this trip one year ahead, when we availed of Cebu Pacific Air’s Piso Air Fare Promo. For our daily itinerary and hotel accommodation, I have trusted Transpipol Travel and Tours to seek the most convenient and decent options available for our tour (dated July 5-9, 2014). Truly, this travel agency had delivered its promise; in the same vein, E World Choice Travel and Tours KL, its counterpart company in Malaysia, had taken good care of us.
Our Kuala Lumpur itinerary was arranged months before our departure, but it was only about a week prior our travel when I started to really examine every stop, see pictures online and read the background stories behind to get a quick glimpse. #SoBusyAtWork
After packing my carry-on bag with the help of my mom, I waited for the day with the same excitement of a six-year-old waiting for Christmas. 🙂 In this post, let me share with you about the places we have visited in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
12 Tourist Spots We Have Visited in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Day 1 was nothing so special. We arrived at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2) at 6:30PM and met our tour guide from E World Choice Travel and Tours KL named Lukman. We introduced ourselves, shook hands and rode the private bus as he transferred us to the hotel. Travel time to Hotel Pudu Plaza was about an hour. (Read my review of the hotel here.) Let’s fast forward to Day 2: tour in Genting Highlands and Berjaya Times Square.
Early at 9AM, Lukman drove us to Genting Highlands together with two Filipino tourists who stayed at a hotel nearby. In the car, I broke the ice and asked for their names, using the Filipino language to converse. They were surprised as they thought we’re Chinese who spoke only in Chinese. That was a funny moment there. Admittedly, I may have a tad weird accent when speaking in Filipino, but arguably, I’m still fluent at it than most native Chinese living in the Philippines. 😛
1. Genting Highlands
It was unfortunate that we did not get to try riding the Genting Skyway Cable Car because it was ongoing maintenance. The indoor theme park in Genting Highlands was also closed and only two rides were open for adults. To make up for the unexpected halted adventures, we went inside Snow World where we experienced -6 degrees freezing cold. 😀
I’ve never witnessed real snow and have never been to anywhere that cold. So for the rate of RM 30 per person, Snow World was relatively a good attraction to visit. Coats, gloves and shoes were lent to us. We put our things including cameras into the lockers. No picture-taking was allowed. Only Snow World photographers took our photos and we bought the CD with all 21 pictures afterwards at RM 150.
Until 2:30PM, we enjoyed strolling around Genting Highlands (Resorts World, Bowling Center, restaurants and stores), going up and down the escalators, exploring the different hotels: First World, Awana Hotel, Genting Grand Hotel and Maxims. The outdoor theme park was also under construction and is expected to be done in three years.
2. Berjaya Times Square
At 5PM, the tour guide brought us to Berjaya Times Square per our request. This shopping complex has eight levels with a diverse range of stores from middle-priced to economic/bargain-priced items. We were amazed that a theme park was built inside with an operational roller coaster! 😯
Berjaya Times Square is a rather cheap mall to shop—the higher you go, the more inexpensive things you will find. We walked end to end from the first to the seventh floor in two hours. Our tiredness had definitely kicked in. Before heading back to the hotel, we moved to the mall across called Low Yat Plaza (KL’s version of Sim Lim Square in Singapore). Mobile phones, tablets, cameras, laptops, computers, and accessories—name it and they have it! This place will be a paradise if you’re into tech gadgets.
Our third day in Malaysia consisted of the arranged half-day city tour and the long drive to i-City in Shah Alam, Selangor, as follows:
3. Istana Negara (King’s Palace)
At 9AM, we were off to another busy day. Lukman took us first to the Istana Negara (the new palace of Malaysia’s king). This is the official residence of the Supreme Head or Paramount Ruler of Malaysia.
We could not vividly see the palace from the closed gates because it’s way far, but the surroundings were fine. We took pictures beside the steady standing security guards and “knights” on horses. Guards change post when the clock strikes 12. Amazing!
4. Tugu Negara (National Monument)
According to Lukman, Malaysia was conquered by the British colony and communists. Fallen heroes/soldiers who died defending the country’s freedom during the second World War were honored by the national monument. The giant bronze statue was sculpted and designed by the same person who did the Iwo Jima Memorial in Washington DC.
5. Kuala Lumpur City Gallery
We passed by some other tourists spots such as the National Mosque, Islamic Art Museum, Police Museum and KL Railway Station en route to our next destination: the KL City Gallery. This is an information center for tourists with a gallery of artistic works, a cafe and a room showcasing the entire Kuala Lumpur in miniature form. Armed briefly with the city’s history, we were more ready to move to the next attraction.
6. Beryl’s Chocolate Kingdom (Chocolate Gallery)
Chocolate lovers must stop by at Beryl’s Chocolate Kingdom. Also known as the Chocolate Gallery, this place offers several flavors of chocolate. To name a few, there’s durian, chili, curry, almond, raisin, coffee, tiramisu, green tea, coconut and ginger (in assorted nature: dark, milk and white). Staffs accommodated us by giving us free samples of each one. We bought almost every sort except for the chili, curry and ginger.
7. Batik Canting and Coloring
Very near the Chocolate Gallery, the Batik Canting and Coloring must be in for your liking if you appreciate Malaysia’s national costume. Full of colorful flowers, these clothing are made manually by local artisans. We watched the demonstration and were awed.
8. Petronas Twin Towers/Suria KLCC Mall
A trip to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia without at least one “obligatory” shot with the Petronas Twin Towers on the background is just sad. Momentarily, before driving to Suria KLCC Mall which is situated underneath the twin towers, Lukman took a picture of Louie and me. Yup, the Petronas Twin Towers are indeed a sight to see!
Moving on, despite that almost everything in the Suria KLCC are at a premium price, I felt happy in it. Window shopping is really a relaxing way to spend time without having to fork out big bucks. 😉 We also went to Avenue K Shopping Mall which doesn’t compare to the sophistication of Suria KLCC but is worth the trip as well as it’s filled with Japanese stuffs and oh, a huge H&M store. 🙂
At 5PM, Lukman picked us up and sent us outside KL to i-City, currently Malaysia’ coolest hot spot (no.1 technology city). We entered i-City’s Trick Art Museum (RM 15 entrance fee pax) and the City of Lights, where trees and plants were decorated with LED lights. At night, it was like stepping into a wonderland. 😀 We would have also visited The Red Carpet (wax museum with popular celebrities and figures) and the Horror House if we just had more time.
9. Menara Tower (KL Tower)
Our fourth day was a free day. This meant that Lukman would not be around to guide us tour the city. We managed to get help from TripAdvisor reviews and listings for recommendations. First thing in the morning, we walked to Imbi Station and rode the monorail to Bukit Nanas Station. It was disappointing that the monorail took a very long time to arrive. Louie noticed that the gap is every 15 minutes.
People in KL were friendly in giving out directions, so we did not find it hard to locate the Menara Tower, the world’s seventh tallest communication tower. Also thanks to the height of the tower, it was easily visible even when we were still far away.
10. Lake Gardens
We have researched online and sought suggestions from our hotel receptionist on how to go to Lake Gardens. All were saying that there’s no accessible train or bus straight to Lake Gardens, so getting a metered taxi or hopping on the HOHO (Hop-On-Hop-Off) bus would be most ideal. From KL Tower thus, we took a blue taxicab to go to Lake Gardens.
We enjoyed the orchids, hibiscus, herb and lake gardens. There wasn’t much to do rather than take pictures of flowers, greenery and nice views. It’s a tropical paradise to a busy city. Entrance fee was for free during weekdays and RM 1 for weekends and holidays.
If you’re planning to go there and tour the entire park, good luck. It’s better to save your feet. Unless you’re keen to walk long distances for more than four hours, it’s next to impossible finishing the trail here.
11. Bird Park
Opposite Lake Gardens is the Bird Park, “the world’s largest free-flight, walk-in aviary,” which I thought was not more wonderful than Magaul Bird Park in Subic, Philippines and the Malagos Bird Park we visited in Davao City, Philippines. We paid RM 48 pax and the price was just not worth the visit. We didn’t see a lot of bird species. I remembered eagles, love birds, owls, parrots, chickens, toucans, peacocks, ostriches and flamingos. There was no interaction, no tour guide explaining about the birds and the whole place was ordinary. It didn’t live up to my expectation. Sigh. 🙁
12. Chinatown (Petaling Street)
We took our final cab ride to Chinatown (Petaling Street), where fake goods are aplenty. This is where you haggle to the best of your ability. Cheap counterfeit designer bags, wallets, sunglasses, belts, watches, DVDs and perfumes were all over the place. Lined with shops, Chinatown in KL is very colorful and noisy. We didn’t bother to further explore Chinatown except for the Petaling Street because most were just selling the same type of items anyway. Plus, it’s too crowded and I heard that it’s like a heaven for pick pockets.
Wrap Up
This was not my first time to visit Malaysia as I’ve been to Melaka and Johor Bahu three years ago. In our recent trip, our impression on Kuala Lumpur is that it’s a fast advancing city that’s safe and friendly as a tourist destination. There are many establishments, roads and trail railways on the work so we can expect to see an improved KL three to four years from now.
Engaging with the locals in Malaysia was easy because most of them know how to speak English and Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin). Don’t be shy about asking them for advice. They all know the area and can often point you toward activities and places not found in guidebooks. Just be specific about what you want to see in KL and the level of activity you’re up for. You’re guaranteed more options than you’ll even have time for, but each one will make it well worth the trip. 😉
I’ll post about the review of restaurants we’ve tried soon.
About Rochkirstin Santos-Sioco
Health and technology freak. Food and lifestyle blogger with a large appetite for food and travel.
Woah! I found this! I am planning to go travel to KL. Such great options to go to. Thank you for this!
You’re welcome, Joshua. If you have problems booking a trip and making your own itinerary, don’t hesitate to call a travel agency for help. Just make sure that you are making transactions with a trusted one. 🙂 Happy trip!
How come Legoland isn’t part of your tourist destination? But your post is indeed very helpful esp. for those planning to visit Malaysia.
I first wanted to go to Legoland but it’s six hours away from KL. I think it’s better to go to Legoland from Singapore next time because it’s nearer. 🙂
There are more pictures now compared to when I saw it this morning. You look like a really happy couple and you did showcase a lot of places in KL. Did you go to Putra Jaya, it’s about 20 minutes from KL?
Thanks, Franc. 🙂 We drove past Putra Jaya but not really stopped by to see the landmarks and tourist destinations there. Our tour guide pointed the Wisma Putra (Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and Putra Mosque, as far as I could remember.
Such a lovely vacation! thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Leila. If hacking unpopular yet interesting places in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia sounds more thrilling to you, checking other online references is a must. There you can dissect into the hidden gems of the city and uncover its wild and crazy side. 🙂
Looks like you visited some great places. I would love to see that Snow World.
Well, it’s not enough to see; it’s good to experience being inside the room. At first I was not convinced to pay RM 30 just to feel the cold inside and walk around as I saw that there’s only limited space to explore. But then people I was with all wanted to go. I was left with no other choice but to join and I didn’t regret my decision. 🙂 It was fun!
[…] Read on the 12 Tourist Spots We Have Visited in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia here. […]
Wow, you were able to pack so much into just a couple days! I’ll definitely be bookmarking this, I really want to head to Malaysia soon!
Yes. 😀 Too bad though that we had not visited Batu Caves and Thean Hou Temple because they’re far on the map from our location and we did not have enough time then on our last day. You might want to check out these two spots when you go to Malaysia.
Thanks for the visual tour! I may never get there , but at least i can see some real life pictures! Looks like a nice place.. and you never saw real snow??? Come to NY in the winter!
Haha yeah too bad huh. We have only sunny and rainy reasons in the Philippines and I have never visited a country where it snows. NY sounds a great place to visit but gosh, I’m afraid I could not live through winter dying a little. (Why?) I just think my body is not used to being exposed to cold. 😆
Wow, such beautiful pictures! It looks like you had an incredible time.
Thanks, Chrissy! We really did. 😀
The Petronas Twin Tower is just a magnificent attraction. I’ve been to Petronas and hope the next time I see it would be from the inside and top of the tower.
If you go there, note that advance booking is already available so you can skip waking up early just to line up and get a ticket. 🙂
My husband has been to malaysia but that is definitely on my bucket list.
Good. Malaysia is now booming is a great tourist destination in Asia. It will be better in 2016-2017 as the new trains are expected to be done by then and also the outdoor theme park in Genting Highlands. 🙂
I would have loved to see the gardens and the bird park. I can’t believe people pay to experience snow! Living in Nebraska, I get mighty sick of it!
Hahaha. You know, people always want to get what they don’t have. For me, it’s okay to experience it once even when it’s fake because I’d rather not be living in freezing cold weather. 😛
What a cute couple! I would love to go there. Ive heard is beautiful.
xo,
Dee Trillo
Thanks! A trip to Malaysia and discovering great spots in this country should be no big deal for your wallet. 😛
Chocolate kingdom looks very cool and the bird park looks pretty cool too. Great pics by the way! =)
Thanks, Bonnie! I’m glad you’ve picked those two so you’d have a greater priority set to the Chocolate Gallery and the Bird Park when you go to KL. Travelers should not feel antsy but relax and accept that it’s neither necessary or possible to see everything all at once. 😀
I’m never lucky with Cebu Pac’s Piso Fare. I have yet to visit KL. I heard nga that it’s also nice.
When we arrived on our first day, probably because it was already dark at 9PM, somehow I didn’t get much of a good impression of the place. Of course this changed on our last day there. 🙂 Bantayan mo na lang lagi CebuPac Piso Fare promotions. Good luck!
I didn’t realize how much there was to see there. It really, really looks like a great place to visit! I’m excited to go there one day.
Personally, I think this is true for any kind of trip you take: less is more, so choose an art gallery, museum or a famous monument that really interests you and spend an entire afternoon there, rather than rushing around to take photos of every well-known statue and tower and then sprinting down the corridors of several museums. In our case, we were lucky to have a tour guide who have helped us see the best of KL. 🙂
Oh my gosh, the chocolate kingdom looks fantastic!
I would love to see that!
Stopping by to leave some comment love from the Dish.
Alysia x
Thanks for reading and leaving a comment, Alysia. Chocolates were expensive at the Chocolate Kingdom, but I asked the staff if they export the interesting chocolate flavors to anywhere else in the world and she said no. Automatically, we got everything we wanted to bring home to our family and proceeded to the cashier. I just hope they realize how the rest of the world will be happy when the chocolates become available to their respective countries as well.
Beautiful pics. Looks like you guys had a lot of fun. I would like to visit there some day.
~ Don Purdum
Thanks, Don! Truly, when it comes to these touristy destinations, seeing pictures online is not enough. You have to go there yourself to be mesmerized by how wonderful they all are in real life. 😛
You lost me at chocolate kingdom….yummmmmmmm!!!
You are the cutest pair and I’m glad that you enjoyed those travels together. It’s much sweeter that way…so is a chocolate kingdom 🙂
Haha thanks Kimberly! Ohh I didn’t post actual photos of the chocolates because taking photos in the store was not allowed. So you must really love chocolates for you to have said that. 😉
I have never been here before. However, from your photos it looks like you had a blast.
We sure did. 😀 Traveling to a new place often feels like a once in a lifetime experience.
Looks like an awesome time and you make such a cute couple. Glad you both enjoyed yourself. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks and you’re welcome, Rebecca. Taking photos of us together was a bit challenging because not all people around looked game to get our camera and take a shot. In the end, we relied on the self-timer function and sometimes were lucky to have met kind locals as well.
So much to do and see, what a beautiful country! SnowWorld sounds cool no punt intended!
Yeah. Kuala Lumpur may not be the best city in the world, but you can make it “best” by touring around it with people you love. It’s how you experience living in the city no matter for how short the time that makes it great. 🙂 Snow World was fun!
wow this is a beautiful place I have been wanting to go for quite sometime, and it’s definitely on my list.. you guys are so so cute together.. and the pics are amazing.. never seen snow? Sweden, maybe? snow here in -19 temp.. ?? lol
Oh wow, Sweden! I still don’t know when I will be heading to that part of the globe, or if I ever will. It sounds scary to inhale such cold air! Whoa, what a thought. 😛 Thanks, Brijdeep!
Those are some great sites that you visited there. Love the photos. Thanks for sharing. Looks like you had a nice time.
Thanks, Patricia! We mostly did tourist spot-hopping here and so we were able to “see everything” in a whirlwind of stops. I’m not sure if this works for most but it sure did for me.
Looks like a great trip! Can I go to the chocolate kingdom?
Of course! You can book via a trusted travel and tour agency to help you set up the itinerary and drive you around KL (and specifically the Chocolate Kingdom) safely. 🙂
Wow, those are some incredible sites! I hope I get to visit Kuala Lumpur one day!
Yup, in Malaysia, it’s Truly Asia! 🙂 Don’t get me wrong though – you gotta visit the Philippines, too because it’s more fun in the Philippines. 😆
Looks like a blast of a trip, I think my favorite would be the chocolate kingdom and the bird zoo park. I love taking picture of different kinds of birds.
Great that you mentioned that. You’ll see a lot of birds who are free from cages there. Just be cautious not to run by those who are fighting. Hihi ^_^
I’m loving your pictures, it looks like you had a great time!
Thanks, Alyssa! I’m happy to go over our 900+ photos over and over again. 😀
nice photos roch! you should have visit the filipino mall kinda like lucky plaza which is just opposite on where you are standing on the last photo! My house is just opposite petronas towers too like its in the middle of both petronas and kl tower hehe. love to see all the photos here.
Thanks, Jane! Oh we didn’t know about that. I remember you suggested Jalan Alor. Well, we did pass by that area but it was quite far from our hotel considering walking distance. Wow, you must see a lot of great views every day, living near the tallest and best-looking buildings in that commercial/business district in KL. 🙂
What beautiful pictures! You’re making me want to take a trip!
Thanks, Kristen! That’s partly my aim here haha. Anyway, this post is to share where we’ve been and also give tips on where planning visitors would want to go to KL. 😀
Looks like so much fun! I now have Malaysia on my bucket-list!
Organize the places you want to visit in a list and see how everything will fit your schedule. If in doubt, you may check out the Hop-on-Hop-off Kuala Lumpur bus to help you roam around the city. 🙂
I have couchsurfed to KL and travelled alone. It was so easy to navigate around with. Although we visited different places. I would love to go back and couchsurf again and take note of what you visited!
Sure! Aside from couch-surfing, there’s a trend now called airbnb. We are thinking of trying to book a room/house using that site/app when we travel to another country.
I go to Malaysia all the time since you know i live in Indonesia and it’s very close to Malaysia (and Singapore) and i always enjoy going there. Our last visit to Malaysia was last year, and to KL was on 2012, i haven’t had the chance to visit the Trick Art Museum and The Red Carpet, your entry makes me itch to book a quick trip there now! Btw, why didn’t you go to Sunway Lagoon? You don’t like theme parks?
i-City is fairly new and we didn’t see lots of tourists going there. Our trip there was an addition on top of the planned itinerary suggested by the tour guide. 🙂 Oh we saw Sunway Lagoon on the way. Actually one of my ex-officemate in Singapore who has a Malaysian fiancée had recommend us to go there. However I found online that it’s too overwhelming to book and do all activities in a day (price is relatively expensive as compared to others we visited). 😛 Also, I don’t like water theme parks a lot leh.
Ohh i understand that, i also don’t like water theme parks like… at all LOL. However, their non-water based rides are pretty nice too. I’ve been there way too many times, but honestly for first timer there it should be pretty nice (and i love the Sunway Mall *LOL*). Last time i went there again especially to try their new interactive ghost house and it didn’t disappoint, Malaysia has some rocking horror houses (last time i cried at the Genting Highlands’ zzz). Ohh i see, the area’s called i-city? Thx for the info! I’m hunting for promotion tickets now hahaha
I didn’t see the non-water based rides. If ever, I would want to try those but I feel like I would be alone because Louie, my boyfriend, is scared of rides! 😛 Sunway Mall, as I heard, is a large mall that’s also a great haven for tourists who love to shop. Haha the horror house you went to must have been pretty terrifying! I think I’ll also cry because of the terror. 😀
Thank you for the wonderful virtual tour! Now I know where to go in Malaysia but have you been to Lego Land? 😀
Not yet. 😐 It was built right after I left Singapore so I haven’t gotten the chance to go there. Maybe in the next two years, I’ll organize a trip once again to visit both SG and MY-JB. 😀
Will book mark this sis. I also want to visit Malaysia but we are still busy. I lived at Singapore for 3 months and I regret that I didn’t go to Malaysia.
Whoa I can imagine how busy you are. Living in Singapore (or in another country that’s new and foreign to you, for that matter) is especially stressful for the first few months because you’re still adapting. I understand why you haven’t gone to MY then. I also found time to travel to JB before during my last months in Singapore.
I have been to many Asian cities except Kuala Lumpur because I keep thinking there is nothing much to see there except Petronas. Looking at your list, I do not think there is anything much for my family to enjoy, except each other’s company. Are your other destinations in Malaysia better.
Well, you’re probably right. There are few touristy destinations here unlike other neighboring Asian countries. I had a one-day tour in Malacca and another day in Johor Bahru. If you enjoy eating seafood and shopping, you’ll enjoy your time; otherwise, you can skip traveling to these places and save your time with some place else. 😀
woooah!! I envy you, would love to visit these places too.
You will have your time. 🙂
[…] local tourist guide/driver and we could not thank him enough. We needed plenty supply of energy for our busy day exploring KL mostly by foot that day, and Hard Rock Café was perfect as it served us excellent Malaysian food […]
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Thanks, Willy! 🙂