Before visiting Kuala Lumpur, I heard mixed opinions about this city. People were either describing it as “boring” and “not very visitor friendly”, or as “one of the best destinations in South-East Asia” and “the food capital of the area”. The more positive reviews and amazing food recommendations won me over and so we decided to spend there the first couple of days of our trip around South East Asia. 48 hours in Kuala Lumpur
Here is our itinerary and some travel advice about where to go, what to see and what to eat in Malaysia’s gleaming capital.
However, I have to admit at the very beginning, our trip to KL was different than others because we were visiting friends who were taking us around by car. But if you love food just like I do, I believe I can give some good recommendations where to eat! Overall, I loved our stay in KL and next time I’m coming for longer than just a weekend.
Day 1 – Exploring the City
Morning - Relax in an Infinity Pool
KL has a great variety of accommodations for fair prices that offer amazing views over the city’s skyline and many of them have infinity rooftop pools. We found ours on Airbnb for only 35 AUD (cca 21,60 EUR) per night and we had the whole apartment just for ourselves.
We arrived to KL late at night so on our first morning we slept in late and then enjoyed the beautiful views from the pool. I’ve never experienced anything like this before and so admiring the city’s skyline while having a dip on the 59th floor of our apartment building belongs to some of my favourite memories of our trip!
Traditional Malay Lunch
After some fun time on the sun, we met with our friend Chanelle and we had lunch together – famous typical Malay dish Nasi Lemak from Village Park restaurant on the outskirts of KL. Village Park restaurant is famous for their best nasi lemak and it was of course very busy during lunch time so we decided to get take-away and ate it in Chanelle’s house. Nasi lemak is a rice dish cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaf and in Malay language it literally means “oily or fatty rice”. Traditionally it is served with spicy sauce and various garnishes. We had ayam goreng (fried chicken) and rendang daging (beef stew cooked in coconut milk with lots of spices). I am not a big fan of spicy food but this was so delicious that I didn’t mind it at all!
Afternoon - Thean Hou Temple and KL Eco Forest Park
After the delicious lunch we decided to do a little bit of sightseeing. First, we visited Thean Hou Temple, which is one of the oldest and biggest temples in SE Asia. This six-tiered Buddhist temple is dedicated to the Chinese Goddess Tian Hou, who is meant to protect fishermen, and with its extravagant architectural style, red pillars and ornate murals, it is definitely a must-see attraction in Kuala Lumpur.
Kuala Lumpur can be quite bamboozling, busy and loud so if you are searching for some quiet time in nature, KL Eco Forest Park is the true oasis (and it was also our second stop in the afternoon). Right in the middle of the city you can find this beautiful small forest with tall trees and hanging bridges, where birds are singing (and mosquitos biting!) and you can barely hear loud traffic from the streets. For me one big yes!
The main entrance is right from the car park under the famous KL Menara Tower, so it’s good to combine these two attractions together not to pay extra for parking. However, when we wanted to go up to the tower’s observation deck that day, it was closed due to danger of upcoming storm and lightning.
Dinner at Hutong Food Court in LOT 10
For dinner our friends took us to Hutong food court in the shopping centre Lot 10 in the city. Don’t be mistaken though, it is not your typical food court. You can find here many different street-food stalls selling typical Malay and Asian dishes for good prices. It’s truly a great alternative when it’s pouring cats and dogs outside (just like that night).
The Tokyo Restaurant for Dessert
After the dinner we stayed in the Lot 10 for a bit and went for a dessert in The Tokyo Restaurant within the mall. Tokyo restaurant is famous for their signature cheesecake and that’s what we were after… I have no words to describe the perfect texture and creaminess of this cake! Honestly, it was the best I’ve ever had and ever will have. The restaurant is quite fancy, but it’s okay just to sit in the bar and have a drink and a dessert. Even if you are travelling on budget, I recommend visiting this place, you will not regret it!
Drinks in Sky Bar
After the most delicious cheesecake in my life, we went to Sky Bar next to the KLCC Park with the views over Petronas Towers. It was still raining but it didn’t ruin our spirits with cocktails and a pool in the middle of the bar!
We got to bed after midnight and fell asleep immediately… Not a bad first day of our trip!
Day 2 – Batu Caves and Sky Deck
Morning - Batu Caves
There is no trip to Kuala Lumpur without visiting Batu Caves. Guarded by the famous monumental golden statue of Hindu god Lord Murugan, Batu Caves are formed by series of caves carved into a limestone hill only about 13 km from downtown Kuala Lumpur. The site of Hindu shrine attracts thousands of visitors every day from all around the world.
The entrance is free, but you have to climb up 272 stairs to get to the place of worship and because the place is still in process of building, they can ask you to bring up a brick or two. While going up, curious monkeys will make you a company, but don’t worry, these are not as “rude” as the ones I met in Ubud (they certainly won’t jump on you trying to steal things from your backpack).
Our plan was to wake up super early to get there before the crowds arrive, but we didn’t manage. Instead, we arrived quite late but the place was still beautiful. Up in the caves, you can even find some serene places without too many tourists around.
Lunch in Pavilion
Pavilion is another shopping mall in KL with great variety of restaurants. Chanelle and her boyfriend took us to Pao Xiang which is a Chinese pork restaurant. You can get there so many different types of pork with various garnishes and sides. I would love to tell you what we had, but I can’t remember. If you are a carnivore, this is definitely a place to go.
Afternoon – KL Menara Tower and Sky Deck
Luckily, there was no danger of storm and lightning that day, so we finally made it to the top of the KL Tower and its observation deck. KL Tower is part of the World’s Federation of Great Towers (together with for example Empire State Building in NYC, Eiffel Tower in Paris, or even UFO Tower in Bratislava) and the 7th tallest free-standing tower in the world. I don’t have to tell you that the views from there were magnificent!
KLCC Park
After visiting Menara KL (Menara means tower in Malay), we had to have a closer look to the other majestic famous building in Kuala Lumpur – The Petronas Towers, a.k.a. The Twin Towers. Unfortunately, you cannot go up, but you can wander around the KLCC Park at their entrance.
Before heading out again in the evening we had a sunset dip in our pool (I had to make the most of it during our stay!).
Evening – Jalar Alor and Bukit Bintang
Our last evening in Kuala Lumpur was solely dedicated to food! If you are craving some authentic street food with great atmosphere, head to Jalar Alor and Bukit Bintang, where you can get anything that you desire, or dishes that are not exactly on your everyday menu (for example we tried frog legs for the first time, and they were very delicious!).
After trying about 6 or 7 different street food dishes in Bukit Bintang, our friends took us to have even more food! Pelita Nasir Kandar is a famous mamak restaurant in KL that serves the best roti dishes and that’s what we got. I had no idea that roti can have so many variations. When we were going back to our airbnb, it was about 1 am and I don’t have to tell you how full we were!
The next day was our departure day and I still wish we would have spent more time in Malaysia…. Well, until next time!
Travel Tips
Currency in Malaysia is Malaysian ringgit: 1 RM = 0.35 AUD/ 0.22 EUR/ 0.24 USD.
Malaysia uses UK sockets.
We always get travellers’ sim card at the airport – in Malaysia it cost us 8$ USD and we were able to pay with US $. For that price we got 8 GB of data.
No visas to Malaysia are required under 30 days stay for EU.
Be aware – just as in the most SE Asian countries, there isn’t drinking water on tap in Kuala Lumpur.
Best time to visit – overall, the best time to visit Malaysia is between December and March, when it’s dry season and not too hot. On the other hand, you will get the biggest amount of tourists. We went to KL at the end of May/beginning of June and we got hot humid weather with occasional storms, but they usually passed very quickly.
Getting around – the easiest way is Grab or public transport. Grab is quite cheap and reliable. Unfortunately, I don’t have experience with public transport in KL, but you can check some additional info on the link here.
Admissions – most of the places we visited during our stay were free of charge. The only place we had to pay entrance fee was KL Tower, which was 49 RM for an adult to the observation deck. If you want to visit also the Sky Box, the ticket is 99 RM. More info about tickets here.
So this how we spent full 48 hours in Kuala Lumpur, and I can tell you, I would want to stay longer! We had a great time and I surely recommend for you to visit as well, either as a start or a sweet finish of your SE Asia trip!
If you have any questions, please let me know in comments below!
