Key areas
Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) The heart of Kuala Lumpur, this is where the Petronas Towers stand tall. Visitors can orient themselves using these two skyscrapers and they’ll rarely get lost. With its high-street boutiques, department stores, cinemas, restaurants and park, KLCC has something for everyone. Chinatown A must, if only for the great atmosphere. Chinatown is always crowded, always festive. Streets are crammed with stalls selling anything from authentic Chinese dishes and tropical fruits to Chinese traditional medicine and cheap watches. At night it becomes even more hectic as locals descend for an orgy of shopping and eating.
Chow Kit Once the most notorious neighbourhood in the city, today it’s mostly been sanitised by urban renewal and is safe to walk around. But some pockets are still slightly seedy.
Golden Triangle Kuala Lumpur’s commercial, shopping and entertainment district is also known as the Golden Triangle. It’s loosely marked by Jalan Ampang, Jalan Bukit Bintang and Jalan Sultan Ismail roads.
Bukit Bintang This is the city’s most established shopping streets, with huge malls right next to small local boutiques. Also known as Bintang Walk.
Jalan Sultan Ismail Lined with clubs and pubs, this street has a nightspot for every hour of the long Kuala Lumpur night. It’s the place to go—to chill, have a drink or dance the night away. Jalan Ramlee, which runs off it, is catching up fast.
Getting around
Kuala Lumpur’s taxis are convenient and cheap. It is relatively easy to get a taxi by either queuing at a taxi stand or flagging one down in the street. Rates are about 35p for the first 2kms and 2p for each additional 200 metres. Transport laws permit four adult passengers in each regular taxi. Be warned, though, that while they’re a great way to get around the city, most are cramped and can be skanky. Also, some drivers have a habit of refusing to use the meter, especially when it’s raining and busy, and then charging way over the odds.
The efficacy of Kuala Lumpur’s taxi services used to make the other modes of transport moot. Buses are overcrowded and slow due to fixed routes, but the new train and monorail systems are starting to take effect after initial teething problems. They can be useful if your start and finish points are close to a station.
In 2005, 200 new buses were bought to boost the frequency and efficiency of a network that isn’t always good at getting you there on time. Buses cover the entire city, but can get caught up in traffic snarls. Also, watch out for convoluted routes that turn a seemingly short journey into a long trip.
Shopping
The city’s most established shopping street is Bukit Bintang, which features huge shopping malls like Lot 10 as well as small local boutiques, such as Clothier Creation (Starhill Shopping Centre) and SEED (KL Plaza). Along the same street is Sungei Wang Plaza, boasting both large department stores and hole-in-the-wall shops selling anything from cheap videos to luggage—a little like an air-conditioned Chinatown.
Suria KLCC is a massive mall containing many high-end labels, such as Chanel, Gucci, Hermes and Prada.
Berjaya Times Square is Kuala Lumpur’s newest and largest mall, with 1,000 retail outlets. It holds a range of products for big spenders as well as shoppers on a tight budget. The main tenant is Debenhams, a favourite with Brits. And if you suffer from shopping fatigue, rejuvenate by taking a ride in its indoor roller coaster (see Entertainment section). Central Market on Jalan Hang Kasturi is a cultural centre cum shopping mall and a great place for souvenirs.
Gifts to buy
Kuala Lumpur’s own local handicraft, Royal Selangor Pewterware, will make a good gift. Pewter is an alloy of tin mixed with copper and its silvery finish doesn’t tarnish. Royal Selangor Pewter stores (Tel: 2382 0240, website: www. royalselangor.com) can be found in major malls like KLCC (Jalan Ampang) and Lot 10 (Jalan Bukit Bintang). Kompleks Budaya Kraf on Jalan Conlay and the Central Market sell Malaysian handicrafts. Traditional wau and gasing (kites and tops) make for good portable gifts. In the Chinatown markets you can sometimes unearth a few interesting souvenirs, as well as DVDs, clothes and watches of dubious origin.
Things to do
You can shop, and then shop some more, but there’s more to Kuala Lumpur. Malaysian art and culture is well represented in the city’s museums. History buffs should take a taxi to Kuala Lumpur’s version of New York’s Museum Mile around Jalan Damansara.
The National Museum (Tel: 2282 6255) is a palatial structure in the old Malay architectural style and a great place to soak up the country’s history, arts and culture. Of special interest is the section on nonyas and babas, the unique fusion of Chinese and Malay races. Also worth a visit is the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia on Jalan Lembah Perdana. This is a privately-owned repository of art objects from the Islamic world. Admission to most museums is free. Feel you need a retreat from the urban jungle? Try taking a morning stroll among the t’ai chi practitioners in the 257-acre Lake Gardens, or go boating on serene Lake Perdana. Situated between Jalan Persiaran Mahameru and Jalan Kebun Bunga, Kuala Lumpur’s premier botanical garden contains example of most of Malaysia’s flora and fauna. It’s open to the public from 10am to 6pm.
Excursions
For ideas, visit the Tourism Malaysia information centres in the basement of Dataran Merdeka (Tel: 2693 6664/5188) and the airport’s arrival hall (Tel: 8787 4212, website: www.tourismmalaysia.gov. my, email: tourism@tourism.gov.my).
For a reliable tour agency offering Kuala Lumpur city tours as well as packages outside of the city, try Asian Overland Services Tours and Travel, 39C, 40C, Jalan Marmanda, 9 Ampang Point (Tel: 4252 9100, website: www.asianoverland.com). If you have just one day free, take a trip to the Batu Caves, 12kms outside the city. With their steep surfaces, sharp ridges and many hidden cavities, the Batu Caves are an ideal place for sports such as rock climbing. Or go for the slightly less arduous climb up the 272 steps to the Temple Cave, which contains an ornate Hindu shrine and major pilgrimage site. For a different day trip, take a train to Kelana Jaya station and, from there, hire a taxi for a day ([00a3]5) and visit Klang Valley, the wealthiest, most industrialised region in Malaysia.
If you’d prefer to get some sea air, jump on the KTM Komuter train to Port Klang, located 45kms from Kuala Lumpur. From the public jetty at Klang, take a 45-minute boat ride to Pulau Ketam island and its a picturesque fishing village. Indulge in some succulent seafood, caught locally that day, in the Chinese-style restaurants that dot the island and attract the city’s seafood lovers.
Tourist traps
Chinatown at its best can be vibrant and fun. At its worst it can be a hectic and irritating morass of dodgy dealers haranguing passers-by to buy fake watches and ‘designer’ clothes. Watch your wallet around here. Although Kuala Lumpur is generally a safe city, this tourist trap attracts the city’s shadier elements. Be very careful, too, about buying anything of ‘value’ here unless you’re sure of exactly what you’re getting.
Convention centres
Many five-star (and even four-star) hotels have sophisticated, professional and modern conference and incentive facilities. Local hoteliers and the incumbent multinationals have both realised the growing market for this business and serious attempts are being made to expand the sector as a core business rather than just an add-on product for slow seasons.
Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Tel: 2382 8000, website: www.klcc.com. my/KLCCWeb. The big news for 2005 is this new, purpose-built centre, which opened its doors in June. Set on a 100-acre site of the KLCC, it claims to be ‘Asia’s only purpose-built city centre convention centre’, with a plenary hall that seats 3,000 and a banquet hall that can accommodate 740 theatre-style. The Mandarin Oriental is nearby and is considered by many to be the top business hotel.