Planning a short getaway in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia? This capital city of Malaysia is quite well known for being a home to plenty of unique place of interest. There are alot of things to see and do in Kuala Lumpur. First time international travelers might find it abit overwhelming; but moving around in Kuala Lumpur is pretty easy, so don’t panic. Most of the famous tourists attractions in Kuala Lumpur is located near to each other and reachable easily on foot or public transport. A designated guided tour on busses is also available for your convenience.

Accommodation is also not a problem in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. There are a wide range of hostels/hotels for you to choose from, depending on your budget. If you are traveling with family or planning for a long term stay, places like bangsar apartments are definitely a good deal. They offer accommodations that gives you the homey feel, complete with all the amnesties that you might need.

New hotels in Kuala Lumpur like Sunway Putra usually offers great promotion via sites like Traveloka Malaysia, so keep your eyes peeled for them whenever you book a hotel for your stay.

Here’s a brief guide on places you can visit during your stay in Kuala Lumpur:

First of all, before you begin exploring Kuala Lumpur, stop by any Tourism Information Centre and get some brochures or informations that you need. (There are few prominent ones; in KLIA 1, KLIA 2, KL Sentral, Dataran Merdeka and MaTIC Jalan Ampang) These brochures usually contains maps and tips on getting around in Kuala Lumpur. Tourism Information Centre usually offers free souvenirs too; free beautiful postcards, button badges etc. The Tourism Information Centre is a must visit if you are a first time international travelers.

There are plenty of places of interest in Kuala Lumpur but here’s some ‘must visit’ destinations recommended for a 3 days visit in Kuala Lumpur:

1. Petronas Twin Tower

Petronas Twin Tower is the iconic skyscraper located in the capital city of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur. The 88-floor towers are constructed largely of reinforced concrete, with a steel and glass facade designed to resemble motifs found in Islamic art, a reflection of Malaysia’s official religion.

2. Aquaria KLCC

The Aquaria KLCC is a world-class aquarium that showcases marine life and animals from Malaysia and around the world. The oceanarium showcase over 5,000 different exhibits of aquatic and land-bound creatures over a sprawling 60,000 square foot space right in the heart of Kuala Lumpur’s city centre.

3: MUD Performance, Panggung Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur

A cultural performance in Kuala Lumpur City Hall that tells the story on how Kuala Lumpur comes about.  ‘MUD: Our Story of Kuala Lumpur’ tells a tale of three young men who made the journey from their village to a small tin mining town to seek their fortune. This heartwarming story is set against historical events of early Kuala Lumpur.

4. Pasar Seni

Pasar Seni or Central Market is a cultural heritage site with restored art deco facade offering shopping, eateries & an outdoor stage.

5. National Mosque

National Mosque is a place of worship for Muslims. But apart from being a place of worship, it is also a commmunity centre where plenty of religion related activities and events is held. Apart from the 5 times daily prayers, common events that’s held daily over here are Quranic classes and solemnization of marriage. National mosque is open to public’s visit at certain hours during non prayer time.

6. Islamic Art Museum

The museum is the largest museum of Islamic arts in South East Asia with more than seven thousand artefacts from the Islamic world.

7. KL Bird Park

KL Bird Park is just 15 minutes walk away from the Islamic Arts Museum.
It is the home to more than 3,000 birds of approximately 200 species of local and foreign birds.

8. Kuala Lumpur City Gallery

Located in Dataran Merdeka, it is about 20 minutes walk away from KL Bird Park. Kuala Lumpur City Gallery is an interesting tourist information centre with a collection of paintings and photos of KL’s history, plus miniature mock ups of famous city landmarks.

9. KL Tower

Along with the Petronas Twin Towers, Menara KL Tower is easily Malaysia’s most recognizable and popular landmark. The tower stands at 421 metres with a viewing deck at 276 metres, at least 100 metres higher than the Petronas Twin Towers’ Skybridge; the view is splendid during the day and even better at night. There’s also an eco park and a small petting zoo at KL Tower. If you are not in a rush, you might want to visit these places too.

10. National Museum

The National Museum is a museum located on Jalan Damansara in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The museum is situated in close proximity to the Perdana Lake Gardens and it provides an overview of Malaysian history and culture.

Traveling via public transport and on foot is highly recommended in Kuala Lumpur if you are traveling alone, but if you are traveling in groups or family, taking taxi is much more cost efficient. Before you moan about how hard it is to grab a ride in Kuala Lumpur, please be assured that taxi services apps like Uber is usable in most places in  Malaysia, so just tap away on your smartphones and your rides will be at your disposal.

Malaysians generally speaks English well and are very friendly and helpful towards tourists, so if you need help or have any questions to while traveling, just ask away politely.

Hopefully the brief guide above will be somewhat helpful for those visiting Kuala Lumpur. Before I pen down, I bid you ‘Selamat datang’ and do enjoy your stay in Malaysia.