How to spend 3 days in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Ahhhhh Asia, it feels so good to be back. After 30 hours of travel it felt so good to land and head straight to the W Hotel, Kuala Lumpur. This upbeat and funky hotel, is in a great location and has the most incredible pool views of the Petronas Towers. I HIGHLY recommend staying here! The rooms are spacious and have all the amenities you could ever dream of!
DAY 1
Arriving at 8am it will take an hour to deplane and grab your bags. My top tip for this trip is to download the taxi app Grab it’s basically an Asian version of Uber and will save you a lot of time! If you are more on a budget there are buses and trains into the city!
1. Check into the hotel (or at least drop your bags off) we were luckily enough that our room was available to check in. We headed up and took a show before heading off to explore.
2. Walk around Chinatown-Take it easy on your first day in KL and check out Chinatown! From trinkets to imitation Nikes and Chanel Bags you’ll find everything you could ever want at Petaling Street Market as well as the nearby Central Market.
3. Grab a delicious Chinese lunch-With so many options it’ll be hard to chose what to eat! We opted for a more traditional noodle dish from Kim Lian Kee. This restaurant is around 100 years old and has an extremely extensive menu. **My tip would be to ask your server what their favorite dish is and order that (they won’t steer you wrong!)
4. Check out your first Hindu Temple: Sri Mahamariamman. This is one of the oldest Hindu temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Founded in 1873, it is situated at edge of Chinatown in Jalan Bandar. In 1968, a new structure was built, featuring the ornate 'Raja Gopuram' tower in the style of South Indian temples.
5. Go up into the Petronas Towers!-Surprisingly this was one of my favorite parts of KL! Being able to see the whole city was awesome. Tickets are a bit more expensive at $20 USD a person but I think it’s definitely worth it. The tour takes about an hour and a half and you get views from three different vantage points. Be sure to buy your tickets in advance here : Petronas Towers
6. Grab Rooftop Drinks-Plenty of options when it comes to rooftop bars in KL, one of the most popular is the Heli Lounge. The Helipad Lounge is an active helicopter landing platform which changes into a bar after 6 PM. Get a drink and have a nice sunset on from the 36th floor.
DAY 2
7. Head to the Batu Caves-If I had one tip for this trip it would be to head to the Batu Caves before 8am. We got there around 8am and people were already starting to pour in. If you want that infamous rainbow stair photo without any people it’s best to arrive early! Also there is a bit of a dress code so cover your shoulders and knees! There will be gate attendants checking to see how you are dressed, but fear not they have wraps you can rent for a $1
8. Brunch at VCR-This may sound bad but VCR was one of my favorite restaurants in KL. VCR is a cool minimalistic look lunch cafe and considered as one of the best coffee cafes in Kuala Lumpur. They offer a tasty breakfast and lunch and the most unreal raspberry cheesecake we’ve ever had! I definitely recommend ordering the Turkish eggs (a week later and we are still talking about how good this place was!)
9. Check out Little India or Brickfields.If you love Indian food, this is the place to go to. In the evening, the streets will be filled with small restaurants selling tasty dishes.
10. Visit the Thean Hou Temple-With its six levels, Thean Hou is one of southeast Asia’s largest Chinese temples. Build on a small hilltop just outside the main center you can overlook the entire city from the temple top. Come early to have the place to yourself or come at night and see the place light up.
11. Perdana Botanical Garden-The Perdana Botanical Garden of Kuala Lumpur offers a refreshing walk through the park away from the buzzing city. Walking around the entire park takes about an hour featuring many flora and fauna, art, deer, and birds.
12.Have drinks at the Attic Bar-One of the most randomly located bars this bar specializes in delicious cocktails and rice wine beverages. Hard to find, just go up 3 flights of stairs, of one of Chinatown’s hippest hostels.
DAY 3
13. Cooking Class with Lazat-Start your day a bit earlier today for a Market Tour as well as a cooking class. This cooking class was definitely one of the highlights of our trip and I cannot recommend Ann and her team enough! Ann makes the lessons fun and informative at the same time and the recipes allow you to try traditional Malay food.
14.Visit the Sultan Abdul Samad building and Merdeka Square-Merdeka Square is a small green square that owns a 95-meter high flagpole with the Malaysian flag. That is where independence for Malaysia started. Nowadays, the stretch of green is occupied by locals relaxing in the afternoon.
15.Continue to be Cultured at the Wilayah Mosque-In 2000, the Wilayah Mosque opened its doors. The architecture of the Wilayah Mosque, also known as the Federal Territory Mosque, is inspired by the Blue Mosque of Istanbul Turkey.
16, Enjoy a beer or two at the Jalan Alor Night Market-The best street found in Kuala Lumpur can be found at Jalan Alor Night Market. Right after the sun has set loads of food stalls open their doors. Taste the real Malaysian cuisines for cheap prices.
MORE TIME?
Make some new friends at the Kuala Lumpur Bird Park-home to over 3000 birds and the focus is on promoting local species to visitors, although there are also some imported birds housed in the park. Visitors can enjoy learning about the local flora and fauna and bird watch in one of the largest public aviaries in the world.
Or Visit the Kuala Lumpur Butterfly Park
Enjoy the culture at the National Museum
Go up in the KL Sky Tower-For Views of the Petronas Towers (it’s cheaper too)
Shop until you drop at the Suria KLCC
Take a day trip to Ipoh-A foodies heaven. Be sure to get some white coffee while you are there
