My personal favorite of Asia’s large cities, Kuala Lumpur has almost everything. The modern architecture is world-class and the historic temples and monuments are also excellent and accessible. The combination of Malay, Chinese, and Indian cultures (and cuisines!) makes for a wonderful mix that makes it feel like several cities at once.
Kuala Lumpur doesn’t get nearly the attention that its nearby neighbor of Singapore does, but in many ways they are quite similar and KL is noticeably cheaper as well. It’s a very modern city that nicely blends genuine Asian experiences and culture with a slick facade that makes visiting quite easy.
Partly since this isn’t a hugely popular tourist destination for Westerners, most of the attractions are priced more for an Asian budget, so things should seem cheap to most people.
| Population | 1,800,000 |
| Area | 7,200,000 |
| Timezone | UTC+8 |
| Currency | Malaysian ringgit |
| Airports | Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL) |
Hotels in Kuala Lumpur can be great bargains, especially near the top end of the range. You can sometimes find rooms in legitimate 5-star hotels for what you’d pay for a 1-star hotel in London. Lower-end hotels and even hostels offer quite good value in Kuala Lumpur as well. Standards are generally high in all but the absolute cheapest hotels.
Kuala Lumpur has quite a bit of business travel traffic, and that helps even prices out through most of the year. The busiest periods are around the Christmas holiday season and the July and August holiday season. Since the climate is nearly the same all year this is a city where you can come whenever you want. Kuala Lumpur hotels and hostels are generally good value all year round.
| Rating | Price(USD) |
|---|---|
 | 5.83 - 11.21 |
| 6.73 - 28.70 |
| 8.30 - 33.63 |
| 37.00 - 57.40 |
| 59.42 - 164.13 |
| Type | Price(USD) |
|---|---|
| Hostel Bed | 2.69 - 13.45 |
Going up the Petronas Twin Towers to experience the walkway that connects the two is pretty unforgettable, as is a trip up the nearby KL Tower for an even better view.
Kuala Lumpur is a wonderful shopping destination with a nice mix of luxury malls and independent neighborhood stores stocking odd items that you won’t find elsewhere.
The food in KL is not as famous as the food in Singapore, but most of the same things can be found and they are usually cheaper and often as good. The curry laksa soup is almost worth the trip by itself.
The free (tips-based) walking tours of Kuala Lumpur are a great way to orient yourself early in your trip and learn a lot about the city.
The hop-on, hop-off bus tours of KL are highly recommended as well since the city is fairly spread out and most of the interesting sights are not in the city center.
| Location | Description | Type | Price(USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petronas Towers Skybridge & Observation Deck | A tour includes both the 41st floor Skybridge and the 86th floor observation deck. First come first served. | adults | 19.06 |
| KL Tower observation deck | This tower has several interesting attractions near the top, in addition to the observation deck. Some cost extra. | adults children | 10.99 6.50 |
| KL Hop-on Hop-off | All-day double-decker bus tours hit all the main sights in the city, and are good value for those with only a short stay. | adults children | 10.09 5.38 |
Food can be another great bargain in this city, with a wide variety of cuisines available in all price ranges. If you head to the outdoor food stalls like the locals you can get some excellent fare at very reasonable prices. Drinks can be relatively expensive in bars, though in markets prices are rather affordable.
| Food Type | Description | Price(USD) |
|---|---|---|
| breakfast | If your room doesn't include breakfast then great options are easy to find at local cafes and food stalls. | 2.02 - 3.59 |
| Budget lunch | Tourist restaurants with lots of Western options will be more expensive, but plenty to choose from in this range. | 2.69 - 4.48 |
| Budget dinner | Even sit-down meals at cafes and small restaurants can be great bargains if you eat with locals. | 4.93 - 7.85 |
| Beer .5 liter glass | Beer prices vary greatly in Kuala Lumpur depending on where you are drinking. Look for happy hour deals to keep prices reasonable. | 3.36 - 5.61 |
| Type | Price(USD) |
|---|---|
| Taxi from airport to city center | 18.83 - 26.91 |
| Express train from airport to city center | 12.33 |
| Express bus to city center | 2.69 |
| 3km taxi ride in Kuala Lumpur | 1.57 - 2.24 |
| Light-rail ride in Kuala Lumpur | 0.22 - 0.45 |
| Monorail ride in Kuala Lumpur | 0.22 - 1.12 |
Nearly all visitors will land at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, and it’s known for reasonable fares from within Asia and from Europe and North America as well. A handy train connects the airport with the KL Sentral train station in the city center.
Kuala Lumpur also has good rail service with connections from Thailand and down into Singapore.
Bus service in Malaysia is also excellent with low fares, frequent departures, and great value. The VIP buses have only 3 seats across and are much more luxurious than normal buses at a reasonable price.
The city center area of Kuala Lumpur is very pedestrian friendly and many of the top malls are connected with air-conditioned walkways that connect many large buildings together so you can go long distances without being outside in the rain or high temperatures.
Taxis are easy to find, although getting the drivers to use the meter is a challenge, especially if you are a tourist.
Kuala Lumpur also has a tram system and various trains that connect neighborhoods with the close suburbs and beyond.
| Month | High F | Low F | Precip (inches) |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 90 | 73 | 6.7 |
| February | 91 | 73 | 6.5 |
| March | 92 | 74 | 9.5 |
| April | 92 | 75 | 10.2 |
| May | 91 | 75 | 8.0 |
| June | 91 | 75 | 4.9 |
| July | 90 | 74 | 5.0 |
| August | 90 | 74 | 6.1 |
| September | 90 | 74 | 7.6 |
| October | 90 | 74 | 10.0 |
| November | 89 | 74 | 11.3 |
| December | 89 | 73 | 9.7 |
Weather in Kuala Lumpur has less seasonal variation than nearly any other city on earth. Every day is hot and somewhat humid, and every night is warm and somewhat humid. Rain falls consistently through most of the year, with the June through August period being slightly dryer. The city does have flooding problems occasionally during the worst months, but even that rarely lasts long.
| 21 Mar | 7:17am | 7:24pm |
| 21 Jun | 7:06am | 7:24pm |
| 21 Sep | 7:03am | 7:10pm |
| 21 Dec | 7:13am | 7:09pm |