Kuala Lumpur Guide: Best Neighborhoods, Things to Do & Where to Stay

By now you’ve probably read our blog post “What you need to know before visiting Malaysia” for all the visa, currency, language things. If not, check it out here. No visit to Malaysia is complete without a stop in the big city of Kuala Lumpur (KL). But you may be asking yourself, isn’t it just like any other big city? In our opinion, it’s so much more. We fell in love with the big city amenities like so many restaurant options and great side walks and public transportation to get around. But the cool thing about KL is how the neighborhoods have different vibes and there is so much to explore around every corner. 

This guide will be done by neighborhoods to give you an idea of all the different areas you can visit. We’ll recommend places to stay at the end after you decide which neighborhood is right for you. 

How long to spend in Kuala Lumpur 

If you want to see just the downtown area and visit the quick highlights, you could do an overview of the city in 2 to 3 days. This would give you a super quick intro to Kuala Lumpur. You would get a taste of a few things and you’d get to walk around and explore a little. But it’s just the highlights. 

However if you have the time, we recommend you spend a week or more to give you a true taste of life here in KL. Remember, KL is a big city (2+million people). There are so many options of things to do and it’s constantly adding new and exciting experiences. 

Bukit Bintang Neighborhood

Think trendy downtown shopping centers, amazing restaurants, and that local charm all rolled into one neighborhood. 

Bukit Bintang is known for its high-end shopping at Pavilion KL. This mall is massive. It’s a great place to cool off in the air conditioning and grab a bite to eat. The food court on the lower level might be the biggest we’ve ever experienced. After eating quite a few meals here, we can confidently say that many restaurants are delicious, especially for a food court. Pro tip: many people queue for hours outside at Mon Beef Roti in Bukit Bintang Street. But they have the same shop in the food court at Pavilion so stand inside without a line! 

Other malls in the neighborhood include Lot 10 which has a Chinese food court in the basement and a Japanese food court on the top floor. Sungei Wang which is known as the thrift store, upcycled or second hand mall. Seriously, it has hundreds of second hand clothing stores. Check out GMBB mall for so many levels of craft goods made by independent artists. 

If you’re looking for local street food you can check out the night market of Jalan Alor. I will let you know that it only becomes popular at night. There are very few restaurants open in the morning or afternoon, it almost looks like a ghost street. But at night, this place is happening and almost too packed with people. We chose not to eat here but rather just walked through because our favorite Vietnamese restaurant is just one block off Jalan Alor. Stop by “Hội An @ KL Restaurant” for the best pho in town. Honestly, it’s better than the Michelin rated restaurant just a few stores down. 

So although Bukit Bintang is a tightly packed area with lots of tourists, we recommend taking an afternoon/evening to walk around and explore. Bonus, there are a lot of sidewalks which makes getting around easy. Downside, traffic can get busy here so avoid driving in the area if you can. 

Also very near by but not technically in Bukit Bintang is The Exchange TRX Mall. We highly recommend you check it out. It is one of the prettiest malls we’ve been to. Start by walking up to the mall from the Raintree Plaza @ TRX. This entry way is stunning with all the greenery and outdoor space. Take the ramp on the right to the very top of the mall to experience a beautiful park on top of the mall. Yes you heard that right, there is a full park with trees, green spaces, walking trails, and stunning views of the city that you can explore for free. We spent many nights up here just enjoying the cooler night temperatures. It’s a must see and grab some food at one of the many delicious restaurants here. 

Kuala Lumpur City Center KLCC Neighborhood

Kuala Lumpur City Center is normally shortened to just KLCC. This is the area to get modern day KL feels. It has the iconic Petronas Towers. Built in 1999, this 88 story twin structure is Kuala Lumpur’s crown jewel. It’s honestly majestic by day and dazzling at night. The towers make for excellent photos as it’s a really stunning backdrop. We did not go up into the towers although you can go up to the observation deck and bridge for a fee. The outside was pretty enough for us. Pro tip: if you want a city view from up high, just go to any hotel rooftop for an enjoyable experience looking at the city! 

The mall underneath the Petronas Towers, Suria KLCC, is worth checking out. The mall has everything you need from refreshing tea and coffee shops, to a great food court (I don’t often recommend food in food courts but here in Malaysia, every food court food we had was actually good!), to a pharmacy, grocery store, and bathrooms. 

But definitely don’t miss out on what’s behind the Suria KLCC. The KLCC Park is a must see! We loved the winding trails through beautifully landscaped nature with a backdrop of massive sky scrapers. It was really cool. At night, the lake has a choreographed water, light, and music performance. Shows run nightly, with Light & Sound at 8:00 PM, 9:00 PM, & 10:00 PM, and Light-only shows at 7:30 PM, 8:30 PM, & 9:30 PM. It does get busy so be prepared to stand but it’s fun. 

If you can bear the heat, we recommend a run around the KLCC gardens. There is a beautiful 1.3 km rubber paved path. We both said it was one of our favorite runs just because you see the beautiful green nature everywhere and the huge new modern sky scrapers all around. It’s such a contrast but so unique. 

Chinatown Neighborhood in Kuala Lumpur

The Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur is massive. It takes up many blocks and is worth exploring. Not only will you find food, drinks, stores, foot massage, but you’ll also find funky murals, restored theaters turned bookstores, and many more delights. 

RexKL is an old theater that they repurposed into a funky boutique shopping and dining experience. There are tea and coffee shops, the lower level has a delicious food court, and upstairs has some vintage and new shops. Head all the way up and back to the book store for a unique look at how they repurposed the theater! It’s definitely instagramable. 

Just south of here you’ll find Kwai Chai Hong. When you can see the bridge in the alley way with the lanterns above and you know you’re in the right spot. They’ve restored this hidden ally to include beautiful murals and art throughout. It’s really funky. You can walk through quickly in a minute or two or take your time and pose with all the art. It can get busy with tourists though because it’s a small space but definitely check it out. 

One thing we found super disappointing was Petaling Street. It’s the biggest street in Chinatown and many people talk about it so we were excited to see it. However, we recommend you find it on the map as a reference point. Take a quick walk through it but then spend most of your time walking through the streets around it. Petaling Street unfortunately felt kind of dirty and gross as they are only selling cheap knock off goods in tight stalls so it feels kind of suffocating. 

Having lived for three years in China, we always crave certain Chinese foods and we were able to find them here in KL. Don’t miss getting some lamb chuan’r, some dumplings, or some noodles at any of the local spots. We noticed that most of the Chinese food here is more expensive than local Malaysian dishes but it was worth the cost for the delicious flavors. 

After exploring Chinatown, head over to the Central Market for some really cute goods and souvenirs. There are a few permanent vendors outside and many inside. Also the second building in the back has all art dealers. So if you’re looking for souvenirs, presents, and traditional goods, this is your place to shop! 

From here, walk just a few blocks west to the Merdeka Square and Bangunan Sultan Abdula Samad. This restored government building is now open to the public and makes for a great photo op. Go inside to see all the details, the gardens in the back, and pro tip: use the free bathrooms here. The building is lit up at night which is really pretty.  

Right behind this area is the River of Life. The Klang River in this area isn’t very pretty so they’ve added colored lights and fog machines to give it a better feeling. It wasn’t really our vibe but right behind the Jamek Mosque is one of our favorite areas. It’s this three block area with some of the cutest cafés. The area doesn’t even have a name but look up the cafe called LOKL Coffee Co on your map. We recommend checking out the Lokl for delicious coffee, breakfast and lunch. They have amazing food and one of the best Kopis we had the whole trip! 

Chow Kit Neighborhood

After reading a bunch about the Chow Kit neighbourhood, we were expecting a super funky interesting neighborhood. I mean it’s talked up so much in reviews. However it wasn’t exactly what we found. The streets are quiet, the Chow Kit Market didn’t have items we were interested in buying, but I can see the appeal for locals looking for weekly groceries or needing new household goods. 

It’s not all bad. There are some good spots here like The Row which is a heritage building that’s been revamped with awesome restaurants and shops. We can definitely recommend the Michelin rated Limapulo for a very reasonably priced, delicious meal!  

To the east, there is a traditional neighborhood of Kampung Baru. There are many local restaurants and you can see the traditional style of housing that is built on stilts. It’s worth a quick walk through. 

So overall, in our opinion, Chow Kit is a pass. The wet market and the clothing market are not worth it. Although there are some good restaurants over here, nothing stood out as extra extraordinary or worth the visit all the way out here.

Additional Things to Check Out in Kuala Lumpur 

There are many other great things to check out in KL as well. The Botanical Gardens are free to walk around and are stunning. With the hot humid and wet climate, plants grow like crazy here. We recommend you come early in the morning to beat the heat because walking around outside in the gardens gets hot quickly but it’s so worth it. Don’t miss the Orchid Garden and the Sunken Garden, two of our favorites. To cool off, head over to The National Museum of Malaysia. It’s very inexpensive and you get to walk through 4 large rooms explaining the history and modern day of Malaysia. While not our favorite museum ever, it was informational and worth a quick stop. 

If you enjoy religious sites, here are two free sites to check out in the area. First the Thean Hou Temple. The stunning colors and red lanterns make for the perfect photo stop. Come near sunset to get incredible photos. Next, venture just outside the city to visit Batu Caves. It’s very easy to get to. You can just take a Grab or the train line. We definitely recommend coming in the morning as it’s cooler. You’ll have to walk 272 colorful steps to get to the top. Once inside the cave you’ll be greeted with a beautiful Hindu temple. Many people warned us of the monkeys in the area. Fortunately for us we did not experience any monkeys. Please be respectful by not showing your knees or shoulders.

If you are tired of traditional malls with the same stores, head east of the city to The Campus Ampang. This former school was renovated to an open air shopping mall with more interesting stores and cafes that we didn’t see in other malls. They’ve kept the school theme which is cute and we really enjoyed it. 

Farther south you’ll find Putra Mosque or the Pink Mosque. Honestly it’s quite impressive. They built the area called Putrajaya to house all the government buildings so it’s beautiful but not a lot is happening out here in terms of restaurants or tourist activities. The only way to get to the Pink Mosque is by car. Would I pay for a taxi all the way out here? Probably not. If you have a tour company or a friend that will take you, maybe it’s worth it. But don’t feel bad if you skip this location. 

Where to Stay in Kuala Lumpur

If it’s your first time here, we’d recommend you stay close to the attractions so walking around and exploring is easy. That would be anywhere in the Bukit Bintang, KLCC or Chinatown Area. We’ve talked about it before, but we loved staying in Serviced Apartments over hotels because they always included a washing machine which was helpful for us as we sweat through all our clothes every day. 

We can definitely recommend a few hotels if that’s more your style. We really enjoyed the Bintang Collectionz Hotel and Capri by Fraser, Bukit Bintang.