BEST Things to Do on Your First Visit to Kuala Lumpur

4/17/2023

**Updated : June 2023**
Use the map to see a visual of all our recommendations - click the arrow next to our photo to have a pop up list! This post may also contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you purchase a product via these links, with no extra cost to you!

Kuala Lumpur is the capital of Malaysia, meaning it is the biggest and most populated city - nearly 1.7 million people! In addition to being home to the world's tallest Twin Towers, it is now considered one of the "New 7 Wonders Cities." Not only that, but Malaysia is home to the only elected, rotating monarchy in the entire world - meaning they have a King! Who - you guessed it - lives in Kuala Lumpur! With plenty of unique things to do, if you're planning to stop here for vacation, or on the way to vacation, then there's a few things you might want to know to make your first visit as easy as possible.

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Getting Around in Kuala Lumpur

(and other things you should know)

Where to stay? - To make things easy, especially for a first trip to Malaysia, we recommend staying close to downtown Kuala Lumpur. We stayed at the Santa Grand Signature, which was fairly cheap and within walking distance to the Petronas Towers. They even had a rooftop pool with a view of the KL Tower and included breakfast!
How to get around? - Because our hotel was so close to downtown, we typically walked around or took a ride on the public metro! With a pretty user-friendly system, each ride can cost about $0.25-$2.00, or about RM15 ($3.23 USD) for a one day pass from mrt.com.my. If you're looking for something even easier, we recommend using Grab, which is Asia's equivalent to Uber.
Is it expensive? - Malaysia uses the Malaysian Ringgit, which equals about $0.22 USD. The cost of food was much cheaper than the US, averaging about $5 per meal. Our hotel also cost about $49 a night for a very central location!

Best Things to Do in Kuala Lumpur

Whether you're planning to stay in Kuala Lumpur for a few hours or a few days, you'll find that there is plenty to do! Here are our top 9 recommendations for the best things to do on your first visit to Kuala Lumpur!

Batu Caves - The Batu Caves are an iconic stop when in Kuala Lumpur. Built out of limestone that's thought to be 400 million years old, this free stop is a must for anyone new to Kuala Lumpur. You can read our entire guide to the Batu Caves here!
Chinatown - Although every city has a Chinatown, not every city has a Chinatown like Kuala Lumpur. Located on Petaling Street, this colorful, vibrant, and busy area of town has plenty of local markets for shopping and street food as well!
Pasar Malam Taman Connaught - This list wouldn't be complete without including at least one night market. Pasar Malam Taman Connaught is said to be the best in Kuala Lumpur and has over 700 stalls! Make sure to plan ahead though, it's only open on Wednesdays from 5:00 pm to 1:00 am.

Selangor Fireflies - When we shared that we were going to Kuala Lumpur this was the most recommended activity we got. Apparently Kuala Selangor is known to have some of the best firefly viewing in the entire world, and takes about a 2 hour drive from Kuala Lumpur, however you can read our full review here.
Genting Highlands - An area outside the city with lots of theme parks and casinos, many people take a trip here to "get away" from the chaos of the city. Although we weren't able to make it ourselves, this area has plenty of skywalks, cave temples, and even a cable car to keep you busy.
Thean Hou Temple - A beautiful 6 tier Chinese temple with stunning views of Kuala Lumpur! As one of the oldest and largest Buddhist temples, with no entrance fee, we highly recommend a stop here!

Petronas Towers - Another iconic stop when in Kuala Lumpur is the Petronas Towers, which are also the tallest twin towers in the world! In order to go all the way up to the Skybridge you'll have to purchase a guided tour for just over $20 for foreigners. The bottom of the Petronas Towers are a huge mall and food court, however there's also a chance to catch the Simfoni Lake Water Show twice a day. We recommend the night show at 6:00 pm to really see all the colors!
Shopping - Although we aren't shoppers ourselves, we immediately learned that the people here are. With malls seemingly around every corner, you could easily spend a whole day in one of the many malls! We recommend the Suria KLCC (bottom of the Petronas Towers) or the Pavilion Kuala Lumpur.
Hang Out on a Rooftop Pool - With an incredible skyline, we highly recommend taking it in from one of many rooftop pools scattered throughout the city. We were lucky to find that our hotel, the Santa Grand Signature, had a great rooftop with a view of the KL Tower - and will definitely be the cheapest option. However, most rooftop pools in the area will only be open to hotel guests, therefore we recommend looking into D'Majestic Place, The Mandarin Oriental, and the Face Suites for the best views of the Kuala Lumpur skyline!

Watch our Adventures in Malaysia here!