Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur, also known as KL is the capital of Malaysia. The words Kuala Lumpur literally mean 'Muddy Confluence'. The metropolis got this nickname because it was founded near the place where the rivers Klang and Gombak intersect (which you can still see just behind Merdeka Square). Over the years Kuala Lumpur grew into an important Asian city. Within Malaysia Kuala Lumpur is seen as the center of the country; 'it happens all' in KL. People from all areas within Malaysia come to KL to find jobs or do business. Tourist love the city as it has numerous great sights and attractions. Besides that there are simply too many choices when it comes to dining options. You can go shopping in one of the many modern shopping malls within the city center. Kuala Lumpur is the perfect destination for a short visit or stopover, but many tourists are drawn back to the great city during their travels through Malaysia.

Current modern Kuala Lumpur

Nowadays, the city truly is a metropolis with a big central business district with many tall skyscrapers, many international renowned hotels and numerous luxurious shopping malls. It lies approximately 40 kilometers from the coast, within the federal state of Selangor (but politically not part of Selangor). Kuala Lumpur's harbor Port Klang, is the largest in whole Malaysia. It is situated at the mouth of the river Klang. The city is over 243 square kilometers in size and about 1.8 million people live in its centre. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of over 8 million.
Citizens of Kuala Lumpur are earning more and more. The overall lifestyle is improving by the day as personal wealth is growing in a rapid pace. The current city's growth is enormous. There are many new projects that in time will attract more business and more people from outside KL and also from outside Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur has a big expat community; thousands of highly skilled foreigners work and live in the city. Expat numbers are growing which cannot be said of many of the neighboring countries. Expats that come to KL especially love the perfect balance between Asian and western influences. KLIA (International Airport) attracts many millions of visitors yearly; a big portion of them are tourists that either come and travel through Malaysia, or they have a short stopover in Kuala Lumpur on their way to Australia, New Zealand (or Europe and the U.S.)

Shopping heaven

Kuala Lumpur is known as a Shopping Heaven. Especially in the central district of KL (also known as KLCC - Kuala Lumpur City Center), you can find a variety of shopping malls. The following malls are our favorites, and certainly worth a visit: Pavilion KL, Midvalley Mega Mall & The Gardens, Berjaya Times Square, Suria KLCC and 1 Utama. Most malls are located at the Bintang Walk, along Jalan Bukit Bintang. Shopping in KL seems like an activity no one will ever get fed up with. Most malls are opened daily between 10 am and 10 pm. Yes, 7 days a week to 10 o'clock in the evening; this literally means you will be able to shop until you drop into your hotel bed. The only downside is that after a few visits every mall will start to look like the one before. Many of the shops in one mall can also be found in others. Fortunately, after a while you will know exactly where to shop. There are several sales yearly; these usually take place in the months of August, May and December. Read about all the popular shopping malls in Kuala Lumpur in our Shopping in KL section.

Popular tourist attractions in and around Kuala Lumpur

There are many popular attractions in and around Kuala Lumpur. Most attractions and venues are located within the Golden Triangle, the central district of Kuala Lumpur. KL is a diverse city: in addition to modern skyscrapers, there are also old buildings from past times. The contrast is reflected in many ways. For instance, you can shop at the enormous modern shopping malls, or you can visit the poorly constructed stalls along the roads, and the biggest and most expensive cars share the road with broken mopeds and the occasional rickshaw. Compared to Bangkok or Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur is a much cleaner city, more similar to Singapore in that way (though traffic congestion is just as bad as the former two mentioned cities).
Major tourist highlights in Kuala Lumpur include the Petronas Towers (suspension bridge and observation deck), Chinatown (Petaling Street), Merdeka Square, House of Parliament, Istana Budaya, Istana Negara, KL Tower, Tugu Negara (National Monument) and numerous mosques such as the Masjid Jamek, the Masjid Negara and the Federal Territory Mosque. Other tourist attractions are Aquaria KLCC, Batu Caves, National Zoo. There's also a lot to do during the night. Trendy nightclubs, bars and lounges, such as the Beach Club, Werners, the Luna Bar, Zouk and many others are all located within the city center. Check out our 'Attractions in Kuala Lumpur' section.