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Kuala Lumpur cityscape
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡พ Malaysia ยท Asia

Kuala Lumpur Walking Tour

15 places
Petaling Street
Sri Mahamariamman Temple
Guan Di Temple
Central Market
Medan Pasar
Kuala Lumpur, officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur and colloquially referred to as KL, is a federal territory and the capital city of Malaysia. It is one of the fastest growing cities in Asia and the largest city in Malaysia, covering an area of 243 km2 (94 sq mi) with an census population of 1,982,112 as of 2020. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.564 million people as of 2018. It is among the fastest growing metropolitan regions in Southeast Asia, both in population and economic development. The city serves as the cultural, financial, and economic centre of Malaysia. It is also home to the Parliament of Malaysia, and the Istana Negara, the official residence of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (monarch of Malaysia). Kuala Lumpur first developed around 1857 as a town serving the tin mines of the region and served as the capital of Selangor from 1880 until 1978. Kuala Lumpur was the founding capital of the Federation of Malaya and its successor Malaysia, and the city remained the seat of the executive and judicial branches of the Malaysian federal government until these were relocated to Putrajaya in early 1999. However, some sections of the political bodies still remain in Kuala Lumpur. Kuala Lumpur is one of the three federal territories of Malaysia, enclaved within the state of Selangor, on the central west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Since the 1990s, the city has played host to many international sporting, political and cultural events including the 1998 Commonwealth Games and the 2017 Southeast Asian Games. Kuala Lumpur has undergone rapid development in recent decades and is home to the tallest twin buildings in the world, the Petronas Towers, which have since become an iconic symbol of Malaysian development. The city, as well as Petaling Jaya and a few other cities in Malaysia is well connected with the RM31 billion MRT system. Residents of the city can also travel to other parts of Malaysia through KL Sentral. Kuala Lumpur is one of the leading cities in the world for tourism and shopping, the 6th most-visited city in the world in 2019. The city houses three of the world's ten largest shopping malls. Kuala Lumpur ranks 70th in the world and second in Southeast Asia for Economist Intelligence Unit's Global Liveability Ranking and ninth in ASPAC and second in Southeast Asia for KPMG's Leading Technology Innovation Hub 2021. Kuala Lumpur was named World Book Capital 2020 by UNESCO. When people think of Kuala Lumpur the first thing that comes to mind is probably the Petronas Towers, which is in the Golden Triangle. Whilst they most certainly are an architectural delight (particularly at night), there is much more to be discovered in Kuala Lumpur. Competing with the Petronas Towers is KL Tower (Menara KL), which looks oddly similar to other famous skyscrapers. The real joy of Kuala Lumpur lies in wandering randomly, seeing, shopping and eating your way through it. Being part of a former British colony, many colonial buildings are scattered throughout, with many lending themes from British and North African architecture. The grandest colonial buildings lie in the city centre including the old Kuala Lumpur Railway Station, the charming Masjid Jamek at the confluence on the Klang River and the former offices of the Colonial Secretariat (now the Sultan Abdul Samad Building) on Merdeka Square. To top it off on Merdeka Square's west side, you will find the Royal Selangor Club, looking like a rejected transplant straight from Stratford-upon-Avon. The National Mosque, Masjid Negara, (1965) celebrates the bold ambitions of the newly independent Malaysia. The National Monument in the pretty Lake Gardens is inspired by the Iwo Jima Memorial in Arlington, Virginia. Also in the lake gardens is Carcosa Seri Negara, the former residence of the British High Commissioner, which now houses an upmarket hotel and colonial-style tea rooms. Within the city centre is also the fascinating narrow streets of Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur's traditional commercial district, with its many Chinese shops and places to eat.

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Petronas Towers By Someformofhuman, CC BY-SA 4.0
โ˜… 4.8 ยท 31k reviews

The Petronas Towers, also known as the Petronas Twin Towers and the KLCC Twin Towers, (Malay: Menara Berkembar Petronas) are 88-storey supertall skyscrapers in Kuala Lumpur. At 451.9 metres (1,483 feet), they are the world's tallest twin skyscrapers. Between 1998 and 2004, they were the tallest buildings in the world. The Petronas Towers remained as the tallest buildings in Malaysia until 2021, when they were surpassed by the Merdeka 118. The Petronas Towers are a major landmark of Kuala Lumpur, along with the nearby Kuala Lumpur Tower and Merdeka 118, and are visible in many places across the city. The Petronas Towers were almost the same height as the World Trade Center (1973-2001). The towers feature a double decker skybridge connecting the two towers on the 41st and 42nd floors, which is the highest 2-story bridge in the world.

Batu Caves By Chainwit, CC BY-SA 4.0
(15 km by car)
โ˜… 4.6 ยท 14k reviews

Batu Caves is a limestone hill that has a series of caves and cave temples in Gombak, Selangor. It takes its name from the Malay word batu, meaning 'rock'. The hill was originally known as Kapal Tanggang from the legend of Si Tanggang. The town nearby is named after the Batu Caves limestone formation. The cave is one of the most popular Hindu shrines outside India, and is dedicated to Lord Murugan. It is the focal point of the Tamil festival of Thaipusam in Malaysia. Batu Caves in short also referred as 10th Caves or Hill for Lord Murugan as there are six important holy shrines in India and four more in Malaysia. The three others in Malaysia are Kallumalai Temple in Ipoh, Tanneermalai Temple in Penang and Sannasimalai Temple in Malacca.

KL Tower By Jorge Lรกscar, CC BY 2.0
โ˜… 4.5 ยท 9k reviews

Kuala Lumpur Tower, also known as KL Tower is a 15-story, 421-meter-tall telecommunication tower in Kuala Lumpur. It is the world's 7th tallest tower, also, Malaysia and Southeast Asia's tallest tower. Its construction was completed on 1 March 1995. It features an antenna that increases its height to 421 metres (1,381 feet). The roof of the pod is at 335 metres (1,099 feet). The rest of the tower below has a stairwell and an elevator to reach the upper area, which also contains a revolving restaurant, providing diners with a panoramic view of the city. Races are held annually, where participants race up the stairs to the top. The tower also acts as the Islamic falak observatory to observe the crescent moon which marks the beginning of Muslim month of Ramadhan, Syawal, and Zulhijjah, to celebrate fasting month of Ramadhan, Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Aidiladha. The tower is the highest viewpoint in Kuala Lumpur that is open to the public.

Jalan Alor By IQRemix, CC BY-SA 2.0
(Night Food Market)
โ˜… 4.1 ยท 7k reviews

Alor Street, or Jalan Alor in Malay, is an entire street dedicated to cheap hawker food of mainly local Chinese cuisines. Located within walking proximity of Bintang Walk, it is popular among the locals for offering food served in a traditional open-air atmosphere, with chairs and tables dotting the curbs and road-sides. This is a place burgeoning with activity both during night and day. While some hawkers erect stalls along curbs, others operate food stalls from utilitarian restaurants. The food served in local hawker stalls is generally cleaner than their counterparts in Malaysia's less-developed neighbouring countries. For local and foreign Muslim, most of the stalls are non-halal which served pork, frog and beer.

Aquaria KLCC By Phalinn Ooi, CC BY 2.0
โ˜… 4.3 ยท 6k reviews

The Aquaria KLCC is an oceanarium located beneath Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. Featuring 60,000 square feet (5,600 m2) in two levels with a 90-metre (300 ft) underwater tunnel, Aquaria KLCC houses over 250 different species and over 5,000 land and aquatic animals from Malaysia and around the world. Interactive information kiosks on fish and turtle conservation. It includes a themed retail area of about 5,000 square feet (460 m2). Aquaria KLCC is based on the journey of water from the land to the sea. The journey starts in the misty highlands, down through rivers, through the rainforest and mangroves to the coral reefs into the deep blue sea. There is a large food-court just outside the aquarium with many choices of food.

National Mosque of Malaysia By Niro5, CC BY 2.5
โ˜… 4.6 ยท 2k reviews

The National Mosque of Malaysia (Malay: Masjid Negara Malaysia) is a mosque in Kuala Lumpur. It has a capacity for 15,000 people and is situated among 13 acres (53,000 m2) of gardens. Its key features are a 73-metre-high (240 ft) minaret and a 16-pointed star concrete main roof. The umbrella, synonymous with the tropics, is featured conspicuously - the main roof is reminiscent of an open umbrella, the minaret's cap a folded one. The folded plates of the concrete main roof are a creative solution to achieving the larger spans required in the main gathering hall. Reflecting pools and fountains spread throughout the compound. Completed in 1965, the mosque is a bold and modern approach in reinforced concrete, symbolic of the aspirations of a then newly independent nation.

Sultan Abdul Samad Building CC BY-SA 3.0
โ˜… 4.5 ยท 1k reviews

The Sultan Abdul Samad Building (Malay: Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad) is a late-nineteenth century building located along Jalan Raja in front of the Dataran Merdeka (Independence Square) and the Royal Selangor Club. The building originally housed the offices of the British colonial administration, and was known simply as Government Offices in its early years. In 1974 it was renamed after Sultan Abdul Samad, the reigning sultan of Selangor at the time when construction began. The building houses both the offices of the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia and the Ministry of Tourism and Culture of Malaysia. It once housed the superior courts of the country: the Federal Court of Malaysia, the Court of Appeals and the High Court of Malaya. The Federal Court and the Court of Appeals had shifted to the Palace of Justice in Putrajaya during the early 2000s, while the High Court of Malaya shifted to the Kuala Lumpur Courts Complex in 2007. Topped by a shiny copper dome and a 41m high clock tower, it is a major landmark in the city. The clock tower houses a one-ton bell clock that strikes on the hour and half-hour. A 95-metre flagpole, one of the tallest in the world, marks that spot with a flat, round black marble plaque. It is located at the southern end of the Merdeka Square in front of the building. The building serves as the backdrop for important events such as the National Day Parade on 31 August and the ushering in of the New Year. Each of the 13 states plus the Federal Territories are represented in the National Day Parade, as are the many ethnic groups that comprise multiracial Malaysia. Behind the building flows the Klang River and Gombak River's confluence and in the middle of where the two rivers meet stands the Masjid Jamek (or Jamek Mosque), a mosque designed in similar architectural style.

Independence Square By Haakon S. Krohn, CC BY-SA 3.0
Dataran Merdeka
โ˜… 4.4 ยท 2k reviews

Independence Square (Malay: Dataran Merdeka) is a square situated in front of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building. It was formerly known as the Selangor Club Padang or simply the Padang (meaning "field" in Malay) and was used as the cricket green of the Selangor Club (now the Royal Selangor Club). It was here that the Union Flag was lowered and the Malaysian flag hoisted for the first time at midnight on 31 August 1957. Since then, the Independence Square has been the usual venue for the annual Independence Day Parade.

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