MalaysiaThis article has been translated from Russian language using an artificial intelligence-based translation algorithm. We apologize for any inconvenience caused by the quality of the translation. You can read the original of this article in Russian here, and ask questions on the topic of our travel forum in English here.
General information
Petronas Towers Kuala Lumpur
The capital of Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur (Kuala Lumpur), began to grow in 1857 on the site of a small settlement of tin miners. In 1880, it became the capital of one of the Malay principalities - Selangor, and in 1895 - the Federation of Malay states created by the British colonizers. Since 1957 Kuala Lumpur becomes the capital of an independent state – the Federation of Malaya, and later, in 1963-Malaysia. The name of the city is translated from Malay as "dirty mouth", because of the waters of the Kelang and Gombak rivers, which merge within the city and acquire a brown color from the abundance of silt. Locals call the city abbreviated "Kay-El".
The population (with suburbs) is 6.5 million and without suburbs 1.8 million in 2010. In the city there are clearly defined areas of residence of representatives of a particular community (Chinese, Malay, Indian).
Kuala Lumpur is a modern developed city, at the same time preserving the identity of ethnic communities. The modern architecture of the city is known all over the world for the former tallest in the world Petronas Twin Towers, but is far from being exhausted by it. In the city you can get acquainted with a large number of historical and cultural attractions, have fun in modern entertainment complexes and go shopping in numerous shopping centers. Kuala Lumpur is also known as the city with the most inexpensive five-star hotels in the world. Every year, one of the first stages of the Formula 1 world championship races takes place here-the Malaysian Grand Prix.
Holidays in Kuala Lumpur
Sultan Abdul Samad Building
Tourists visit KL mainly as an addition to the main rest in the resorts of Malaysia, staying here for a day or two. Another category of tourists in KL is "visa holders "from Thailand, extending the period of visa-free stay.
The city has preserved its historical identity, and ultramodern high-rises made of glass and concrete are adjacent to ancient mosques, Buddhist and Hindu temples, Street restaurants of local cuisine. Shoppers can satisfy their passion in the huge modern shopping centers in the Bukit Bintang area of the city, or in the street markets in Chinatown. Cheapness and quality of goods pleasantly surprise, especially a lot of copies of goods of famous World brands.
Two days for acquaintance with the main sights of the city, by and large, is enough. Staying in KL for more than 2 days may really not be worth it, unless you want to get to know the city in more detail. You can see our ready-made routes around Kuala Lumpur:
Do not count on a beach holiday here: the capital lies 35 kilometers from the West Coast.
Kuala Lumpur weather, tourist seasons
Tourist season in Malaysia and Kuala Lumpur in particular lasts all year round. The climate of Malaysia as a whole is Equatorial, monsoon. Average daily and annual temperature fluctuations are small: 25C to 28C.
On the West Coast and in Kuala Lumpur, the rainy season falls in April, May and October. In these months, the rains are very intense, but short-lived, mainly in the afternoon or at night.
Seasons in Kuala Lumpur by month, when is the best time to go
| Jan | Feb | March | Apr | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov. | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
* best time to visit;
acceptable time to visit;
not recommended time to visit
Current Kuala Lumpur weather and forecast
Time in Kuala Lumpur
The time difference between Moscow and Malaysia (and its capital) is +5 hours.
| Москва: +5 | Самара: +4 |
| Казань: +5 | Нижний Новгород: +5 |
| Екатеринбург: +3 | Новосибирск: +1 |
| Иркутск: 0 | Владивосток: -2 |
Attractions and entertainment Kuala Lumpur
Chinatown
Interesting sights and entertainment in Kuala Lumpur will be enough for a few days of stay in the city, although all the most interesting places can be visited in two full days. Be sure to see the famous Batu Caves – one of the most famous Hindu cave temples in Southeast Asia. Petronas Towers, a symbol of the city and the country's achievements, are also mandatory to visit. Some tourists even go to KL specifically to take pictures against their background or climb to the observation deck. Another landmark and attraction is the observation deck at the top of the Menara TV tower, by the way, higher than the Petronas observation tower, moreover, open, and the views from it open even better, including the twin towers themselves. Another popular place is Independence Square and the historic buildings around it. In addition, in KL you must visit Chinatown( Chinatown), the Central Market, the Jamek Mosque, the National Mosque, the National Museum.
Fountain show near the towers
If you come here with children, you should definitely take them to the Perosains Science Museum, where they can get acquainted with various physical and chemical phenomena in an entertaining and playful way. The Petrosains museum is simply huge, many times more than similar museums of entertaining Sciences in the cities of the Russian Federation, so even if you have been to such places at home, you will definitely not be disappointed here, especially since the price of visiting is very affordable. You can also visit the bird park, aquarium, zoo, and Sunway Lagoon entertainment center with an aquarium.
For adults, there is also entertainment, but do not expect too much, basically here everything is "sharpened" for local residents. There are a lot of modern nightclubs in the city, but Europeans will not be very comfortable there, since this is still not a resort city where Discos are created specifically for foreigners. Therefore, in the evening in KL it remains only to walk around the market in Chinatown, visit the Central Market, have dinner in a restaurant or one of the street food courts with local exotic food. And do not forget to go to the Petronas Towers again in the evening: the towers are very beautifully illuminated in the evenings, and in the park at their foot on Symfony Lake, a color and musical fountain show takes place every hour.
But this is not a complete list, and there are still many places in KL that are worth visiting. Learn more about attractions and entertainment here...
How to get to Kuala Lumpur
Interior of KLIA airport
Next to KL is the main airport of the country – Kuala Lumpur International Airport KLIA. It is through him that most tourists arrive in the country, with rare exceptions. There are no direct flights from Russia to Malaysia, but there are many convenient and fast connecting flights through other countries at affordable prices and short flights from 12 hours. In Malaysia, there are several budget air carriers, including the famous AirAsia, competing in prices with train or bus travel, so from other cities or islands of the country, including Borneo, even the most budget tourists can afford to travel by plane.
If you prefer to travel by train or bus, then there is a huge selection of options. By land, you can get to KL not only from the cities of the country, but also from Singapore and Thailand. In some cases, from Thailand you will have to make a transfer in the city of Hat Yai or at the border, but in general it will not be much difficulty. Learn more about how to get to Kuala Lumpur here...
Useful information
Modern Kuala Lumpur
- Where to buy souvenirs in Kuala Lumpur. For souvenirs, it is best to go to the shopping malls in Chinatown or Central Market (Central Market). It is better to visit the market in Chinatown in the evening, because at this time there is a night trade. It is believed that prices in the Central Market are lower, but there and there you need to bargain.
- Where to buy counterfeit goods in Kuala Lumpur. The most popular place for the sale of counterfeit products of all kinds - shopping malls Chinatown, located under the roof on Pentaling Street.
- Where to buy electronics in Kuala Lumpur. A very popular place with low prices for electronics in the shopping center Low Yat Plaza, which is located in the area Bukit Bintang.
- Where are the towers of Kuala Lumpur, and how to visit them. For more information about Petronas Towers and how to get to them, see "Kuala Lumpur Attractions".
- How much to fly to Kuala Lumpur. From the cities of the Russian Federation to Kuala Lumpur there are no direct flights, you will have to fly with a transfer. The minimum duration of the flight from Moscow with a transfer will be 12 hours.
- Free maps. For traveling around the city, you can find free maps with marked attractions, maps of Metro and other transport, discount coupons for entertainment, etc. Such cards are available at the airport at the Tourist Information Desk, at train stations, in the KL gallery (near Independence Square), in other popular attractions and in hotels.
- Metro map. to use Metro KL it is best to download to your smartphone map in pdf format, as free maps may be somewhat outdated.
- Language in Kuala Lumpur. In the capital, almost everyone speaks fluent English, but there may be some difficulties when communicating with taxi drivers, so it makes sense to order cars through the Uber or Grab application.
- Sea and beaches in Kuala Lumpur. There is no sea and beaches here, the city is 45 kilometers from the nearest shore. However, the nearest place with beaches where you can swim is even further away, 100 kilometers. This is the town of Port Dickson. Other nearby places with good beaches are only the islands of Pangkor, Penang, Langkawi, etc.
- Prices in Kuala Lumpur. If you compare prices in the capital of Malaysia with prices in Bangkok, for example, here they are higher, but not much. Subjectively, according to our estimates, the prices for accommodation and food here are 20 percent higher than in Bangkok. Alcohol is more expensive here at times, as in all of Malaysia as a whole. But transport here is not more expensive, and there are even free bus routes, very convenient for tourists.
Architecture of the old KL