4 days trip in Kuala Lumpur

I visited Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for only 4 days, but it was one of my best trips! And to be honest, I never thought I would visit the famous capital of Malaysia one day.

I've always been a travel enthusiast. My first journey on my own was when I was only 13 years old, I went to England to study English. Then the passion grew and I could never give up travelling. In a way, I got that from my father. We are both backpackers, travelling and trying to find the best places with only our "Routard" in our pocket and a crumpled map with notes on it. My trip to Kuala Lumpur was not in my plans. But my Thai university was closed for several days by the government because of rising air pollution. More than 300 schools were closed for five days.

With a friend, we looked online for the cheapest destination to visit in the area, and voilà. After two hours, our plane and hotel were booked. We picked up our luggage and took off 5 hours later. I just had time to call my mother, tell her where I was going and not to tell my father. I was going to surprise him by sending him a picture of me standing under the Petronas Towers (what a tourist!).

Concerning our accommodation: We chose to stay in a hotel with twin beds, without windows for 30€ for 3 nights. It was close to everything and in the middle of the Indian district with little traffic and noise. The staff is really nice, they gave us maps and advices. They also like to chat with you. You can ask for a room overlooking the courtyard if the noise of the street disturbs you. Around 9 o'clock in the morning you have the cleaning service starting, you might hear it. Apart from that, we haven't really noticed much noise, except for a few rude customers. The hotel does not include breakfast. The address is: Ahyu Hotel, 34, Leboh Ampang, 50100 Kuala Lumpur

Day 1:

When we arrived in Kuala Lumpur, we had our passports stamped. At the KLIA station, we took return tickets from the airport to KL Sentral. It cost us 44€ for 2 people and 2 round trips, expensive but cheaper than taxis and faster.

When getting off at KL Sentral Station, you have to rely on the signs. We walk through two or three administrative buildings before passing the National Museum, which we will visit later. We continued our walk to the top of a hill in Lake Gardens to arrive at our first place of visit, the Planetarium Museum. Admission is free but there is a show that requires a fee. The visit is fun and is to be done if you are interested in the conquest of space. In fact, it is mainly aimed at a young audience.

Then we went all the way to the National Mosque, and the architecture was amazing! The mosque is superb, we discovered all the small restaurants around it hidden and more known by locals than tourists. The visit of this one will be done only the next day. The visits are free and they lend a suit for people who don't have the right clothes to enter.

We continued our walk to our hotel by passing the Central Market. There you will find all kinds of shops, including fridge magnets, flowers, food, wooden decorations, artwork, and the well-known "the Must Visit Attraction Trail Card".

The Must Visit Attraction Trail map is really great for people who want a guideline for their trip. This little map can only be found in the Central Market. It shows you 12 destinations to visit and you can collect stamps when you visit. I was only able to collect 4 of them, which is sad because I discovered this little map belatedly during my trip. All the places where I could get a stamp were already visited. I didn't think it was worth going back to the city museums just for a stamp. Anyway, I have four of them, which is a good thing after all. I recommend having this map that can attract children to take an interest in the history, art, culture of your journey through a treasure map!

"The objective is to visit all the places listed in the card and collect a stamp at each place! You start at Central Market and end at the Malaysia Tourism Centre – where, if you have all 12 stamps, you’ll earn a reward for your efforts"

We then crossed Petaling Street, the Chinese district of the city decorated in the colors of the Chinese New Year. Then we stopped at a fast-food restaurant called Texas Chicken to rest for a while.

Upon arriving at our hotel, I found many free maps and made a list of places to visit. We never used public transport, each time we walked. I really think it's the best thing to do, walking also makes you visit things that were not written in the tourist maps or in the Google suggestions..

So one of the advice I always give: Try to find a map to note all the places you want to visit . Try to organize your travel time to visit and take advantage not to run around. After everyone has their own way to travel.

Dropping off our things in the room, we left in the afternoon to visit the Taman Eko Rimba KL park where a long suspension bridge is present. We walked to the Menara Tower Kuala Lumpur. Our walk was more of a rough mop to visit the surroundings, take pictures and see what a beautiful city Kuala Lumpur is.

At the end of the afternoon we visited the Petronas Towers and the shopping centres they contain. The place is very popular with tourists and walking in the park is quite controlled. Many water fountains are available, which is great.

Day 2:

After our first night in Kuala Lumpur, we had breakfast at LOKL Coffee. The place is in the street parallel to the hotel and the employees are great, mostly students as far as we could see. The place is just nice and the food is good but a bit more expensive than what you can find elsewhere.

Then we went to Petaling Street and visited a bit more like Lost in Chinatown, a museum where the history of the capital is retraced through period photos and many pieces of art. To this day, the entrance is paying.

We walked to the Sri Mahamariamman Temple, one of the most visited temples but also one of the most peaceful. During our visit, we attended a beautiful Hindu wedding. The temple is full of colors, something to please the eye but also the ears when the musicians played in honor of the bride and groom.

We had lunch at Restaurant First Level, the food is traditional, delicious, and the manager is very nice. He speaks English and told us stories and anecdotes about the city. I was able to taste the Bak Kut Teh, a typical Chinese soup from Malaysia made of pork ribs in a broth of herbs and spices. It contains mushrooms, Chinese cabbage and fried tofu.

We then visited the Museum of Islamic Art (student price) at 7RM, "The Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia houses more than ten thousand artefacts, as well as an exceptional library of Islamic art books. The art objects on display range from the tiniest pieces of jewellery to one of the world’s largest scale models of the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca. The aim is to create a collection that is truly representative of the Islamic world". The museum is spacious and magnificent, the objects on display are impressive and the beauty of the writing, calligraphy is splendid.

Walking around the museum we found it fun to visit Kuala Lumpur Bird Park, which is reputed to be the largest free-flying aviary in the world. Admission was our biggest expense during the trip, 63 RM without any student prices or other discounts. The price can set back a lot. As I don't really like animal parks, I hesitated to go there. However, the place is a famous eco-tourist place and located in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. The place is big, fun for families and offers small shows. You will find a lot of peacocks, they are surely the ones who have a larger presence everywhere in this park. You will have understood it, it is perhaps not the best destination for the ornithophobes

Close to the park you will find the orchid and hibiscus gardens. However you have to go there during the flowering period, otherwise it is of no great interest. At the time we visited this place, the place was deserted and we were not in the right season to observe these beautiful plants.

Walking through the Perdana Botanical Garden, and finding there a comic book store (I thought it was really surprising), we stopped in front of the Tun Abdul Razak Memorial.

We ended our day with a visit to the National Mosque. The place is magnificent, the prayer room is spacious and the architecture of the place is gorgeous. During our tour of the city, we heard the calls to prayer resounding through the streets.

Day 3:

On the third day, we decided to visit the Batu Caves. Before that we stopped to eat at Oldtown white coffee shop in front of the Bank Negara train station. We took the train there to go to the visit to the north of the city of the Batu Caves.For breakfast: peanut butter toast and a black tea came back to us at 6RM more or less. The place is quiet and it's nice to eat on the go.

On the train to the Batu Caves, we noticed some compartments allocated to women, which is quite unusual for Europeans like us. Arriving at the station, we discovered the colors of the temple at the bottom of the famous steps. The temple is colorful and shines in the sun. The religious are quiet, pleasant. We arrived only a few days after Thaipusam, the Hindu festival. Batu Caves is the largest Hindu sanctuary outside India. Going up the steps, you will find at the top, a first temple where we met young children and men with shaven and gold covered skulls. Then new steps take you to a small temple lit by the opening at the top of the caves. The place is peaceful, beautiful, the strangers find amusing the docile monkeys coming for food as well as the chickens.

Although the place was peaceful at the time we visited it, I can't assure that for a next visit, the place is beautiful and is now very attractive to tourists.

Back to the center of the city, we followed a sightseeing trail going through St Mary's Cathedral, Dataran Merdeka Independence Square, the City Gallery. In the City Gallery, the works are magnificent and you will find a playful and innovative show with a large model of the city that retraces its development. Then we stopped at the Textile Museum, which was not one of the most interesting but enriching about the country's past economy and cultural outfits.

Then we walked to the Jamek Mosque, one of the oldest mosques in the capital and to the National Monument (Tugu Negara). Several classes were present and school teachers were curious to talk with us. We can never say it enough but even with the language barrier, we understand with body language and it is always enriching. The National Monument represents the deaths in the struggle for Malaysia's freedom.

Afterwards, we went back to the Central Market where I discovered the Must Visit Attraction Trail card. So we went to look for a few places we hadn't yet done like: Fung Wong Biscuit which is very well hidden and therefore difficult to find. In fact you have to ask around. The magnificent Sin Sze Si Ya Temple which was preparing for the Chinese New Year. We were able to visit it quickly and chat with the guard at the entrance, the place is dark but beautiful. And finally returned to the Sri Mahamariamman Temple.

Day 4:

On this last day, we simply decided to visit the Muzium Negara (National Museum of Malaysia). It's best to take 1h30 or even 2 hours to visit it and take time to learn about the History of Malaysia. The Museum was very interesting. Bags are not allowed, so there are lockers (not super secure but it is ok). The entrance is 5RM for Foreign Adults, you will notice that some places make this kind of price with free entrance for students wearing a uniform or charging if they don't have one, but often the price for foreigners is higher and includes teenagers, students and seniors.

To sum up my trip, Malaysia is a beautiful country that 20 years ago was nothing like what it is today, the city is between the jungle and the asphalt creating a superb cohesion. Malaysians are very welcoming, cheerful people who enjoy helping whenever they see us lost. I hope one day to return to Kuala Lumpur and enjoy a second trip again.

You will find attached the link by clicking on the following words to find all the addresses specified in the article: HERE

Thanks to Anastasia for my article review before posting.