Best Things to Do in Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur pairs record-breaking contemporary engineering with lush equatorial greenery and layered colonial, Malay, Chinese and Indian heritage. Organise your days around the rail lines so you move effortlessly between the modern Golden Triangle and the historic river confluence.

1. Cross the Skybridge of the Petronas Twin Towers and stroll KLCC Park. Ride the high-speed lift to the 41st-floor double-deck bridge and 86th-floor observation deck of Cesar Pelli's 452-metre towers, then return at dusk for the Lake Symphony fountain show in KLCC Park.
2. Climb the 272 rainbow steps of Batu Caves. Stand below the 43-metre golden statue of Lord Murugan before ascending into the vast Cathedral Cave hollowed out of a 400-million-year-old limestone hill north of the city.
3. Walk Merdeka Square (Dataran Merdeka) and the Sultan Abdul Samad Building. See where the Malaysian flag was first raised in 1957, framed by the copper domes and 41-metre clock tower of the 1897 Indo-Saracenic Sultan Abdul Samad Building and the River of Life confluence at Masjid Jamek.
4. Visit the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia and Perdana Botanical Garden. Admire twelve light-filled galleries of calligraphy, textiles, weaponry and scale architectural models of the world's great mosques under turquoise tiled domes beside the Lake Gardens.
5. Explore Chinatown: Petaling Street, Kwai Chai Hong and Sri Mahamariamman Temple. Duck off Petaling Street into the restored 1960s back-lane murals of Kwai Chai Hong, step inside KL's oldest Hindu temple (1873) and browse the Art Deco Central Market.
6. Cross the Saloma Link Bridge into Kampung Baru at dusk. Walk the diamond-lit pedestrian bridge whose roof geometry mimics a folded betel leaf (sirih junjung) to eat Malay grilled fish and satay beneath wooden stilt houses with the Twin Towers towering behind.
7. Feast at Jalan Alor Night Food Street and Lot 10 Hutong in Bukit Bintang. Sample charcoal-grilled chicken wings, stingray and Hokkien noodles across Kuala Lumpur's liveliest dining district.
8. Visit Thean Hou Temple on Robson Heights. This six-tiered Chinese temple dedicated to the sea goddess Mazu offers sweeping views toward the 679-metre Merdeka 118 supertall tower.
9. Walk the forest canopy at KL Forest Eco Park and Menara KL Tower. Cross suspended bamboo-and-timber canopy bridges inside a protected virgin rainforest reserve right in the middle of downtown.