Kuala Lumpur, literally meaning "muddy confluence", has definitely replaced its "muddy" terrains with skyscrapers - #LameJoke. Known for The Sister Tower or Petronas Tower it is a popular landmark of the capital to visit as well as to take a picture with it. All I can say is good luck to those who want the whole building in the shot because there is going to be a lot of squatting involved for the one taking the picture - #JustBePatient.
The last time I was in Kuala Lumpur was I think around fifteen years ago, since then a lot has changed, like a LOT, and this is one of the main reasons why I wanted to write a blogpost so that I could give some tips and tricks to make your stay less stressful and more pleasant.
The last time I was in Kuala Lumpur was I think around fifteen years ago, since then a lot has changed, like a LOT, and this is one of the main reasons why I wanted to write a blogpost so that I could give some tips and tricks to make your stay less stressful and more pleasant.
TRANSPORTATION FROM AIRPORT TO KUALA LUMPUR CITY CENTER
If there is one thing you should know about Kuala Lumpur International Airport is that it is pretty far from the city center. There are actually two options when it comes to reaching the city, either take the KLIA Express which is the train that brings you to the central station or take a taxi which takes around an hour to arrive to the center or at your hotel lobby. Be mindful that once you arrive in the outer skirt of the city there will be 99% of the time traffic - #WelcomeToKualaLumpur.
TRANSPORTATION IN THE CITY CENTER
Before you arrive to Kuala Lumpur don't forget to download GRAB, the malaysian version of UBER. It's very useful if you are in an area where there is no taxi stand or if you are at your hotel or airbnb whilst it is pouring rain and you need some food delivery - #SurvivalMode. Actually when you ask your hotel lobby to find a taxi they always use GRAB so why not have it on your phone so it saves you the hustle of always asking the concierge.
If you find taxi drivers that do not turn on their meter counter please rest assure that they are safe but you definitely need to bargain about the fee. Depending on where you go I would ask for around 15 to 30 RMB if your destination is still located in the city center.
Last but not least if you happen to find a taxi stand around a mall don't forget that you need to pay an extra fee which I do not remember how much it is but it is definitely not a huge amount.
WHERE TO STAY, EAT AND SHOP
In my opinion Kuala Lumpur has way too many hotels and airbnbs that it honestly gave me a headache when it came to finding a place to stay. But rest assure I am here to help - #FairyGodMother. During my stay I made a bit of a mistake when it came to choosing my hotel as it was a bit far from the hustle and bustle of the city, basically the hotel was not within walking distance from the shopping district. Why is it important to live close by a mall or the shopping district? Simply because waiting for a GRAB car was a bit long and even longer when it rained and also because there is always traffic in Kuala Lumpur that you actually arrive faster at your desired location by foot - #Seriously. And also because hotel food is never appealing so if you are like me and you always want to find new food to try well you definitely can find that around the shopping areas.
There are actually two popular shopping malls in Kuala Lumpur. One is Suria KLCC which is part of the Petronas Tower and the other one is Pavilion located in Bukit Bintang which is like a popular area to shop till you drop. Thus if you want to find a place to rent my bet would be to stay around these two malls - #Convenient. Honestly these two malls are so huge that you will not the see the sun for the whole day, you can literally get lost in it - #INeedGPS - and you can find all the food you need in the world because there are so many restaurants to choose from.
Even though I did not do much in Kuala Lumpur my short getaway was definitely a memorable one. I do hope that this concise blogpost would be helpful for some of you who are thinking to visit this diverse cultured city. Let me know down below in the comment section if you are interested to visit Kuala Lumpur?
