On a short visit, such as this one to Kuala Lumpur, we tend to spend a little more time doing touristy things than usual. And we’re pleased to report that there are a ton of fun activities to do in Kuala Lumpur! Here are our five favourites.
Botanical Gardens
The gardens are huge, and no one visit will suffice to see everything. For us, highlights were the deer park, the butterfly gardens, and watching groups of people exercise by the big lake. But really, it was just fun to walk around; there are a lot of trees to protect you from the heat (bring water!).
Scenic Viewpoints
You have two options, the Petronas Towers or the Menara Tower (often known as KL tower). The latter is 421 metres (=1381 ft.) high with a viewing deck at 276 metres (=906 ft.). The former is 452 metres (1483 ft.) with an observation floor at 370 metres (1214 ft.). Both have spectacular views of the city, and both contain exhibits about their creation. We picked the Petronas towers, for the sake of convenience, and also because they’re right next to KLCC park and we wanted to see the light show at night.
National Museum
The historical museum is part of a complex of many museums, including an ethnographic museum, well-laid out in a pretty area with coffee shops and snack bars nearby. And the museum itself has a ton of great stuff, especially on the early history of the area. As is true of any nation’s narrative about itself, certain eras receive a lot of attention, others very little. Here (reasonably) there was a lot on statehood and very little on World War II.
Other Museums
We love textiles, so we went to the textile museum, which spread out over two floors right near independence square and the (beautiful) Sultan Abdul Samad building. The ground floor focused on the history of cloth making and dyeing, with lots of dioramas and examples of cloth. We read about the use of bark and pineapple fibres to make clothing. And the first floor had many traditional garments of the various Malaysian peoples.
But the real star among Kuala Lumpur’s museums, for us, was the Islamic Arts Museum. We loved the architecture gallery, showcasing the many different styles of mosque in the world. Impossible to photograph, but where we spent a lot of time. And – incidentally – it looks like most of the spectacular mosques we haven’t seen are in Uzbekistan, so stay tuned for more on that.
And there were a ton of religious books from across the Muslim world, including scientific tracts, and games and furniture. The building itself is a stunner, and there’s a restaurant serving food from the Muslim world: we snacked on samosas and fattoush and lime juice with soda water.
Mosques
We had heard that the Sultan Abdul Samad Jamek Mosque was not to be missed, so we went there and also to the National Mosque. Both were pretty, but we think we may have been spoiled by the Ottoman mosques of Mimar Sinan. Still, they’re worth a look if you are in the neighourhood.
We hope you enjoyed our list of five great things to do in Kuala Lumpur!
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