KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIA

Kuala Lumpur is a huge city with several district articles containing sightseeing, restaurant, nightlife and accommodation listings — consider printing them all.

Kuala Lumpur , or simply KL, is the capital of Malaysia. Literally meaning "muddy estuary" in Malay, KL has grown from a small sleepy village to a bustling metropolis (metro population 6.9 million) in just 150 years. With the world's cheapest five-star hotels, great shopping and even better food, increasing numbers of travelers are discovering this little gem of a city.



The view of Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur is a fairly sprawling city and its residential suburbs seem to go on forever. The city also merges with the adjacent towns of Petaling Jaya (originally developed as KL’s dormitory suburb), Subang Jaya, Shah Alam, Klang and Port Klang, creating a huge metropolis called the Klang Valley.

The city can be divided up into the following areas, each of which offers a particular attraction or activity.

City Center – This is the traditional core of Kuala Lumpur where you’ll find former colonial administrative center with the Merdeka Square, Sultan Abdul Samad Building and Selangor Club. This district also includes Kuala Lumpur’s old Chinese commercial center which everyone refers to now as Chinatown.

Golden Triangle – The area of Kuala Lumpur located to the northeast of the city center, the Golden Triangle is where you’ll find the city’s shopping malls, five-star hotels, Petronas Twin Towers and party spots.

Tuanku Abdul Rahman – This is the traditional colourful shopping district of Kuala Lumpur north of the city center and moves into high gear when the festivals of Hari Raya Puasa (Eid ul-Fitr) and Deepavali approach. Located just beside the Golden Triangle (northern neighbour) with many popular budget accommodations. The gigantic Putra World Trade Centre & the traditional Kampung Baru food haven are among the most important landmarks.

Brickfields – This area, located south of the city center, is Kuala Lumpur’s Little India filled with saree shops and banana leaf rice restaurants. Kuala Lumpur’s main railway station – KL Sentral – is located here.

Bangsar and Midvalley – Located south of the city, Bangsar is a popular restaurant and clubbing district while Midvalley, with its Megamall, is one of the city’s most popular shopping destinations.

Damansara and Hartamas – Largely suburban, this two districts to the west of the city houses some interesting pockets of restaurant and drinking areas. This district virtually merges into the northern part of Petaling Jaya.

Ampang – Located east of the city, Ampang is home to Kuala Lumpur’s Little Korea and most foreign embassies.

Northern suburbs – This huge area to the north of the city is home to several attractions, such as Batu Caves, the National Zoo and the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia.

Southern suburbs – This district may not interest travellers although Kuala Lumpur’s main stadium at Bukit Jalil and The Mines theme park is located here.



Kuala Lumpur Skyline

Founded only in 1857 as a tin mining outpost, Kuala Lumpur is fairly new as far as Malaysian cities go and lacks the rich history of George Town or Malacca. After rough early years marked by gang fighting, Kuala Lumpur started to prosper and was made capital of the Federated Malay States in 1896. Malaysia's independence was declared in 1957 in front of huge crowds at what was later named Stadium Merdeka (Independence Stadium), and Kuala Lumpur continued as the new nation's capital. The economic boom of the 1990s brought KL the standard trappings of a modern city, bristling with skyscrapers and modern transportation systems. Like most of Malaysia's big cities, about 55% of Kuala Lumpur's population is of Malaysian Chinese descent.



By plane
Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA)
All scheduled jet flights, whether domestic or international, arrive at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport located about 50km to the southwest of Kuala Lumpur, in the Sepang district of Selangor. The US$2.5bil modern structure of glass and steel was inaugurated in 1998 and has been ranked as one of the top airports of the world. It replaced the former Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah International Airport in Subang, which is now used for chartered and turboprop flights. Over 50 airlines call at KLIA.

A new Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) opened in March 2006, and is currently used by AirAsia . Though the LCC Terminal is across the runway tarmac from the Main Terminal Building, it is nearly 20km away by road. Frequent shuttle buses connect the two terminals, costing RM1.50 per trip. At the Main Terminal Building, catch the shuttles at the Bus Terminal on the Ground Floor of the Car Park C building, while at the LCCT, wait for the buses at the bus bays right in front of the terminal.



Transfers - Main Terminal

By train:

The high-speed KLIA Ekspres links the airport directly with the KL Sentral transportation hub in Kuala Lumpur in 28mins. Trains run from 5am to 12 midnight. There is one train every 15mins between 5am and 9am, and between 4pm and 10pm; while trains run every 20mins outside those hours. The cost of a one-way ticket is RM35. There is no discount on return tickets. Those using this service to get to KLIA can check in their baggage at the Kuala Lumpur City Air Terminal in KL Sentral. The city check-in service however is only available to those flying Malaysia Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Royal Brunei Airlines although on 13 July 2007, KLIA Ekspres' operator Express Rail Link said passengers flying on all 43 airlines which call at KLIA will be able to check in their luggage at KL Sentral from 23 July 2007. As of then only Emirates has started operating. See "Get around" section below on how to get to/away from KL Sentral.

The KLIA Transit , like the KLIA Ekspres, also links the airport with KL Sentral except that it stops at three intermediate stations - Salak Tinggi, Putrajaya, and Bandar Tasik Selatan. The journey takes 36mins. The fare from end to end is the same as for the KLIA Ekspres, which is RM35. Different fares apply for journeys to the intermediate stations. From KL Sentral, trains run every half hour from 5.33am to 0.03am, while from KLIA, trains run every half hour from 5.52am to 1am. You may use of KLIA Ekspres' check-in services even when holding a KLIA Transit ticket.

You can also catch KTM Komuter trains to Nilai station and take a connecting bus to KLIA. The frequent Nilai-KLIA buses are operated by Airport Coach and Sepang Omnibus. The entire journey may take about two hours, but the cost is considerably cheaper than the above two options. For example, the fare from KL Sentral to Nilai is RM4.70 while the bus fare from Nilai to KLIA is about RM2.50. You can also use the KTM Komuter to go to other destinations, such as Seremban in Negeri Sembilan. For other KTM Komuter destinations, see "Get around" section below.



By bus:

Airport Coach runs a one hourly express bus between KL Sentral and KLIA from 5am to 10.30pm from Sentral, and 6.30am to 12.30am from KLIA. RM10 one way, or RM18 return.

Star Shuttle bus runs from KLIA to Chinatown (Kota Raya and Pudu Raya), RM10 one way.

Sepang Omnibus runs local bus services directly to Seremban in Negeri Sembilan, Banting in Selangor and Sepang town where you can get connecting buses to/from Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan. The buses may be a little basic and uncomfortable, and do not follow a timetable (at least, not one that is publicly known).

Both Airport Coach and Sepang Omnibus run frequent buses between KLIA and Nilai where you continue your journey on the KTM Komuter. See the "Get around" section below for details on the KTM Komuter.



Alternatively, you can take the bus to the LCCT then connect to KLIA.

From KLIA: Only Airport Limo limousines and budget taxis are allowed to pick up passengers at the airport. You buy coupons from Airport Limo counters just before you exit the international arrivals gate, or just outside the domestic arrivals gate. Ask for a budget taxi, which is perfectly fine and costs a fixed RM67.40 to get to Kuala Lumpur; otherwise you'll be given a misnamed "limousine" that costs an extra RM20.

To KLIA: Any taxi can bring passengers to KLIA, including Kuala Lumpur's metered red-and-white taxis, although you will find it very difficult to get drivers to use the meters. Make sure you agree on a price before getting into the taxi. Fares should be between RM60 and RM90.



By road:

If you have your own wheels, KLIA is well connected to Peninsular Malaysia's expressway network. The airport is directly linked with the North South Expressway Central Link (known by its Malay abbreviation "Elite") about 70km or nearly one hour away from Kuala Lumpur city centre. Exit the expressway at KLIA interchange for both the Main Terminal and LCCT.



Transfers - Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT)

By train:

There are no direct train connections to the LCCT (although the government has agreed to build one). However, you can take either train from KL Sentral to the Main Terminal, then catch the shuttle bus to the LCCT.



By bus:

SkyBus runs direct services every half hour or so from KL Sentral to the LCCT. RM9 one-way.

Aerobus also runs direct bus services every half hour from KL Sentral to the LCC Terminal. RM9 one-way, free return journey.

Star Shuttle (Tel:+60-3-40438811), newly launched in January 2007, has direct buses to the Pekeliling Bus Terminal and Batu 3 (3rd Mile) Jalan Ipoh in Kuala Lumpur, as well as direct connections to the Subang Jaya KTM Komuter station and the PKNS Building in Shah Alam. Check its website for schedules. Fares are RM9 per trip.



By taxi:

Any taxi can bring passengers to the LCCT, including Kuala Lumpur's metered red-and-white taxis, although you will find it very difficult to get drivers to use the meters. Make sure you agree on a price before getting into the taxi. Fares should be between RM60 and RM90.

By road:

The LCCT is about 20km from the Main Terminal and can be accessed via the KLIA circular or airport cargo road.

Subang Airport
The Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport (IATA: SZB) (ICAO: WMSA), more commonly referred to as the Subang Airport, was the country's main international airport until KLIA was opened in 1998. It was designated for turboprop aircraft and since 19 October 2007, Malaysia Airlines subsidiary "community airline" Firefly [10] began operating from Subang, flying to Penang twice daily at 08:20 and 20:50. From Penang, flights depart at 07:00 and 19:30. Journey time one hour. Berjaya Air [11] flies daily to/from Tioman Island, five times a week to/from Pangkor Island, and special flights to Redang Island. It also has two flights weekly to/from Ko Samui in Thailand.

Getting there/away: The airport is 25 km from the city center and the best way to get there is by taxi. Rapid KL bus U81 (destination Mah Sing and Pekan Subang) from the Sultan Mohd Bus Hub next to the Pasar Seni LRT station goes past the airport. Fare is RM2 and the ticket is valid for the whole day for all RapidKL routes with "U" prefix.

By road
Most important roads in Peninsular Malaysia lead to/from Kuala Lumpur. The city lies about midway along the North-South Expressway (NSE; route numbers E1 and E2) which runs from the Malaysia-Thailand border at Bukit Kayu Hitam, Kedah to Johor Bahru in the south, on the Malaysian side of the Causeway to Singapore. The main expressway exits for Kuala Lumpur on the NSE are Jalan Duta (from the north) and Sungai Besi (from the south).

The Karak Highway (E8), which later turns into the East Coast Expressway, links Kuala Lumpur with the East Coast states of Pahang, Terengganu and Kelantan.

For those who do not want to pay toll, Kuala Lumpur is on Federal Route One (the "Trunk Road") which, like the NSE, runs through all West Coast states of Peninsular Malaysia from Bukit Kayu Hitam, Kedah to Johor Bahru.

Those travelling along the West Coast Road (Federal Route Five) should leave the road at Klang and get to Kuala Lumpur via the Federal Highway.

By bus
Kuala Lumpur has several bus terminals (Malay: stesen bas or hentian) which handle long distance express bus services; many destinations are served by more than one terminal.

Puduraya
The biggest (and invariably most crowded) terminal, located in the city centre near Chinatown. Beware of pickpockets, ticket touts and other undesirables, especially late at night.

Access: Plaza Rakyat station (Ampang and Sri Petaling Lines) is within walking distance; many local bus stops nearby.

To/from Hat Yai, in Thailand:

Konsortium Bas Ekspres Semenanjung (KBES) (Counter 73. Tel:+60-3-20313036) has departures at 10:30 & 23:00 - RM45 one-way.