The Malaysian capital is much more than a hub for business – there’s plenty to do if you have spare time too. Tamara Thiessen makes some suggestions
Kuala Lumpur’s soaring silver-and-glass skyline mirrors Malaysia’s remarkable transformation over the past two decades into a manufacturing powerhouse and South East Asia’s third-largest economy. But alongside the high-tech infrastructure and business dynamism, KL’s historic sites and kaleidoscopic cultures offer a rich mix of activities for business travellers with time on their hands. The city’s pulsating shopping precincts and street-life – underpinned by renowned Malaysian hospitality and general political and social stability – are establishing it as a leading leisure destination.
In September, the Oxford Business Group (oxfordbusinessgroup.com) said Malaysia had “strengthened its position as South East Asia’s top tourism destination” and was second only to China in the region. Meanwhile, the World Travel and Tourism Council (wttc.org) predicts 25 million visitors will have come to Malaysia this year, most of whom will have stopped over in the capital, wooed by its wonderful food, high-end hotel deals and efficient public transport.
Within 30 minutes of Kuala Lumpur International airport, the KLIA Ekspres (kliaekspres.com) links with the city’s light rail and monorail lines. Between them, they have the central business district, historic sites and suburbs covered. Taxis are cheap compared with the rest of Asia, on metered trips or with a government-regulated prepaid coupon that you buy at the airport.
The capital’s strategic location and modern highways mean travelling in and out of the city is smooth, says Datuk Amiruddin Abu, deputy director-general of marketing at Tourism Malaysia. “It is a great city for business travellers because of its central location,” he says. “It is easy to travel to other parts of the country in between meeting days. You can take a two- or three-hour drive in any direction and arrive at some interesting destination – Malacca in the south, Ipoh and the Highlands in the north, or the sea eastwards.” So what can you do with the time you have?
IN TWO HOURS…
If you have only a short break, get on the monorail and visit the inner-city sights. Amiruddin Abu also suggests the “hop on, hop off” bus tour (myhoponhopoff.com). Theresa Goh, communications manager at Traders hotel, recommends a trip to Chinatown and Central Market (centralmarket.com.my) for an intense cultural experience. “It packs in a lot of quaint history between Chinese and Indian temples,” she says. “You can browse in curious shops, do a bit of haggling and stop for good food anywhere along the streets.”
Starting out either from the Golden Triangle – which takes in the shops and hotels around Bukit Bintang – or from Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC), near the Petronas Twin Towers and Convention Centre, take the light rail to Pasar Seni. From here, a strip of durian fruit stands and Chinese tea shops leads to Jalan Petaling, the main axis of Chinatown, where stalls selling watches, electronics, fabric and food start setting up in the afternoon. Among the rows of 19th-century shophouses selling coffins, salted fish and jewellery is Chan See Shu Yuen temple, a 100-year-old place of worship with a red ridged roof and intricate carvings.
From here, head to the Central Market on Jalan Hang Kasturi – inside the art deco pavilion, the former “wet market” for fresh produce has been transformed into a tourist-oriented bazaar packed with crafts, clothing and souvenirs. Recently opened on the mezzanine floor is Precious Old China restaurant and bar – a sibling of the much-loved Old China Café in Chinatown (11 Jalan Balai Polis; oldchina.com.my). Time permitting, a bowl of noodles here is definitely worth all the tea in China.
IN FOUR HOURS…
With double the free time on your hands, start a full morning or afternoon of cultural and historic immersion near the city’s foundations. Chinese tin prospectors settled at the confluence of Klang and Gombak rivers in the mid-19th century, giving rise to Kuala Lumpur’s name, “Muddy Confluence”. The Mogul-inspired marvel of Masjid Jamek (go to the LRT station of the same name), with its ornate domes and spires, was the city’s main mosque from 1909 until the national mosque (Masjid Negara) was built in 1965. Visiting times depend on the times of prayer, the sound of which seeps serenely through the streets of old KL.
Walk along the riverbank to Leboh Pasar Besar, near Central Market, before crossing over to Jalan Raja Laut. Here, under the 95-metre flagpole of Dataran Merdeka (Merdeka Square), Malaysia’s independence from the UK was declared on August 31, 1957. As the Union Jack was lowered, cries of merdeka (freedom) echoed through the night.
The manicured 200-metre stretch was once the colonial hub of British-run Malaysia but, today, is a focal point for national celebrations. Merdeka Square is flanked by the mock-Tudor Royal Selangor Club and Sultan Abdul Samad – the 1897-built quarters of the Supreme and High Courts is an architectural oddity of colonial and Moorish influences, with a 41-metre clock tower dubbed “Big Ben”.
Take a taxi 2km to Masjid Negara mosque (walking is not recommended owing to the jumble of periphery roads). Its roof is like a giant origami parasol, with 18 peaks representing Malaysia’s 13 states and the five pillars of Islam. Opposite is the stunning modernist Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia (open daily 10am-6pm; entry is RM12/£2.50; iamm.org.my), home to South East Asia’s largest collection of Islamic art. With separate galleries dedicated to Malay, Chinese and Indian manuscripts and architecture, its 7,000 artefacts range from large-scale models of the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca to tiny pieces of jewellery.
Finish with a stroll in KL’s immense Lake Gardens (Taman Tasik Perdana). Or if your appetite for culture isn’t yet sated, discover Malaysian heritage at the National Museum (Muzium Negara) on Jalan Damansara, which is open 9am-6pm daily (entry is RM2/40p; muziumnegara.gov.my). Along the way, stop for refreshments at a typical kedai kopi – the coffee shops serve Malay and Chinese staples such as noodles and rice, as well as drinks such as air limau kasturi, fresh iced lime juice.
IN ONE EVENING…
Take a sunset stroll through the KLCC Park before winding up at Traders’ lofty 33rd-floor Skybar (shangri-la.com) for a pool-side drink with bird’s-eye views of the Petronas Twin Towers. Goh suggests dinner at Bijan (3 Jalan Ceylon, bijanrestaurant.com) for al fresco Malay cuisine.
If you are out to impress, try the Shangri-La’s soaring glass-windowed lobby for a drink, then dine at its restaurant, Lafite (11 Jalan Sultan Ismail) – Canadian chef Damon Campbell is a visual alchemist. Night owls should head for chic lounge club Elixir (37-41 Changkat Bukit Bintang, open until 3am).
IN ONE DAY…
Rather than self-drive, consider visiting the sights in the KL area using an executive taxi service – the blue cabs are metered but at a higher rate (visit klbluetaxi.blogspot.com). A full-day tour can be arranged through your hotel, costing RM400-RM500 (£80-£100).
Start by heading 13km north to the Batu Caves – the towering limestone outcrop and its 400-metre-deep caverns are sacred Hindu sites for Malaysia’s Tamil-in-origin Indian community. During January’s Thaipusam, or “penance day” festival, a million devotees journey here, many carrying mini-shrines, pitchers and jugs, their cheeks, chests and backs pierced with metre-long steel rods and laden with oranges, limes and coconuts. This is the penance, or kavadis, they pay for spiritual favour. You will probably feel you have paid yours climbing the 272 steps to the temple, which is shrouded in lurid sculptures of Hindu deities.
Next stop is the Royal Selangor Visitor Centre (4 Jalan Usahawan, open 9am-5pm daily, royalselangor.com), where you will be greeted by a giant, Guinness World Record-breaking pewter beer mug, created by the factory to mark its centenary in 1985. The company began by crafting tankards, tea sets, incense burners and candle holders and, today, produces more than 1,000 collectables and tableware designs. Free guided tours of its museum, factory and gallery are offered.
The Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) that extends 15km-30km south of the city, is worth a visit. The startling mix of technology park, mosques, mangroves, traditional Malay towns, luxury walled villas and botanical gardens grew up around the twin cities of Putrajaya and Cyberjaya. The former is a custom-made lake and garden city full of administrative buildings and convention centres surrounding the Royal Palace, while the latter is KL’s own Silicon Valley.
Rising above Putrajaya’s wide esplanades, the dome of the huge Putra mosque (open 9am-5pm daily) is carved out of rose-tinted granite. Non-Muslims cannot enter during prayer time, but providing they are dressed respectfully, they can promenade around the vast inner courtyard, the spectacular water features and colonnades of which are topped by a 116-metre-high minaret. Gold-adorned bridges offer fantastic perspectives on to the lake where you can take a cruise or rent a kayak. If you’re hungry, the lake clubhouse, Kelab Tasik (2 Jalan P8, Precinct 8), has three eateries – Samudera and Bayu restaurants, and Putra Klasik café.
Close to here is the 650-hectare Taman Wetland, the largest artificial freshwater marshland in the tropics (open 7am-7am daily; ppj.gov.my). Within it is the 92-hectare Taman Botani – Malaysia’s most sizeable botanical gardens – where an “explorers’ trail” weaves between 700 species of flowering plants (open 9am-7pm daily; entry is free).
OVERNIGHT…
A perfect antidote to hectic KL is the calm and tradition of the ancient trading port of Malacca, 145km away – premium Malacca hotels will offer free transfers from the international airport, 90 minutes’ drive away, while Kuala Lumpur executive taxis charge RM300 (£61) for the trip or RM550 (£111) for a day return.
The small city huddles on the banks of the Sungai Melaka, the river that opens on to the Strait of Malacca – a vital passage in 15th-18th century trade between Asia and Europe. It also gained a UNESCO World Heritage listing in 2008 for its compelling cocktail of Chinese, Malay, Portuguese, Dutch and British vestiges. One place to rest your head is the Majestic Malacca (majesticmalacca.com), which opened two years ago in an early 20th-century mansion on the riverbank.
In the town centre, Malacca’s historic quarter starts near the reconstructed Sultanate Palace, where the streets are crowded with flamboyantly flowered becas or trishaws (pedal rickshaws). Extending along Jalan Kota, the Melaka Islamic Museum sits behind a beautiful cherry-coloured façade – its wooden motif-carved interiors are typical of antique Malay design.
The Melaka Heritage Trail follows a steep staircase to St Paul’s Church – opposite is the fort A Famosa, built after the Portuguese captured Malacca from ruling Sultans in 1511. On the other side of the river, a picturesque quarter of canal-side bars and houses nudges old Chinatown. The area around “Jonker Street” (Jalan Hang Jebat) bustles with noodle shops, temples and traders’ workshops.
IN A WEEKEND…
After a sweaty week in the city, the Cameron Highlands offer a cool escape from the tropical lowlands, with temperatures of 22-25?C in the day and 15-22?C at night. Some 300km north of the city (about a 3.5-hour drive via Tapah along the North-South Expressway), it is the highest area on the Malaysian mainland, at 1,500 metres above sea level. It was named after British surveyor William Cameron, who discovered it during a mapping expedition in 1855, but it was not until the 1920s that Sir George Maxwell developed the lush landscape into a hill station resort.
The deep river valley is hemmed in by mountain slopes, waterfalls, hot springs, jungle trails, shrines and roadside markets. And the nostalgic charm has not worn off – you can visit strawberry farms, butterfly and rose gardens, tea plantations and Tudor-style country inns. The townships from Ringlet to Tanah Rata have narrow lanes and reconstructions of English cottages. Beyond them are smokehouses, country estates and guesthouses serving afternoon tea – try the Lakehouse (lakehouse-cameron.com). At Brinchang, the highest township, are Indian and Chinese temples, and an 18-hole golf course. The same road leads to Gunung Brinchang for 2,000-metre-high views. For the return journey, take the new Simpang Pulai route for a gentle panoramic descent.
Must dos
- For fantastic food from Malaysia’s cultural melting pot, visit the “let’s eat street” of Jalan Alor – a smoky barbecue stretch hung with roast duck, durians and jackfruit, with more than 50 eateries selling grilled meats and fish, spicy Malay food and mee (noodles).
- The Saturday market at Kampung Bahru – an old Malaysian village in the middle of the city – has a strong Malay flavour and sells traditional clothes and delicacies. The suburban pasar malam (night market) along Taman Connaught is the longest of its kind in the country, at 2km, and there is a lively Sunday market in the expat district of Bangsar.
