Is Kuala Lumpur Worth Visiting?

Last Updated on 7th November 2023

If there’s one place that I never really thought about travelling to; it was Malaysia. But, after spending three weeks in the capital city in 2019 and then another month there in November 2023, I’m 110% sure that Kuala Lumpur is worth visiting and I’m a huge advocate for the fact that you need to spend some proper time in KL!

After spending so much time there, it’s now got a firm place high up on my list of favourite cities in the world (including New York, Prague, York and Budapest).

If you’re thinking about visiting KL but not sure if it’s for you, this post about is Kuala Lumpur worth visiting will convince you to book a flight!

Is Kuala Lumpur worth visiting?

How many people do you know that have been to Kuala Lumpur just for a holiday? People who have actually chosen to go there on their own accord, rather than being “made” to go on a layover while on the way to another Asian country/city?

It’s not a place that you often hear travellers spending a lot of time in while travelling around Southeast Asia, and it’s not somewhere that I ever thought I’d visit.

An awful lot of people who visit KL are simply there on a layover while transferring from one place to another. However, the city is much more than just a stopover while flying from the UK to Bali, for example; it’s a place that you need to have on your bucket list!

Here’s why!

Why you need to get out of the airport and explore the city on a stopover in KL

why you need to spend longer than a stopover in Kuala Lumpur

Despite being a relatively small city, with a population of approximately 1.4 million people, Kuala Lumpur is a place that I wholeheartedly believe you need to spend some proper time in.

While you definitely don’t need to spend a total of seven weeks there like we did (we were working an awful lot while we were there), I would recommend three or four days, at least, to get a good feel for the city and to have a good look around.

KL is home to some of the best food, the nicest people, the most incredible buildings (hello the Petronas Towers and the second tallest building in the world!) and some of the most remarkable culture I’ve ever experienced.

The food we ate while in Kuala Lumpur was without a doubt some of the best I’ve ever had. The entire city is like a melting pot of different cultures, religions and cuisines which makes it the perfect place to spend a couple of days.

Not only does it have some truly fascinating history; did you know it has British Colonial influences, as well as Spanish, Portuguese, Indian and Chinese?

It really is one of the most culturally diverse cities I’ve ever been to and while it can be a little overwhelming to get used to it all, it’s an absolute dream place to be once you’re accustomed to all the people, sights, smells and surroundings.

There’s so much to see and do while you’re there; you could probably cram a lot of stuff into one day but I’d personally recommend a minimum of three days in the city.

It’s a remarkably easy city to get around; with the likes of train transport, buses and Grab (the Asian version of Uber) at your fingertips. Once you’re in the city centre itself, you can easily walk around most places and navigate your way around without too much trouble.

As I said before, the food in KL is second to none; there’s numerous street food markets (my favourites being the Tapak Urban Street Dining food trucks and Jalan Alor food market). The food markets are home to dozens of vendors, all selling a vast variety of different cuisines.

You’ll find everything from Western food to Thai dishes, traditional Malay cuisines, to Indian, Chinese, Indonesian and Filipino dishes too. If you’re an avid foodie, I’d recommend spending longer than just a layover in Kuala Lumpur for the food alone!

As for things to do in the city, I won’t go into too much detail right now as I plan on writing a mammoth post of the best things to do there, but if you are planning on just spending a few hours in the city (which I would sincerely recommend you extend already 😉 ), here are some of my top recommendations of things to do!

Things to do on a layover in Kuala Lumpur

Visit Jalan Alor and Tapak Urban Street Dining food markets
Go to the world-famous Batu Caves
See the second tallest building in the world – the Merdeka 118!
Make your way to the top of the Petronas Towers
Wander through the Botanical Gardens
Trek through the Eco Forest Park
Check out the KL Menara Tower
Visit the National Mosque
See Merdeka Square

There are so many more things I could recommend that you see and do while on a layover in Kuala Lumpur but the point of this post is to try and convince you to stay longer than just a few short hours!

If you have the ability to, I would thoroughly recommend spending more than just a day in KL; I honestly don’t think you’d regret it!

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