Kuala Lumpur
Two skylines, the Twin Towers and Merdeka 118, a kitchen with two stars forty-eight floors up, and a business aviation airport on the city’s own doorstep at Subang.
- Arrival
- Kuala Lumpur International · KUL
- To the city
- About 28 minutes to KL Sentral by KLIA Ekspres
- Private jets
- SkyPark FBO at Subang (SZB), open 24 hours
- Best time
- June to August
The city
Steel towers and Tamil temple steps.
Kuala Lumpur has two skylines. Around KLCC, César Pelli’s Petronas Towers stand over the lawns of KLCC Park, with the Four Seasons and The RuMa at their feet and Dewakan cooking on the 48th floor of a tower close by. Across the centre, Merdeka 118 rises 678.9 metres beside Stadium Merdeka, its upper floors given to the Park Hyatt. Out in the suburb of Taman Tun Dr Ismail, two streets hold three starred tables.
It rains in every month. The monsoon builds from October and peaks in November at close to 280 mm; June and July are the driest months, at about 130 to 140 mm, and the afternoons stay at 31 to 33 °C all year. Outside the monsoon, the showers tend to be short.
Arriving
Long-haul at Sepang, private at Subang.
Kuala Lumpur International lies at Sepang, about 45 km south of the centre, and the KLIA Ekspres reaches KL Sentral in about 28 minutes. Business jets use Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport at Subang, the old city airport, now given over to corporate and general aviation.
- Ho Chi Minh City 1 h 40
- Bangkok 1 h 55
- Shanghai 5 h 10
- Delhi 5 h 15
- London 13 h 55 long-range jet
When to go
June to August.
Equatorial and humid, with afternoons of 31 to 33 °C in every month and no true dry season. The monsoon brings the most rain from October to December, up to 278 mm in November. June to August is the calmer stretch, the months most often recommended for avoiding the monsoon.
- 31° J 147
- 32° F 137
- 33° M 218
- 33° A 264
- 32° M 209
- 32° J 130
- 32° J 141
- 32° A 154
- 32° S 190
- 32° O 268
- 31° N 278
- 31° D 232
What to see and do
Days in and around Kuala Lumpur.
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Landmark
The Petronas Towers
Twin towers of 451.9 metres, joined by a double-decker skybridge 170 metres above the ground.
-
Landmark
Merdeka 118
The second-tallest building in the world, on the edge of the old quarter near Petaling Street.
-
Landmark
Batu Caves
A limestone hill 13 km north of the city, where 272 steps climb past a gilded statue of Murugan to a cave temple.
-
Culture
Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia
Opened in 1998 beside the Lake Gardens, its twelve permanent galleries display more than 7,000 objects from across the Islamic world.
Official site -
Opera & music
Dewan Filharmonik Petronas
The Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra plays in this 920 seat hall at the foot of the twin towers, open since 1998.
Official site -
Nature
KL Forest Eco Park
Protected since 1906, nine hectares of rainforest in the centre have three trails and a 200 metre canopy walk up to 21 metres high.
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Nature
Perdana Botanical Gardens
Laid out from 1888 around Perdana Lake, the 91 hectare gardens include orchid and hibiscus gardens, a deer park and the KL Bird Park.
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Golf
Royal Selangor Golf Club
Play began here in 1893, and the club's Old and New courses of 18 holes have hosted the Malaysian Open many times.
-
Culture
Thean Hou Temple
Built by the Hainanese community and opened in 1989, this six tiered temple to the sea goddess Mazu stands on Robson Hill.
Where to stay
Between the two skylines.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
- Mandarin Oriental, Kuala Lumpur Joined to the Petronas Twin Towers and Suria KLCC, with Lai Po Heen for Cantonese cooking and MO Bar for single malts.
- The St. Regis Kuala Lumpur Butlers look after 208 rooms here, and the spa looks over the Perdana Botanical Gardens.
- The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur On Jalan Imbi in the Golden Triangle, where Li Yen cooks Chinese classics listed in the MICHELIN Guide.
- Banyan Tree Kuala Lumpur Fifty-five rooms and suites on Jalan Conlay, and Vertigo, a bar on the roof.
- EQ Kuala Lumpur Sky51, the bar at the top of Equatorial Plaza, made Time Out's list of five rooftop bars in Asia.
- The Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Autograph Collection A hotel of 1932 near KL Sentral, with 47 heritage suites and an orchid conservatory under glass.
- W Kuala Lumpur One hundred and fifty rooms on Jalan Ampang, and an outdoor pool facing the Twin Towers.
- Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur Directly beside the Petronas Twin Towers, and among the first Malaysian hotels given a Key, in 2025.
- The RuMa Hotel and Residences A hotel whose windows frame the Twin Towers across the rooftops of the city centre.
- Else KL Rooms inside the Lee Rubber Building, an Art Deco block of the 1930s.
- Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur Open since August 2025 on levels 75 to 112 of Merdeka 118, and given its first Key in 2026.
Where to dine
Dewakan, and six with one star.
From the MICHELIN Guide 2026, shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these restaurants.
- Dewakan Two Michelin stars Malaysian contemporary $$$$ Naza Tower, 48th floor, Platinum Park, KLCC
- Akar One Michelin star Malaysian contemporary $$$ Jalan Aminuddin Baki, Taman Tun Dr Ismail
- Beta One Michelin star Malaysian contemporary $$$ Cormar Suites, Jalan Perak
- Chim by Chef Noom One Michelin star Thai contemporary $$$$ TSLAW Tower, Jalan Kamuning, Imbi
- DC. by Darren Chin One Michelin star French contemporary $$$$ Persiaran Zaaba, Taman Tun Dr Ismail
- Molina One Michelin star Innovative $$$$ THE FACE Style, 51st floor, Jalan Sultan Ismail
- Terra Dining One Michelin star Malaysian contemporary $$$ Jalan Aminuddin Baki, Taman Tun Dr Ismail
Elsewhere in Malaysia
More reasons to come.
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