Vansh TiwariAfter landing in Kuala Lumpur & collecting our baggage, we have our first 2 days in Kuala Lumpur until we leave for our next destination, which I will reveal towards the end of this blog.
However, let me express again, that this was my first international flight to Kuala Lumpur. You can read the first blog from the Malaysia series in detail.
Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) is approximately 50 km away from Kuala Lumpur City.
Table of Contents
How to commute from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to your hotel?
You can try using the KL Rapid Rail or a bus. Being a first-timer in the city would become quite complicated for you.
Nevertheless, I am sure you must have several suitcases. Therefore, it would be best to book a taxi.
Grab is a preferred choice for booking taxis online in Malaysia at reasonable prices. Like, in India, we have Ola & Uber.
No doubt, the roads are ideal for driving. You will smoothly reach your hotel.
Where to stay in Kuala Lumpur?
Undoubtedly, Kuala Lumpur will excite you to stay in luxurious hotels with phenomenal views—particularly the one with the pool overlooking the Petronas Twin Towers.
You can indeed look for those hotels.
But, we wanted to look for budget hotels. Hence, after online research, I came across Pacific Express Hotel Chinatown.
It appeared a perfect location to stay with nearby street markets like Petaling Street & Central Market Kuala Lumpur in Chinatown.
Immediately, I sent the hotel details to my sister; she was doing all the reservations.
So, within no time, we secured our stay for the first 48 hrs in the Pacific Express Hotel Chinatown.
Pacific Express Hotel Chinatown, Photograph – © Vansh Tiwari
In the Pacific Express hotel, the check-in was after 3 p.m. Though, we reached the hotel well before and filled in all the details.
After that, we requested the receptionist to provide the room if it was vacant—we got it earlier.
The room was spacious and nice!
Hurriedly, we got freshened up and were ready to explore in an hour.
Also Read, Can you fly a drone in Kuala Lumpur?
How to spend your most promising 2 days in Kuala Lumpur?
Day – 1 in Kuala Lumpur
1. Hop-on-Hop-off Bus
hop-on-hop-off bus Kuala Lumpur, Photograph – © Vansh Tiwari
The hop-on-hop-off bus is a double-decker bus with an open-top deck. You can see prominent attractions in Kuala Lumpur on the hop-on-hop-off bus. It’s a combination of city and garden routes.
Primarily the bus has two options:
- 24-hour pass
- 48-hour pass
24 hr or 48 hr pass is simply a 1-day or 2-day tour.
The timings of the bus is 9 a.m to 6 p.m.
I got confused, that 24-hour bus tour is, “I can ride on this bus for 24 hrs”. Indeed, I learned later, that the timings are 9 a.m to 6 p.m & not 9 – 9.
When you have the tickets, you can start your journey from any available bus stop.
What’s the price for a full-day tour or a 24-hour pass?
Primarily, you can book bus tickets for the Hop-on Hop-off bus a few days before from Klook— the price for non-Malaysians is 60 MYR per person & for Malaysians is 30 MYR. You can check all the details on the website.
Likewise, there’s an offline ticket counter in Bukit Bintang’s main kiosk just next to where the main bus journey begins. However, I recommend booking online since the chances of tickets getting sold out are extremely high offline.
This bus is an excellent choice if you have only 48 hrs in Kuala Lumpur.
Note – Take an umbrella or hair cap with you, to protect from the sun. Unfortunately, I didn’t take anything to protect my head. So, the sun was constantly testing my patience.
Although, the bus’s low floor, has an A/C. So, it’s your choice how you would like to tour the city.
We prefer sitting in the open-top deck area to view the city without any filter.
What places does the hop-on-hop-off bus would cover?
You can see the below map that the bus follows.
hop-on-hop-off bus route map
The bus covers 27 spots divided into city & garden tours.
You can hop-on-hop-off “n” times a day.
Also, there’s an automated audio guide on the bus which will provide you with the details of the attraction.
Eventually, the bus only lets you glimpse the attractions from outside. You have to decide where to hop off and see sincerely.
Though, the buses come after every 20-30 mins. So, you can see around freely without the thought of missing your ride. And, hop on in any of the next buses.
Is it worth seeing Kuala Lumpur on the hop-on-hop-off bus?
Honestly, it would be very boring to glance at every other spot simply sitting on the bus.
We started our bus journey from Bukit Bintang’s main Kiosk with the garden route at around 11 a.m.
After around 1:30 – 2 hours, the garden route ended, and genuinely it felt boring to simply glimpse at the attractions from outside.
Then, what I thought was:
Although, first see all the places from outside on the bus, then make a list of the places I would like to visit personally.
For example, we wanted to visit Petronas Twin Tower, number 6 on the route list.
Then, we started the other half bus journey number 1 to 14. Eventually, we hopped out on number 6 at the KLCC bus stop to see the Petronas Twin Towers.
Indeed, the bus journey would be worth it if you plan which attraction you favor to give a personal touch.
I thoroughly enjoyed the city route, as it has skyscraper buildings in whichever direction you move your eye.
Skyscraper buildings, Photographs – © Vansh Tiwari
In between, we had sandwiches to satisfy our hunger for some time because the place where we hopped off the bus had no nearby vegetarian restaurant. Therefore, we took the sandwiches from 7-Eleven.
We hopped off the bus at Petronas Twin Tower.
It was around 3 p.m. when the bus reached Petronas Twin Tower stop. We hopped out of the bus.
My first reaction—the Petronas Twin Tower is huge!!
Petronas Twin Towers, Photograph – © Vansh Tiwari
Foremost, we got our photos clicked uniquely.
Then, after capturing moments outside, it was time to go inside.
We entered and headed straight to get the top-floor tickets of the Petronas Twin Tower.
Unfortunately, the tickets for the following 3 days were sold out.
Luckily, we had another day morning at Kuala Lumpur. So, immediately, we decided to book our tickets for that day at 9 a.m. The line for which will start at 8:45 a.m.
Ticket price to visit the top of the Petronas Twin Tower?
Importantly, the Petronas Twin Towers are closed on Mondays and public holidays. Thus, plan your visit accordingly, and book your tickets in advance to stay away from FOMO.
The ticket price for visiting the Petronas Twin Tower’s top floor is 98 MYR for non-Malaysians.
If you’re a non-Malaysian, you have to pay more than the Malaysians, which is obvious.
You can reserve your tickets online in advance.
Aquaria KLCC
Aquaria was 1.7 km away from Petronas Twin Tower. You can easily cover the distance on foot.
To reach Aquaria, we decided to walk. Genuinely, the streets of Kuala Lumpur were astonishing!
Beautiful Architecture, Photographs – © Vansh Tiwari
Those massive buildings, moreover, the magnificent architecture were a moment to capture.
Though, while the others walked ahead, I took some time and pictured the establishments.
What is the entrance ticket price for Aquaria KLCC?
For non-Malaysians, the entry price ticket for Aquaria is 60 MYR approximately on the weekends and slightly less on the weekdays.
It was a Saturday evening, hence, a high-priced weekend! Nevertheless, you can visit the Aquaria KLCC website to read about it in detail.
Mind-Blowing Aquaria
Honestly, from the entry, the Aquaria didn’t look promising and time-worthy. But, as soon as I advanced further, it was ultimate! The types of fish and their proper upkeep had blown away my mind.
From small to big, even small sharks, the underwater creatures will leave you stunned!
Aquaria, Photograph – © Vansh Tiwari
The aquaria was huge, and divided into different sections.
I recommend you wait till the feeding time. There are different feeding times for different Aquatic animals.
Indeed, there would be a lot of people, but, take your time.
We were in the Aquaria for nearly 1:30 hours – 2 hours. Visiting Aquaria is the best thing to do in your 2 days in Kuala Lumpur.
Don’t miss it!!
When we were moving toward the exit, there was a photography session, where the photographer would tell you to do multiple poses and press the shutter.
Interestingly, those photo’s backgrounds got replaced by underwater backdrops.
Photo session at Aquaria KLCC, Photograph – © Vansh Tiwari
However, you need to pay to get those photographs. They will make an album and hand it over to you.
It was about 7 p.m. when we came out of Aquaria.
Where to go in the evening in your 2 days in Kuala Lumpur?
We were hungry and wanted to eat Dosa.
The nearest restaurant was Saravana Bhawan at the Surya KLCC Petronas Twin Tower.
Then we again walked to the same place.
I was so starving that I ate 2 paneer dosas back to back!
Petronas Twin Tower for the night fountain and music show
There was a glass window where we were sitting. When we glanced outside, the colorful fountain show had started.
Unknowingly, we have another intriguing thing to explore.
Petronas Twin Tower at Night, Photograph – © Vansh Tiwari
Soon after finishing dinner, we went downstairs and admired the attractive fountain show & the crowd gathered to witness it. Shortly, the music with the fountain show began.
It’s a free-of-cost show.
Music & Fountain show at Petronas Twin Tower
Simultaneously, it was also the moment to get photographed. Precisely, the moments like these take years to come. Therefore, enjoying while staying in the present was notably required.
It was a pleasing time there. We spent almost an hour and more at the same spot.
It was a tiresome day that required a good sleep.
Day – 2 in Kuala Lumpur
The first half of the second day was reserved for visiting the Batu caves.
Batu Cave
We took a grab.
The distance from Chinatown to Batu Caves was approximately 14 km.
We reached inside 30-40 mins.
It was around 10 a.m. & the crowd was already present there.
I was mesmerized to see the giant statue of Murugan & the steep stairs behind that would lead to Batu Caves.
Stairs on the left to the Batu Caves and Murugan statue on the right, Photograph – © Vansh Tiwari
Genuinely, by looking around I felt I was in India—People were feeding pigeons, & monkeys running everywhere, indeed.
Entry to the Batu Caves
Entry to the Batu caves is free. You can also take your cameras along with you.
Is there a dress code for Batu Caves?
Womens are required to wear long dresses and have shoulders covered. For men, an appropriate outfit like jeans, or trousers would work.
It’s a place to worship, so you have to dress suitably.
Stairs to the Batu Caves
There are approximately 270 colorful stairs to the Batu caves.
In between, you will meet a bunch of monkeys ready to grab food. Thus, stay attentive and keep things to yourself.
The stairs are steep, so you should halt for short intervals.
Inside the Batu Caves
Diyas inside Batu Caves, Photograph – © Vansh Tiwari
The temple inside the Batu caves is formed magnificently.
You can spend plenty of time inside.
There arrived a moment when the sunlight was falling only at a particular place inside the cave. It appeared like a blessing from the god.
Blessing from the god, Left Photograph – © Vansh Tiwari
We went downstairs shortly and started looking around.
Cave Villa
Next to the Batu caves was a cave villa which has a beautiful-looking pond, caged snacks, and dance performances.
The price for this was 15 MYR.
Pond at the entrance of the Cave Villa, Photograph – © Vansh Tiwari
We passed the pond at the entrance, which also has turtles in it.
Then, there was another cave for the caged snakes. Different varieties of active snakes were kept for display.
Photo session with snakes
There was also a photo session with the snakes, which my sister and brother did. They were given the snakes to hold and meanwhile, photographs were captured.
I didn’t enjoy being surrounded by snakes, so I stayed away.
After that, we moved to the dance performance area where trained individuals were entertaining the individuals with their dancing skills.
Sooner, we started starving. Therefore, we booked a grab and went to Little India Brickfields—a location in Kuala Lumpur to have our lunch.
Chinatown
It was nearing 3:30 p.m., we headed back to our hotel to rest. But, my motive was still left for the day.
I went downstairs after changing my sweaty clothes. The plan was to shoot a time-lapse and I had noticed a perfect spot for that.
After completing the task, I went to the room to rest.
It was around 7 p.m., and we again went outside to explore.
The entrance to the petaling street was just a road cross away. We went inside, it was full of clothing and electronics. I envisioned it as a food street market. But, couldn’t find anything for a Vegetarian to eat.
After moving willy-nilly in search of a place to eat, we came across a south Indian restaurant “Sri Ganesha Restaurant “which became our favorite place to eat for the remainder of the Kuala Lumpur stay.
It was an amazing first 2 days in Kuala Lumpur!!
Summing-Up
Undoubtedly, 2 days in Kuala Lumpur is not enough to explore the city. Though, if you plan well, you can experience a lot of things.
End of the day, when I was going to bed and transferring almost 50GB of data to my laptop, I was content I gave my best!
Indeed, I stayed in Malaysia for 5 days, the first 2 days in Kuala Lumpur, 1 day at Genting Highland, and then the remaining days in Kuala Lumpur again.
But, first 48 hours, we experienced a lot of things.
The next day, we experienced an adventure above 6000ft at Genting Skyworld Theme Park.
Now, it’s your turn…
Please share your Kuala Lumpur experience with me or any other thoughts. I would be happy to hear.
Great Blog! I remember spending my first night in the KLCC area too and admiring the twin towers. So majestic and grand 🙂
I visited the Petronas Twin Towers multiple times! The architecture is indeed majestic. Moreover, I feel It’s the best place to spend your late evenings.
Thanks for reading ✌️