Malaysia and Singapore were the two places I visited on my first ever trip to Southeast Asia and they both stole my heart. Kuala Lumpur is an amazing city. The blend of cultures, the incredible food, and the rich history make it a popular destination. In this blog post I will share the perfect 3 day Kuala Lumpur itinerary for your first visit. This post contains affiliate links. When you make a purchase I may get a small commission at no extra cost to you. Find out more here.
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Day 1 KL itinerary: Temple, butterfly park, and KLCC
The first day in Kuala Lumpur is dedicated to visiting a famous Buddhist temple, a garden full of butterflies, and the famous Kuala Lumpur City Centre (or KLCC for short) area.
Thean Hou Temple
Thean Hou is one of the largest temples in Southeast Asia. It’s a six-tiered temple of the Chinese sea-goddess Mazu.
This temple is also one of the most visited tourist attractions in Kuala Lumpur, so it will be busy.
The temple has some impressive architecture that blends traditional design with modern techniques. It has spectacular roofs and a lot of colorful lanterns and other decorations.
You can go inside the temple, but have to remove your shoes first.
Inside the temple they have these things that look like containers with a lot of tiny drawers. And inside the container there are some long wooden objects that look like spears and all have a number on them.
You need to grab all of them, lift them a bit, and then throw them back in the container. There will usually be a spear that stays taller than the rest when you do this.
Read the number on it and then take a message card from the little drawer that has that number.
The message will have a prediction about your finances, relationships, health, and travel opportunities. I have no idea how true these predictions are, but it’s a fun thing to do while you’re there.
KL Butterfly Park at the Perdana Botanical Gardens
I think of Kuala Lumpur as a mix of jungle and concrete jungle. That’s because the city has plenty of skyscrapers, but it also has plenty of green spaces.
The botanical garden is one of these green spaces. The butterfly park is a separate enclosed area that has trees and plants and a lot of species of butterflies flying around.
The butterflies are really pretty and come in all sizes and colors. You can spend some time watching them and just walk around all the green areas.
The butterflies won’t come sit on you. I tried to keep my hand out thinking one of them might rest on it, but it didn’t happen. They seem to just do their thing and not interact with people.
The garden itself is on the small size, but very well kept. There are bridges, gazebos, and cute alleys. And even a little waterfall.
I’ve never been to a butterfly park before, so I loved the experience here.
I do need to warn you that it’s really hot there. There is no AC and the greenhouse effect makes it feel really hot and humid.
KL Tower
After the visits to the temple and the butterfly garden it’s time to go up some of the tallest buildings in Kuala Lumpur. You should grab a car from the butterfly park to get to KLCC.
Otherwise the walk is pretty long. And trust me, you don’t want to go on a long walk in that heat and humidity.
KL Tower is a 421 meter telecommunications tower. It’s the seventh tallest telecommunications tower in the world.
It has a 360 degree open air observation deck. You’ll be able to get some incredible panoramic views of the city here, including the iconic Petronas Twin Towers.
The KL city skyline is gorgeous and going up the KL Tower is one of the top things you should do in the Malaysian capital.
KL was my favorite observation deck. Yes, I liked it more than the famous Petronas Towers. I’ll explain why in the next section.
Petronas Twin Towers
The Petronas Twin Towers are probably the most iconic landmarks of Kuala Lumpur. They are also a symbol of the city and the tallest twin towers in the world.
I lived in NYC and traveled a lot, so I’ve seen plenty of skyscrapers. But I have to say there is something special about the Petronas towers. They have that wow effect that not a lot of tall buildings have.
The observation deck is less impressive compared to KL Tower. That’s because the entire experience is indoors, while you get an outdoors experience at KL Tower.
In addition, you’ll get a close-up view of one of the twin towers since you’ll be in the other one. But the view of both twin towers from KL Tower is much better.
They do have some interactive exhibits and opportunities for taking pictures. But given that the entrance fee is a similar price to the one at KL Tower, if you can only visit one observation deck I recommend KL Tower.
KLCC Park
KLCC Park is a nice urban park right at the bottom of the Petronas towers. There is a water fountain, plenty of trails and trees, and a running trail.
It’s also a great spot to get some very cute pictures with the twin towers.
Shopping at Suria KLCC Mall
After strolling through the park it’s time to get some air conditioning and do some shopping at Suria Mall.
Suria Mall is the mall at the twin towers. It is big and it has a lot of shops and dining options.
I have been to multiple shopping malls in Kuala Lumpur and the shopping scene is elite. There are so many options for everything you would want to buy. That’s why I included some shopping on the itinerary.
Another great mall to check out if you have time is Pavilion.
KLCC Lake Symphony Light and Sound Water Fountain
The first day ends at KLCC Park for the light and sound water fountain show. You can watch the show at 8pm, 9pm or 10pm every day. It lasts for about 10-15 minutes.
I loved it. It’s really cute to see the water dance on the beats of the music playing.
It’s a very popular show. There are a lot of people coming to see it, but you still have enough space to sit down on the steps in front of the water fountain. It’s free to attend.
Day 2 KL itinerary: Batu Caves and Chinatown
Day 2 is dedicated to exploring the famous Batu Caves and a lot of incredible places in Chinatown.
Batu Caves
Batu Caves is a Hindu Temple located about 8 miles / 13 kilometers north of Kuala Lumpur. It’s one of the most visited attractions in Kuala Lumpur.
It’s a really gorgeous temple as all 274 steps that lead up to the cave entrance are painted in bright colors. These colorful steps are a great spot for pictures.
When you go up the stairs watch out for the monkeys. They steal food and can be pretty aggressive, so I suggest you don’t carry any snacks or bags with you during your visit.
On the ground level there is a very large golden statue of the deity Murugan. Once you make your way up, inside the cave, there are multiple temples and you can observe all the rituals and practices they perform.
It’s free to visit, but be mindful that many people come here to pray, so cover your shoulder and keep your voice down once you enter the cave.
Central Market
Central Market is a cute market that has been operating since 1888 in Chinatown. It has lots of shops where you can buy souvenirs, traditional batik art, and handmade objects.
One of the shops also offers a batik painting workshop here where you can paint your own souvenirs to take home. I visited during Eid, so they were closed, but if you want a unique experience I recommend you sign up for this.
Sin Sze Si Ya Temple
Also in Chinatown is the oldest Taoist temple in Kuala Lumpur, Sin Sze Si Ya. This is a bit of a hidden gem that my local friend introduced me to. There weren’t any tourists, just locals praying and making offerings to the gods.
It’s a really special temple with a lot of history. There is a long table inside the temple and the legend says that if you crawl under the table from one end to the other and make a wish, this wish comes true.
BookXcess RexKL Bookstore
Another hidden gem is this cute bookstore. As you get there go to the top floor. There you’ll see a lot of books arranged in multiple bookcases that have some empty spots where people can sit.
It’s the perfect place to snap some adorable pictures. And if you want to buy a book as a souvenir from your Kuala Lumpur trip, this is a great place for that too.
Petaling Street Market
Petaling Street Market is a busy market that sells all kinds of items, from clothes, shoes, to fruit and street food. It’s a popular tourist destination.
I recommend you only buy fruit or food here, and stay away from all the stalls selling clothes, shoes, and trinkets. They inflate the prices for tourists and you’ll have to haggle if you buy something.
Even my local friend told me to just keep walking and avoid eye contact while I was there haha.
It’s definitely worth visiting for the experience, but maybe do your shopping somewhere else.
If you decide to try the fruit, you should buy some mangosteen, a tropical fruit that you can’t easily find in other parts of the world. It’s delicious, sweet and tart at the same time.
Be careful not to get any peel juice on you because all locals told me that you won’t be able to get the stain out with anything.
Kway Chai Hong alleyway
I loved Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur. It’s probably my favorite neighborhood. Another cool spot here is the Kway Chai Hong alleyway.
It’s one of the most instagrammable spots in the city. It has restored pre-war shophouses, lots of impressive street art, the oldest lamp post in Kuala Lumpur, and a great speakeasy bar.
It’s one of the best spots in KL to take some epic pictures. It’s just so cute!
Day 3 KL itinerary: Day trip to Malacca or Cameron Highlands
If you have time, you should take at least one day trip while you’re in Kuala Lumpur. I went to both Cameron Highlands and Malacca, and both were day trips. There are so many beautiful places and so much history outside of Kuala Lumpur!
Also, as I flew there from Europe and it was such a long journey, I wanted to see as much as possible of Malaysia.
Malacca
Malacca is a port city with a very tumultuous history. It was a city perfectly positioned for international trade. In the early 1500 it was conquered by the Portuguese.
Then the Dutch defeated the Portuguese and ruled Malacca from 1641 to 1798. Then in the 1800’s it was ceded to the British in exchange for another place on Sumatra.
During World War II it was ruled by the Japanese. And as of 1963 it became part of independent Malaysia.
The city has a lot of influences from both the Portuguese and the Dutch. It’s a very unique city to visit and to learn more about its history.
I went on this day trip and I opted for the private tour. The driver was amazing and he shared so much about Malacca both as we were driving there and after we arrived. But he also gave us free time to explore on our own.
It takes a bit under 2 hours to get to Malacca from Kuala Lumpur. You leave KL around 7am and return in the early afternoon, so you can make plans for dinner in KL.
Lunch was included in the price. We picked a banana leaf lunch and it was the best Indian food I’ve had in Malaysia.
Can’t recommend this day trip enough! I loved it!
Cameron Highlands
Another great choice for a day trip is Cameron Highlands. It’s an area in the mountains where they have tea plantations.
Since you’re going up in altitude the temperature will be a bit cooler and more bearable than Kuala Lumpur.
The drive to Cameron Highland takes 3-4 hours, so it takes longer to get there compared to Malacca.
But you’ll be able to visit a tea plantation (and drink some incredible tea), go to a strawberry farm where you can pick your own strawberries, visit a waterfall, and a butterfly park.
All activities on this day trip are very unique and they are worth the longer drive. Plus, the drive is very scenic as you start ascending to Cameron Highlands.
This is the day trip I took and I opted for the private tour. Unfortunately I went on this day trip when all locals were leaving Kuala Lumpur for the Ramadan celebrations, so traffic was really bad.
It took us about 5 hours to get to Cameron Highlands and we didn’t have time to go to the butterfly farm.
I knew this when I booked, so I take full responsibility for it. For me, being able to visit Cameron Highlands was more important than doing all activities. So I’m glad I went and I don’t regret my choice even though it was a long day in traffic.
FAQs about Kuala Lumpur
Where should I stay in Kuala Lumpur?
I stayed at Villa Samadhi, a 5-star boutique hotel that offers so much lush greenery and serenity that you forget you’re in the heart of Kuala Lumpur.
I had access to the pool from my room and it was fantastic. The perfect way to cool down after exploring the city in hot and humid weather.
You can find a full review of Villa Samadhi here.
What should I eat in Kuala Lumpur?
There are 3 cultures that co-exist in Malaysia: Malay, Chinese and Indian. The Malay people come from Indonesia and they were the first to arrive in Malaysia.
The Chinese came to set up the tin mining business. Malaysia used to be a big exporter of tin and they needed the mining knowledge that the Chinese people already had.
During the British colonial era, the British brought Indians to Malaysia to work on rubber plantations and to build the railroads.
Both the Chinese and Indians stayed in Malaysia and these 3 distinct cultures are still preserved in today’s Malaysia. Which also means that you get to eat Malay, Chinese and Indian food when you visit Malaysia.
You can do a food tour to try as many dishes as possible.
Banana leaf (Indian food)
For the best Indian food you need to go to banana leaf restaurant where they actually serve you the food on a large banana leaf.
You will be served rice, a lot of different kinds of veggies, some pickles, curries, and meat (if you eat meat). The veggies are the same for everyone, but you can pick the type of rice you want (plain or biriani) and the type of meat or fish.
The place where my local friend took us was Sri Nirwana Maju. The food here was delicious.
Chinese food
When you’re in Kuala Lumpur you must eat on Jalan Alor Food Street once. It’s a street full of street food stalls and restaurants that becomes alive at night.
We ate at Meng Kee Grill Fish and shared a bunch of dishes. It’s nice if you’re eating here with a larger group since you’ll be able to try more dishes.
Everything we had was really good, so pick whatever sounds good to you from the menu.
Malay food
If you visit Kuala Lumpur during Ramadan, you have to go to a Ramadan Food Market. They are open only during the period when they fast from 4-7pm.
This way, people who don’t have time to cook can grab some food to eat after sunset when they break fast.
I went to the Bazar Ramadan Kampong Baru. They had so many street vendors selling traditional food. Try everything! It’s some of the best food I had in KL.
If you visit outside of Ramadan make sure you try nasi lemak, one of the most popular dishes in Malaysia. It’s made from rice, chicken, egg, peanuts, small dried salty fish, and some cucumbers.
What is the best time to visit Kuala Lumpur?
I visited late March and the weather cooperated for the most part. No matter when you visit it will be hot and humid and temperatures will be around 25-32 degrees Celsius (77-90 F). However, because of the humidity, it feels like it’s even hotter.
There will most likely be thunderstorms. It happened almost every day when I was there. But the good news is that they mostly last for a few hours. And other than that it tends to be pretty sunny.
How can I get to the city center from Kuala Lumpur International Airport?
Public transportation
You can take the KLIA Ekspres train from the Kuala Lumpur airport to KL Sentral, the main train station in the city. The trip takes about 30 minutes. Trains run every 15-20 minutes, depending on the time of day.
You can also take the bus from the airport to get to KLCC. This is the cheapest option, but it usually takes over an hour to get to the city. So I recommend this option only if you’re on a very tight budget.
Grab
Grab is the most popular e-ride app in Asia. It’s basically the Uber of Asia. So make sure to download the app before your trip.
The app is super easy to use. The service is very reliable and you can easily get a car.
This is the most convenient option to get to your hotel from the airport.
Plus, Grab is really affordable. The trip from the airport to the city center takes about one hour and it cost me only about $15. The same trip in NYC would cost you 10X this amount.
If you don’t want to download yet another app, then you can schedule a private transfer.
How can I get around Kuala Lumpur?
Kuala Lumpur is a huge city and I didn’t find it very walkable. Pretty much everyone drives there.
If you need to get from one destination to the other I recommend you get a Grab car. The prices are really affordable. It usually costs only a few dollars and it’s the easiest way to get around.
How to get cell phone data when visiting from abroad?
The cheapest and most convenient way to get data while visiting from abroad is to buy an eSIM. An eSIM is a digital SIM that lets you activate a data plan from a provider without having to use a physical SIM card. They are super easy to use.
I use Airalo. You can go to their website, select the country you’re traveling to, select how many GB of data you want, and how many days you want the eSIM to be active for. After you pay you will receive a confirmation email with instructions on how to activate the eSIM.
You can activate it on your phone and the process takes under 1 minute. Once the eSIM is activated you don’t have to do anything else. When you’re at your destination you will automatically get data.
Is Kuala Lumpur safe for a solo female traveler?
Yes! I felt safe the entire time I was in Kuala Lumpur. I didn’t see any pick pockets or scammers. People are used to seeing tourists and are very friendly.
I have to say that I felt safer in KL than I felt when I visited a Western European capital city.
Kuala Lumpur could be a great destination for a first solo trip to Asia since they use the Latin alphabet, they speak English, and it’s a more developed place compared to other countries in Southeast Asia.
Do I need cash for my trip to Kuala Lumpur?
Yes, you will need cash when you visit Kuala Lumpur. The food markets, some restaurants and some stores only accept cash. Compared to Singapore, cash is a lot more used in Malaysia.
There are plenty of ATMs in the city, so if you forget to get some at the airport there won’t be any problem. If you need to exchange money there are also plenty of exchange places in the city as well.
Pro tip: always get cash from an ATM in the country you’re visiting instead of going to an exchange place. Your bank will always have better exchange rates when taking out cash in a foreign currency from an ATM.
Do I have to tip in Kuala Lumpur?
No, you do not have to tip in Kuala Lumpur. No matter where I ate I never had to leave a tip.
Do I need to book tickets for attractions in advance?
I highly recommend you book all the tickets online in advance of your trip. The popular tourist attractions can get sold out if you don’t book in advance.
Do people speak English in Kuala Lumpur?
Yes, they do. The level of fluency varies from person to person, but I had no problems communicating in English with everyone during my trip.
Do you recommend Kuala Lumpur as a solo destination?
Yes, I think Kuala Lumpur is a great place for a solo trip. There are plenty of things to do, the food is delicious, the people are friendly, and I felt safe.
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Ioana was born and raised in Romania, lived in NYC for 14 years, and is now back in Romania. She fell in love with traveling when she was little and used to visit her aunt in Vienna. Then in high school she was able to visit Siberia, Turkmenistan, Istanbul, and Tokyo through chemistry competitions. As an adult she started to travel solo once she turned 30 and visited 20+ countries so far. Ioana is a full time travel blogger and content creator with an audience of 75K+ people on Instagram. She loves to share travel recommendations and tips.