Top five ways to enjoy Kuala Lumpur
- Queue for a view
at the Petronas Twin Towers.
- Hone your haggling skills
at Kuala Lumpur's original Chinatown.
- Stroll around the gardens
Rainforest, butterflies and orchids in the 92 hectare Lake Garden.
- High tea or tiffin
at Carcosa Seri Negara, a pair of British colonial mansions.
- Discover reflexology
at Madam Chan Reflexology Massage Centre.
1 Queue for a view
For a unique vantage point, take a trip up the striking steel-and-glass Petronas Twin Towers in the centre of Kuala Lumpur. On the 41st floor you may only be halfway up the 88-storey towers, but you'll find yourself on a skybridge between them, 170 metres above ground. Entry for a 10-minute visit is free, but you must first queue sometimes for hours to get tickets for a timed admission. Only 1300 tickets are issued each day. The ticket counter opens at 8.30am Tuesday to Sunday. Weekends and public holidays are busiest, so try to visit on a weekday morning if possible. When you've admired the view, visit Malaysia's largest and most modern shopping centre downstairs. Suria covers seven storeys.
2 Hone your haggling skills
To brush up your bargaining skills, head to Kuala Lumpur's original Chinatown, Petaling Street. The pre-war shops are open throughout the day but after 6pm the lanterns are lit, streets closed to traffic and the pasar malam (night market) takes over. Stalls sell fresh produce, dried food, herbal remedies, clothing, toys, jewellery and trinkets. Designer knock-offs handbags, hats, T-shirts and more abound. The atmosphere is steamy, noisy and lively. Wind your way through the maze of stalls and be prepared to haggle hard.
3 Stroll around the gardens
Stroll in the city's most popular park, the Lake Garden. Created in the 1880s around an artificial lake, the park covers 92 hectares. The Butterfly Park has 6000 butterflies of more than 120 species in a rainforest setting, and is open on weekdays. Kuala Lumpur Bird Park, the largest bird park in South-East Asia, is open daily except public holidays. The Orchid Garden displays 800 species and at weekends becomes a lively bazaar at which plants and flowers are sold. There is a children's playground, jogging tracks, rowing boats and a small hibiscus garden.
4 High tea or tiffin
Carcosa Seri Negara, a pair of British colonial mansions on 16 hectares above the Lake Garden, is the spot for high tea or a Sunday curry tiffin lunch. Afternoon tea is served daily. Built in 1896, Carcosa was the residence for Britain's highest-ranking officials from 1904 to 1941. With the independence of Malaya in 1957, it became the residence of the British High Commissioner and in 1987 it was returned to Malaysia. Seri Negara was the guesthouse for important visitors, including Queen Elizabeth. See http://www.carcosa.com.my.
5 Discover reflexology
After sightseeing and shopping, your feet may need some attention and in KL that means reflexology. One of the oldest family run reflexology businesses in the city is Madam Chan Reflexology Massage Centre, on the ground floor of the Sungei Wang Plaza shopping mall on Jalan Bukit Bintang. Madam Chan and her team will tend to your feet and give you the benefit of their advice in the ancient art. Or you can have a neck, shoulder and back massage. A 40-minute reflexology session costs about $24.