Kuala Lumpur Area Guide

Everything you need to know about KL's areas

Southeast Asia’s youngest capital and one of its most economically successful, Kuala Lumpur is a developing city that’s steadily gaining international recognition. Founded in the mid 19th century, KL’s streets bustle with construction apparatus as it strives to emulate the bold élan of mega-buck cities like Hong Kong and New York. The city doesn’t really have one particular style – grand Moorish, Moghul, Malay and Victorian structures like Merdeka Square give way to ultramodern edifices like the Petronas Twin Towers. Neither slow-paced nor particularly charming, KL boasts a certain charisma – beyond the city limits, as long as you look in the right places, you’ll find shaded alleyways with residents playing mahjong.

Bangsar

Bangsar is one of Kuala Lumpur's most popular nighttime entertainment districts. The streets of Bangsar, mainly in Telawi and Maarof, are littered with night clubs, pubs and bistros, making it one party area during the weekends. Bangsar is also a large residential area (mainly for the affluent) but residents have grown accustomed to the hive of activity that Bangsar generates during the night. Read More...

Bukit Bintang

This area is so popular simply because it caters for almost every taste and budget when it comes to shopping. You'll be spoilt for choice by the endless array of fashion goods and merchandise here! Read More...

Chinatown

Known as Petaling Street; KL's Chinatown is not just known as a stronghold of Chinese culture, but what really makes it popular is the fantastic shopping opportunities in a open-air bazaar-like environment. Read More...

Golden Triangle

Known as Kuala Lumpur's commercial, shopping and entertainment hub, the Golden Triangle is actually a large area that encompasses a number of major streets. Three roads - Jalan Imbi, Jalan Sultan Ismail and Jalan Raja Chulan form a triangle which borders the entire Golden Triangle area. Here, towering scrapers, shopping malls and world-class hotels pierce the landscape. Read More...

Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC)

Shopping is KLCC's main feature and the most popular mall in the area is the Suria KLCC nestled between the Petronas Twin Towers. Read More...

Old Klang Road

Old Klang Road is one of the oldest and most historically-significant roads in Kuala Lumpur. Several decades ago, it was the only link between Kuala Lumpur and Port Klang which is at the coastline. Today, its role has been surpassed by major highways but the road remains an important point of transport and communication for the Klang Valley. Read More...

Petaling Jaya

Petaling Jaya, known as 'PJ', was recently declared a city, but it is still mainly an urban area to accommodate the large population that live and work in the Klang Valley (Kuala Lumpur city and adjoining modern suburbs in Selangor State). Petaling Jaya is mostly a place for locals, with few tourist attractions. Read More...

Putrajaya

Putrajaya is Malaysia's third and latest Federal Territory. Built on an expansive marshland and former oil palm estate in Selangor, the city spans an area of almost 5,000 hectares and lies 25 km from Kuala Lumpur. Much organisation and planning have gone into the development of Putrajaya as a modern city with the latest communication technologies and progressive infrastructure. Read More...

Klang

Klang is where a large port is located. An industrial area, the landscape is littered with factories, ships, cranes and shop lots with a strong smell akin to burning cheese filling the air. Klang does not offer much for visitors except for leisure fishing by the bridge and a Chinese dish called 'Bah Kut Teh', a delicious concoction of pig innards in boiling herbal soup.

Shah Alam / Subang Jaya

Subang Jaya is known as an educational hub in the Klang Valley for its many education institutions scattered in and around the area. A few shopping complexes and hypermarket are found around Subang Jaya, including Carrefour, Sunway Pyramid and Summit USJ. Most of the area is covered by residential homes.

Shah Alam is on the West of Kuala Lumpur and is the capital city of Selangor State. An industrial area, Shah Alam has a strong Malay population, which is why many road street signs have Jawi characters below them. Shah Alam is most famous for the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque, which is one of the largest in Southeast Asia. The Proton manufacturing plant, Malaysia's first car-maker, is located here.

Kuala Lumpur Area Guide

Everything you need to know about KL's areas

Klang

Shah Alam / Subang Jaya

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