About Kuala Lumpur

More than any other spot in the country, Kuala Lumpur, or "KL" as it is commonly known, is the focal point of new Malaysia. While the city's past is still present in the evocative British colonial buildings of the Dataran Merdeka and the midnight lamps of the Petaling Street nightmarket, that past is everywhere met with insistent reminders of KL's present and future. The city's bustling streets, its shining, modern office towers, and its cosmopolitan air project an unbounded spirit of progress and symbolize Malaysia's unhesitating leap into the future. To some, this spirit seems to have been gained at the loss of ancient cultural traditions, but in many ways KL marks the continuation rather than the loss of Malaysia's rich past.  KL's commercial centre is a grand meeting place for merchants and travelers from all over the world. KL has grown into a bustling metropolis (metro population 6.9 million) in just 50 years. With the five-star hotels, great shopping and even better food, increasing numbers of travelers are discovering this little gem of a city. For many visitors the center of the city lies in the Golden Triangle, between Jalan Sultan Ismail, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Jalan Pudu, Jalan Tun Perak and Jalan Ampang: this is where most of the city's shopping malls, five-star hotels and trendiest nightspots are, and the Kuala Lumpur City Center (KLCC) development home to the famous Petronas Twin Towers is at the northern edge. But the traditional core of the city lies more to the south, where Merdeka Square has many of KL's best-preserved colonial buildings and Chinatown bustles with activity late into the night.

 

For more information on traveling and sightseeing in Kuala Lumpur, please go to  www.tourism.gov.my.