The trip to kuala lumpur

The capital of Malaysia is an adventure in itself. In no other place do so many different cultures live together peacefully and collectively as in “ KL.” That is how the locals call their city, where there is much to discover. Old architecture mixes with the modern so that temples are to find next to skyscrapers. The most famous of these are the Petronas Towers, the landmark of the city. What we discovered in KL you will learn in this article.

Airport transfer

After a 13 hours flight with a stopover in Doha, we reached the airport in Kuala Lumpur, also called KLIA. It is the largest in Malaysia and even a significant “ hub” in Southeast Asia. From here you can reach almost any destination quickly and inexpensively. Nearby are cheap places to stay if you want to use the KLIA only as a stopover. These can be easily reached by shuttle service. Since the airport is located approximately 50 km outside the city, there are mainly 3 different ways to get to the town.

KLIA Ekspres

The transfer by train takes about 30 minutes and is the fastest way to get to the city. The modern trains run between 05: 00 in the morning and 01: 00 am at night every quarter to half an hour. With 55 MYR (about 12 EUR), this variant is one of the most convenient ways to get to the city center Taxi – Similar to the train you need a cab about 30 minutes to the city center. As far as the theory, because due to the congested roads, especially to the “ rush hour” the trip can take proper 1 – 1. 5 hours. Priced with round about 50 – 100 MRY (12-22EUR), his option is recommended if you want to drive directly to your accommodation. Bus – The Airport Coach departs daily between 05: 30 and 00: 30 am, every half hour, to KL Sentral. The trip, by bus, takes about 1 hour but similar to the taxi it can cause delays due to traffic jams. Again, you should plan the 1. 5 hours. Concerning price, this variant is unbeatable, because 10 MRY (2 EUR – one way) and 18 MRY (3. 50 EUR – round trip) are just a bargain. Your luggage will be inclusive. We decided on the bus, and we finally needed the 1. 5 hours for the transit but tired of the flight, a nap shortened the time.

KL Central

No matter which way you will arrive at the central station of KL, here you have to orient yourself. The public transport network (KL Rapid) consists, in addition to various bus lines, of Metro lines (LRT / monorail) and the KTM Komuter, a suburban train. There are multiple ways to change trains, and you have to use them to reach your destination. In the following, I will give you the essential information, because the trains have different operating times.

Monorail – As you may expect from the word, this is a monorail train moving on concrete pillars through the streets of KL. Trains run between 06: 00 and 23: 30 from KL Sentral.

LRT – There are mainly three lines, with two of them sharing a section (Ampang Line and Sri Petaling Line). The third one is the Klena Jaya line.

Klena Jaya line: Station KL Sentral – Monday – Saturday: 06: 00 – 00: 00 o’clock Sundays and holidays 06: 00 am – 11: 25 pm

Ampang and Sri Petaling line: Station Chan So Lin: Attention, the track forks here! Monday – Saturday: 06: 00 – 00: 00 o’clock Sundays and holidays 06: 00 am – 11: 40 pm

KTM Komuter – This is a stand-alone network. You can find the route map here. There is something special about these trains. One wagon is exclusively for women. You can buy tickets at all stations along the KTM line. Usually, there is even a small switch, which is staffed with an employee, if you have questions. Finally, it remains to say that it looks worse than it is. You can find your way around, and in case of doubt, you can always ask questions somewhere. The people are accommodating. The prices are between 0. 70 and 2. 80 MRY for a one-way ticket. That’s a maximum of about 60 cents for a complete route. Unbeatable I would say. If you still want to calculate the costs, here is the link to the website. Just enter the desired stations to get an overview.

The accommodation

There are countless beautiful places to stay in KL, and I would say that we have landed a lucky hit. Why am I telling you right now! Since KL was the first stop on our trip to Malaysia, we booked a stay in KL from Germany. The choice fell on an Airbnb apartment called “ KL Modern Studio” (Regalia Residence). The price was more than fair, and the communication with our host was uncomplicated. The icing on the cake was an infinity pool overlooking the Petronas Towers. Well, I’m curious. We are now at the KL Sentral with our backpacks and have to go with the KTM Komuter in the direction of Batu Caves, to the station Putra. The tickets cost us 2 MRY per person, and in a jiffy, we sit on the train. Fortunately, not in the women’s compartment, because at the time we did not know that it existed. Once arrived in Putra, we first look for the residence, but somehow we do not find it. It must be one of the skyscrapers, but we are still not sure. After we have walked through the streets a bit aimlessly, a stranger speaks to us and lucky us he lives in the same residence. The universe has directed it once again.

Unfortunately, he leaves today so we can not thank him with a beer. We have to get back to the train station and then just across the road, down a small dirt track, to reach the entrance. Somewhat unconventional but that’s how we finally reached the goal. The complex looks classy. A courtyard with a pool, modern reception and very well maintained. I’m excited. Also, the room keeps what the pictures promised. Very friendly and even we are dead tired, from the long journey, we are curious about the infinity pool. Just catch a quick glance and then off to bed. Once at the top it almost takes our breath away, because what we have seen here we could not imagine in our dreams. It is already dark, but over the edge of the pool, there is a fantastic view of the landmark from KL. Even in the dark an experience that I would not want to miss. The 17 EUR per person the night we could not have invested better.

At this point, the first part of the Kuala Lumpur report ends because as tired as we were at that time, as enough it is with the length of this article. I hope you are looking forward to the next part because there is a lot to discover in KL.