 Kuala Lumpur Travel & Hotel Guide
 
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and biggest city in Malaysia. It covers an area of 243 sq km (93.8 sq mi) within the Klang Valley. The city of Kuala Lumpur has a population of 1.63 million people (2011 estimate). It lies within a metropolitan area that sprawls into the neighbouring states of Selangor and parts of Negri Sembilan. The entire metropolitan area of Kuala Lumpur, stretching from Nilai in the south to Rawang in the north, has a population of 7.2 million people.
Guide to Kuala Lumpur Hotels
It's never easy finding the hotel that's just right for your stay. Still, by taking a little time to do your research, you increase your chance of getting a good hotel at the best price. Go through the list of hotels in Kuala Lumpur which we've put together, with full description, star rating, address, location map and evaluation. Pick the hotel of your choice and view the rates offered by different booking sites. Yes, we show you prices from different websites, so you don't have to visit them one by one.
More about Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the political, economic, financial and transportation hub of Malaysia. All the major expressways of Peninsular Malaysia lead out of this city towards the north, northeast and south.
Malaysian flags at Dayabumi Complex (8 February 2006)
© Timothy Tye using this photo
Kuala Lumpur is within the Malaysian Standard Time, which is eight hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC+8). The phone area code here is +03. The vehicle registration plates of Kuala Lumpur begins with W.
Kuala Lumpur, which means muddy confluence, is located at the confluence of the Klang River and Gombak River. It was at the confluence in 1849 that the initial group of Chinese miners disembarked from their sampans. They have been engaged by the local Malay chieftain to mine of tin in the nearby Ampang area.
Pavilion Shopping Mall (18 July 2009)
© Timothy Tye using this photo
Located at the heart of Selangor state, Kuala Lumpur served as both the capital of Selangor and the nation until 1978, when the capital of Selangor was relocated to a newly planned city, Shah Alam. Four years before that, Kuala Lumpur formally separated from Selangor when it was established as the first Federal Territory of Malaysia, under direct administration of the Federal Government. The federal territory covers 243 sq km (94 sq mi) and is situated at an average elevation of 21.95 ft (72 m).
Kuala Lumpur experiences a tropical rainforest climate. Temperature is quite uniform throughout the year, averaging around 27°C. The wet season is between October and December, and again between March and April.
Petronas Twin Towers (8 February 2006)
© Timothy Tye using this photo
Arriving in Kuala Lumpur
There are two airports serving Kuala Lumpur. The Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL) is the main airport. Also called KLIA, it is the biggest and most modern airport in the country. Completed in 1998, it is about 60 km from downtown Kuala Lumpur. Arriving at KLIA, you have the option of taking the high-speed train, taxi or coach buses to Kuala Lumpur.
The old Kuala Lumpur International Airport, now renamed the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport (SZB) today serves as a city airport. There are flights connecting it with nearby destinations such as Penang, Redang, Tioman, Singapore, Koh Samui, and Phuket. From this airport, you can take a taxi or bus (Rapid KL Bus No. U81) to downtown Kuala Lumpur.
Bukit Bintang shopping district
Author: Patrice78500 (public domain)
Transportation
Kuala Lumpur has an excellent network of expressways. Many of these are however toll highways. Public transportation includes the Light Rail Transit, Monorail and bus. The main public bus operator in Kuala Lumpur is RapidKL, which also runs the Light Rail Transit system.
There are a number of taxi companies in Kuala Lumpur. Their rates are not uniform. The cheapest are the red-and-white taxis. These start with a RM3.00 flagfall for the first 2 km and then RM0.90 for every subsequent kilometer. Then there are the blue executive taxis which start with a RM4 flagfall. Taxis also apply a surcharge for baggages and radio call.
Downtown Kuala Lumpur is not built for pedestrian. Apart from the inner city such as the Chinatown and Chow Kit areas, most places in Kuala Lumpur require that you self-drive or take public transport.
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