Petaling Jaya Travel Guide

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1 Utama Shopping Centre, Petaling Jaya (6 June 2006)
© Timothy Tye using this photo

Petaling Jaya is a city to the west of Kuala Lumpur. It is also the most populous city in the state of Selangor. It stated as a satellite town to the capital city housing residential and industrial estates, and was granted city status on 20 June 2006.

Guide to Petaling Jaya 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 Petaling Jaya 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.

History of Petaling Jaya

Petaling Jaya, as with most of the residential and industrial neighbourhoods surrounding Kuala Lumpur, was developed out of rubber and palm oil plantations. In the case of Petaling Jaya, it was earmarked for development in the early 1950's. The area was before that a huge plantation called Effingham Estate.

The person who initiated the development of Petaling Jaya was the British High Commissioner at that time, Lieutenant-General Sir Gerald Templer. Best known for his role in putting down communist guerillas, Sir Templer had planned Petaling Jaya as a new town to distance the population from the jungle, whereby preventing them from helping the communist guerillas. In its earliest incarnation, Petaling Jaya was a "low-cost gated community" as the housing estate was fenced up.

The first housing development in Petaling Jaya was started in 1952. It comprised 800 units of residential houses in what is known today as Petaling Jaya Old Town. The first two main road in Petaling jaya were called Road 1 and Road 2. Although they have since been renamed Jalan Templer and Jalan Othman, it set the stage for numbering roads instead of naming them. As a result, much of the roads and subdistricts in Petaling Jaya carry numbers and letters instead of names.

IKEA Home Furnishing at Mutiara Damansara, Petaling Jaya (27 June, 2009)
© Timothy Tye using this photo

Neighbourhoods in Petaling Jaya

The older neighbourhoods in Petaling Jaya usually carry the name "Seksyen" and are numbered from Seksyen 1 through to Seksyen 52. Seksyen 1-3 are also known as PJ Old Town while Seksyen 52 is called PJ New Town. Some neighbourhoods have a name in addition to the "Seksyen". For example, Seksyen 9 is also known as Taman Jaya, Seksyen 20 is Taman Paramount and Petaling Barat, Seksyen 21 is SEA Park and Seksyen 51A is Asia Jaya.

The newer sections are named "SS" which stands for "Sungei Way-Subang". The numbering goes from SS1 (also called Kampung Tunku) to SS26. Most of these "SS" neighbourhoods also carry names. Taman SEA is SS2; Taman Subang, Taman University & Seaport are SS3, Kelana Jaya is SS4, SS5, SS6 and SS7; Sungei Way is SS8, SS9 and SS9A; Damansara Utama is at SS20 and SS21, Damansara Jaya is at SS22 and SS22A, Taman SEA Baru at SS23, Taman Megah at SS24, Taman Mayang at SS25, and Taman Mayang Jaya at SS26.

Getting there

The Federal Highway was traditionally the main route leading from Kuala Lumpur to Petaling Jaya, and onwards to Klang in the 1970s. Since then, several new expressways have been constructed in and around Petaling Jaya. The Rapid KL light rail transit Kelana Jaya Line provides the link between Petaling Jaya and Kuala Kumpur

Recreation

Being a highly urbanised area, much of the recreational activities center around shopping, dining and going to the movies. Sunway Lagoon is a theme park that provides one of the few outdoor recreation activities within the Petaling Jaya district.

Going to Petaling Jaya

By Road
There are a number of highways connecting Kuala Lumpur to Petaling Jaya. The main one would be the Federal Highway, which passes through Petaling Jaya and continues onwards to Shah Alam Klang and Port Klang. The Sprint Expressway provides the main access to the northern part of Petaling Jaya while the New Pantai Expressway provides access to the southern part.

By Train
The Kelana Jaya Line of the Kuala Lumpur light rail transit goes to Petaling Jaya. The stations in in Petaling Jaya include Taman Jaya LRT Station, Asia Jaya LRT Station, Taman Paramount LRT Station and Kelana Jaya LRT Station. The KTM Komuter Sentul-Port Klang Line also stops at a number of stations in Petaling Jaya including the Jalan Temple Komuter Station, Kampung Dato Harun Komuter Station, Seri Setia Komuter Station and Setia Jaya Komuter Station.

Accommodation in Malaysia

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Shopping in Petaling Jaya

1 Utama Shopping Centre
Shopping mall in Bandar Utama, on the northern part of Petaling Jaya.
IKEA
The only IKEA in Malaysia is located at Mutiara Damansara, a township within Petaling Jaya.
The Curve
Shopping mall in Mutiara Damansara, Petaling Jaya.
Ikano Power Centre
Shopping mall in Mutiara Damansara, Petaling Jaya.
e@Curve Cineleisure
Cineplex in Mutiara Damansara.

Tourist Attractions in Petaling Jaya

Kota Darul Ehsan Arch
Arch separating Kuala Lumpur from Selangor.
Wat Chetawan

Thai Buddhist temple in Petaling Jaya.
Bukit Gasing Forest Park
Recreational forest reserve in Petaling Jaya.
Kelana Jaya Lake Park
Recreational park with seven scenic lakes.
Taman Jaya
Park used by the locals for jogging, cycling and other forms of outdoor recreation.