What to do on a long layover in Kuala Lumpur?

June 27, 2016 ASEAN Backpacking

Most AirAsia Fly-Thru Flights’ transit point is Kuala Lumpur. I have actually spent 5 and 6 hour layovers at KLIA2, the new budget terminal of Kuala Lumpur International Airport.  Both times, I just decided to stay inside KLIA2 to both shop and enjoy the food outlets.

Recently, we had a 9-hour layover so we decided to hire a van and tour Kuala Lumpur.  Here is a recap of what we did during that layover.

1)  Batu Caves

Our first stop was the Batu Caves.

It took us probably an hour to get there.  It was my first time to see Batu Caves.

Batu Caves is a limestone hill that has a series of caves and cave temple in Selangor, Malaysia.  It is home to the most popular Hindu shrines, dedicated to Lord Murungan, Hindu god of war.


To get to the Cathedral or Temple Cave, visitors climb a steep flight of 272 steps.  But, along the way, guests interact with macagues.  Careful though, these monkeys are known to bite visitors.






2)  Merdeka Square

Merdeka Square is one of Kuala Lumpur’s best-known landmarks. It is known for its colonial architecture.  It is set in front of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building.  In front is the Royal Selangor Club.  To the north is St. Mary’s Church.




3)  Petronas Twin Towers

This is another one of Kuala Lumpur’s iconic landmarks. 

The Petronas Twin Towers were the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 to 2004 and remain the tallest twin towers in the world. The title went to Taipei 101 in 2004, then to Burj Khalifa in Dubai in 2010.


The buildings stand at 452 meters tall, with 88 storeys.  The 41st and 42nd floors are adjoined by a 58 meter long, double decker Sky Bridge. The building is Islamic-inspired and the buildings primarily house the corporate headquarters of the Petronas Company and other offices.

We headed back to the airport after this and dropped Central Market on our itinerary.  We lost a lot of time out of the immigration and we had to allocate as much time for it, plus squeeze in dinner.  But overall, we had a fun, whirlwind tour of KL and I would do it again on my next layover.

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