How to See Kuala Lumpur in 48 Hours | 2 Days in KL, Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur is the beaming capital city of Malaysia and while you can spend months getting to know the metropolis, if you’re limited on time, here is how to see Kuala Lumpur in 48 hours.
It’s impossible to see everything in KL in just 2 days but it’s just enough time to visit the top attractions in Kuala Lumpur, taste famous KL dishes and experience the blended culture of the capital.
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Contents for 2 Days in KL
SIM Card For Malaysia
The very first thing you should do in Malaysia is buy a SIM card. I never bought a SIM card when I was in Thailand and looking back, it would’ve made things so much easier. When I got to KL, buying a SIM card was my gateway to getting the most out of the city in just 2 days because I was able to use apps such as Grab and use GPS to find specific restaurants I wanted to visit.
The best way to get a SIM card for Kuala Lumpur is to buy this 4G Sim for Malaysia which you can pick up from KL International Airport on arrival. This connects you to KL as soon as you land and you can download Grab (Asia’s Uber) which saves you from being scammed from taxi drivers at the airport! Also, this sim will work all over Malaysia and has various airport pick-ups around the country.
Why You Need to Download Grab for 2 Days in Kuala Lumpur
Grab is the best app you can download during your Asia travels especially if you haven’t got long in one place. Spending just 2 days in Kuala Lumpur, you need to make the most of your time and Grab enables you to do this.
I’ve never had better taxi experiences than my time with Grab in KL. Every driver I had was so friendly, I never waited long and the prices are unbelievably cheap. Downloading Grab is how you can see the very best of Kuala Lumpur in 48 hours.
Stay in Bukit Bintang in KL
Bukit Bintang is the best neighbourhood to stay for this 2 day KL itinerary as it’s good for walking to many places and easy for GRAB pick up.
I stayed in the Friends-themed Hostel in Bukit Bintang. The accommodation was perfect in all aspects: cleanliness, staff, amenities, location, price and based on my fave TV show.
Read More: My Total Review Of KL Friends Hostel
How to See Kuala Lumpur in 48 Hours – Day 1
Breakfast in Chinatown
Chinatown is as much a part of the city as is the skyscrapers. Diverse Kuala Lumpur dwells here and it’s a great way to start your 2 days in Kuala Lumpur.
Petaling Street is the centre of Chinatown and has an energetic market full of stalls, fruit, coffee and most importantly: food.
For breakfast find some steamed buns on a street stall or visit 70-year-old Song Kee’s Beef Ball Noodles just outside of Petaling Street for a golden oldie.
Kuala Lumpur Religious Buildings
As an example of KL’s multi-culture, on the same street in Kuala Lumpur you can find two different temples: Guan Di Temple (Taoist) and Sri Maha Mariamman Temple (Hindu).
Spend your morning exploring the temples and understanding more about religions in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia is a predominantly Muslim country but the diversity shows through its religions, people and food.
Other religious buildings to visit around Kuala Lumpur include National Mosque of Malaysia and Jamek Mosque (Islam), Thean Hou Temple (incorporates Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism) and Batu Caves which we’ll see later in this KL itinerary.
Indian Lunch in Kuala Lumpur
The Indian food in Kuala Lumpur has its rightful place that makes-up the capital city of Malaysia. It’s indescribable and the best Indian food I’ve ever had is in this restaurant.
Head to Vinny Jeyaa Banana Leaf Curry House near the bus station for the tastiest and best Indian food experience in Kuala Lumpur. This place was recommended to us by someone we’d met in Chiang Mai and on our way in we had a lady touch our arms and express how good the food is in this restaurant. We knew we were in for a treat.
We shared: Thosai, Garlic Naan, Tandoori Chicken and 2 fresh Orange Juices which came to only £6! We copied some of the locals by using our hands to eat. There’s sinks at the back of the restaurant to wash your hands before and after eating.
Brickfields is a neighbourhood in Kuala Lumpur known for being ‘Little India’ and we tried visiting but we must have taken a wrong turn or went to the wrong place because we didn’t see anything like the Little India in Penang.
Thankfully we had Vinny Jeyaa and ate here twice.
Read Next: The Best Food To Try in Penang, Malaysia
Central Market / Cultural Bazaar
KL’s Central Market/ Cultural Bazaar is the place to shop with just 48 hours in Kuala Lumpur. Name me a souvenir, it’s here!
Around Bukit Bintang, look out for street art in the back alleys that may catch your eye on your walks.
Jalan Alor
My favourite thing to do in Kuala Lumpur is visiting Jalan Alor which is an experience in itself. We visited Jalan Alor morning, lunch and evening and by far the best time to visit Jalan Alor is at night.
Make sure you come to Jalan Alor hungry and alert because the choice of food is endless along the long street but because it gets so busy, look out for pickpocketing. A few things to point out about Jalan Alor:
- Most eating areas are outdoors so go at dry times
- Lots of people will shout at you to get you in their restaurant, be sure before agreeing
- When buying beer, be alert that staff aren’t topping up your drink as this soon adds the bill for what would usually be a cheap evening
- You have to try Kuala Lumpur’s famous Chicken Fish (It’s fish but it tastes like chicken… seriously)
Read Next: Night Market in Melbourne, Australia or Street Food Market in Berlin, Germany
How To See Kuala Lumpur in 2 Days – Day 2
Visit a KL Cafe
Kuala Lumpur has an emerging coffee culture so start your second day off by visiting one of the best cafes in Kuala Lumpur or discover what your accommodation has to offer as I did.
If you’re staying at Friends Hostel, this will be the obvious choice for breakfast on the second day of 48 hours in KL. The Friends Cafe food is some of the nicest Malaysian food I had in Kuala Lumpur (and tasty pasta too). Start your day with KL’s famous Nasi Lemak and an iced coffee at Friends Cafe.
Petronas Towers by Day
You cannot visit Kuala Lumpur without visiting the famous Petronas Twin Towers. From Friends Cafe, it’s about a 40 minute walk or 10 minute Grab ride. You have to see the towers in person to appreciate the size of them so make sure this is unmissable on your 2 day KL itinerary.
Monkeys in KL
Did you know there are wild monkeys running around Kuala Lumpur? Me neither until I visited and seen a group of them on cable lines near public bins. They were swinging from the lines, passing food to one another and making hell of a noise. Cute, but I wouldn’t get too close!
Pavillion Mall
Afterwards, you can take a short walk to go to Pavillion Mall for shopping or their large food court for lunch.
Batu Caves
I wish I had this 48 hours in KL guide before I visited the city and I wouldn’t have missed Batu Caves! Yep, I actually never got here 🙁
But I have found out some information for you! You can get the train from Kuala Lumpur Sentral Station straight to Batu Caves which takes around an hour and entry is free to the caves. Outside India, this is one of the most visited Hindu temples.
Malaysian Snack in Kuala Lumpur
When walking around Kuala Lumpur for 48 hours, look out for street food snacks selling Curry Puffs because they are an Indian-Malaysian treat for the taste buds. Especially when they’re homemade. I found some beauties outside the place I did my laundry.
W Deck and Petronas Towers by Night
To incorporate nightlife in your 48 hour Kuala Lumpur trip, see if there are any nights/DJ’s in W Deck, KL. W Deck is a nightclub with stunning views of the Petronas Towers. Seeing the towers by night is better than seeing them at day!
After Kuala Lumpur?
I travelled to Borneo and Penang after I visited KL but there are so many other places in Malaysia to visit such as Melacca, Sekinchan, Langkawi, Perenthian Islands, and Singapore!
Thanks for reading my 48 hour guide to Kuala Lumpur!
Malaysia Blog Posts For You:
- 3 Weeks Malaysia Itinerary
- Borneo 3 Day Wildlife Safari
- Get From KL to Penang by Bus
- Everything To Do in Penang
- 4 Things to Do in Sandakan, Borneo
- Penang Hill Day Trip
- Street Food List for Penang
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This was so informative, great information to have and know before hand so you’re better prepared when traveling to KL! I’ll keep this in mind when I plan my visit to KL in the future.
Kuala Lumpur looks like such a great city, even as a stopover for a couple of days. That’s exactly how I saw Singapore. That food looks amazing, I’d be just as happy as you seem in the pic. I had no idea there would be monkeys in the city. I saw a few in Thailand but mostly on quieter islands. I did however learn the SIM card trick on my last trip to Asia (and using Grab). Definitely a good thing to do, and way cheaper than roaming charges
Haha thanks for the comment Emma, I’m glad you share my enthusiasm for food!! I would love to go to Singapore as I’ve heard the food is lush there. I’ll be getting a sim next time I visit too.
That must have been a jam packed 48-hours to see the capital city. But it looks like you got to experience a lot of delicious food. I too would head to the markets, as I feel that’s where the locals would shop. Too bad about missing the batu caves, but it gives you a reason to return.
Definitely, it’s so hard to see everything in little time but have heard the Batu Caves are well worth a visit for next time. I loved Malaysia!
The SIM and grab info was really good, I hadn’t even thought about that when I was there so I’m defo using your advice when I next get there as I used the Metro all the time. The dish you had in the restaurant of fish but it tastes like chicken sounds amazing. I must try it. I never saw any monkeys in town, wish I had as that would have been a highlight and fun. The Hindu temple looks fab, didn’t get to see that one, it is certainly impressive. The article has great food info , wish I knew about those places before I went as I tended to eat at the hotel in the eve. I did have the most fantastic fruit smoothie in Chinatown however. Good post on how to see KL if you have only 48 hours – as you say there is so much to see that you would need a few days to do it justice. Looks like you loved KL.
Hi Barry. The sim was the best decision I made when travelling especially for using Grab and I’d definitely do it again. The chicken/fish was a recommendation from another travel blogger and loved it. Yes the monkeys were so cheeky haha. Thanks for commenting.
I can’t wait to visit Malaysia one day! My mom was born there and I’d love to see it. The food looks incredible! I’m sorry you missed out on the Batu Caves but just another reason to go back!
Oh really, you definitely have to visit then!! Just last night I was reminiscing on how much I loved Malaysia.