Lonely Planet Kuala Lumpur, Melaka & Penang

Simon Richmond, Isabel Albiston

Description

Lonely Planet: The world's leading travel guide publisher Lonely Planet Kuala Lumpur, Melaka & Penang is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Enjoy Kuala Lumpur's most famous street food on Jalan Alor, visit the busy shrine at Batu Caves, or shop for designer bargains in malls such as Pavilion KL -all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of Kuala Lumpur, Melaka and Penang and begin your journey now! Inside Lonely Planet Kuala Lumpur, Melaka & Penang Travel Guide: Colour maps and images throughout Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Cultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - festivals, cuisine, religion, architecture, environment, wildlife, history, literature, music, cinema, dance Free, convenient pull-out Kuala Lumpur map (included in print version), plus over 25 maps Covers Merdeka Square, Chinatown, Brickfields, Kampung Baru, Little India, Masjid India, Bukit Nanas, KLCC, Bangsar, Golden Triangle, Melaka, Penang and more The Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet Kuala Lumpur, Melaka & Penang, our most comprehensive guide to Kuala Lumpur, Melaka and Penang, is perfect for both exploring top sights and taking roads less travelled. Looking for just the highlights of Kuala Lumpur? Check out Pocket Kuala Lumpur, a handy-sized guide focused on the can't-miss sights for a quick trip. Looking for more extensive coverage? Check out Lonely Planet Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei guide for a comprehensive look at all the region has to offer. About Lonely Planet: Since 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel media company with guidebooks to every destination, an award-winning website, mobile and digital travel products, and a dedicated traveller community. Lonely Planet covers must-see spots but also enables curious travellers to get off beaten paths to understand more of the culture of the places in which they find themselves. The world awaits! Lonely Planet guides have won the TripAdvisor Traveler's Choice Award in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016. 'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves, it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' - Fairfax Media 'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' - New York Times eBook Features: (Best viewed on tablet devices and smartphones) Downloadable PDF and offline maps prevent roaming and data charges Effortlessly navigate and jump between maps and reviews Add notes to personalise your guidebook experience Seamlessly flip between pages Bookmarks and speedy search capabilities get you to key pages in a flash Embedded links to recommendations' websites Zoom-in maps and images Inbuilt dictionary for quick referencing Important Notice: The digital edition of this book may not contain all of the images found in the physical edition.

Sujets

• Malasia
• Malaysia
• Malaisie

Informations

• Publié par: Lonely Planet
• Date de parution: 01 juin 2017
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781787010604
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 33 Mo

Extrait

Kuala Lumpur, Melaka & Penang

Contents

Plan Your Trip

Welcome to Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur's Top 10
What's New
Need to Know
Top Itineraries
If You Like...
Month By Month
With Kids
Like a Local
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping

Explore

Neighbourhoods at a Glance
Bukit Bintang & KLCC
Sights
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
Sports & Activities
Chinatown, Merdeka Square & Bukit Nanas
Sights
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
Masjid India, Kampung Baru & Northern Kuala Lumpur
Sights
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
Sports & Activities
Lake Gardens, Brickfields & Bangsar
Sights
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
Sports & Activities
Day Trips from Kuala Lumpur
Bukit Fraser (Fraser's Hill)
Klang Valley
Shah Alam
Klang
Shah Alam
Klang
Petaling Jaya
Klang
Petaling Jaya
Klang
Putrajaya
Sleeping
Melaka City
Historic Town Centre
Chinatown
North of the City Centre
Kampung Chetti
Southeast of the City Centre
Chinatown & Around
Jalan Merdeka & Around
Little India to Bukit China
Chinatown
Jalan Merdeka & Around
Little India to Bukit China
Penang
George Town
Inside the Unesco Protected Zone
Outside the Unesco Protected Zone
Inside the Unesco Protected Zone
Outside the Unesco Protected Zone
Batu Ferringhi & Teluk Bahang
The Rest of Penang

Understand

Understand Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur Today
History
Life in Kuala Lumpur
Multiculturalism, Religion & Culture
Arts & Architecture
Environment

Survive

Transport
Arriving in Kuala Lumpur
Getting Around Kuala Lumpur
Tours
Directory AZ
Customs Regulations
Electricity
Emergency
Gay & Lesbian Travellers
Health
Internet Access
Legal Matters
Medical Services
Money
Opening Hours
Post
Public Holidays
Safe Travel
Telephone
Time
Toilets
Tourist Information
Travellers with Disabilities
Visas
Women Travellers
Language
Kuala Lumpur, Melaka & Penang Maps
Chinatown & Merdeka Square
KLCC
Bukit Bintang
Masjid India & Chow Kit
Kampung Baru & Titiwangsa
Lake Gardens & Brickfields
Bangsar Baru & Mid Valley

Table of Contents

Behind the Scenes
Our Writers
Welcome to Kuala Lumpur

Imagine a city, with a skyline punctuated by minarets, Mogul-style domes and skyscrapers; imagine colourful, food-stall-lined streets shaded by a leafy canopy of banyan trees.


Multicultural Modernity
This is Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia’s sultry capital packed with historic monuments, steel-clad skyscrapers, lush parks, megasized shopping malls, bustling street markets and lively nightspots.
Essential parts of the vibrant mix are the incense-wreathed, colourfully adorned mosques and temples of the country’s Malay, Chinese and Indian communities. A reverence for these ancient cultures is balanced with a drive to be plugged into the contemporary world, a desire that's reflected in an exciting contemporary-art and design scene, an ambitious riverbank-regeneration project and cutting-edge architecture: once completed, the new Merdeka PNB 118 tower will be taller than the iconic Petronas Towers.

Historical Canvas
Today's KL-ites are separated by barely a handful of generations from the tenacious Chinese and Malay tin prospectors who founded the city, carving it out of virgin jungle. By the time the British made it the capital of Peninsular Malaysia in the late 19th century, erecting grand colonial buildings, KL had only been in existence for a couple of decades.
Since then, the city has been the scene of history-defining moments for Malaysia. Stadium Merdeka was where, in 1957, the country’s first prime minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, punched his fist seven times in the air and declared independence.

Shoppers' Paradise
To fully connect with locals, join them in two of their favourite pastimes: shopping and eating. Malaysian consumer culture achieves its zenith in KL, where you could spend all day browsing glitzy air-conditioned malls such as Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, Suria KLCC and Mid Valley Megamall in search of designer fashion and bargains. Bangsar and Publika are the places to go for lesser-known labels and the work of offbeat independent designers. Alternatively, explore Central Market for locally made souvenirs and handicrafts; and hunt out the few remaining artisans and antiques dealers still keeping shop in and around Chinatown.

Street Feast
It won't take you long to realise that, despite the heat, this is a city best explored on foot. Walk and you can catch all the action and save yourself the frustration of becoming entangled in one of KL's all-too-frequent traffic jams. What's more, you'll be sure to come across some of the city's best dining spots: the hawker stalls and traditional neighborhood kopitiam (coffee shops) that beckon you over with the aroma of freshly cooked food. Despite the city's relentless march towards modernity, parts of KL retain the laid-back ambience and jungle lushness of the kampung (village) it once was.

Petronas Towers and the KLCC | MARTIN PUDDY/GETTY IMAGES ©


Why I Love Kuala Lumpur
By Isabel Albiston, Writer
For such a frenetic city, KL has an uncanny way of charming its visitors. Of course, the food helps: the sheer variety of delicious dining options that reflect the very best of Malaysian cuisine. But it's more than that. It's the way the city has embraced modernity with its towering skyscrapers and technological connectivity, all while retaining a deeply entrenched adherence to the traditional customs and religions of its residents. Beyond the traffic and malls there is a complex cultural patchwork formed of distinct, coexisting communities, united by the warm welcome extended to guests.
Kuala Lumpur's Top 10

Street Food
1 White tablecloths? Snooty waiters? A roof? No need to bother with all that! In KL some of your best dining experiences will happen on the street. Delicious, freshly cooked meals served from mobile carts, stalls and humble shophouse kopitiam (coffee shops) are the way to go. Jalan Alor is the city's most famous eats street, jammed with alfresco tables. The atmosphere and food are good here, but prices will be higher than at more locally patronised hawker gourmet destinations such as Lucky Gardens, Glutton Street or the stalls scattered around Brickfields.
5

JALAN ALOR | MIGEL/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Kuala Lumpur's Top 10

Petronas Towers
2 It’s impossible to resist the magnetic allure of the Petronas Towers : the 452m-high structure is beautiful to look at, as well as being the embodiment of Malaysia’s transformation into a developed nation. Designed by architect César Pelli, this glistening, steel-wrapped structure is the focal point of the Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC), a 40-hectare development that also includes an imaginatively designed tropical park, a fun aquarium, an excellent kids’ museum, a world-class concert hall and one of KL’s best shopping malls.
1

YUDY/500PX ©

Kuala Lumpur's Top 10

Islamic Arts Museum
3 The dazzling collection of objects housed in this fine museum proves that religious devotion can be married with exquisite craftsmanship. The building itself – with its Iranian-tiled facade and decorated domes – is a stunner, its galleries filled with natural light and amazing works gathered from around the Islamic world. Don't miss the architecture gallery, with models of some of the great Islamic buildings. The museum's gift shop is also one of the best places in KL to buy beautifully designed and expertly made items from across the Islamic world.
1

THE CEILING OF THE ISLAMIC ARTS MUSEUM | DAICHI IIZUKA/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Kuala Lumpur's Top 10

Chinatown
4 Plumes of smoke curl upwards from smouldering coils of incense, flower garlands hang like pearls from the necks of Hindu statues; and the call to prayer punctuates the honk of traffic. The temples and mosques of the city’s Hindus, Muslims and Chinese Buddhists are crammed shoulder to shoulder in this atmospheric neighbourhood along the Klang river – where KL was born. Don’t miss eating at the daytime Madras Lane hawker stalls or savouring the bustle and fun of the night market along Jln Petaling.
1

INCENSE COILS IN CHINATOWN | TRAVELER1116/GETTY IMAGES ©

Kuala Lumpur's Top 10

Batu Caves
5 It’s always a very busy and colourful scene at this sacred Hindu shrine but, if you can, time your visit for a holy day, the biggest of which is Thaipusam. Guarding the 272 steps that lead up to the main Temple Cave is a 43m gilded statue of Lord Murugan, assisted by a platoon of lively macaques who show little fear in launching raids on tourists’ belongings. A new cable car at the foot of the giant limestone outcrop takes the sweat out of reaching Temple Cave.
1

STATUE OF LORD MURUGAN | PRASIT RODPHAN/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Kuala Lumpur's Top 10

Tun Abdul Razak Heritage Park
6 What was once known as the Lake Gardens is now KL's major recreation area, named after the country's second prime minister. The botanical garden laid out during the British days remains at the park's heart and is flanked by one of the city's top attractions, the KL Bird Park. There are lots of other things to see and do here, including visiting the National Planetarium, KL Butterfly Park and the striking National Monument, commemorating those who lost their lives fighting communists during the Emergency.
1

FLAMINGOS, KL BIRD PARK | ZHUKOVA VALENTYNA/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Kuala Lumpur's Top 10

Shopping Malls
7 Come for the air conditioning, stay for the designer bargains! The roll call of brands in malls Pavilion KL , Suria KLCC and Publika will impress even the most sophisticated of shoppers. Refreshments are never far away, with masses of restaurants and excellent food courts always part of the retail mix, along with everything from luxur