Kuala Lumpur is the capital city of Malaysia, a country broken up into two parts by the South China Sea. The capital is located on the Malaysian peninsular and is often referred to simply as KL. Its an extremely developed city with several iconic sites, …
Of all the things I did while visiting Kuala Lumpur, taking a trip to the Batu Caves was my favourite. Located a short drive to the north of the city centre to Selangor, these caves provide a combination of natural beauty and sacred Hindu shrines. …
While the Petronas Towers are a relatively new addition to the Kuala Lumpur skyline, they have quickly become the landmark most commonly associated with the Malaysian capital. Initially the tallest buildings in the world when they opened in 1998, the Petronas Towers provide some of the best views of Kuala Lumpur from above. A visit is a must when you’re in the city, however unlike many skyscrapers around the world, you can only go up through a guided tour. In this post, I’ll cover what you can expect to see on your visit.
The Petronas Towers stand over 450 metres tall above the KLCC Suria mall in Kuala Lumpur’s city centre. You’d be hard pressed to miss them as you look out across the city. They were designed by the Argentinian architect Cesar Pelli however their unique style was inspired by Islamic principles of unity and harmony. This can be seen through the five tiers in each tower representing the Five Pillars of Islam and the eight sided star arrangement of the building’s floor plan.
Excavation of the site where the towers now stand began in 1993, with construction finishing up in 1996. They were named after the Malaysian petroleum and oil company Petronas, whose headquarters are located inside one of the towers. While no longer holding the distinction of being the tallest towers in the world (Taipei101 in Taiwan was the first to surpass them) there is no overstating the beauty of these gleaming glass and steel buildings, especially when they glisten illuminated at night. They were originally created to provide Kuala Lumpur with an icon that could be promoted to the world, and they’ve done just that.
Only about 1,000 guests are able to take a tour of the Petronas Towers per day. Therefore I highly recommend booking your ticket in advance and selecting a time on the official website HERE. If you don’t do so, make sure you head by the ticketing counter well in advance on the morning you plan to go up or there’s a very real risk that tickets will sell out the later in the day.
The entrance to the towers can be a little confusing if you’re not sure where you’re going. Its actually located on the basement floor of the KLCC Suria shopping mall. Theres signs everywhere inside so you’ll be able to follow them, just don’t expect to walk in through the towers’ main lobbies on the street (they’re for office workers only). Once you’ve checked in with your tour group, you’ll be handed a coloured lanyard (used to make sure you stick with your group) and be guided into an elevator up to the 41st floor after a quick introductory video.
While you are ushered through as a tour group, don’t expect any commentary from your guide about the building (at least my guides didn’t give any during my experience). The staff inside are more about making sure you keep up with your group and don’t wander off.
The first stop of your tour will be the Skybridge. Located on the 41st floor, this bridge connects the two towers and is the highest bridge of its kind in the world. One thing you’ll notice, aside from the views, is that the bridge you are on is solely for tourists. That’s because the Skybridge is a double decker, with another floor providing a way between the buildings for workers and other people inside the tower.
While the Skybridge is around 170 metres above the ground, you’ll feel completely safe up here as you venture across. The unique design of the bridge sees it actually slide into the towers on each side rather than protruding out from them, a technique incorporated in the design to ensure the bridge wouldn’t break.
Unfortunately you’ll only get to spend around 10 minutes on the Skybridge so that they can keep circulating tour groups through the building. Most of that time you’ll be taking photos of the skyline and the city below. There’s also impressive views of the KLCC park directly underneath the towers. While there’s a few touch screens that you can interact with to learn a bit more about the sights across the city, I found that we didn’t have much time to read these owing to the short amount of time that passed before being rushed back onto the elevator for the next stop.
Your next ride up another elevator will take you all the way to the 86th floor where you’ll spend around 20 minutes or so at the observatory deck. Up here you’ll take in 360 degree views of the city, interrupted only by an up close view of the neighbouring tower. While the observatory does face the same issue as most towers around the world in that you obviously can’t see the most iconic image of the KL skyline from the top (I mean, you’re standing inside it!), the views that you do see are impressive nonetheless.
You’ll be able to see out to the city limits where the limestone hills of the Batu Caves, the other main attraction in Kuala Lumpur. Looking over the city, I also found it amazing just how close the undeveloped Kampung Baru area is to the commercial hub of the city. For those that don’t know, this part of KL is the oldest Malay residential area in the city and still contains traditional wooden houses and regular weekend markets.
There’s more displays and information panels up on the Observation Deck, including a scale replica of the towers and the surrounding city. My main issue here again was the rushed nature of the experience as you really didn’t have much time to take everything in. I understand why they organise tour groups through the building though, particularly seeing the relatively small space at the top level compared to other tower observatories around the world, owing to the shape of the building. You won’t find any bars or restaurants up at the observatory deck, but you wouldn’t have time for them anyway. This is all about coming up for the view and saying that you’ve been to the top of the tallest building in Kuala Lumpur.
When your time at the Observatory Deck has come to an end, you’ll be escorted out via the souvenir shop, at which time you’ll give back your coloured lanyard and say goodbye to the Petronas Towers. There’s a lot to see in the neighbouring area though. Spend some time exploring the lush KLCC park for a respite from city life, or if some retail therapy is needed, head inside the KLCC Suria shopping mall for all your needs. If you’re hungry, there’s a great food court inside on level four. The Petronas Towers are centrally located to a number of tourist attractions so you won’t have any problems finding something to do afterwards.
Looking for more ideas? Check out my guide to spending 2 days in Kuala Lumpur HERE.
Overall, I think a visit to the Petronas Towers is a required part of anyone’s travels to Kuala Lumpur. Its really what the city has become known for and you can’t not go up there when its so easy to get to. While its the most famous, I wouldn’t necessarily say its the best view of the city (that might be the nearby KL Tower from which you can actually see the Petronas Towers), but its definitely still worthwhile despite the relatively rushed nature of the experience.
It was definitely a different observatory tower experience than others I’ve experienced, but I’m glad I visited the Petronas Towers.
Have you visited the Petronas Towers? How does it measure up to other skyscraper observatories around the world? Let me know about all your experiences in the comments below.