October 2024 was a new continent for me with plans to travel to Oceania. With over 18,000km to fly and a 12 hour time difference, I opted to break up the flight with 3 days in Kuala Lumpur and 4 days in Singapore.

Nothing excites to me more than the street food scenes – from flaky, crisp Rotis drenched in a curry base in Kuala Lumpur (KL) to the hawker centres teeming with the fragrance of Hainanese chicken rice in Singapore, I’ve picked 5 handy hints/tips to consider for your next stopover city trip in Kuala Lumpur/Malacca:

Kuala Lumpur

1. Malacca ⛪

If the idea of a high rise city-scape after a long flight sounds overwhelming, I would highly recommend Malacca! Situated a 2.5hr transfer from KL Airport itself, Malacca is home to illustrious history, river-side living and a crimson square with colonial buildings. Malacca is a walkable city where the greatest joys are traversing the colourful stalls of Jonker Street Market – one of the biggest night markets in Asia open every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 6 pm to 12 pm.
Sample the yam ice-cream or doughy bao buns. 2 nights is a good duration in Melaka, other top activities are to go mural hunting through the colonial town and to witness the mix of Portuguese, British and Dutch architecture. We had Nyonya Laksa from Jonker 88 and enjoyed a breakfast of soft pandan coconut pancakes in a heritage building at The Daily Fix Cafe.

2. Viewpoints in Kuala Lumpur 🌃

Guidebooks will often highlight the stainless steel clad towers of the Petronas Towers as ‘unmissable’. To me, the viewpoint epitomised every feeling of not being in an Asian city. I went in 2015 and thought they were soul-less high rise and monsterous towers owned by an oil company, charging nearly 100 MYR (£17.50) for the privilege of entry, to then be sardined with other tourists in a cramped lift, to then elbow each other for the perfect shot, and believe me when I say it, Asians love their photos. We went for a more laid-back feeling and opted for an ice-coffee and a slice of apple pie at Eden Coffee Rooftop Cafe. Situated in the heart of Kuala Lumpur in Bukit Bintang, the cafe is located on the top floor of Lot 10 inside the shopping centre. There are complimentary, leafy views of the Kuala Lumpur skyline. Eden Cafe is cash only and drinks start from 5 MYR. A link on how to find the rooftop cafe is here.

3. China Town – Enjoy some dim-sum 🥟

Little dumplings of steamed pure joy! One of the best ways to capture the essence of Kuala Lumpur is to take a stroll from Bukit Bintang to China Town. The 30 minute walk transform from monorails and the slick cityscape, to round off to meander amongst century-old alleyways in China Town.
On a rainy day, we walked to Bunn Choon Restaurant, a dim-sum restaurant established in 1893 (passed down four family generations). The egg tart in particular was unmissable, the restaurant has both Wi-Fi and the option to pay by card.

4. Batu Caves 🌈

Kuala Lumpur is a collection of eccentric stops. In the city itself there is a bird park, shopping malls and convention centres intermingled amongst colourful Hindu temples and majestic mosques. If there is one day trip to include whilst you are in Kuala Lumpur, make it Batu Caves. Often described as a Malaysian National treasure, there is a staircase of 272 steps set amongst sheer limestone cliffs. Free roaming monkeys will pinch snacks off you, I would recommend booking a guided tour via Klook or Viator.

5. Central Market 🧳

We spent some time browsing through the Market Trader stalls at Central Market for local souvenirs. From adorable chopstick holders, to cute knitted key-rings, I couldn’t help but buy some cat memorabilia to take home to family. Please note, we brought a pair of sandals for 69 MYR (around £12) to only spot them for 30 MYR at another stall by a metro station. Central Market works on a basis of no haggling or negotiations, please bear this in mind when visiting the market for purchases.

Trip Tips 💡

• Sometimes the biggest hurdle is actually leaving the airport, albeit on a correct bus route or a battle with a unscrupulous taxi driver. Our first hurdle was actually finding Kuala Lumpur Bus terminal in the airport, the whole airport is being re-vamped at the moment. For anyone taking the bus down to Melacca, follow signs for the lounge called Kepler Club then ask the local staff which lift to take to find the bus station on the lower floors. A bus ticket from Kuala Lumpur to Melaka was 30 MYR (£5.50)
• Red Bus was a fantastic website/app for booking bus tickets in Malaysia. From KL Airport to Melacca, departures ran every hour and we were able to pay by card directly at the airport ticket kiosk, otherwise Red Bus is a handy app that displays bus times for all providers such as Transnasional and Star Mart
• Sadaya Niaga Sdn. Bhd. Money Changer Money Transfer was a great currency exchange in Malacca with excellent rates
• For street food vs hygiene on Jonker St in particular, merchants have a high level of competition and pride in their offerings. Check to see if food is either piping hot or cooked fresh for you to avoid tummy bugs. We had ice in our drinks with no issues in Malaysia. My partner got a stomach bug from a lunch thali in Little India involving multiple dishes served at a tepid temperature, these are food items to be wary of
• Grab App is fantastic in Asia, it is a digital wallet, taxi hailing service and a food ordering service, I highly recommend it
• If you have any questions about Kuala Lumpur or Malacca, feel free to add a comment below