Short Transit In Kuala Lumpur – What To Do
I have come up with some choices that you can choose from for anyone having a short transit in Kuala Lumpur and wanting to know what to do. These places are the main iconic destinations in Kuala Lumpur for anyone on a short transit in KLIA or KLIA2.
What To Do On A Short Transit in Kuala Lumpur?
I have devised this super quick and almost flawless itinerary for those on a short transit, from six to eight hours at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport or KLIA2.
This includes visiting one iconic landmark in Kuala Lumpur and returning to the airport to catch your flight.
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At KLIA, you need to find this elevator that takes you to the KLIA Express platform. |
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At KLIA2, the KLIA Express platform is located in the Gateway Mall. |
Please note that international flights require 2 hours of check-in before your flight, but you can get by with 1 hour and 45 minutes of check-in if it is not peak hour.
Below are some of the significant iconic places in Kuala Lumpur you can visit. Please note that the time does not include your 2-hour check-in at the airport, so you must plan your timing well.
The times given are based on general timing for an ordinary person, but you can cut the sightseeing time and save some time for your exploration.
If you plan to see multiple places in Kuala Lumpur due to a slightly longer transit, check out the KL Travel Pass, which includes all your train tickets.
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The Petronas Twin Towers can be seen from the KLCC Park area. |
A. See the Petronas Twin Towers and KLCC
- Take the KLIA Express Train into KL Sentral (28 minutes travel time)
- Exit the station and look for the LRT Train Platform (KJ15) in KL Sentral
- Board LRT Train Magenta Line, heading to Gombak (20 minutes travel time)
- Exit at KLCC Station (KJ10)
- Walk towards the exit, and you will be outside the Petronas Twin Towers (10-20 minutes)
- Visit Suria KLCC Mall and the Dancing Fountain – Simfoni Lake (50-60 minutes)
- Return to KLIA/KLIA 2 the same way you came (50-60 minutes)
- Total Time: 3 Hours
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Chinatown KL or Petaling Street Kuala Lumpur in the day. |
- Take the KLIA Express Train into KL Sentral (28 minutes travel time)
- Exit the station and look for the LRT Train Platform (KJ15)
- Board LRT Train Magenta Line, heading to Gombak (10 minutes travel time)
- Exit at Pasar Seni Station (KJ14)
- Walk towards Jalan Sultan, then along Jalan Petaling (7-10 minutes walk)
- Arrive at the main Petaling Street shopping area (Spend about 1 hour here)
- Walk to Central Market along Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lok (5-minute walk)
- Arrive at Central Market. (Spend about 30 to 60 minutes here)
- Walk back to Pasar Seni Station (5 minutes)
- Return to KLIA/KLIA 2 the same way you came (40 minutes)
- Total Time: 3.5 Hours
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Bukit Bintang in Kuala Lumpur at night. Photo by Straits Times. |
- Take the KLIA Express Train into KL Sentral (28 minutes travel time)
- Exit KL Sentral Station and walk to the KL Sentral Monorail Station (MR1) (10 minutes)
- Board Monorail Green Line, heading to Titiwangsa (20 minutes travel time)
- Exit at Bukit Bintang – AirAsia Station (MR6)
- Exit Station and you are in the middle of the Bukit Bintang area
- Explore the shopping malls around here and also Jalan Alor food street (2 hours)
- Return to KLIA/KLIA 2 the same way you came (60-70 minutes)
- Total Time: 4 Hours
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The famous Batu Caves in Malaysia. |
- Take the KLIA Express Train into KL Sentral (28 minutes travel time)
- Exit the station and look for the KTM Komuter Platform (KA01)
- Board Komuter Gold Line, heading to Batu Caves (35 minutes travel time)
- Note that the train frequency is every 40 minutes
- Exit at Batu Caves Station (KC05)
- Walk straight into Batu Caves (5 minutes walk)
- Climb the 272 steps to the cave temple (2 hours)
- Return to KLIA/KLIA 2 the same way you came (1.5 hours)
- The allocation for train frequency is counted in the total time
- Total Time: 5.5 Hours
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When you arrive at KL Sentral, look for the KJ15 train platform to move around Kuala Lumpur. |
KL Sentral is quite huge and is Malaysia’s central train hub. You can find the MRT, LRT, Monorail, ETS and all other trains here. Only the KLIA and KLIA2 airport bus terminals are located at the lowest level for buses.
When you take any train from the airports, they will all arrive here, and you can change to other train services from here. KL Sentral is also connected to Nu Sentral, a modern lifestyle shopping mall.
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Many fast-food chains are available at KLIA2 and at KLIA airport. |
What to do around KLIA Airport?
You may want to avoid risking it and prefer to see what to do around KLIA or KLIA2. And let me be honest: there is little to do regarding fun and excitement.
Fear not, as I included what you can do for a short transit around the airport. They are limited, but you can still exit the airports and explore around here.
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Mitsui Outlet Park KLIA. Photo from Mitsui Outlet Park. |
E. Visit Mitsui Outlet Park KLIA
This factory outlet park is located six kilometres from KLIA and KLIA2. Shuttle buses to the outlet park depart from both airports at 20-minute intervals.
It also takes 10 minutes from KLIA and 20 minutes from KLIA 2 to travel to Mitsui Outlet Park.
At Mitsui, you can walk around the massive outlet park, which offers over a hundred stores in an air-conditioned environment. The outlet park also has four zones, including a Japanese zone.
Cafes and restaurants that sell local and international food are available. This place is based on the concept of the standard factory outlet mixed with a mall, and you could buy some items for a good deal here.
Mitsui Outlet Park KLIA
Opening Hours: 10.00 AM to 10.00 PM
Shuttle Service: 8.30 AM to 11.10 PM daily
Ticket: Free Service
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Gateway @ KLIA2 Airport. |
F. Visit Gateway @ KLIA2
KLIA2 airport has a lifestyle mall connected to the main terminal. It is Malaysia’s budget airline airport, and several airlines, like AirAsia, are based here. If you are connecting on most budget airlines, you will transit here.
For those who connect on fully serviced airlines like Malaysia Airlines, Garuda, KLM, Emirates and so on, you will transit at KLIA airport. You can take the free shuttle bus from KLIA to KLIA2. It takes less than 10 minutes to transfer from airport to airport.
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FOS at KLIA2. |
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Jaya Grocer Supermarket at KLIA2 Gateway Mall. |
Gateway @ KLIA2 was created to incorporate a lifestyle shopping mall concept, which has worked exceptionally well with the passengers. Many fast-food joints, coffee cafes, restaurants, supermarkets, general retail outlets, and even vegetarian restaurants are available here.
While KLIA offers a choice of shops, cafes and restaurants, Gateway @ KLIA2 is much better at window shopping. The mall operates for 16, but some cafes and restaurants do work much later hours.
Gateway @ KLIA2
Opening Hours: 8.00 AM to 12.00 AM (16 Hours)
Shuttle Service: Transportation Hub at both airports
Ticket: Free Service
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There are many coffee cafe choices at KLIA2 Airport. |
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Starbucks offers a really massive outlet at KLIA2. |
While you are at KLIA or KLIA2, the area is known as Sepang, a Selangor district. Apart from visiting the old town of Sepang, where several budget hotels are found, along with the general small-town shops, there is nothing else to do here.
If you want to explore, visit Mitsui Outlet or Gateway @ KLIA2 for those with three or four-hour transits. Otherwise, you can just chill out at your airport before catching your connecting flight. There are quite a lot of duty shops at KLIA that are worth exploring.
Some Premium Lounges at KLIA and KLIA2 are worth checking out as they have good facilities. This, of course, caters to premium lounge fans.
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Nu Sentral Shopping Mall at KL Sentral. |
This article was created for anyone who wants to know what to do on a short transit trip to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
There are also business travellers or visitors to Kuala Lumpur who may have an extra day to spare, and I have written an article for those who need to know what to do in KL in one day.
This is also handy if you are on a long journey in Malaysia. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. I hope this article is convenient for you.
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