The first landmark I visited in Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, was the city’s Central Park. Travelers will enjoy this place for its abundance of greenery, musical fountains, and the fact that the world-famous Petronas Towers — the tallest twin towers in the world — rise right next to the park.
Walking Through the Park
The park is located in an area known as Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC). In addition to the park, this district includes numerous skyscrapers, including the aforementioned twin towers. These buildings house hotels, commercial spaces, residential units, and office areas. The large public park I’m writing about today is commonly referred to as Central Park or KLCC Park.
The park covers an area of 20 hectares. It features walking and jogging paths, playgrounds, gazebos, and a children’s wading pool. Near the Petronas Towers, there’s a fountain complex that puts on a light and music show in the evenings. The show begins at 8:00 PM and repeats every half hour several times. The last fountain show is at 10:00 PM.
According to the Petronas Towers website, visitors can view the fountains from several hundred meters above — the final tours of the observation deck take place just after 8:00 PM. However, you’ll need to book tickets in advance. On my visit, all tickets for the 8 PM slot were already sold out. I watched the show from the ground, and it was quite comfortable — there’s plenty of space around the fountains for everyone.
Wikipedia notes that the park’s designers aimed to highlight the harmony between nature and humanity. Indeed, the area is lush with greenery: I read that around 2,000 different plant species were planted here. The idea was to attract both native and migratory birds.
In the northern part of the park stands the As Syakirin Mosque, easily recognizable by its futuristic, spherical dome. At the foot of the twin towers is the Suria KLCC shopping mall, a great spot for travelers to grab a quick bite at the food court or browse shops from world-famous brands. There’s also an aquarium beneath the mall, so if you're traveling with kids or just enjoy that kind of attraction, it's worth checking out.
How to Get There
Kuala Lumpur’s Central Park is located near several public transport stops: for example, it’s easily accessible from KLCC Station (KJ10), Persiaran KLCC (PY21), or the Raja Chulan monorail stop (MR7), which is a bit farther than the metro lines.
Entrance to the park is free. According to the Suria KLCC website, the park is open from 10 AM to 10 PM, but I believe you can enter even later — there are multiple entrances and no one appears to be monitoring them.
My next article about my trip to Kuala Lumpur will cover the observation decks of the Petronas Towers, where I’ll share some background on these skyscrapers and show you views of the Malaysian capital from the 86th floor.
Have a nice trip!
