Having walked the streets of Singapore, I next opted to check out another major city, Kuala Lumpur (KL) – from Singapore.
To achieve this goal, I needed to find a tour that combined travel from Singapore (and back) and an ambitious tour of KL (in a single day).
To my surprise, I found the exact tour I was looking for on Viator.
Review: Full-Day Semi-Guided Kuala Lumpur Tour From Singapore By Business Coach [Viator]
Editor’s Note: This post is part of my ongoing Asia Travel Series, click here for more posts on all things Indonesia, and click here for all things Singapore.Â
About The Tour
The tour I found was the “Full-day Semi-Guided Kuala Lumpur Tour from Singapore by Business coach”, and it had an impressively aggressive itinerary.
The tour consisted of an overnight bus transfer from Singapore to KL, a half-day tour of the city, an afternoon tour of the Batu-Caves, and a return to Singapore before midnight – all neatly packaged to be completed in 24-hours.
Crazy? Yes.
But I was game.
Getting To KL
The first order of business was finding the bus depot.
The instructions emailed to me were very detailed (see below). Luckily, the taxi driver knew where the Golden Mile Complex was, so getting there was easy.
When I went to check-in, I showed the receptionist my Viator tour print-out, but she had never heard of “Viator”. She seemed annoyed with me for asking about a reservation that she thought didn’t exist.
I asked her if there was a such a tour as the one I booked, and she said yes, but didn’t she see my name on the manifest. After begrudgingly making some phone calls and a heated conversation in Malaysian, she eventually handed me a boarding pass and told me where to board the bus to KL.
The Business Coach
Soon, we boarded the coach. I was pleased to find the bus was a smaller touring bus, with plenty of leg-room and semi-lie-flat seats.
The seats were well-worn, but extremely comfortable. They had private TV screens, an electric socket, drink holder, and a small storage hutch.
FHOP Tip: Bring a neck pillow and an eye mask and you’ll arrive in KL in no-time!
The Travel To KL
We departed from Singapore 10 minutes after midnight, stopping once to cross the border into Malaysia (which required getting out of the bus and physically walking through immigration across the border), and once more at a roadside restaurant/rest stop.
We arrived in KL around 3:45 am and were dropped off in front of the Melia Kuala Lumpur hotel.
As the tour didn’t start until 8:00 am, I opted to get a room at the hotel to sleep the rest of the night, get a shower, and then grab a bite before starting the tour.
FHOP Tip: I recommend booking a room at the Melia Kuala Lumpur. The hotel is conveniently located at the drop-off point, so you won’t be stranded on the street when you arrive. Ideally, one can get a couple of hours sleep and a hot shower before the morning tour pick-up. There is also a Starbucks directly across the street, ideal for coffee and breakfast before the start of the tour. Â
Tour Stop #1: Petronas Twin Towers
The tour guide picked me up at the Melia hotel at 8am, where I boarded a large touring van that was already packed with tourists.
The first stop (right out of the gate) was a pair of viewpoints for the famed Petronas Twin Towers.
Viewpoint #1
Viewpoint #2 – The base of the towers
Tour Stop #2: Harriston Boutique
The next stop was a tourist trap, albeit a delicious chocolate one, the Harriston Boutique.
As a self-confessed “chocoholic”, I personally wasn’t super-impressed with their chocolate offerings, although many others were.
It very crowded inside; tourists were acting like this was the only place in the world to buy chocolate.
I will say that Harriston Boutique had some impressive chocolate displays though.
Double-dragon chocolate
Tour Stop #3: Istana Negara, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Halim
The Istana Negara is the official residence of the monarch of Malaysia.
This tour stop was limited to a view from the front gate.
A “phone-inside-the-gate” photo
Tour Stop #4: National Monument
The National Monument was tour stop #4.
This complex was built to commemorate Malaysian freedom from the Japanese occupation of World War II (as well as other wars for Malaysian freedom).
The Memorial bears a notable resemblance to the Marine Corps War Memorial in the U.S., as they were both designed by the Austrian sculptor Felix de Weldon.
Kuala Lumpur Cenotaph
Tour Stop #5: Dataran Merdeka (Merdeka Square)
This stop was preceded by a drive through Petaling Street in Chinatown, and a picture viewpoint stop near the National Mosque of Malaysia.
The bus parked at an intersection near Merdeka Square, where were we let out to explore sites on our own including: the Sultan Abdul Samad Building, the Dayabumi Complex, National Textile Museum, Kuala Lumpur City Gallery, Royal Selangor Club, and the Central Market.
This stop ended with a bus pick-up in front of the River of Life.
The National Mosque of Malaysia
Dayabumi Complex
National Textile Museum
Sultan Abdul Samad Building
Central Market
Masjid Jamek of Kuala Lumpur and the River of Life
At this point, the first half of the tour was concluded, and I was returned to my hotel to grab lunch on my own.
Tour Stop #7: Royal Selangor
After lunch, the second half of the tour began with a pick-up from a new tour guide.
We immediately headed for the Royal Selangor pewter factory, the second tourist trap of the day.
With that said, I knew nothing of pewter, and I was expecting another lackluster experience.
To the contrary, the Royal Selangor Visitor Center was quite impressive.
Part museum, part factory, and part showroom, there were some truly beautiful items on display and the live workmanship was very interesting.
Of all the tourist traps I’ve ever been to, this was perhaps the most interesting.
The Official Royal Selangor Video
Tour Stop #8: Batu Caves
The final stop of the day was also my favorite, the Batu Caves.
This complex is a Hindu temple dedicated to Kartikeya (Murugan), the God of War (and the son of Siva and Parvati).
It is one of the most popular Hindu temples outside of India and requires a climb of 272 concrete stairs to reach the entrance to the caves.
The Plaza
Lord Murugan, the Hindu God of War
Entrance to the staircase
Watch out for the aggressive Macaque Monkeys – they steal…and bite!
The Staircase Climb
The limestone cave entrance
Inside The Cave
A hole in the ceiling
The final staircase in Temple CaveÂ
The Exit (Back Through The Entrance)
Getting Back To Singapore
After the wondrous Batu Caves, I was returned to the Melia hotel one final time, where I once again followed the email instructions [below] and walked to nearby bus depot.
This time, they gave me a ticket instantly and I boarded the same coach as before for the 4-hour ride back to Singapore (where we’d be arriving at 10:00 pm).
The Bottom-Line Review: Full-Day Semi-Guided Kuala Lumpur Tour From Singapore By Business Coach [Viator]
What a crazy, whirl-wind 24-hours of a tour! I loved it. I thought it was a fantastic way to see Kuala Lumpur in an efficient (and economical) way.
The hardest part of this tour (by far) was the arrival to KL at 4:00 am with nowhere to go. For me, the Melia hotel was the perfect solution, although I was still a little sleep-deprived (but nothing some Starbucks coffee couldn’t fix).
KL was an awesome city, and the tour stops were interesting and worthwhile (even the two tourist traps weren’t that big of a deal). The tour’s rapid pace may not be for everybody, but I don’t think I could have found a better tour in the 24-hours I had to see KL (from Singapore).
Final Review: Highly Recommended!
