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Shopping in Kuala Lumpur is very easy, as the metropolis is full of shopping malls, out which you can find the most exclusive ones and the bargain places. The main shopping areas of KL city can be found inside the “Golden Triangle” area, which you can easily walk through or use the Monorail for doing so. Other shopping areas include the area of Bangsar and Midvalley roads, which are on the Southern side on the city and can be reached by the local Metro. In our article, we would like to introduce you to some of the best shopping malls of the city with the reason why you would visit them.

  1. Berjaya Times Square – Not too far from the Imbi Metro station Eastwards from Chinatown, you can find this enormous shopping mall which is one of the biggest in Asia. The huge shopping mall will surely take away your day, as it offers various retail stores on altogether 12 levels. The best place to go to check out the latest trends and it is also extremely popular for having the biggest indoor theme park in Malaysia that you can find on the seventh floor. This is a must- visit shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
  2. Starhill Gallery:  This is the most luxurious shopping mall of KL city, located within the popular Golden Triangle district. This shopping mall boasts of a high variety of luxury brands such as LV, Chanel, Dior, Valentino, Versace or Gucci, among many others.
  3. Pavillion KL - This enormous shopping mall is quite new being built in 2007, and it offers the choice of around 450 various retails that range from the most expensive Burberry Prorsum to the urban wear brands. You can find the label stores of Hermés, Gucci, Boss, and Prada but in the same time, you can also get to see Juicy Couture, Zara or Mango. The famous shopping mall was the first for many luxury brands to open their very first store in KL city. The mall has a huge food court with various fast food and normal restaurants and cafes.
  4. Fahrenheit 88 – This shopping mall has reopened its doors to the public in 2010 after closing down for a couple of years. The large shopping mall is today among the trendiest places being full of stores of teenage and sportswear and houses fashion stores of several local designers. H&M opened its very first store in Fahrenheit 88. If you want to check out the latest Japanese teenage trends, do not miss visiting Uniql and Muji stores.
  5. Lot 10 – Widely considered as the best shopping mall of KL city, Lot 10 is also a happening mall since its renovation. The mall has dozens of hip stores and it is very popular for those who would like to taste local and international specialties. Lot10 has a great rooftop garden terrace, which gives place to several bars, terraces and cafés. It is very busy during the evening hours. The mall also sports a cool gym and a Debenhams.
  6. Low Yat Plaza – If you are looking for gadgets or any electronic goods or replicas, then this plaza is your place to go. Selling goods much cheaper than their original price, this plaza is always busy and has an extra large clientele. Be prepared that most of the devices here are fake.
  7. Sungei Wang Plaza - This is the trendy Chinese clothes market of Kuala Lumpur where you can buy fine quality Chinese garments, many of which come to Europe to be sold for a much higher price. The store has lots of replica handbags, belts and all sorts of luxury goods.
  8. Bangsar Shopping Centre, known simply as BSC, this is the favorite shopping mall of especially the British expats who live here in large numbers. The mall houses several specialties coming from the UK.  Check out the Cold Storage Supermarket and Burlington Tailor Shop to see the two unique stores in the shopping centre.
  9. Bangsar Village- Connected to the former mall, the new building is now connected to the old one through a covered bridge. This is an ordinary shopping mall with lots of retails and fine prices located along Bangsar Road.
  10. Mid Valley Megamall and Gardens at Mid Valley -  This two malls, which form one, are among the largest shopping malls of Asia with lots of department stores, a Carrefour hypermarket, Jusco, MetroJaya among many other brands

After introducing you to these great shopping malls of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, let us also suggest you to visit the Central Market, which is located in the downtown Old City part of Kuala Lumpur and it is among the best touristic shopping places of the city. The market was awarded with quality architectural awards and it is one of the historical buildings of this relatively young city built roughly in the same time and the capitals constitution. 

#Shopping Mall

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Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia is really a diverse city where many Asian cultures meet in order to create a unique mix, which you will not see anywhere else in the world. This characteristic and the inviting all-year long warm climate makes Kuala Lumpur an inviting destination for tourists of all budget.  In our article, we will quickly examine the 10 top activities that you can do while you are staying in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

1. Sightseeing: This city is really inviting for tourists with its colorful streets, colonial quarter, Chinatown and Little India. Kuala Lumpur celebrates many events and has many festivals all-year long. You must check out the great diversity, culture and architecture of Kuala Lumpur together with the former tallest building in the world the Petronas Tower. Do not miss riding the Monorail that gives you the best chance to take great photos of Kuala Lumpur’s downtown area.

2. Shopping: If you stay in Kuala Lumpur, you will quickly see how inviting a destination it is for shoppers. Packed with some of the largest shopping malls of Asia, you can get everything in KL City, from luxury goods to the cheapest gadgets. As all Asian cities, KL City is rich in all and every goods. You must check out the night market in China Town, which is one of the most popular activities to do, even for the locals.

3. Relaxing: Kuala Lumpur is a great place to relax. The city is packed with beautiful parks even in its centers, which give you perfect chance to relax. In addition, the city houses some of the best spas in Asia, including the Day Life Spa and the Puri Santi Spas, each one located in the city centre, yet once you are there, it seems as if you had been on a relaxing jungle island.

4. Golf: Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia is one of the most important golf destinations of Asia. There are various quality golf courses here and golf remains to be one of the most popular activities for locals. Popular golf courses include Tibwangsa Golf Course, Kelab Golf Course. The biggest gold course of Singapore is the Royal Selangcor, which is the place of several local and international competitions as well.

5. Eating out: Kuala Lumpur is a great place for gourmets and for those who love to takes local specialties. As it is the melting pot of different Asian cultures, you can get to find great specialties in the city from all around the world. You should not miss tasting the local restaurants, such as kedai mamak (curry houses), taste roti canai (a roll similar to pancakes stuffed with meat).

6. Going out: Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia is great for going out, especially its Bangsar Street area which is the real party place full of discos and the hippest clubs in the city.

7. Excursions: Some of the best theme parks and excursion sites of Kuala Lumpur can be found outside the city, which you should not miss out on visiting in order to see the real natural beauty of this beautiful tropical country.

8. Business, meetings, exhibitions: Kuala Lumpur has a brand new World Trade Centre that is its main place for exhibitions, fairs and conferences. The town has plenty of top quality executive hotels in the area of the World Trade Centre that makes it great for any business related programs.

9. Cultural entertainment: Kuala Lumpur has a very rich cultural life with its National Museum, Museum of Islamic art and lots of smaller museums and galleries. The Kuala Lumpur musical life is developing together with its theatres where they are representing a growing number of local and international plays.

10.  Formula 1: Kuala Lumpur has become excessively popular from the time its course has been implemented in the yearly Formula 1 tournaments. Yearly thousands of visitors arrive here to watch the F-1 run and this does great for the tourism of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

These are only some of the great activities to do while in Kuala Lumpur. Come and explore this magical city for yourself! Being served by one of the largest international airports in Asia, Kuala Lumpur accepts the world’s biggest airlines that all have frequent flights to Kuala Lumpur, one of the biggest and most important cities in South East Asia.

#Activities

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Top 10 places to shop in Penang

  • The Gurney Plaza
  • Chinatown
  • Chowrasta Market
  • Little India
  • Little Penang Street Market
  • One-Stop Midlands Park Centre
  • Penang Bazaar
  • Penang New World Park
  • Penang Plaza
  • Queensbay Mall

The Gurney Plaza

Gurney Plaza is the second largest mall in Penang and is located at the popular locality of Gurney Drive. It is situated in front of the waterfront and was opened only recently in the year 2001. It has three anchors – the Golden Screen Cinemas that offers 12 screens, the Cold Storage Supermarket and the Parkson Grand. The mall has nine stories and houses almost 400 brands like Versace, Fossil and Coach. The mall is open everyday from 10 am to 10 pm and is accessible through Kelawai Road and the Gurney Drive.

Chinatown

The name Chinatown is not an official one but the locality is popularly known by this name. It is located around the areas of Lebuh Chulia and the Lebuh Campbell. Chinatown offers a good insight into the history of the Chinese immigrants of Penang along with housing numerous stalls and markets. These sell everything from clothes to lanterns. The area is also dotted with numerous Chinese coffee shops, antique shops and temples. Even if you do not buy anything, you will be delighted by the whole experience of it.

The various markets and stalls in Chinatown offer traditional clothes, Chinese medicines, herbs, crystals and antique items. You can also find shoemakers, signage gravers and shoemakers here. These are skills mastered by the Chinese immigrants and they have been passed on from one generation to another.

Chowrasta Market

The Chowrasta Market is the most renowned market of Penang. It is a very old market and its history goes back to a few centuries. The market is divided into two sections – the wet market and the dry market. The wet market is located at the back and sells some of the most fresh food items like Hiang biscuits, fresh nutmegs and preserved fruits. Most of the food items sold here are the cheapest in the island. You will also find a bookshop on the first floor that sells second-hand books at bargain prices. The market is open everyday from 8:30 am to 8 pm.

Little India

Little India is a locality filled with shops offering spices, Indian food items, gold jewelry, items used for prayer and also CD-S and DVD-s of Indian movies. Indian songs are played throughout the day from the shops and it just adds to the vibe of the market. The market offers a totally different experience and is open everyday from 10 am to 11 pm.

Little Penang Street Market

The Little Penang Street Market is open on the last Sunday of every month and it is a unique market offering exciting crafts and artworks. It displays the best of the culture, which is prevalent in Penang. The market also boasts of live performances, an art gallery, live demonstrations, exhibitions, book reading sessions and entertainment for children. It is open everyday from 10 am to 5 pm.

One-Stop Midlands Park Centre

The One stop Midlands Park centre boasts of 200 shops and houses both well-known brands and bargain items at the same place. You will find rare items like paintings, ceramics, feng shui charms and pottery. The sixth floor of the market has everything you may need for using your computer. It is open everyday from 10 am to 8 pm.

Penang Bazaar

Unlike the other vibrant shopping malls of Penang, this one offers a quiet and calm experience. The mall is two-storied and its main anchor is Giant supermarket housing everything you may need for running your home. A furniture showroom and a bargain bookstore are located at the second floor. It is a good place for getting essential household items.

#Penang

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Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is a huge city; therefore, its public transportation is colorful, yet often a bit confusing. Hereby, we represent you with the various means of public transportations available in the city, with their pros and cons.

Transportation:

Trains:  Kuala Lumpur is served by two train stations – the KL Sentral and the Old Railway Station.

  • LRT:  The mean of public transportation, which is closest to Metro in Kuala Lumpur, is the LRT.
  • KL Monorail:   With 11 stops, the Monorail goes through the downtown and stops at the most important destinations. Both tourists and locals favor it, and it gives a magnificent view to the city as well.
  • KTM Commuter trains bring people out in the suburbs and different ticket is needed for them.
  • ETS Express trains to Ipoh also stop in the Old Railway Station in the city centre, where domestic and city buses do depart.
  • KLIA is the name of the Airport transfer train that goes between   KL Sentral and KL international airport. KLIA also runs direct express trains. KLIA normal train is a good choice for you if you want to get to Putrajaya and Salak Tinggi.

Bus: Hereby we enlist the types of buses that run inside the city, as per their signals.

RapidKL bus – This bus has three different categories which you can only see by their respective signs:

  • Bandar (B)  mean the city centre shuttles,
  • Utama (U)   these buses go far from the city centre ending up in the outlying suburbs,
  • Tempatan (T) these are the connecting buses which generally take passengers to train stations.

Price of bus ticket costs roughly around 2 MYR.

Tourist buses: Kuala Lumpur has a great Hop-on, Hop-off sightseeing bus line that goes all around the city. These buses run every 30 minutes. You can buy a 24 hr or a 48 hr ticket and can use it within the downtown as a public transportation. Do not use them during rush hours that are generally between 11 and 17.00H.

Free Buses:  It may sound tricky but indeed Kuala Lumpur has two free bus lines: The GOKL City Bus and the Purple City Bus travels from Pasar Seni to Bukit Bintang shopping area. It is although hard to catch these buses and takes hours to wait them out.

The public transportation system of Kuala Lumpur is not too bad, but the connections are often failing. Be prepared to spend long time waiting at times, in case you would like to use connections. Public transportation is cheap. Travel passes or tourist tickets are still not used here, the only collective ticket available is the one called “Touch ‘n Go” which is valid for multiple travel and can be recharged. Inside the city, we advise you to use Monorail and LRT mixed up. As of now, you can buy one ticket valid for both LRT and Monorail. One single ticket for both costs around 1-3 MYR only.

Airport transfer: Kuala Lumpur Airport Taxi costs around 75 MYR, and after midnight, they can charge more. There is a taxi coupon buying possibility, which makes your trip more secure in terms of how much you pay.

Travelling from the airport by bus costs only 10 MYR while the train (KLIA) costs around 35 MYR / single trip.

Walking in Kuala Lumpur

When walking in Kuala Lumpur, be prepared that not every driver takes green lights seriously so pay attention when crossing any streets. Using KL train and Monorail is a great way to get around in the city. Trains go from KLIA Train Station and the bus station is together with the train station. Bus is usually cheaper but much slower than trains. Be aware that the pavements are made of such special cover that once they get wet, they get extremely slippery.

Travelling outside the city or country:

Trains are surprisingly cheap here; you can get an overnight train to Thailand cheaply that runs from KL Sentral Railway or from the neighboring Bus station.

#Transportation