My experience as a solo female traveler in Kuala Lumpur was completely magical, no doubt thanks to this Malaysian city’s colorful and artsy vibes, superb food scene, and exciting things to do on a budget.
I popped by Kuala Lumpur while on my solo 6-month backpacking tour of Asia, so I was hyper focused on visiting Malaysia on a budget. While I wasn’t able to save as much money traveling in Malaysia as I did in other Asian countries like Thailand or Laos, I successfully traveled Kuala Lumpur on about $30/day—although I’ve heard it’s possible to do it for even less. But what fun is that?
Not only does Kuala Lumpur have a lot of incredible things to do, but the cafe and brunch scene, street food culture, and blend of culture means that it’s a foodie’s paradise. And throughout my three days in Kuala Lumpur, I felt completely safe as a solo female traveler.
Without further ado, here’s a guide to visiting Kuala Lumpur on a budget whether you’re visiting Malaysia for 2 weeks or just here for a short layover in KL.
↠ Read More: The Ultimate Guide to Solo Female Travel in Asia
Is Kuala Lumpur safe for solo female travel?
For me, I felt completely safe and comfortable wandering around Kuala Lumpur as a solo female traveler. I spent about three days in KL and the remainder of my week in Malaysia in Penang. I met friendly locals who gave me recommendations for food and things to do, and befriended people in my hostel too.
Malaysia is a home to a diverse community and I didn’t feel like I stuck out or had too much unwanted attention. It was also exceptionally hot, and I felt comfortable wearing a tank top around (see pictures below).
So ultimately, yes! But always do your due diligence to ensure you do all you need to feel the most comfortable when traveling solo.
↠ Read More: 15 Essential Tips for Solo Female Travelers To Empower You on Your Next Adventure
Best Places to Stay in Kuala Lumpur for Solo Travelers
The best neighborhoods in stay in Kuala Lumpur are considered Bukit Bintang, near the KL Tower, anywhere in the city center, and Chinatown. These KL neighborhoods are vibrant and boast plenty to do for tourists and solo travelers.
Best Kuala Lumpur Hostels For Solo Travelers
Hostels are the absolute best way for solo travelers to meet others! And in Kuala Lumpur, there’s no shortage of amazing and unique hostels to choose from. Here are just a few of the best hostels:
Penthouse on 34 is touted as the highest hostel in KL, and the view from the infinity pool doesn’t get much better than this! The hostel offers affordable privates and dorms, a rooftop terrace and garden, and a high-end feeling near the Putra station.
Mingle @ Highstreet is a colorful and cute hostel with a pool in the heart of KL’s city center. This is a great place to meet fellow travelers, and the hostel hosts various events for guests.
Chinatown Hostel is housed in a beautifully rust historic building in vibrant Chinatown. Guest can choose from nice privates or dorms and enjoy fun amenities like a hot tub and a social lounge.
↠ Read More: Hoste Etiquette: 15 Unspoken Hostel Rules Everyone Should Know
Best Kuala Lumpur Hotels for Solo Travelers
If hostels aren’t your jam, I get it! Thankfully there are many affordable hotels in Kuala Lumpur that ooze personality and charm without busting your solo budget. Here are some of KL’s best hotels:
citizenM Kuala Lumpur is a four-star hotel in Bukit Bintang that oozes charm thanks to its clean and minimalistic rooms, eye-catching lounge filled with pops of color and art, and excellent location amongst shops.
KLoe Hotel is a modern three-star hotel with an industrial edge. The hotel features a courtyard swimming pool and is tucked on a quieter street in Bukit Bintang.
Platinum 2 Service Suites KLCC is for solo travelers who like to treat themselves! This private suite gives guests access to an infinity pool with incredible Kuala Lumpur skyline views, a fitness center, and a sauna.
16 Best Things to Do in Kuala Lumpur
Here are some of the best things to do in Kuala Lumpur!
1. Batu Caves
Located about 30/45 minutes by train from the city center, Batu Caves are comprised of an impressively steep rainbow staircase leading up to absolutely huge limestone caves at the top. Inside the caves are temples and Hindu shrines. This is definitely a key attraction you won’t want to miss. The train to get to the caves is super cheap – I paid 3 RM / $0.75 from the closest station to where I was staying. The caves open up at 6 am and close at 9 pm and are totally free!
2. Perdana Botanical Gardens
The Perdana Botanical Gardens, also known as Lake Gardens or Heritage Park, is a massive park located amongst the concrete jungle of the city. The entire park is about 92 hectares, which I had to google and means about 92,000 square meters – it’s humongous.
It’s also really pretty and makes for a nice place to escape the city and wander amongst lush green plants. It’s also home to a very photogenic yellow canopy that shades the sun perfectly for a nice relaxing break in the park. Oh, and you guessed it, it’s free!
3. KL Forest Eco Park
The KL Forest Eco Park is a miniature rainforest you can explore in the center of the city. Inside the park is a canopy boardwalk where you can glimpse views of the skyscrapers of Kuala Lumpur in the distance set behind the green rainforest.
This is another place that’s gained some Instagram notoriety recently, and honestly, I was a little underwhelmed by it. I walked all the way there to find that it’s actually quite small and the canopy walk is pretty short. However, I’m not one to miss any attractions no matter how lame, let’s blame it on travel FOMO, but just a heads up. If you have the time to kill, it’s something unique to do in Kuala Lumpur.
4. Butik Bintang
Butik Bintang is actually a neighborhood in the city that is home to some pretty stellar street art and colorful murals. Come explore the many side streets and try to find all of the murals on your own. Or cheat like I did and learn the streets they’re on in advance here! I had a lot of fun wandering in these small alleyways and indulging in a little street art photoshoot.
5. Jalan Alor Street Food Market
Jalan Alor is actually about five minutes walking from the main street murals in Butik Bintang. The entire street comes alive at night with street vendors, stands, and restaurants serving up pretty delicious Malaysian goodies. It’s a good place to come for dinner one night – eating street food is after all one of the best ways to see Kuala Lumpur on a budget.
6. Thean Hou Temple
Heating up on the gram recently, this Chinese temple is just absolutely stunning. Perched on a hill, you get good city views from the top of the temple. It’s located a bit out of the city center so this may be the one place you’ll want to consider getting a Grab to.
I personally took one there and then walked back stopping at Brickfields, NU Sentral shopping mall and other stops along the way. The temple is open from 8am – 10pm and I recommend coming right at 8am if you can make it up that early. The place becomes swamped with tour groups around 9.
7. Petaling Street / Chinatown
Located in the Chinatown of KL, vendors set up shop along Petaling Street selling some pretty freaking delicious street food as well as tons of knock off designer goodies. It comes alive in the evening and shops begin their set up around 5 or 6 pm.
8. Sri Mahamariamman Temple
This small and intricately detailed temple is located about 1 minute walking distance away from Petaling Street in Chinatown. This is the oldest Hindu temple in Kuala Lumpur and is free to enter, just remember to take off your shoes before you go inside. You don’t need much time for this place, but it’s cool to see all of the figures that are sculpted into the façade of the building.
9. Brickfields: Little India
Malaysia is such a mix of cultures, and there is quite a large Indian population that influences the day to day. Brickfields is known as the city’s Little India and sells quality Indian foods, goods, clothing and more. I’d just been in India right before Malaysia, so wandering this neighborhood was cool to see.
10. Merdeka Square
There’s a lot of history and culture wrapped up into Merdeka Square. The name translates to independence square and is where Malaysians brought down the Union flag and replaced it with their own. In front of the square is the Sultan Abdul Samad building which is a beautiful piece of architecture. It originally housed the British colonial offices back in the day. You don’t need much time to enjoy Merdeka Square, but if you’re in the area it’s worth it to walk around.
11. KLCC Park
The KLCC Park is a 50 acres plot of land designated to bring greenery to the city. This park is beautifully landscaped and offers some wicked views of KL’s skyline, including the iconic Petronas Towers, which is one of the most famous landmarks in Malaysia. It’s a good alternative to enjoying the towers without paying the hefty 80 RM / $19.10 USD entrance fee to get to the top.
12. Kuala Lumpur National Art Gallery
If you’re into art museums, check out the current exhibits at the National Art Gallery. It’s not only a great way to enjoy local art, but also to get away from the heat and humidity. The best part is, admission is totally free. Just know that photography is not allowed inside.
13. Central Market
Located about five minutes from Petaling Street, Central Market is a cool indoor market with a number of different shops selling handicrafts, souvenirs, beauty supplies, clothes and more. I had fun strolling the shops and enjoying the cutesy items for sale, even if I was on a budget and was avoiding shopping like the plague.
14. Masjid Wilayah Mosque (Federal Territory Mosque)
A bit away from the other main attractions, the Masjid Wilayah Mosque is a gorgeous Islamic place of worship. Take the time to visit and learn more about Islam while marveling at the beautiful architecture. Not taking the time to visit this attraction was one of
15. Nu Sentral Shopping Center
A fairly new and pretty cool mall located near Brickfields, I popped into Nu Sentral essentially just to take a break from the heat and enjoy some A/C. But I actually ended up enjoying window shopping. It’s pretty much like any other mall, but sometimes just wandering around looking at things we want to buy and enjoying a treat from the food court is fun enough. Just sayin’.
16. Petronas Towers
Kuala Lumpur’s Petronas Towers are an iconic landmark in the city’s skyline. These twin towers were once the tallest skyscrappers in the world, and are easy to recognize thanks to their distinct Islamic flair. Visitors can go to the top of these nearly 1500 feet tall towers and witness the city from an all-glass observation deck.
Travel Tips to Save Money While Traveling Solo in Kuala Lumpur
- Take the Skybus/Aerobus coach to the city when you arrive. It’s literally a fraction of the cost of all of the other options. The bus was 12 RM / $2.50 USD vs the train which is either 35 RM for the regular or 55 RM for the express.
- Go without a SIM card. KL is pretty well connected with Wi-Fi so I was able to take advantage of it every time I took a break somewhere in a café or restaurant. Save the cash and go without data.
- Download offline maps. If you’re going without a SIM card, download offline maps on Google or Maps.me to ensure you don’t get lost.
- Celcom offers the cheapest SIM card plan. If you absolutely need a SIM card (no judgement, I did end up getting one myself), Celcom probably offers the cheapest tourist plan at 10 RM / $2.15 USD for 1 GB of data. Not a ton of data, but it’ll get the job done for your visit.
- Eat street food. By far your cheapest way to eat the best foods in Malaysia and save money along the way.
- Walk everywhere. Save money on public transportation and walk everywhere. If you stay downtown, the accommodation will be a little pricier, but you’ll come out ahead by not paying for taxis in between attractions. Everything is fairly close to one another if you’re ok with 20 or so minute walks between everything.
- Take Grab. If you’re headed somewhere far and can’t be bothered to walk it, Grab taxis are actually decently affordable. Download the app before you arrive for easy use!
- Take advantage of all the awesome free things to do. It was actually so easy seeing Kuala Lumpur on a budget because most of the best things to do happen to be free. Skip some of the more expensive things, like the Petronas Towers which are 80 RM / $19.10 USD, if you’re really tight for money.
- Stay in a hostel rather than a hotel. Don’t get me wrong, there are some beautiful hotels in Kuala Lumpur, but ultimately a hostel will cost you only a fraction of the cost of a night in a hotel.
Kuala Lumpur is one of the most colorful cities I’ve had the pleasure of exploring. The street art and architecture here is gorgeous, and the cultural diversity is also so vibrant. It’s oozing with character. With any place, it’s best if you can visit without the restriction of a strict budget, but even so, Kuala Lumpur on a budget still offers visitors an amazing experience.
There you have it! A guide sharing how to visit Kuala Lumpur solo and on a budget.
