The Petronas Towers and KLCC Park

Twin silver towers of steel and glass, a skybridge at 170 metres, and a tropical park where the whole city comes to stroll after dark.

Area

KLCC & Bukit Bintang

Start from

Central Kuala Lumpur

Distance

in the city centre

Time needed

half a day

Best season

All year; sunset and evening are best

Difficulty

Easy

Transport

LRT to KLCC station

Tickets & rules

Park is free; Skybridge and observation deck need a timed ticket, best booked ahead (usually closed on Mondays)

Why go

Whatever you think of skyscrapers, the Petronas Towers are beautiful. Up close they are not sleek boxes but layered, faceted columns of stainless steel and glass, stepping inwards as they rise and ending in slender pinnacles. In daylight they look silver and slightly unreal; at night they glow like two lanterns, and from almost anywhere in the city you catch a glimpse of them between flyovers and palm trees.

Going up is worth it once. A timed visit takes you first to the double-decker Skybridge on the 41st and 42nd floors, slung between the towers about 170 metres above the ground, and then to the observation deck on level 86, where the city spreads out to the green hills of the Titiwangsa range. On a clear morning you can see the Genting ridge on the horizon.

But my favourite part is at ground level. KLCC Park, laid out around a lake at the towers’ feet, is one of the gentlest public spaces in the city: a jogging track of soft rubber, a free children’s paddling pool, old rain trees, and families picnicking on the grass as the evening cools. Around eight the Lake Symphony fountain starts its shows of music and coloured water, and half the city seems to stop and watch.

The story

The site used to be the Selangor Turf Club, a racecourse at the edge of colonial Kuala Lumpur. In the early 1990s it was cleared for a new city-within-a-city, and the American architect César Pelli was asked to design something that felt Malaysian rather than generic. His answer was the floor plan: each tower is based on an eight-pointed star made of two overlapping squares, a classic motif of Islamic geometry, softened with rounded lobes.

Construction ran at a furious pace, and to speed things up the two towers were built by competing consortia, one led by a Japanese firm and the other by Korean companies. It became an informal race, and the second tower famously caught up. When they were completed in 1998, at 452 metres including their spires, they were the tallest buildings in the world, a title they kept until Taipei 101 overtook them in 2004.

The Skybridge is not rigidly fixed to both towers. It rests on bearings so that it can slide in and out as the buildings sway in the wind, a quiet bit of engineering you would never notice standing on it.

The park below was designed by the Brazilian landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx, famous for the wavy pavements of Copacabana. He insisted on keeping the old trees and planting native species, which is why the park already feels mature, full of birdsong, with squirrels running along the branches.

Getting there

Take the Kelana Jaya LRT line to KLCC station, which connects underground to the Suria KLCC mall at the towers’ base. From Bukit Bintang there is also a long covered, air-conditioned pedestrian walkway, about 15 to 20 minutes on foot, which is a lifesaver in the heat or rain.

The ticket counter for the Skybridge is on the concourse level of the towers. Book online in advance if you can; daily slots are limited and morning ones sell out first.

A suggested plan

1. MorningTake your timed Skybridge and observation deck visit while the air is clearest.
2. Late morningCool off in the Suria KLCC mall or the Petrosains science centre inside it.
3. AfternoonRest; the park has little shade at midday.
4. 5:30 pmWalk the rubber jogging loop around KLCC Park as the light softens.
5. EveningWatch the Lake Symphony fountain show from the esplanade, then photograph the lit towers from the park’s far side.

Where to stay

KLCC and nearby Bukit Bintang have hotels at every level, and staying here means you can walk to the towers at night; Kampung Baru across the river has simpler guesthouses with views of the towers.

Good to know

• The classic photo of both towers needs a wide lens or the far end of the park; directly below you can’t fit them in.
• Bring a light jacket for the observation deck, where the air conditioning is strong.
• The fountain show runs several times each evening; check current times at the esplanade.
• The children’s paddling pool in the park is free and a blessing for families.