20+ Amazing Ideas for things to do with Kids in Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia is an incredibly diverse country, with dense tropical rain forests, sprawling modern cities, pristine islands with sandy beaches, and the largest cave systems in the world, and huge tea plantations covering rolling hills. For most families traveling to Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur is the gateway to this spectacular country, but with so many other incredible places to take your kids, you might wonder if spending time in the capital city is even worth it.

Let me be the first to say, it is. 

Kuala Lumpur is a city filled to bursting with fun and educational things to do with your kids, from exploring Malaysia’s rich biodiversity to marveling at fantastically shaped skyscrapers. It’s wide variety of attractions makes it more than just an easy port of entry. Checking out Kuala Lumpur is one of the best things to do in Malaysia! Here are some of my family’s top picks.

While I’ve placed the different things to do with kids in Kuala Lumpur according to the field trip categories that I felt like they most easily fit into, many of the locations can teach kids about a wide variety of topics depending on how you approach them. Check out the field trip category tags on each location for ideas on what kinds of topics might work best!   

Explore nature in the heart of the city

Kuala Lumpur is surrounded by tropical rainforest, and much of that greenery spills into and through the city. These swaths of green space help Kuala Lumpur to feel much more connected to nature than many cities we’ve visited, and allow families with kids to explore a small part of the jungle without even needing to leave the city!  

Taman Tugu

Taman Tugu is a swath of forest that serves as a green lung in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. It features several different forest trails that are well-maintained and suitable for most families, even with younger kids!  

Perdana Botanical Gardens

Located just to the south of Taman Tugu, the Perdana Botanical Gardens cover more than 220 acres of land in the midst of Kuala Lumpur’s downtown area, making it an oasis of calm in the heart of the city. Unlike Taman Tugu, the plant life in the botanical gardens is much more manicured, with several themed gardens, such as the orchid garden and hibiscus garden. 

Other attractions in the gardens include a butterfly garden, the Kuala Lumpur Bird Park (more on that later), a deer park with several species of deer, and a replica of Stonehenge!

Titiwangsa Lake Park (Taman Tasik Titiwangsa)

The Titiwangsa Lake Park was originally conceived as an alternative area to the botanical gardens in order to divide the number of visitors between them, but instead of the themed gardens, the main focus of the Lake Park is the lake! 

This is a great place to get out on the water, with boats available to rent, and there are walking and jogging paths around the lake, for those wanting to take a lake-side stroll.   

Forest Eco Park (Bukit Nanas Forest Reserve)

If you’re looking for something slightly less ‘walking trail’ and slightly more ‘walking through the tops of jungle trees,’ you may want to check out the Forest Eco Park! 

The 200m canopy walk through the trees is a treat for kids who love to be up high, and the park itself also features trails, playgrounds, and plenty of beautiful jungle trees. Unfortunately, while the park used to be free, that is no longer the case, and it will cost RM 40 for foreigners to enter. 

Animal Experiences

If there is one thing that most kids have in common, it is a love for animals! 

I’m particularly partial to wild animal encounters over zoos and aviaries, and there are definitely better places to visit in Malaysia if you’re looking for incredible animal encounters. However, it’s hard to argue with the convenience of being able to come face to face with cool creatures without even needing to leave the city!

Kuala Lumpur Bird Park

The Kuala Lumpur Bird Park is the world’s largest covered bird park, and many of the birds in the park are left to fly free within the park’s huge canopy. It is home to more than 200 species of bird, both local and foreign, with over 3,000 individual birds in the park! 

Feeding times and specialized sections within the KL Bird park let you get a close look at parrots, flamingoes, hornbills, ostriches and eagles. The wide variety of birds that you can see makes this cool bird park one of the best things to do in Malaysia!   

Zoo Negara

The national zoo of Kuala Lumpur, the Zoo Negara, is home to nearly 500 different species of animals, including large mammals, such as lions and tigers, reptiles, many different species of bird, and fish. The zoo sprawls out over 110 acres, which gives plenty of room for the animals to spread out. They even have Giant Pandas!

Again, while I definitely prefer wild animal experiences over zoos, this is a pretty decent zoo, and a great way to spend a day out with the kids!

Aquaria KLCC

Aquaria KLCC (Kuala Lumpur Convention Center) is the largest aquarium in Malaysia, and an excellent way to spend a few hours indoors if you’re looking to escape the heat! There are more than 250 different aquatic species represented across the different exhibits, including several different species of shark, marine and freshwater fish from around the world, a tank where you can touch bamboo sharks and horseshoe crabs, and even a few exhibits featuring more land-based animals like geckos and otters!

Food Experiences

There are so many different things that go into a country’s cultural identity, but when I visit a new place, it is often the food experiences that are my absolute favorite parts to explore! Malaysian cuisine is heavily influenced by other Asian cuisines, including Chinese, Indian, and Indonesian foods, which is to say, a ton of the incredible foods are on offer here. If you’re looking to experience those foods with your kids, these are some of the best field trip options out there!

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Eat some delicious street food at Jalan Alor

Decorated with strings of red lanterns spanning the street, Jalan Alor is a feast for the eyes as well as the tongue! 

This street food market covers a full half kilometer of downtown roadway with over 200 food stalls. Satay skewers, dumplings, buns, and more are all on offer, and all at easy to swallow prices. Also be sure to try some fresh durian, if you haven’t had the chance. 

While you can definitely visit Jalan Alor during the day, many of the street vendors don’t begin selling their wares until 4:30-5:00 in the evening. And the street doesn’t truly come alive with activity until the sun goes down! 

Sit down restaurants along Jalan Alor will often be open from lunch onwards, so even if you can’t make it for an evening stroll, this is still a great place to get some food, no matter what time of day you visit.

Connaught Night Market 

While there are plenty of night markets across the different neighborhoods in Kuala Lumpur, the Connaught Night Market is the largest of them all, with over a mile of stalls to check out! 

It’s also an excellent place to get top-quality street food. 

This particular night market is only open on Wednesday evenings, starting at 5:30pm when most locals are just getting off work. Each week, the Connaught Night Market attracts literally thousands of people. While my focus here is food, it’s possible to find almost anything among the hundreds of stalls, so be prepared to do some serious shopping. 

Petaling Street

I’m afraid my family missed out on the full experience on our trip to Petaling Street for one particular reason: we were exhausted before we even got there!

On the day we chose to visit, we had already spent our morning exploring the National Science Center (more on that below), and were ready for a break. Luckily, there were plenty of great air-conditioned restaurants in the area! We chose one (Waaron Kuus) and tried to recuperate over some great Malaysian food, but ultimately decided to cut our trip short.

If we had decided to stick it out, we would have been treated to one of the best street shopping experiences in all of Kuala Lumpur! Stalls filled with clothing, bags, toys and more lined both sides of the street, while street food stalls and full restaurants filled in the gaps between.

It looked like a lot of fun! We just didn’t have the energy that particular day. Maybe next time!

Science Museums

I love a good science museum as a fun and educational trip with my kids, especially on a rainy day when we can’t get outside! 

National Science Center (Pusat Sains Negara)

Kuala Lumpur’s National Science Centre has exhibits covering a whole range of science topics, from the physics of flight to the modern day uses of radiation. The museum is particularly well-suited to children, as most of the exhibits focus on learning through play, and the general feel of the museum is of a large play area or park, making it tons of fun.

Petrosains, The Discovery Center

Located on level 4 of the Petronas Towers, The Discovery Center is easily one of the best Science Museums in the country. The museum is funded by Malaysia’s oil and gas corporation, PETRONAS, and as such there is a definite focus on energy technologies and their impact on the world. Inside the museum there are exhibits on F1 racing, an entire oil platform that kids are encouraged to explore, and presentations focused on chemistry. But there are also exhibits on dinosaurs, robotics, and a ride that emphasizes the need for transitioning to renewable energy sources. Overall, it’s definitely worth checking out. 

Architectural wonders

Kuala Lumpur is a city of skyscrapers, where it’s nearly impossible to walk through the streets without spotting some piece of architectural awesomeness or other. So, obviously any educational travel in Kuala Lumpur should absolutely include a visit to some of the city’s most well-known buildings!

Petronas Towers

At 1482ft (452m), the Petronas Towers were once the world’s tallest buildings. And even though that’s no longer the case, they do still remain the tallest twin skyscrapers on earth. 

The towers’ height means that you can see them pretty easily from almost anywhere in Kuala Lumpur, but it’s definitely worth seeing them from up close just to be able to see the sheer scale of these towers. And, if you’re feeling particularly brave, you can also go inside to check out the incredible views from the Towers’ sky bridge and the 360-degree viewing platform on the 86th floor!

Menara KL Tower 

The Menara KL Tower isn’t quite as tall as the Petronas towers, but still manages to be both beautiful and imposing with its 421m (1381ft) of height. 

The building leans hard into Islamic architectural styles, with beautifully patterned walls and tall spire on the top that makes it feel like it comes straight out of a fairy tale. It also offers incredible views of the city from its observation deck, 276m (906ft) above the ground! 

If you’re really daring, you can take it a step further with the Skybox (a glass box off the edge of the observation deck) or the Tower Walk (a walk around the OUTSIDE of the tower while hooked onto a safety line).   

Merdeka 118

I had been in Kuala Lumpur several weeks before I learned about this one. While the Petronas Towers get all the attention for being the tallest twin towers in the world, they aren’t even the tallest buildings in the city! That honor goes to the Merdeka 118 tower, which is the tallest in KL and the second-tallest building in the world next to the Burj Khalifa in Dubai!

Coming in at an impressive 2,227ft (679m) in height, the Merdeka 118 has 118-stories, including a dual-level observation deck on the 115th and 116th floors! That puts its uppermost observation deck at a dizzying height of 1857ft (566m) making it the tallest observation deck in all of South East Asia! Or, at least, it will be.

Unfortunately, while the building was officially inaugurated in January of 2024, it is not yet officially open to the public and won’t be until the second half of this year. Meaning, I’ll have to wait until next time to see what the top of Kuala Lumpur looks like. Bummer.

Sultan Abdul Samad Building 

Built in 1897, the Sultan Abdul Samad Building is one of the oldest Moorish-style buildings on display in Kuala Lumpur. It is constructed almost entirely of bricks, and features beautiful porticoes, a 42 meter high clock tower, and dramatic copper domes. 

National Mosque of Malaysia (Masjid Negara)

Malaysia’s National Mosque is quite a unique building owing, in large part, to the fact that more than 70% of the building is composed of stainless steel. It doesn’t have a minaret, and borrows much of its architectural design from Chinese and German inspirations, rather than the more typical Middle Eastern styles. 

These features make it a unique destination for fans of architecture, and worth a visit! 

There is no entry fee to get in, but the building is inaccessible to non-Muslims during prayer times. Regardless of when you visit, all visitors are expected to respect the sanctity of the Mosque and will be required to cover their arms, legs, and head while inside, as well as removing shoes before entering. 

Explore the Rich Cultural Diversity of Malaysia

Malaysia is a veritable melting pot of Asian cultures, making cultural field trips some of the best options for things to do in Malaysia! Check out these top cultural spots to visit in Kuala Lumpur.

Batu Caves 

The Batu Caves have become a bit of an Instagram sensation over the last few years, thanks to  a beautiful new paint job that gives the stairs up to the caves a rainbow pattern. But while the stairs look nice, the caves themselves are the real reason for visiting. 

The Batu Caves house several different Hindu cave temples that date back to 1890, when the first shrine was consecrated in Temple Cave, which remains the largest and best-known of the cave temples. 

Be aware! Getting to the caves requires a hike up 272 rainbow-colored stairs, meaning it is not accessible to those who have reduced mobility, and it can be a lot even if you’re relatively fit. But if you can make it up the stairs, the beauty of the caves is well worth the effort.

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Islamic Arts Museum

Kuala Lumpur’s Islamic Arts Museum is the largest collection of Islamic artifacts in Southeast Asia with more than 7,000 different pieces on display. 

The museum has 12 gallery spaces spread across two levels containing art pieces, manuscripts, weapons, armor, textiles, jewelry and more from across India, China, and Southeast Asia. 

Explore Malaysia’s Vibrant History and Culture

I try to make an effort to teach my kids (and myself) at least the basics of the history of every country that we visit. I’ve found that knowing what happened in a country’s past helps make it easier to understand where people are coming from, and allows me to notice things that I otherwise would have missed.

Luckily, Malaysia has a varied and interesting history to learn!

Kuala Lumpur City Gallery 

The City Gallery is located in downtown Kuala Lumpur and features a handful of exhibits detailing the history of Kuala Lumpur, from its time as a small village on the coast all the way up until Malaysia’s independence! 

Seeing everything the Gallery has to offer takes less than half an hour, but really helps to give a little bit of a framework to the history of the city. Plus, the ‘I ❤️Kuala Lumpur’ sign makes for a great picture! 

Tugu Negara (National Monument)

The Tugu Negara is a sculpture designed as a way to honor and remember the Malaysian soldiers who died fighting for their country’s independence. It’s made of bronze, and is the largest free-standing grouping of bronze sculptures on earth. (Fun fact: The largest single bronze statue is the Ushiku Amida Daibutsu, in Japan.)

The National Museum of Malaysia (Muzium Negara)

The Muzium Negara features exhibits celebrating the history of Malaysia, from prehistory up to modern day! 

The building itself was constructed on the site of a previous museum, the Selangor museum, which was accidentally destroyed in the fighting during World War 2. It’s a work of art in and of itself, with colorful murals on the exterior walls, and truly Malaysian architecture.