How to get around in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur.
Updated:
August 23, 2026
One of the first things I investigate when visiting any country is how I am going to get around, and no, I do not mean just walking, although that's my preferred method.
Now, while I like to walk everywhere, there are some cases where I need to travel outside my normal walking distance. In those cases, what are my options?
In Kuala Lumpur, there are many options and some that are less common, such as the monorail. And yes, I know you can rent a car and drive, but considering I don't really drive anymore and the traffic is insane, I am not brave enough.
So far, this page covers only the types of transport I have personal experience with, and no, this is not all that's available, with Light Rail, Heavy Rail, and Buses being available.
When I first decided to return to KL after so many decades, various people warned me about using taxi services and that it's very easy to get ripped off, which taxis in KL it seems are notorious for, check this article to see what scams are common.
My first example of this sort of thing was when leaving the customs area at the airport, where I was approached by several people trying to get me interested in them getting me a taxi.
Even without the warnings, this sort of thing always raises many red flags, so I turned them all down, as everyone should do.
Getting back to the warnings, I was told to get a taxi from the airport rank and not from anyone offering. Basically, get what they call a "metered taxi", and the risk is low of getting ripped off.
I did talk to the very friendly driver about the warnings I had been given; his take on this was that the warnings were right, and he told me that by taking his metered taxi, I had a place to complain if there were any issues.
And no, I had zero complaints about the trip from the airport.
As for the costs, for my trip from the airport, which was a little over an hour, the cost was around half what I would get for the same length of trip back home.
One last hint on taxis: they should be used as a "last resort", and ideally, get your hotel to arrange for a "metered taxi", which will again reduce the risk of you getting ripped off.
A last warning about taxis in Kuala Lumpur: motorbike taxis are illegal, although they do exist. I was asked if I wanted to use one a few times, but that was outside the usual tourist areas. Be warned, avoid.
This was a new one for me, and from what I now understand, it is very similar to Uber, not that I have much experience with Uber. And yes, just like Uber, these are private cars and do not have any form of metering, which is why the fixed price is important.
My experience with Grab has been limited to a few trips, which had been arranged by the hotel front desk and were trips with fixed prices.
Not fully understanding how things work, I found it wise to arrange these rides through the hotel, which I assume did it via the website, although it seems a phone app is also available.
Maybe on the next visit, I will try this app rather than relying on the hotel.
And yes, I did take a grab ride to get back to the airport rather than the taxi I had planned to use. The trip was the usual battle with the insane traffic, but the driver made it through with zero issues.
One thing to note on this trip was when the hotel staff who arranged this ride seemed to rush to tell me that the driver was deaf just as we were loading the car.
Good to know, but this is, nor should it ever be, a problem; all it meant was we would communicate via written words on phone screens. On arrival at the airport, I thanked him for the ride and wished him a good day.
Given my limited experience, I currently give this service a cautious thumbs up, make sure to get a fixed price.
Yes, a monorail, and unlike the long-demolished Sydney one, is actually useful by going somewhere, rather than just looping, and best of all, there are several stations well within walking distance from my hotel.
Monorail
S24, 18.6mm, f3/4, 1/420s
November 2024
GPS: 3° 9′ 22.9″ N, 101° 42′ 17.2″ E
For my first trip, I was heading a few stations to Bukit Bintang, which after a quick Google, turned out to be not far and very much walkable, but then again I had never used the monorail before, so monorail now, walking later.
When I got to the closest station to the hotel, which was Bukit Nanas, the first thing I noted was that the map of the system did not have the usual "You are here" label.
It's odd, but it's not a real issue, as throughout my decades of travelling in Asia, I find signage to be all over the place, from excellent to non-existent.
Having no idea how to actually buy a ticket, I asked the staff, who were very helpful and pointed me to the ticket machines.
The ticket machine was all touch-screen controlled, and all I needed to do was select the destination and pay the fare.
Talking of the fare, it was so cheap as to have me thinking I did something wrong, but nope, it was correct. Think AUD$1 for a distance, which would cost many times that back home.
Interestingly, the actual ticket looked like an old-fashioned token, but no, it was actually electronic; it just looked like a token.
One thing to note is that when getting onto the platform, the turnstiles would not accept the token; it turned out that most were not working. Instead of the expected "closed" or "out of order" signs, the screens just said "closed" in small text.
The platforms are not air-conditioned, not that that should be any surprise, as they are basically outside. There is no AC, but there are fans, and they are shaded, so the heat is not a problem.
Another interesting thing was that the screens on the platform kept on displaying "Train frequency 10 minutes" in multiple languages. However, this seems to be optimistic, as around 20 minutes later, my train arrived.
The trains do have AC, the ride is relatively smooth, and everything feels safe, so if you are in KL, then give it a go.
