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Malaysians love to shop. I believe the favourite national pastime in the weekends is strolling through one of the many shopping malls. For the locals, it’s a family-outing or a way of spending time with friends. It’s also a great opportunity to people-watch or escape the scorching tropical heat outside! For tourists, Kuala Lumpur is a true shoppers’ haven. The number of malls and the variety of products are simply mind-boggling. In addition, the favourable exchange rate of the Malaysian Ringgit against major currencies makes shopping one of the best things to do in Kuala Lumpur. Here’s where to shop in Kuala Lumpur:

Shopping in Kuala Lumpur

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Christmas tree at the Suria KLCC Mall at the foot of the Petronas twin towers.

Kuala Lumpur (KL) has loads of malls. In the city centre, Suria KLCC (at the base of the Petronas twin towers) and the Bukit Bintang/Jalan Imbi areas dominate the shopping scene. Suria KLCC is one of my favourites as there’s a wide choice of labels and probably KL’s largest bookstore, Kinokuniya.

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The main atrium at Suria KLCC

In the Bukit Bintang area, you have a variety of malls such as the high-end Starhill, the mid-end Lot 10 and the wonderfully chaotic Sungei Wang Plaza (great bargains here for electronics, jewellery, watches and clothes). Not far from Sungei Wang, there’s another massive mall: Berjaya Time Square.

Also located in the vicinity are two of KL’s most popular IT malls: Imbi Plaza and Low Yat Plaza. IT geeks will be awe-struck by the huge range of IT hardware and software at these two malls. 

 

Starhill Gallery, with its upmarket boutiques (Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, etc..) is certainly worth visiting. In addition to being a quiet retreat from the hustle-and-bustle outside, it features a stylish interior, an amazing atrium and a variety of some of the best restaurants in KL (in the Feast Village). Opposite Starhill is the Pavilion, a ginormous mall with more designer boutiques and a breathtaking atrium. The designer boutiques (Gucci, Zegna, Chanel, etc..) are on the ground floor. There’s a huge food court in the basement whilst the top floor has several excellent fine dining options.

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The Pavilion mall during the Chinese New Year season.

Alfresco shopping

For those who are more into alfresco shopping, head for Petaling Street in Chinatown for souvenirs, clothing, food, electronics and fashion accessories. Don’t forget to bargain furiously!

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Petaling Street market

Across the road from Petaling Street, you’ll find Central Market, another great spot for souvenir-hunters. The Central Market used to be KL’s wet-market but was converted into an artisan’s centre in the eighties. It’s a great place to find beautiful wood carvings, batik prints, songket weaves, paintings, pewter and locally-made fashion accessories. Read more about Chinatown Kuala Lumpur.

The Art Deco façade of the Central Market.



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Suburban malls

If you’re still not done with shopping, then head to the Mid Valley City Megamall, about a 15 minute drive outside the city centre. This mall is one of Southeast Asia’s largest – I believe it’s almost a mile long. The serious shopper can definitely spend a day or two there. Next door, shoppers can continue to splurge at The Gardens, an up-market mall with a whole range of designer boutiques and ditto restaurants (check out the beautiful Alexis bar/restaurant for some great food and drinks).

The major suburbs all have their own shopping malls. In the Damansara suburb, there are several major shopping malls such as One Utama (another massive mall around the same size as the Megamall) and The Curve. In the swanky Bangsar suburb, there’s the Bangsar Shopping Centre (BSC) and the Bangsar Village (I & II). And Subang Jaya has its Subang Parade.

One last tip: wear a pair of comfortable walking shoes when you head out to the malls. Once you start exploring the malls, it’ll be hard to stop!

Read about my stay at The Ruma Hotel Kuala Lumpur

Read about my stay at the Grand Hyatt Hotel Kuala Lumpur

Read other Velvet Escape posts on Malaysia:

 

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