But have you ever considered touring the city on a bicycle instead?
FMT Lifestyle recently signed up for a “Best of KL Classic Tour”, organised by tour operator MikeBikes, that took participants to many of the city’s iconic attractions.
Flagging off at the Malaysia Tourism Centre in Jalan Ampang, tourists got to cycle in the crisp morning air as they navigated through the streets and alleys of KL to reach their first destination – the famous Rumah Biru in Kampung Baru.
The stark contrast between the quiet, serene village here and the ultra-modern skyscapers in the background was a sight to behold.
Next was a trip to Chow Kit Market, the largest wet market in Malaysia, with its narrow passageways and hundreds of stalls selling fresh vegetables, fruits, seafood and meats.
No matter how much of a foodie you are, you’ll find something extraordinary and exciting here that you’ve never seen before. Many didn’t know what a watermelon gherkin was until they saw it being sold in Chow Kit.
The oldest Taoist temple in KL, the Sin Sze Si Ya Temple, was next. Completed in 1883, this temple was built by Yap Ah Loy, the third Kapitan China of KL, so he could worship the deities called Sin Si Ya and Sze Si Ya, who guided him in the Selangor Civil War.
Feeling ravenous? How about stopping for a hearty banana leaf brunch to refuel before the next leg of the tour? After all, it’s part of the tour package.
Other famous tour stops were Central Market’s River of Life, the Loke mansion, also known as the White House, Bukit Nanas and many more.
The last stop in the four-hour tour was the iconic Petronas Twin Towers. Then it was a leisurely cycle back to the starting point.
FMT Lifestyle took the opportunity to speak with MikeBikes founder, Mike Janssen from the Netherlands.
He said one of the purposes of MikeBikes was to give tourists an overview of KL, which he described as a “gorgeous” city.
“In Amsterdam,” he said, “one of the first things people learn is cycling. In fact, our ratio of people to bicycles is 17 million to 45 million.”
He said that several years ago, Tourism Malaysia approached him to help introduce his country’s cycling culture to Malaysia. He gladly agreed and MikeBikes was born in 2018. And he is happy to note that the cycling culture is “slowly picking up” in KL.
Now 55 years old, he refers to MieBikes as a “social return project” instead of a commercial venture, saying he tries to contribute to the community whenever he can.
In this regard, he collects children’s used bikes from various social workplaces in the Netherlands, refurbishing them and transporting them to KL, where they’re donated to children in a refugee school.
“We want to inspire them to use bikes as a mode of transportation,” he said.
MikeBikes supports local businesses along its bike routes, buying from local vendors and eating at local restaurants. It also hires local tour guides. “We want to show people the authentic side of KL so their impression of it doesn’t stop at high-rise buildings.”
One of the tour participants, Edwin D of the Netherlands, said it fascinated him to see the contrast between the kampung houses and the newer buildings in the city.
“It’s nice to be able to explore the city in a different way too,” he added.
This was an opinion shared by Mandy Ferguson of the US. She said she got to enjoy more sights than a normal tourist would by bicycling through the less visited areas of KL.
“I also can’t wait to taste as much food as I can while I’m here,” she added.
Head to MikeBikes’s website for more information on its bike tours or call 017-6737322.