Top 19 things to do in Kuala Lumpur with kids

A vibrant and exciting city, Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia, is filled with fun for families. These are the best things to do in Kuala Lumpur with kids. 

From slumber parties with sharks to trying your hand at firefighting, here are the best things to do with kids in Kuala Lumpur.

Kuala Lumpur is a bustling city and, as the capital of Malaysia, its sights and attractions are plentiful. There’s much for kids to see and do and with a surplus of mega shopping malls around town, mums and dads can literally shop till they drop.

1. Kuala Lumpur City Center (KLCC)

The heart of Kuala Lumpur, full of family-friendly attractions. There is a huge free playground that is definitely worth a visit, restaurants, arts & culture, sightseeing, hotels and multiple shopping malls. The Aquaria KLCC, Petronas Twin Towers and Discovery Centre are also located here.

2. Kuala Lumpur Bird Park

Kuala Lumpur Bird Park is the world’s largest free-flight, walk-in aviary, and home to 3,000 birds from more than 200 species.

Located in the serene and scenic Lake Gardens area, KL Bird Park is known as the “World’s Largest Free-flight Walk-in Aviary”. The wheelchair-friendly park offers 20.9 acres of lush gardens to be explored – home to more than 3,000 local and foreign birds. Be sure not to miss the bird feeding sessions throughout the day for that Instagram-worthy snap. This is the best animal experience in Kuala Lumpur.

3. Sunway Lagoon

Sunway Lagoon guarantees fun for the whole family with more than 80 attractions spread across six wet, wild, and wonderful parks.

The six parks are named for Water, Amusement, Wildlife, Extreme, Scream and the Nickelodeon Lost Lagoon. Sunway Lagoon sure packs an exhilarating punch and there is a level of thrill to suit every family member. The theme park is 20 minutes from Kuala Lumpur.

Highlights include the giant waterslides, twin speed slides, double twisters, toboggan rides, slow rivers, waterfall gardens and a wave pool.

4. Aquaria KLCC

Aquaria KLCC is one of the largest aquariums in Southeast Asia and features over 5,000 exhibits of aquatic and land-based creatures.

Walk through the 90-meter-long underwater tunnel under sharks, rays, and fish. Little ones can dip their fingers into the touch pool, learn about coral, marine conservation and the shipwreck exhibit will teach them about history of marine exploration in Malaysia.

Open daily from 10am to 8pm.

5. Have a shark sleepover at Aquaria KLCC

Slumber parties just got a whole lot spookier. Enjoy a sleepover with a shark at Aquaria KLCC where kids aged six to 13 can bed down next to an aquarium full of sharks.

6. Petronas Twin Towers

Soaring to a height of 450 metres, the 88-storey Petronas Twin Towers is the crown jewel of the things to do in Kuala Lumpur. The towers are made up of over 33,000 stainless steel walls and 55,000 glass panels.

Take the elevator to the 42nd-floor Skydeck to gawk at the city’s skyline from above. Visit the skybridge to cross between the towers and take in city views. Shop at the Suria KLCC mall and see the Petronas Twin Towers Gallery located at the base of the towers.

7. Berjaya Times Square Theme Park

Escape the tropical heat at Berjaya Times Square Theme Park. The indoor amusement park is colourful and jam-packed with kid-friendly rides, including the Crazy Bus, Flying Bumble Bee, Buddy Go Round and Robo Crash. There’s roller coasters, bumper cars, a carousel, arcade games and a 360-degree spinning pendulum ride. It has a whole station dedicated to virtual reality with five rides.

The 800-meter long indoor roller coaster is the longest indoor roller coaster in Asia.

8. Batu Caves

To the north of KL, Batu Caves are a series of caves among 400 million year old limestone hills.

The main attraction is an enormous golden Hindu deity, Lord Murugan, at the start of the 272 rainbow-painted steps leading to the Temple Cave. The cave is home to several Hindu shrines and statues.

The area has frolicking monkeys, spectacular city views and mysterious caves with colourful Hindu tales.

9. Kuala Lumpur Butterfly Park

A butterfly might just land on your nose at  Kuala Lumpur Butterfly Park. Here, thousands of colourful butterflies flit free amongst native plants and flowers.

The winged wonders dance among ferns, hanging vines and wildflowers, sometimes landing on unsuspecting little visitors.

10. Meet creatures great and small

At Zoo Negara children can get up close and personal to 476 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish from Asia and Africa, from hippos to leopards, apes to penguins, tiger cubs to bears. But the real show-stopper (and the zoo’s pride and joy): the pandas rolling around and munching on leaves at the conservation centre. The beautifully designed space sprawls across 44.5 hectares around a peaceful central lake.

11. Discover your dream job at KidZania

In this scaled down cityscape, kids can be a banker, journalist, judge, doctor, radio host – really, the world is their oyster – as they play act as an array of professions…. role-playing doesn’t get any more real or educational than this.

12. Indoor Play Centres

These can be found in many of the malls in Kuala Lumpur. Some cool ones to check out are Kid’s E World at The Gardens, Megakidz at the Mid Valley Megamall and Malaysia’s largest indoor theme park: Berjaya Times Square Theme Park.

13. Petrosains science discovery centre

Get hands-on with science at Petrosains. The museum is like Questacon’s Malaysian little brother.

The 7,000-square-metre interactive science centre is a fun way to learn about STEM. The hands-on activities and experiments will have kids entertained for hours. They’ll love the space age exhibits, behind-the-scenes Formula 1 zone, fossils and simulated ride about the oil and gas industry.

Step into the mini theatre to see 3D educational films. Then learn about Malaysia’s geological history and learn to code a Mars Rover.

14. Central Market

The Central Market is housed in an art-deco building in downtown KL. Here you can witness music, dancing, shadow-puppet shows, batik painting and fortune telling as well as grabbing some bargain handicrafts, art and souvenirs – but make sure to haggle! On weekends, the Central Market amphitheatre holds free cultural performances starting at 7:45pm. Performers are dressed in full Malay costume.

15. Petaling Street

This is the centre of Kuala Lumpur’s original Chinatown and is overloaded with exotic sounds, sights and smells. It comes alive at night when legions of hundreds of vendors spread their wares out for the night markets along the street, offering everything from gems to toys to mouth-watering street food. Its chaotic, noisy, over-the-top atmosphere combined with all those delicious aromas are what makes it so thrilling and exciting. 

16. National Museum (Muzium Negara)

The National Museum immerses families in Malaysia’s rich cultural and historical heritage. 

17. i-City Theme Park

Visit i-City Theme Park during the day for the water park, snow park and fun 3D museum. It’s also a great spot after dark with its dazzling City of Digital Lights.

18. Kuala Lumpur Botanic Garden

The lush Kuala Lumpur Botanic Garden also known as the Perdana Botanical Garden, is home to a variety of plants and animals. The gardens have a variety of kid-friendly activities, including nature trails and a children’s discovery garden where you can learn about plants and nature. Families can rent a boat and explore the lake in the middle of the gardens.

19. Kuala Lumpur Children’s Museum

The interactive Kuala Lumpur Children’s Museum is a great place for kids to learn whilst having fun, with immersive exhibits on science, technology, and more.

Keep reading:

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• Malaysia family-friendly travel guide
• The Best Family Resorts Malaysia
• Exploring the jungles of Sabah with kids

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