Fly to KL for a day?
 

Hi all,

I'm planning to visit a friend in SIN in March. I'm wondering about taking a day to visit Kuala Lumpur, mostly because I'm interested in seeing and going up the Petronas Towers. Any thoughts on whether it's feasible to take the SQ flight at 8:30, tour around the city a bit, and fly back on SQ at 20:30? (I recognize it's a short flight and there are cheaper options, but let's set those aside for the moment :)).

Thanks!

You can if you plan in advance (eg don't go Monday or Friday, buy in advance), but it'll be rushed
you land 9:30-10, 60min grab to petronas ~ 11am
Leave by 5pm, get to airport 6-7pm

6 hours in city. A little rushed, but doable

If the schedule fits i'd go with Firefly XSP to SZB. Closer to town, airport smaller so less chance of being hung up at passport control.

If your landing in KLIA, then maybe look at taking the KL Express Train into the city (KL Sentral). You could pick up a return ticket for this. Once you get off at KL Sentral , it's a short taxi ride to the Petronas Towers.

I just did something similar a couple of weeks ago. I took Jetstar’s 7:20am flight to KL and the 9:25pm back. Was able to do the Petronas Towers, Batu Caves, and catch up with an old friend over dinner comfortably. It was obscenely humid but well worth the effort. I recommend the KLIA Ekspres as well.

Thanks, all, for the feedback :)

paperwastage , I know Petronas towers are closed on Mondays, but curious as to why you suggested avoiding Friday as well?

Re. Petronas towers.

consider going up the Telekom Tower instead/as well as. Whilst PT is good, you don’t go up very high and the I preferred having the towers in my view/photo which you obviously can’t do if you’re in them!!

Certainly not suggesting they aren’t worth it, but the telekom tower is cheaper, less busy and has better views in my opinion.

https://www.petronastwintowers.com.my/

OPENING HOURS
Tuesday - Sunday, 9.00am - 9.00pm
(Closed between 1.00pm - 2.30pm on Fridays)

It's certainly doable but you have to decide if it's worth it. I personally won't do it given the fact that KL airport is far away from the city center (Approximatively 1 hour taxi ride).


KLIA Express might be worth considering if there is a lot of traffic.

Why not staying a night or two in KL ? You have some of the cheapest 5 star hotels in the world there. And some of these hotels have incredible views of the Petronas Towers (Traders Hotel for instance, or Mandarin Oriental).

Also, the Vertigo Bar @ Banyan Tree Hotel have awesome views of the Petronas Tower and is quite cheap for such a place (like 7 US$ a beer if I remember).

Fair point, although to a degree it depends on where one wants to go in KL. First time I flew from Subang, I met someone near Sentral and jumped in a taxi to catch my flight. Thanks to adverse weather and crazy traffic, I recall the trip took close to 2 hours. In any case, I like Subang airport and would also recommend using that option if it makes sense. Taxi / Grab won't be expensive.

As for day trips to KL - totally makes sense and I think one day gives plenty of time. Transportation (taxi / Grab) is quite affordable and flights from Singapore are cheap. As noted above, hotel prices in KL can be quite attractive, so staying for a night or two is a reasonable option also.

Just noticed this thread. Did you do this trip earlier this year?

Rather than create a new thread, I’ll ask here. I’ve been to KUL and SIN before. I have only went from one city to the other via the bus, but it’s a very long ride so a day trip won’t be possible. I’ve looked at flights between MH and SQ and it seems pretty expensive. Of course this is COVID pricing. I don’t know what pre-COVID pricing was like when booked in advance. If cash rates are high, is it worth redeeming Avios, Aeroplan, AA, or even UA miles for the flight?

That is very true, but if there’s no time then there’s no time. :(

KL have some really nice hotels at really attractive prices. Too bad it’s so far from North America and no direct flights either!

Current air fares due to lack of various Air Asia and LCC competition. I recall a couple of bought-on-same or previous-day tickets in 2019 running well under CAD100 each direction.

I guess keeping away Islamophobes of any degree helps dampen demand (they all go to Thailand and/or Singapore). I see (at least in TA) quite a few regular visitors from Australia and the U.K. who'd like to keep Malaysia a (little and cheap) secret.

There was a direct flight: Air Asia X HNL-KIX-KUL assuming it ever resumes. Have taken that flight in the reverse direction a couple of times. Reverse direction has an awful arrival time though.

I'm sorry, but I don't understand.

I guess I'm ok with it. The infrastructure is not as advance as Singapore though. Maybe it's a good thing that Malaysia is a hidden gem?

Ticket prices from SIN will never be (well was not) dirt cheap because Singapore departure tax is in the range of $50. Even during sales times (2x yearly) at AirAsia cheapest one round trip ticket was around $100, plus $20 credit card processing fee and that’s without any checked luggage or seat assignment. And to book that flight you need to log on at 2AM and book the flight 2-3 months away.

However, flying from Senai (Johor) to KUL is dirt cheap during sales. I posted several years ago a screenshot of my ticket which was $15 and $10 was luggage fee.

In terms what Malaysia is - it depends what you are looking for. KL for me is not a tourist destination and I would avoid going there regardless of hotel prices. When I travel, I want to visit a place, not a hotel. But that’s just me and my priorities.