Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the largest city in Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur is one of the three Malaysian Federal Territories. It is an enclave within the state of Selangor, on the central west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Malaysians fondly refer to the city as KL. Residents of the city are commonly called KLites. The city is home to the tallest twin buildings in the world, the iconic Petronas Twin Towers.

Kuala Lumpur is the seat of the Parliament of Malaysia, making it the country's legislative capital. The city was once home to the executive and judicial branches of the federal government, but they have since moved to Putrajaya for the most part. Some sections of the judiciary remain in the capital.

Arts

Kuala Lumpur is a hub for cultural activities and events. Among the centres is the National Museum which is situated along the Mahameru Highway. It offers various types of collection such as artifacts and paintings collected throughout the country.

Kuala Lumpur also has an excellent Islamic Arts Museum which houses more than seven thousand artefacts as well as an exceptional library of Islamic-art books. It is located at Jalan Lembah Perdana next to the National Mosque.

The premier performing arts venue is the Petronas Philharmonic Hall. The resident orchestra is the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO), consisting of musicians from all over the world and features regular concerts, chamber concerts and traditional cultural performances.

The National Art Gallery is located on Jalan Temerloh, off Jalan Tun Razak on a 5.67 hectare site neighboring the National Theater (Istana Budaya) and National Library. The unique architecture of the gallery incorporates elements of traditional Malay architecture, which combined with contemporary lines has distinguished the complex as one of the most modern art venues in the region. A short distance from the Kuala Lumpur City Centre, the gallery is a popular venue for visitors to the city. The National Art Gallery serves as a centre of excellence and trustee of the national art heritage.

Additionally, The Petronas Art Gallery which is also a centre for fine art, is situated in Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC). The Galeri Tangsi near Dataran Merdeka houses exhibitions of works by local and foreign artists.

The Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPac) in Sentul West is also a noted centre for the performing arts, notably theatre and music (it can also host film screening). It has housed many local productions and has been a supporter of local and regional independent performance artists. Amongst the highlights of the year so far was the KL Sing Song 2006 music fest which featured Malaysian singer-songwriters of various cultural backgrounds, from both West and East Malaysia, through two days of performances and workshops.

Kuala Lumpur holds the Malaysia International Gourmet Festival annually. Another event hosted annually by the city is the Kuala Lumpur Fashion week, which includes international brands as well as local designers.
Open Space and Recreational Facilities
Total open space, recreational and sport facilities land use in the city has increased significantly by 169.6 percent from 586 hectares in 1984 to 1,580 hectares in 2000. Major parks and forest reserves in the city include:

• Taman Tasik Perdana (Royal Lake Gardens)
• The ASEAN Sculpture Garden
• Kuala Lumpur City Centre Park (KLCC)
• Titiwangsa Lake Gardens
• Metropolitan Lake Gardens in Kepong
• Forest Research Institute Malaysia’s park in Kepong
• Taman Tasik Permaisuri (Queen’s Lake Gardens) at Bandar Tun Razak
• Rimba Ilmu, a tropical botanical garden located within the University of Malaya
• Penchala comprising Bukit Kiara Botanical Gardens Bukit Kiara Equestrian Park and Kiara West Valley Park
• Bukit Jalil International Park

There are three forest reserves within the city namely the Bukit Nanas Forest Reserve in the city center, the oldest gazetted forest reserve in the country (10.52 hectares), Bukit Sungai Putih Forest Reserve (7.41 hectares) and Bukit Sungai Besi Forest Reserve (42.11 hectares). Bukit Nanas, in the heart of the City Centre, is one of the oldest virgin forests in the region. These residual forest areas are home to a number of fauna species particularly monkeys, tree shrews, squirrels and birds.

Sports

Kuala Lumpur is one of the host cities for the Formula One World Championship, the open-wheel auto racing A1 Grand Prix and the Motorcycle Grand Prix with races being held at Sepang International Circuit in the neighbouring state of Selangor, next to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

KL Grand Prix CSI 5, a five-star international showjumping equestrian event is held annually in the city. This annual event draws the world’s top riders and their prized horses to Malaysia.

Other annual sport events hosted by the city include the KL Tower Run [4], the KL Tower International BASE Jump Merdeka Circuit and the Kuala Lumpur International Marathon. Kuala Lumpur is also one of the stages of the Le Tour de Langkawi cycling race.

Kuala Lumpur has a considerable array of sports facilities of international class following the 1998 Commonwealth Games. Many of these facilities including the main stadium (with running track and a football field), hockey stadium and swimming pools are located in the National Sports Complex at Bukit Jalil while a velodrome and more swimming pools are located in Bandar Tun Razak, next to the Taman Tasik Permaisuri Lake Gardens. There are also soccer fields, local sports complexes, swimming pools and tennis courts scattered around the suburbs. Badminton and ‘takraw’ courts are usually included in community halls.

Kuala Lumpur has several golf courses including the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club (KLGCC) and the Malaysia Civil Service Golf Club in Kiara and the Berjaya Golf Course at Bukit Jalil.

The city also has numerous large private fitness centers run by California Fitness, Fitness First, Celebrity Gym, True Fitness and the major five star hotels.

Transport modes

• Bus transport
  • RapidKL Bus
  • CityLiner
  • Len Ngiap
  • Len Seng
  • Mega Coach
  • Metrobus
  • Selangor Omnibus
  • SJ Bus
  • Sri Indah / RM Transport
  • Transnasional / Kelang Banting
  • Triton
  • KL Hop On Hop Off Bus
• Rail transport, including
  • RapidKL Rail
    • Kelana Jaya Line
    • Ampang Line
    • Sentul Timur-Ampang
    • Sentul Timur-Sri Petaling
  • KTM Komuter
    • Sentul-Port Klang Line
    • Rawang-Seremban Line
  • KL Monorail
  • Express Rail Link (ERL)
    • KLIA Express
    • KLIA Transit
• Taxi transport
• Other intercity services

Local Transportation

Taxis

Metered taxis or 'Teksi Bermeter' in Malay can be hailed throughout the city. However, traffic jams, especially during rush hour are fairly common in KL and it might be difficult to get a taxi during rush hour. There have been many incidents of taxi drivers charging extravagant fares, especially among tourists, therefore, tourists are advised to travel with taxis who charge fare according to meters, or insist on using the meter.

Buses

There are several bus operators operating in Kuala Lumpur, linking the city centre with the suburbs of the Klang Valley. The main operator is the government-owned Rapid KL, which stands for Rangkaian Pengangkutan Integrasi Deras Kuala Lumpur Sdn Bhd. Rapid KL took over the operations of Intrakota and Cityliner.

Other operators include Metrobus, Selangor Omnibus, Len Seng, Transnasional / Kenderaan Klang-Banting, Triton, Permata Kiara and others.

Rail

• Kelana Jaya Line
  • Between Terminal PUTRA (Gombak) and Kelana Jaya
  • 23 stations over 29 km, operated by RapidKL Rail
• Ampang Line (Sentul Timur-Sri Petaling)
  • Between Sentul Timur and Sri Petaling
  • 18 stations over 15 km, operated by RapidKL Rail
• Ampang Line (Sentul Timur-Ampang)
  • Between Sentul Timur and Ampang
  • 18 stations over 15 km, operated by RapidKL Rail
• Sentul-Port Klang Line
  • Between Sentul and Port Klang
  • 22 stations over 153 km, operated by KTM Komuter
• Rawang-Seremban Line
  • Between Rawang and Seremban
  • 23 stations over 153 km, operated by KTM Komuter
• Rawang-Rasa Shuttle Service
  • Between Rawang and Rasa
  • 4 stations over 22 km, operated by KTM Komuter
• KL Monorail
  • Between KL Sentral and Titiwangsa
  • 11 stations over 8.6 km, operated by KL Monorail
• KLIA Ekspres
  • From KL Sentral to KLIA
  • Non-stop over 75 km, operated by ERL
• KLIA Transit
  • Between KL Sentral and KLIA
  • 5 stations over 75 km, operated by ERL

Kuala Lumpur's rail-based transit system consists of three light rail transit (LRT) lines, one monorail, one commuter rail system consisting two lines, and two high-speed airport rail links.

• The two light rail transit system operated by RapidKL Rail are Ampang Line and Kelana Jaya Line.
• The two commuter rail lines operated under KTM Komuter are the Rawang-Seremban Line and Sentul-Port Klang Line.
• The sole monorail line is known as the KL Monorail.
• The high speed KLIA Ekspres and KLIA Transit lines connect Kuala Lumpur to the international airport operated by Express Rail Link (ERL).

Different companies operate the various systems and developed them separately at different times. As a result, many of the lines do not integrate well, making transferring from system to system inconvenient for passengers. Moving from one system to another often require a lot of walking, stair-climbing, escalator-use and even crossing busy roads. For example, the KL Monorail's "KL Sentral" station is a 140 m walk away through a busy bazaar and a busy road.

There is also no common ticket for all systems, forcing commuters on continuing journeys to buy new tickets when transferring. However, the LRT, monorail, RAPID KL BUS and KTM Commuter now accept the Touch 'n Go stored value farecard, easing the hassle. Also, RapidKL Rail, the operator of the three LRT lines as well as RapidKL Bus (which cover about 70% of the Klang Valley's bus network), has come up with a daily ticket which can be used on both its rail and bus services which costs RM7.

The monorail is also planning to build a few more stations and tracks which is the Sungai Buloh Line (continued after Titiwangsa), Subang Jaya Line, Cheras Line and another line (name not included).

Transit Hubs

Intercity Travel

For intercity travel, the main transit hubs in Kuala Lumpur are:

• Puduraya — a major intercity bus terminal located in the city centre. A new bus terminal, Plaza Rakyat is planned to replace neighbouring Puduraya and the construction is undergoing. There is an LRT station nearby that connects the building.
• Putra Bus Terminal — serving buses heading to the East Coast destinations. Nearby rail connections are at PWTC LRT and Putra Komuter.
• Pasar Rakyat — a new bus terminal to take away some of Puduraya's load.
• KL Sentral — Kuala Lumpur's main railway station.
• Duta Bus Terminal — for buses operated by Transnasional and Airport Coach (bus services to KLIA)

Local Rail Transport

• KL Sentral — a modern multi-modal transport hub served by KTM Komuter, LRT, KLIA Ekspres and KLIA Transit as well as local buses and those to KLIA
• Masjid Jamek — an LRT interchange between Kelana Jaya line and Ampang line.
• Bandar Tasik Selatan Station — a train interchange between the Ampang Line, KTM Komuter service and ERL Transit.

Local Bus Terminals

KL Sentral, Titiwangsa, KLCC, Maluri, and Medan Pasar form Rapid KL's bus interchanges in the city. Meanwhile, private bus operators are mostly based at the Jalan Tan Cheng Lock area which includes Pasaramakota, Central Market, Bangkok Bank, Medan Pasar, Kotaraya, Sinar Kota and Puduraya.

There are also several sub-urban bus hubs that serve as terminals and interchanges.

Legacy Terminals

Traditionally, most bus services, whether local or intercity used to originate from the city centre, especially in the areas around Jalan Cheng Lock. Recently, transport operators have decided to unilaterally move operations elsewhere. For example, executive bus operators, especially those headed for Singapore, have chosen to depart from other less congested locations like the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station, KL Sentral, Bangsar and Petaling Jaya. Rapid KL itself has shifted operations to its city hubs. The government meanwhile has been half-heartedly encouraging buses to use other newer terminals like Pasarakyat and Duta Bus Terminal.

The Kuala Lumpur Railway Station ceased to serve intercity trains in 2001 when operations shifted to neighbouring KL Sentral. Many other operations such as KTM Komuter services and postal services by Pos Malaysia are however still maintained.

Regulation

The public transport system is regulated by various authorities, including the Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board (CVLB) of the Ministry of Entrepreneur and Co-operative Development, the Ministry of Transport and local governments such as the Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur and the other city and municipal councils.

There is no single body that regulates the whole sector.

The Integration and Restructuring of the Public Transport System in the Klang Valley (Inspak) steering committee, established in July 2003, is tasked with encouraging greater use of public transportation to reduce traffic congestion and initiate the establishment of the Klang Valley Urban Transport Authority as the regulatory authority for public transportation in the Klang Valley. Little has been said about the establishment of this authority ever since.

Rapid KL was established in 2004 by the Ministry of Finance to provide an integrated public transport system in the Klang Valley incorporating rail and bus services as part of Inspak. It holds quasi-regulatory powers in the sense that unlike other bus operators, it has much greater freedom to set its own routes. Furthermore, its fare structure differs from that set by the CVLB.

By 2007, passengers have access to Touch 'n Go ticketing system on RapidKL system and all other rail systems.