Discover Malaysia's Heritage and Highlights on Foot.
 City Walking Trails

In this City Walking Trails section I will show you how to make the most of your time in Malaysia's towns and cities by exploring their major attractions on foot.

Malaysia's urban areas are packed full of colourful and exotic street scenes, unusual sounds and smells, interesting buildings and famous landmarks.

The good news is that most of the old town centres are compact and can easily be covered in a walking tour lasting a few hours. Of course a large city like Kuala Lumpur is too big and spread out so I have divided up KL into 5 separate walking tours which between them cover most of the top tourism Malaysia hotspots as well as some little known attractions.

Each city walking trail is accompanied by a map showing the locations of the highlights mentioned. You can print out the map, stick it in your pocket and leave the guide books at home.

A few general tips for city walking in Malaysia:

  • Dress appropriately for the hot weather but dress respectfully (not too much bare flesh on display).
  • Wear your most comfortable walking shoes.
  • Malaysian streets are generally very safe. I have never encountered any problem myself but you should be aware of your surroundings, especially to the possibility of pickpockets and snatch thieves on motor cycles. These city trails are intended to be walked in the daytime.
  • Protect yourself from the sun (walk in the shade where possible and wear a hat and sun block).
  • Take some drinking water with you.
  • Take some small change (coins) for public toilets. Bring tissues.
  • Wear some bug-off. Even the cities can have a few mozzies around.
  • Bring a foldable umbrella if you have one. If not you can just pop into a cosy kopi kedai, restaurant or shop if it starts to rain heavily.
  • Don't forget your camera.

Choose your routes from the city walking trails below and happy walking.

Kuala Lumpur City Walking Trails

KUALA LUMPUR. Chinatown Walking Tour.

Highlights: Chinatown, Temples, Petaling Street Market, shophouses, Central Market (arts and handicrafts).

KUALA LUMPUR. Brickfields Heritage Walk.

Brickfields Heritage Walk covers Kuala Lumpur's colourful Brickfields area including Little India, Sri Kandaswamy Temple, churches, shophouses and more

KUALA LUMPUR. Colonial Heritage Trail.

A self-guided tour of famous colonial-era landmark buildings clustered in a compact area surrounding Merdeka Square.

KUALA LUMPUR. Lake Gardens Trail.

Kuala Lumpur Lake Gardens can be found in the heart of KL and contain many of the city's top tourist attractions including the KL Bird Park, the Butterfly Park, Orchid and Botanical Gardens.

KUALA LUMPUR. Kampung Baru to Chow Kit Walk.

Take this off-the-tourism-trail walk through Kampung Baru, a traditional Malay village in the heart of KL, to Chow Kit, a colourful street market area.

You can find more Kuala Lumpur city walking trails on my Thrifty Traveller blog:


City Walking Trails Elsewhere in Malaysia

ALOR SETAR Heritage Walk

With this self-guided Alor Setar Heritage Trail you can visit the best sights that Kedah's state capital has to offer. Map included.


BATU ARANG Heritage Town

With this accurate Batu Arang Heritage Town map you can visit 22 historical sites in this former coal mining town in Selangor.

BATU GAJAH. Heritage Trail

Explore the heritage sites of Batu Gajah with the help of this useful free map and guide.


IPOH. Heritage Walk.

Highlights: Classic railway station, Majestic Hotel, Town Hall, High Court, Birch Memorial, FMS Bar & Restaurant, colonial-era bank buildings, vintage shop-houses, Second Concubine Lane, Little India and much more.

JOHOR BAHRU Heritage Trail.

This Johor Bahru Heritage Trail provides a map and details for a self-guided walking tour round some of JB's best tourist attractions.

KLANG. Town Centre Heritage Walk.

Highlights: Gedung Raja Abdullah, The Royal Gallery, Istana Alam Shah, Little India District.

KOTA BHARU. Walking Tour

Highlights: State Museum, Markets, Grand Palace, Istana Jahar, State Mosque, Kerapu Bank, Istana Batu, Craft Village, Kampung Cina, shophouses and more.

KUALA KANGSAR Heritage Trail

Kuala Kangsar is one of Malaysia’s prettiest towns and is packed full of palaces, mosques and other historical sites. This trail covers all the famous attractions and a few lesser known places of interest. 

KUALA LIPIS Walking Tour

See the top tourist attractions and heritage buildings in Kuala Lipis with this self-guided Kuala Lipis Walking Tour. Map included.

KUALA PILAH Attractions

This Negri Sembilan town is seldom visited by tourists but it has its charms. Here is my suggested list of Kuala Pilah Attractions.

KUALA TERENGGANU Walking Tour

Explore Kuala Terengganu's tourist trail on foot with my self-guided walking tour and map. Highlights include the Abidin Mosque, Bukit Puteri and Chinatown.

KUCHING City Highlights Walk

Want to see Kuching on foot? With this Kuching City Highlights Walk map you can take a self-guided walking tour of all the heritage sights and points of interest.


MELAKA Heritage Trail.

This Melaka Heritage Trail self-guided tour and map will help you to get the most out of your visit to Malacca, Malaysia's most historic city.

MIRI Attractions

Miri is a good base to explore Northern Sarawak . Take a look at my list of Top Miri Attractions together with accurate location map.

MUAR Walking Tour

Take my self-guided Muar Walking Tour to view the highlights of Muar, Johor's royal town. Free map and details here.

PENANG Heritage Trail.

My Penang Heritage Trail is a self-guided walking tour with map through historic George Town taking in the main sights of this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

RAUB Heritage Trail

Raub is a pretty little town. Follow this Raub Heritage Trail to see the main historic buildings and sights. 

SANDAKAN Heritage Trail

First impressions of Sandakan can be disappointing but by following this Sandakan Heritage Trail you can cover all the historical attractions this town has to offer.

Top Seremban Attractions

SEREMBAN, Top Seremban Attractions

Highlights: State Museum, Cultural Complex, Handicraft Centre, State Library, Secretariat Building, picturesque churches, mosques and temples, Lake Gardens, quaint old shops.

SHAH ALAM. Lake Gardens Trail.

Highlights: Blue Mosque, State Museum, Royale Theatre, City Hall, Wet World Water Park, Malaysia Agricultural Park, Stadium.

TAIPING Heritage Trail

There's so much to see in Taiping. Take this walking tour of old Taiping with a map and photos of over 50 historic buildings and points of interest.

TELUK INTAN Attractions

There is more to see in Teluk Intan than just the famous Leaning Clock Tower. With this map and guide you take a walking tour to see the town's attractions.




City Walking Trails in Singapore

SINGAPORE Heritage Walk

Let's not forget our neighbour Singapore which, as a former Straits Settlements city like Penang and Melaka, has plenty for heritage lovers to appreciate. Read details of my Singapore Heritage Walk here.

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