Towering 452 metres above street level, the Petronas towers were once the tallest buildings on the planet from 1998 to 2004m until they were surpassed by Taipei 101.
They may not still be the tallest buildings in the world, but they are still Kuala Lumpur’s biggest landmark and can be seen from all over the city. You can actually visit the Observation Deck or the Skybridge inside the towers, but it costs 80 Ringgit (roughly 26 USD at the time of posting). Of course the view of the Kuala Lumpur skyline from the Petronas Towers would be spectacular, but one thing is missing…the towers themselves.
For the best view of the Petronas Towers and Kuala Lumpur, I suggest you go to the Skybar on the 33rd floor of the Traders Hotel. I went twice!
The bar is under cover, which is a good thing since I found Kuala Lumpur to be very rainy and wet in April! However when it’s not raining they open the electric windows to give you an uninterrupted view of the towers.
Skybar is a glamorous venue so you can dress up and go for some overpriced cocktails. Or, if you’re a backpacker on a budget, they still don’t seem to mind if you walk in to take photos, then make a swift exit.
The seats next to the windows seem to be fully booked, so if you want the full experience then I suggest you make a reservation in advance. There’s a swimming pool in the middle, and I couldn’t help but wonder if anyone ever falls in after a few too many cocktails! I’m sure it happens!
The Skybar is open from 10am-1am (3am on weekends). At night the Petronas Towers are particularly beautiful, twinkling ‘like diamonds in the sky’ as Rihanna would say! It’s well worth making the trip over to the Traders Hotel just for this beautiful view.
Getting to Traders Hotel
I took a taxi there and back, but I believe you can take the KL Sentral LRT (Kelana Jaya line) and stop at KLCC station then take a few minute walk to the Traders hotel.
