There's a big chance that Kuala Lumpur will appear on your route when travelling to South-East Asia. It's a hub for many airlines, including the Malaysian low cost Air Asia and many flights force you to make a connection there. The capital of Malaysia is one of the most iconic Asian cities, especially due to its recent rapid growth and architectural projects that go with it. The city has a lot to offer but you can make an attempt to see its top spots in only one day.

KL welcomed us with a heavy tropical rainfall but these are usually short and after an hour we were already making our way through the city towards Batu Caves (go to the "Getting around" section to find out what's the most convenient way to get there). It's one of the most important Hindu worship sites outside India with a series of limestone caves housing multiple Hindu shrines. The entry to the Caves is free and, luckily, there's no need to remove your shoes if not entering any worship areas. To reach the main cave, you need to climb 272 colourfull steps, making your way through greedy long-tailed macaques and a flood of worshipers and tourists. At the top, you reach an impressive complex of caves with many shrines where several celebrations are usually taking place simultaneously. There are also caves not destined for worship but for fauna exploration, if strange endemic Liphistius batuensis spiders and bats are your thing. Remember to bring cash to be able to enter other than the main cave.

Don't forget to pass by Petronas Towers, the impressive tallest twin towers in the world. Having some more time, you should consider having visiting the KL Forest Eco Park - it's a piece of a jungle surrounded by the downtown skyscrapers that offers a canopy walk to appreciate the views. Other nice spots to have a walk by are the main square Dataran Merdeka, Masjid Jamek mosque across the river and the surrounding area. KL is one of the safest cities in Asia so you shouldn't expect any besetting.

Kuala Lumpur is quite big but you can still cover most of its top spots by foot. Make sure to wander through the downtown to appreciate how modern this city got in the last decades.
The biggest distance you'll need to cover is towards Batu Caves and there are various ways. If you're staying near the railway stations, the train is a convenient and cheap way to go; if the station is not on your way, take a Grab (local Uber-alike app), which is a top choice when moving around Malaysian cities. In our case it was about 13km away and the trip cost us 17RM (less than 4 euros). Cheap, convenient, clean - give it a go.
Pro tip: search for GRAB promo codes - especially if you'e a new user - you might get several trips for free! One of the best things about KL are the prices. Everything is very cheap, from the hotel stays, through food to transportation. You can choose from a large variety of reasonably priced hotels, we chose WP Hotel which cost us less than 30 euros a night and we still got a KL must-have - the infinity pool :)

When it comes to food, make sure to enjoy some local Indian cuisine. Do not eat at the Indian spots next to the Batu Caves - we didn't experience any issues but were advised by fellow diners not to eat one of the sauces as it was rancid. Don't get discouraged though - by friends recommendation we went to one of the top Hindu restaurants and had one of the best Hindu meal ever at Betel Leaf; their mango lassi is a must!