Standing tall and majestic in the heart of Kuala Lumpur skyline is the PETRONAS Twin Towers. This quintessential structure is the inspiration of Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad’s vision and aspiration, which he ceremoniously officiated back in 1999. This iconic building is so rich in its history and is home to some of KL’s city attractions like Aquaria, Philharmonic Orchestra, SkyBridge, Petrosains and the Kuala Lumpur City Center (KLCC) mall.
Getting to the twin towers is so easy, you can either drive there and park at their ample parking complex or you can take a ride in the light rapid transport (LRT) system from any major stations. That will make a timely stop at the underground station of KLCC mall. KLCC nestles in the PETRONAS Twin Towers as their major retail outlet mall, becoming a star attraction for local and foreign shopaholics. I finally opted to take the LRT with my two little girls to experience KL’s efficient public transport system. Navigating through the LRT lines were simple with lots of guides and easy directions.
Should you need further information, the friendly staff at the station will be happy to lend a helping hand. I got the tickets with my two little girls and off we were to start our journey to PETRONAS Twin Towers! It was a Saturday morning ride and the carriage was full with chatter from people just starting the day. You could see families like mine taking the weekend to spend time with their families on outings. Not to be missed tourists meticulously going through their maps planning their every move.
There’s so much to do at the PETRONAS Twin Towers that I didn’t know where to start. Besides the KLCC mall, it’s also home to Petrosains and Aquaria which the kids would absolutely love – but thoroughly enjoyable for adults too. Petrosains also known as Petrosains, the Discovery Center is a Malaysian science and technology museum focusing on the learning of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). The perfect place for children to come and explore and learn through science play! Not short of family fun destinations, AquariaKLCC is home to 5000 aquatic species at their modern aquariums highlighting on conservation and education.
Fun filled activities such as feeding the sea creatures, diving with sharks and cage rage are some of the fun things to do.
The one thing that is considered a ‘must-see’ is the observation deck located on the 86 th floor of the Twin Towers and the Skybridge; 170 metres above the ground located on the 41st floor. The panoramic view of KL city is breathtaking both at night and during the day. To visit the SkyBridge, planning ahead would be good so you can get proper tickets online and get the right timing to admire the view from the SkyBridge.
” The one thing that is considered a ‘must-see’ is the observation deck located on the 86 th floor of the Twin Towers and the Skybridge; 170 metres above the ground located on the 41st floor. The panoramic view of KL city is breathtaking both at night and during the day. “
As we arrived at KLCC train station, it was easy to navigate our way up to the malls with all the clear signages along the way. We headed outside and we marveled at the beauty of the Twin Towers, towering at the height of 451.9 metres; the 88-storey twin structure is truly an engineering genius. I managed to read a little background about the towers and explained them to my kids.
The towers were designed by renowned architect; César Pelli who was an Argentine-American architect, recently passed away in 2019. The towers were built based on Tun Mahathir’s vision of putting Malaysia on the global map; to demonstrate the country’s aspiration and success.
César Pelli incorporated the Islamic motif in the overall design to pay homage to Malaysia’s official religion – Islam. The refinement of the exterior design is the stainless steel and glass intertwining geometrically, consisting of two squares creating a shape of eight-pointed stars circling the towers. That bright sunny day, I stood and looked up and saw the gleam and shine of the towers and saw the real artistry of Cesar Pelli’s work. That day, KLCC was packed with a gathering of visitors admiring the stunning architecture, all busy posing and snapping pictures. A common everyday sight as the Twin Towers get visitors from far and wide to admire its beauty.
After the brief architecture lesson, I thought it was the perfect time for lunch. KLCC mall situated in the bottom floors of the Twin Towers has a wide selection of retail outlets that will appease many shoppers, from designer boutiques to local famous brands, KLCC has everything to offer all under one roof. Ardent shoppers would find KLCC a shopping haven that has something for everyone. As it was lunchtime, the mall was packed with hungry bellies browsing through the best places to eat. Offering local and western delicacies, Malaysian cuisine is known for the multiethnic dishes of Malay, Chinese and Indian dishes – making it a melting pot of common culture and the love for food. We settled for the food hall where we were spoiled for choice on the lunch offerings, but I managed to satisfy my craving by choosing ‘nasi lemak’ – coconut rice with condiments such as fried peanuts and anchovies with spicy hot sauce or fondly known as ‘sambal’ – a chili cooked sauce with dried shrimps and onions. The children had their favorite dish of ‘chicken rice’, fragrant rice cooked with chicken broth and served with tender roasted chicken accompanied with soy sauce and some cut cucumber, a fully satisfying lunch that got us ready to stroll the Twin Towers.
Purchasing tickets to the local attractions are simple for the locals if they have their identification card, also known as MyKad and MyKid for children below 12 years old. Visitors and tourists can also enquire regarding special discounts at the concierge counters. As we got ready to go in, I can see the excitement in the faces of the children. Eagerly anticipating their journey of discovery and adventure. As you go in, you can see the different stations for the different types of experiments. The detailed description and animated visuals that accompanied the experiments brought giggles and faces of awe upon the children. I liked that there were experiments for different age groups from small toddlers to primary school going children being demonstrated by science shows.
” Ardent shoppers would find KLCC a shopping haven that has something for everyone. As it was lunchtime, the mall was packed with hungry bellies browsing through the best places to eat. “
As the time was approaching evening, a trip to Aquaria would just have to be on another day as we had to go and get ready for our tour of the SkyBridge. I didn’t want to rush to Aquaria as there’s so much to see and do – you will need at least half a day to fully immerse yourself with the abundance of sea life on display. As we prepared to go to the SkyBridge, we were first given a safety briefing and a little background on the Twin Towers – it is 170 metres above street level! So we’re going up pretty high. We were then tagged by a color-coded tag to make sure we go up in small groups to make the trip more manageable. Now, ready to go on the high speed elevator up to the 42 nd floor where the SkyBridge is located. We were all giddy with excitement at the speed of the elevator; from 0 to the 42 nd floor which took less than two minutes!
As we stepped out of the elevator, we were given a short explanation on the Skybridge before we were allowed to go and explore the bridge. We were given 10 minutes to admire the view of KL city center. The view was spectacular, mesmerizing as I looked around at the city lights – I thought to myself this must have been what Tun Mahathir envisioned, such a marvel of a structure to be awed at by the entire world. Pictures were taken, and the pictures don’t do KL city’s skyline any justice. Tall buildings circling the Twin Towers but can’t quite match the height, the Twin Towers standing at 452 metres and considered the tallest twin towers in the world – it really does take your breath away standing majestically. As our time had ended, we had to begin our descend down to give other groups a chance to see the spectacular view.
It was time to call it a day, but not before we stopped to see the beautiful fountains in the center of the Twin Towers. The colored fountain display is scheduled to perform twice a day, one in the morning and one in the evening once the sun has set. Looking around, I saw families, couples and children just admiring the fountain shows with their multi colored lights in sync with the music. Bright lit cafes surrounds the fountains for those who choose to enjoy their evening dinners watching the performance.
After the performance ended, we decided to take a stroll around the KLCC Park. The night air was cool and breezy, children were having their playtime after dinner and running around, enjoying the parks and playground. The Petronas Twin Towers certainly is the playground for all families to come and gather for some enjoyment with their loved ones.
