Easy Guide to Visiting Petronas Towers: The Icon of KL’s Skyline
The icon of Kuala Lumpur, the Petronas Towers are a jaw-dropping ode to architectural, a blend of Islamic design principles and Malaysia’s modern ambition.
These twin towers aren’t just another skyscraper — they’ve made history many times. They’re actually still the world’s tallest twin towers!
But once they once were the tallest buildings in the world, full stop, from 1998 to 2004. The Petronas Towers dethroned Chicago’s Sears Tower (which had held that record for 25 years) and only gave way to the Taipei 101 once that was finished.
| 🏙️ In a rush? Here’s the quick rundown for visiting Petronas Towers: 1. Prebook your tickets to avoid disappointment — I booked online here with Get Your Guide (no need to print — just show on your phone!) 2. Show up 15 minutes early and be aware that your time slot is highly monitored (10 minutes for Skybridge, 15 minutes for top floor, that’s it!) 3. KL is huge and hard to get around with all the traffic — pick a hotel in the city center (KLCC) or Chinatown area. |
What makes these towers truly special isn’t just their height. Though at 452 meters (about 1,483 feet), the height is definitely nothing to look down on (I cannot resist a pun, I’m sorry)!
No, it’s not just the height, it’s all in the details: the towers’ pinnacles rising like elegant minarets with its geometric design principles, inspired by Islamic art… it all immediately set Petronas Towers apart and made KL’s skyline one of the most iconic in the world.
While the Petronas Towers may have been unseated as Malaysia’s tallest tower by the newly completed Merdeka 118 (678.9 meters high, the second-tallest in the world after the Burj Khalifa) in 2023, they remain an absolutely unmissable landmark.
Here’s a guide to visiting the Petronas Towers independently, so you can easily visit this iconic landmark on your trip to Kuala Lumpur.
It’s quite easy — you just need to plan ahead a little bit. Luckily, I just wrapped up a visit to KL in March 2025, so this Petronas Towers guide is up-to-date and full of recent tips. Let’s go!
My Petronas Towers Visiting Experience
In this visitor experience at the Petronas Towers, everything is super organized (possibly too organized for some — but I enjoyed it) with four distinct stages that’ll make your visit smooth and easy.
First up, ticket check-in — and here’s a key tip: arrive about 15 minutes early. Trust me, you’ll want to breeze through the line and security without any stress.
KL can be hectic, but don’t worry, this process is surprisingly chill (once you find the check-in area — I’ll explain that in the next section!).
Make this part even easier by buying your tickets ahead of time. I did see ticket kiosks, but the spaces are limited for each time slot. So if your time slot is sold out, you’re out of luck — and wouldn’t that be such a disappointment for your trip?
I booked ahead via this website and had my ticket available for them to scan from my mobile, no printing necessary!
Once you’ve passed through security (and left any prohibited items like backpacks with the free locker service), you’ll hop up to the Skybridge on the 41st floor via a super-fast and spacious elevator.
Keep in mind you do have a limited time period — just a quick 10-minute stop.
For me at least, it was actually plenty of time to take photos and enjoy the view. After all, even better views await at the next stop, another 40+ floors up!
The way they handle the time slots, by the way, is very well-organized. Each time slot is given a color-coded visitor sticker, and they’ll call for your group so you can go with them to the next part of the experience. This gives you a nice blend of structure and freedom.
I’ll admit, you do sacrifice a little bit of free time to explore at your leisure, especially if you’re really into photography — but as a benefit, it’s a much less crowded experience, and I actually preferred the thoughtful adherence to the schedule.
Then comes the observation deck on the 86th floor, where you’ll be given 15 incredible minutes to take in the views from the highest you can go on the Petronas Towers.
You’ll get this incredible close-up view of Tower One while standing in Tower Two, with Kuala Lumpur sprawling out beneath you. Enjoy having a VIP pass to the city’s most spectacular viewpoint, up close and personal!!
In a hurry? Pre-book your tickets for Petronas Towers here to secure the ideal timeslot!
I’ll be honest, I’d have been happier with an extra 5-10 minutes or so at this tallest panorama point, because there’s simply so much to see. It worked, but I wasn’t quite ready to leave when they called our color group!
Now, the structure ends around this point — once they dump you in the gift shop, they definitely don’t rush you out, as they’re happy for you to shop.
Here’s your chance to grab those souvenirs, like the unfortunately phallic Petronas Towers plushies (who okayed that design, seriously?).
My personal experience? I loved it. Yes, this whole experience is super structured, especially in terms of the time frames, but doesn’t feel rigid. It’s like the towers themselves — precisely engineered for the maximum efficiency and experience!
Getting to the Petronas Towers
Compared to other observation towers I’ve visited (especially those in New York), visiting the Petronas Towers is super easy and straightforward. So let me save you the little bit of confusion I experienced! Here’s the absolute simplest way to find your way in.
Make your way to the front entrance of Suria KLCC. And yes, while you can technically enter through the mall, I tried that first and I found that route a bit confusing. Instead, when you’re outside in front of the Suria KLCC, face the main entrance doors and go to the left side.
You’ll immediately see signs for the Petronas Towers. Still confused along the way? The guards in the area are happy to point you in the right direction if you’re a bit lost.
Once you enter the building, look for the escalators to your right. They look like this:
Take these down one level, and there you are: right in the ticketing area and the line, which looks a bit long but moves swiftly.
It sounds complicated, but I promise it’s way more straightforward than it seems. Just follow these steps! Make sure you have your ticket pre-purchased. If you haven’t already, you can book your Petronas Towers tickets here.
Tips for a Flawless Visit
Book your tickets well in advance, especially at prime times. The prime time slot is around sunset, which is usually around 7:30 PM (the sunset time doesn’t fluctuate much in Malaysia given its proximity to the equator). I booked my tickets online via Get Your Guide which you can do here.
Plan your visit time thoughtfully. I grabbed a 6:00 PM time slot thinking that I’d have a chance to linger a little and see the sunset… but they are pretty strict with the timing of the visit so I didn’t have a chance to linger on the top floor and watch the sunset.
Honestly though, it was so cloudy on the day of my visit that there really was no sunset to speak of. However, I did do just a bit of shopping in Suria and then right after I was able to see the Petronas Towers all lit up in the dark of night, and that was lovely.
There are a lot of people approaching you for photos at night. If you’re in the Petronas Towers area after dark, a lot of very insistent photographer/touts will approach you asking for photos.
They are harmless, but it did get exhausting constantly saying “no” to men asking you if you wanted a picture, with this bright light and iPhone set-up that they lift up in front of your face, half-blinding you.
If you’re super into having people take photos of you, this may be your idea of heaven. As someone who dislikes strangers approaching me, this was my idea of hell.
Be aware you may have to store some items in the locker area. This is a free service. They’ll give you a matching ticket for picking up your belongings, so don’t lose that!
Be mindful of the time limitations and go with the flow. Like I said, this is a highly structured and scheduled itinerary. Follow the guides and please don’t argue with them as I saw a few people doing; it’s their job to keep the crowds minimal so that all who visit can enjoy it and get good, crowd-free photos.
You have a strict limit of 10 minutes for the Skybridge, 15 minutes for the top floor, and then they don’t really monitor your time in the gift shop. So don’t think you’ll get away with lingering!
Allison Green is a former teacher who has been travel blogging since 2016, visiting 75+ countries in total. She has a Masters in Teaching and a B.A. in English and Creative Writing. As a former educator, she merges her writing and educational experience to encourage ethical, sustainable travel. She has been a speaker at the World Travel Writers Conference and TBEX. Her writing, photography, and podcasting work has appeared in National Geographic, CNN Arabic, CBC Canada, and Forbes, amongst others. When she’s not on the road, she lives in Bangkok, Thailand.
