Petronas Twin Towers

Standing at 452 meters the Petronas Towers were once the tallest buildings in the world. It’s hard to tell when looking at them, but the footprint of each of the towers is based on Islamic geometric forms and create an eight pointed star. Getting to see them first-hand was an incredible experience. They are so tall that they could almost touch the heavens. I remember seeing the Petronas Towers in the Hollywood blockbuster movie Entrapment starring Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones. The architecture was so cool and made me want to go there. I imagined playing a part in my own action packed movie, running across the Skybridge and experiencing the pair of marvelous buildings first-hand. So, finally I did. I was stoked out, and now I am going to tell you all about our experience and how you can experience the Petronas Towers for yourself.

Tickets

The Petronas Towers are one of Kuala Lumpur’s most famous attractions. That means that tickets sell out quickly on their website. You can buy your tickets at the box ticket office when you arrive, but you will probably have to stand in a long line.  You also need to show up early in the morning to buy your tickets. If you don’t arrive early enough they will sell out of tickets for that day.

Buying your tickets online is a great option because it saves you from spending up to an hour standing in line buying your tickets at the ticket office. Buying your tickets online also allows you to pick the best time to enjoy the spectacular views from the Petronas Towers. We recommend going for sunrise or sunset. We opted for the 6:15pm time slot so that we could watch the sunset from the Petronas Towers. If you are a morning person and love sunrises you can pick a morning time slot.

There were no tickets available on the dates that I wanted on the official website, so I booked my tickets through a third-party website. Booking the tour through a third-party site cost a little bit more than booking it on the official website, but I had no other choice. (Buyer beware: there are a lot of scams out there, so make sure you choose a reputable site before booking your tickets. I used Viator, which is an affiliate with TripAdvisor, so I felt confident that I would be getting legitimate tickets.) Despite the higher cost it did come with the perk of having the tickets delivered straight to my hotel, which was very convenient.  

The Tour

One of the positive things about this tour is that they try to keep the group’s size small so that visitors can have a more enjoyable experience. I don’t know about you, but I hate being stuck in a crowd trying to jockey for a spot by the window to get a view.

Checking In

Upon arriving at the Petronas Tower tour you will be asked to check in large bags. You also have to send your small items through an x-ray machine. You’ll also have to walk through a metal detector, so keep all your sharp objects at home and try not to bring a lot of stuff.

They give each person in the group a color-coded lanyard. This helps you to know which group you are part of. It also helps the tower to keep the group sizes small. 

Cultural Differences

There were about 20 people in our group. Although our group was relatively small you need to remember that you are in Southeast Asia and that there are many visitors from the region. Being from Hawaii and from the United States I am used to having a small bubble of personal space. Here, there is no such thing. If there is a space it will be filled. Don’t be surprised if your bubble is bursted by people getting up close and personal with you. Please note that getting onto the elevator, even as a small group, can be a bit of a pushing match. We tried to remember to keep traveling aloha and smiled while being shoved into the elevator.

The Skybridge

Our first stop was the Skybridge. The Skybridge is 170 meters high and 58.4 meters long and connects both of the towers together. One interesting fact was that the bridge is not connected to the towers. There is about an 8-inch gap between the Skybridge and each of the towers. No, they “nevah” make the Gap to freak out the visitors. There is actually a functional purpose. The sheer size of the Petronas Towers exposes them to high winds. The towers need to be able to rock back and forth so that they don’t break. They need to bend but not break. Because the towers rock back and forth the bridge can’t be connected to the towers or the bridge would break. So “please mind the gap” when accessing the Petronas Tower Bridge.

There are two levels to the bridge. The top level is used by the tenants of the building. It allows them to get from building to building without having to go all the way back down to the bottom. The bottom section is for the tourists, so that they can go gawk at these gigantic structures. The views from the bridge are pretty amazing. It gives you the opportunity to look up at the towers from a unique vantage point. For those who are afraid of heights the view can be quite dizzying, but will still make your jaw drop.

Pro Tip

If you want to get a nice picture ask one of the workers. They will be more than happy to assist. They may even have some great suggestions of where and how to take a great shot.

View from the Top

After spending around 15 minutes on the Skybridge we were ushered back to the elevator for our journey to the top. The views from the top of the Petronas Towers will take your breath away. You’ll have the best views of Kuala Lumpur from here. I especially liked the views of the Menara KL Tower, which puts on a spectacular light show at night. We were able to catch a beautiful sunset from the lookout point, but were just a tad too early to catch the city as it lights up at night. Overall, visiting the Petronas Towers should be at the top of everyone’s list while in Kuala Lumpur.