The twin peaks of the Petronas Towers stands as the dominant symbol of Malaysia and tower over all else in Kuala Lumpur. While it’s not hard to see them from most places across the city, there’s nothing quite like visiting these architectural wonders up close and personal.

Our first close-up was over Sunday night drinks with Vikram’s cousins at the popular Marini’s on 57 bar, aptly named because it’s on the 57th floor of a building next to the Petronas Towers. The bar features floor to ceiling windows that wonderfully showcase the view of the brightly lit steel giants. Throw in a couple of drinks and great company, and there’s not much else I could ask for!

A few days later, Vikram and I returned to ascend the towers themselves.

The first part of the tour takes you to the 43rd floor where we could cross the bridge between the two towers. From here, we could see some window wipers hard at work—a job I definitely do not envy!

After about ten minutes admiring the views from here, it’s back in the elevator to go to the top on the 86th floor and even more stellar panoramic views.

We had read some recommendations to ascend the KL Tower (a space needle-type building) instead because its skyline views include the Petronas Towers. But we realized that the KL Tower is situated in such a way that the views of the Petronas Towers are at an awkward angle. Also, going up one of the Petronas Towers offers the opportunity to see the other tower in so much detail!

Travel Notes

• The entire tour going up the Petronas Towers takes about an hour, and groups leave every 15 minutes. Tickets cost 85 MYR and are easily bought onsite. We had read online that you need to get there early to get tickets before the sell out, but that information was likely from when tickets were free. We arrived around 10:30 am and got tickets for the 11 am tour.
• If you go to Marini’s on 57 or another nearby rooftop bar, go well before midnight to get the best views. The towers darken when the clock strikes twelve.