Petronas Twin Towers: Tickets, Skybridge and Visiting Tips

The Petronas Twin Towers are the image most people carry home from Kuala Lumpur. Completed in 1996 to a design by the architect César Pelli, the two steel and glass towers rise 451.9 metres above the city centre and were the tallest buildings in the world until 2004. Seen from below, their faceted, Islamic-inspired geometry is striking at any hour, but they look best after dark when every tier is lit.

You can enjoy the towers for free from the park and the streets around them, or buy a ticket for the guided visit to the Skybridge and the upper observation deck. Either way, they sit at the heart of KLCC, the city’s main business and shopping district, and are an easy first stop on any Kuala Lumpur trip.

Visiting the Petronas Twin Towers: Skybridge and Level 86

The paid visit takes you up in timed groups. The first stop is the double-decker Skybridge that links the two towers on Levels 41 and 42, about 170 metres up. It is the only part of the visit where you look across at the other tower at close range, and the engineering is as interesting as the view.

The visit continues to the observation deck on Level 86, roughly 370 metres above the street. From here you look down on KLCC Park and its lake, across to the KL Tower on Bukit Nanas, and on a clear day out to the hills that ring the Klang Valley. Displays explain how the towers were built, and the slots keep numbers manageable, so it rarely feels crowded once you are up.

Tickets and opening hours

At the time of writing, the towers open from 9am to 9pm Tuesday to Sunday and on public holidays. They are also open on the second and fourth Monday of each month (9am to 8pm) and closed on other Mondays and on the main Hari Raya holidays. Adult tickets cost RM98 for non-Malaysians and RM35 for MyKad holders, with lower child and senior rates.

Tickets are sold by time slot and popular slots sell out, especially at weekends and around sunset. Buy on the official Petronas Twin Towers website rather than through look-alike sites, which the operator has warned about. The ticket counter is on the Concourse Level of the towers.

What to see around the towers

• KLCC Park: the landscaped garden behind the towers has a jogging track, a children’s playground and paddling pool, and a lake with an evening fountain show. It is the classic place to photograph both towers in one frame.
• Suria KLCC: the mall at the base of the towers has a large food court, department stores and Petrosains, a science centre that suits children.
• Aquaria KLCC: a short walk through an air-conditioned walkway to the convention centre, Aquaria KLCC pairs well with the towers on a rainy afternoon.

How to get there

The LRT Kelana Jaya Line stops at KLCC station, which connects directly into Suria KLCC, so you can arrive without stepping outside. From Bukit Bintang, a covered, air-conditioned pedestrian walkway links Pavilion Kuala Lumpur to the convention centre and the park in about 15 to 20 minutes on foot. Grab drivers drop off at the mall entrances on Jalan Ampang.

Best time to visit

Book a morning slot for the clearest air and the smallest groups; haze and afternoon thunderstorms often soften the view later in the day. Then come back after dark, when the towers are floodlit and the park fountains are running. If you only have time for one view of the skyline at night, the KLCC Park lakeside is free and spectacular.

How it fits your trip

Most visitors spend half a day in KLCC: the tower visit in the morning, lunch in the Suria food court, then the aquarium or the park. Pair it with an evening at Jalan Alor in Bukit Bintang, a short walk away, for dinner. Our 3-day Kuala Lumpur itinerary puts the towers on day one, which works well if you arrive early and want to get your bearings.