Petaling Street

Petaling Street is a very popular landmark market place in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. It is known as the local Chinatown and is bustling with various activities that take place throughout the day and night. Since it is mainly a market place, it is constantly bustling with people- locals and tourists alike- as well as shopkeepers and merchants.

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Apart from its cultural significance in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Street is also known for the numerous sumptuous food stalls that serve authentic Malaysian dishes like the curry noodles, Asam laksa, barbecued fish (Ikan Bakar) and Hokkien mee. Perhaps the most striking feature of the street found here is the fresh seafood.

Since this area is less prone to floods, the wealthier sector of the population has been able to settle here with businesses, shops and merchandise. In 2003, the market place underwent a major renovation, with improved pavements and streets and well-constructed shops with bright colourful umbrellas attached to them, giving the shops the signature look they bear now.

The entire stretch of the market area is covered with a green awning covering the roof to protect the shop owners and visitors from rain and heat. Petaling Street lights up at night with bright neon lights and the whole place thrives with life, energy, happy shoppers and food lovers throughout the day.

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• You can find anything in Flea Market Petaling Street like clothes, souvenirs, knock-off purses, headphones, etc. where you can get goodies at a very low price.
• The place is much livelier and stunning at night, as the majority of the shops are decorated with lanterns hanging from their ceilings, offering an aesthetic vibe to the streets.
• This marketplace is a heaven for foodies out there, offering items like curry noodles, asam laksa, Ikan Bakar, and Hokkien mee. Many food vendors across this area pour an exciting mixture of aroma in the air, which will be hard to resist.
• Here you can hit two birds with one stone, i.e., you can gaze at beautiful buildings while enjoying the charm of shopping at such a famous market.
• Let your spiritual being get some peace as you discover some ancient temples situated around the area, like Sri Mahamariamman Temple which is a Hindu Temple and Sin Sze Si Ya Temple which is a Chinese temple.

The best time to visit Flea Market Petaling Street is from 10.00 am to 9.00 pm for shopping in the market and grabbing some lip-smacking food items. At this time, most of the shops remain open. Food stalls can also be explored at night, but this time you will see different energy in food stalls, which will offer you delicious local food.

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Places to Eat in Petaling Street

While it is the best place to taste some local street food, you can also discover some cafes, restaurants and eateries in the vicinity for a proper, sit-down meal:

1. Acme Bar & Coffee- This is a café known for delicious breakfast, jazz music, chic interiors and detox juices prepared from fresh fruits and vegetables. 

2. Thirty8 Restaurant- Situated on the 38th floor of the Grand Hyatt Hotel, this is a restaurant with a breath-taking view of the city of Kuala Lumpur. This place serves fabulous Chinese, Japanese and Western cuisine.

3. Bakeri Joy- Bakeri Joy is a local restaurant known for its delicious nasi lemak and curry laksa. Both are very popular chicken and fish broths served with eggs and vegetables.

4. Nasi Kandar Pelita- This local restaurant serves Indian and Middle-eastern cuisine. There are varieties of spicy curries and mouth-watering meat dishes served at very reasonable prices.

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Places to Stay near Petaling Street

Petaling Street is dotted with innumerable hotels for comfortable accommodations. There are all categories of hotels to choose from, depending on the budget and specifications of the guest.

1. Majestic Hotel- The Majestic Hotel is a five-star luxury hotel with sprawling interiors and modern amenities and exclusive services. Apart from its amenities, you also enjoy their unique art-deco aesthetics.

2. Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa- The Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa is the ultimate place to relax and unwind with family and friends. From a private shopping mall to an in-house fitness centre, along with a theme park and special spa treatments, this hotel has it all under one roof.

3. Swiss-Inn Kuala Lumpur- The Swiss-Inn Kuala Lumpur is a family hotel situated in the heart of Kuala Lumpur with easy access to cheap shopping and all the fabulous local food stalls. Their remarkable amenities include a terrace bar/restaurant, private glass bathrooms, a business centre, family rooms, etc.

4. The Kuala Lumpur Journal- The Kuala Lumpur Journal is a budget-friendly hotel with all the basic services like dry cleaning and a prompt 24-hour front desk helpline. Its beautiful rooms have minibars, flat-screen TVs, WiFi and a seating area.

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Timing to Visit Petaling Street

Petaling Street is open 24 hours a day, every day of the week. The peak shopping hours are usually from 10:00 am to 9:00 pm, when all the shops and food stalls are open. By 9:00 pm, some of the clothing, gadgets and accessories shops close down, but the food stalls and restaurants remain open till late in the night.

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Speciality of Petaling Street

Petaling Street is a paradise for buying trendy clothing and all kinds of modern accessories at very cheap rates. Even though the source of these products is generally unverified, it is still crowded by throngs of people trying to get their hands-on designer merchandise at very low prices. Another popular feature of the market is the tendency to bargain with the vendors (which usually yields very favourable results).

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Travellers' Tip before Visiting Petaling Street

Even though Petaling Street is an open market where you can wander freely, there are a few tips you should keep in mind:

1. Most of the items sold here are counterfeits and fakes, and you cannot blame the vendor for selling you these things since that is the speciality of the market.

2. It is best to keep your belongings close to you since the market can get very crowded during peak shopping hours.

3. If you want to get a good price, it is highly recommended that you bargain with the vendors, who are always open to negotiation.

4. If you are planning to visit the market for anything other than tasting the street food, you should visit between 10:00 am and 9:00 pm, when most of the shops remain open. Everything other than the food stalls usually close shop by 9:00 pm.

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All the roads connecting to Petaling Street from the Kuala Lumpur City Centre are quite convenient as they are connected by an efficient network of public transports.

By Car: While travelling in a private car or a hired taxi, the distance from the City Centre to the Petaling Street is 900 metres if you travel down Jalan Tun Perak Road. It should take you around 9 minutes to reach.

By Bus: If you’d rather avail one of the many public buses that ply in Kuala Lumpur, then it will take around 4 minutes to reach the Petaling Street from the City Centre Bus Terminus. Any bus heading towards Kotaraya Shopping Complex and Central Market will be able to take you to Petaling Street.

By train: There are some very convenient train stations nearby as well. One can take the Light Rapid Transit or the LRT, via Masjid Jamek Station or the Pasar Seni, which is within walking distance. One can also avail the KTM Komuter or the Kuala Lumpur Station. The Monorail at the Maharajalela Station is also an easy connector to Petaling Street.

On foot: You can also reach Petaling Street from the City Centre simply by walking. You have to walk a mere distance of 290 metres via Jalan Petaling Road, which shouldn’t take you more than 4 minutes. However, if you’re travelling from Lebuh Putu, Jalan Tun H S Lee and Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, you need to walk 350m to reach the market.

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