Kuala Lumpur Hop on Hop off Bus Tours

When you think of all there is to see and do in Kuala Lumpur and how to get to these attractions in such a crowded and cosmopolitan city, one of the best options is to hop on a tourist bus and take advantage of the strategic stops it makes around the city. Plus, you won't have to worry about traffic or planning an itinerary.

If you hire a tourist bus, you'll be able to see the city's main attractions comfortably and safely. With your 24-hour, 48-hour or longer pass, you can hop on and off these buses as many times as you like, and take advantage of the audio guide that plays during the trip to get information about the sites you visit. Here I tell you in detail about these services, which can be your greatest allies during your stay in Kuala Lumpur.

The city of Kuala Lumpur has 1 tourist bus with which you can tour the city comfortably and without worrying about traffic:

• Ronda - Ronda KL day and night - from 16 €.

This bus has 2 routes that pass through or drop you off near the main sights of the city. Both routes are combinable, as the circuits start and end at the same terminal. You can hire the bus for 24 or 48 hours.

This tourist bus works with the Hop On Hop Off system, so you can get on and off the bus as many times as you want to visit the attractions you have chosen. That is, if you get off at the Petronas Towers, you can tour them at your own pace and get on the next bus to go to another attraction. The best thing to do is to know in advance which attractions you are interested in visiting, so you can make the most of your tour of the city.

The bus has free Wi-Fi on board, which is very convenient when looking up information online about the city's attractions. It is also air-conditioned and has a panoramic view, which ensures a more comfortable and enjoyable journey.

Many tourists, because they have little time or because they prefer to see the main sights of Kuala Lumpur at a glance, take a full tour on board the bus listening to the audio guide, and then decide which attractions they will get off at. Please note that the full circuit lasts approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes and the bus frequency is usually one every 20/30 minutes.

Alternative to the Kuala Lumpur Sightseeing Bus: GOKL City Bus

An alternative to the Kuala Lumpur sightseeing bus is the GOKL City Bus, which is the city's public bus. The main advantage of this bus is that it is free. Also, you don't need to book a seat, but just go to the bus stops and get on without paying any fare.

The GOKL City Bus is a bus used by tourists and locals alike, and can take you to many of the attractions in the city centre. It has about 7 combinable routes and has a frequency of one every 15 minutes.

Overview of Kuala Lumpur bus features

The Ronda-Ronda KL sightseeing bus runs 2 daytime tours of Kuala Lumpur: the City Route and the Garden Route. Both routes can be combined, as they share stop number 1. That is, where one of the tours ends, you can start the other, at no extra cost. In total, the bus makes about 26 stops that take you to about 60 attractions in the city.

The Ronda-Ronda KL has an open deck where you can enjoy the panoramic view of Kuala Lumpur, and air-conditioning on the covered part of the bus. It also has an audio guide that gives you information about the sites the bus passes through, and free Wi-Fi on board, which is very convenient for online enquiries. Without a doubt, travelling by tourist bus is one of the best ways to tour Kuala Lumpur and see its most emblematic sites.

As for the timetable, this tourist bus runs every day from 9am to 6pm and also has a night tour, ideal for you to see the amazing illuminations of the city. The complete daytime tour lasts approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes and the frequency is every 20-30 minutes. The night tour lasts 2 hours and is only available at 8 p.m. every day.

Ronda-Ronda KL offers 2 daytime tours:

• City Route: this is the tour of the city centre.
• Garden Route: takes you to other neighbourhoods, squares and theme parks.

In addition to these, there is a night tour that starts every day at around 8 pm:

• KL City of Lights

City Route Circuit

The Ronda-Ronda KL usually makes about 13 stops on its City Route, which takes you to attractions in the centre of Kuala Lumpur, such as the KL Tower, the Palace of Culture and the Petronas Towers.

The stops on the City Route usually include:

• Sungei Wang Plaza
• Masjid India Temple
• KG Baru Quarter
• Palace of Culture
• Intercontinental Hotel
• Petronas Towers
• MaTic Tourism Centre
• KL Tower
• P Ramlee Memorial
• Aquaria
• KLCC Park
• Kraft Complex and Museum
• Bukit Bintang shopping district
• Tengkat Tong Shin (until 5pm)

This tour runs daily from 9am to 6pm and can be combined with the Garden Route tour at Stop No. 1.

Garden Route Circuit

On its Garden Route, the Ronda-Ronda KL tour bus usually makes the following stops in Kuala Lumpur:

• Sungei Wang Plaza
• Swiss garden
• Chinatown
• Central Market
• Little India neighbourhood
• KL Sentral Railway Station
• National Museum
• National Palace
• Bird Park
• National Mosque or Masjid Negara
• Merdeka Square
• Chow Kit
• Hotel Sunway Putra

KL City of Lights Night Tour

As for the Ronda - Ronda KL night tour, called KL City of Lights tour, it passes through the following stops on its 2-hour tour:

• Sungei Wang Plaza
• Saloma Link Bridge
• KL Tower
• Chinatown
• Central Market
• Little India Quarter
• KL Sentral Railway Station
• National Palace
• Merdeka Square (colonial area)
• River of Life
• Istana Budaya or Palace of Culture
• KLCC Park

The night tour does not make free stops like the day tour, but instead includes photo stops at an attraction of your choice, which can usually be the KL Tower, the National Palace or KLCC Park. One of the best places to make a stop is River of Life, a place where two rivers meet in front of the Masjid Sultan Abdul Samad Mosque and where there is a light show not to be missed.

This night tour is designed more as a contemplative walk, so you can see the attractions under the night sky, and the unique lighting that each one displays during the night. In addition, they are usually guided by a local expert, who tells you about each site you visit.

The GOKL City Bus is the city's public bus, which can be used by tourists and locals alike. It runs 7 routes around Kuala Lumpur from 6am to 11pm from Monday to Thursday and from 7am to 11pm from Friday to Sunday. All routes can be combined, as some stops are 1 or 2 streets apart.

A tip to make the most of this bus is to check the available GOKL City Bus maps (or download the app) and plan your route, as it may take some time to decide on the best combinations based on your itinerary.

To board the bus, simply walk up to one of the stops and hop on, without paying a fare. For the same reason, seats on this bus cannot be reserved in advance. Please note that at some times the bus may be more in demand than others, especially at peak times. However, it is a frequent bus, with one bus running approximately every 15 minutes and 1 every 5 minutes at peak times.

The GOKL City Bus routes are:

• Green Line
• Purple Line
• Blue Line
• Red Line
• Orange Line
• Pink Line
• Turquoise Line

This chart can help you organise your 1 or 2 day itinerary in Kuala Lumpur:

One of the main advantages of riding the Kuala Lumpur sightseeing buses is that they allow you to comfortably get around the city's main attractions without having to worry about traffic or planning an itinerary. If you haven't had time to do much research on how to get around the city, this option will save you a lot of time. If you haven't had time to do much research on how to get around the city, this option will save you a lot of time.

Another advantage of these buses is that they give you the chance to explore each of the attractions at your own pace, as you can hop on and off the bus as often as you like. Moreover, if you travel by bus from Ronda - Ronda KL, you can enjoy the panoramic view of the city, while you decide which attractions you will visit, or you can take a snapshot of the city on board the bus. Without a doubt, you can do the best tours of Kuala Lumpur aboard a tourist bus.

Something very convenient about travelling on these buses is that you don't have to go to a specific stop to take them, but you can start your tour at any of the stops on the circuit, or at the stop closest to where you are staying. The possibility of combining the different routes is also very practical, allowing you to personalise your itinerary even more. Don't forget to download a map of the city to find out exactly how far you are from each attraction.

Another outstanding feature is that on board the bus you can listen to an audio guide in your own language, which allows you to find out a little more about the attractions the bus passes. The buses also have free Wi-Fi, which is very handy for checking timetables and any other information that may be useful during your tour of Kuala Lumpur.

The full Ronda -Ronda KL sightseeing bus tours usually take approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes during daylight hours, with no stops. They run every day for about 9 hours. In general, they have a frequency of one every 20/30 minutes. Each attraction is likely to take about an hour or less to see, which can give you an idea for planning a 1-day tour or a 2-day itinerary in Kuala Lumpur.

For the night tour, the duration is about 2 hours. This tour is designed to be more contemplative, as you can't make as many stops as you want as on the day tour, but usually only stops at a landmark attraction such as the National Palace, River of Life (where there is a light show), KL Tower or KLCC Park, so that you can take a photo.

Note that the KL Tower, which offers one of the best panoramic views of Kuala Lumpur from over 270 metres up, can be visited at night (until around 10pm), but it's best to plan your visit for another day, as the night tour won't give you time to get up to the observation deck.

The Kuala Lumpur Ronda - Ronda KL sightseeing bus can drop you off at around 60 attractions in the city, but it's important to do a little research so you can visit the ones you're most interested in and make the most of your time.

Entrance fees to attractions are not usually included in the sightseeing bus tickets, but packages are often offered with entry to Berjaya Times Square, one of the most recommended attractions if you're travelling to Kuala Lumpur with children, or the KL Tower, for example. Many others are free, such as KLCC Park.

When planning your itinerary, keep in mind that some attractions are very popular all year round, so it's best to go as early as possible, such as the Petronas Towers.

Here are some of the must-see attractions in Kuala Lumpur:

• The Petronas Towers, one of the tallest towers in the world at 452 metres high. They get a lot of visitors, so you should book your ticket in advance. They are not to be missed at night.
• KLCC Park, which is very close to the Petronas Towers.
• The 421-metre KL Tower, which offers panoramic views of the city and other entertainment.
• Chinatown, the Chinese quarter. Don't miss Petaling Street and the Guan-Di (Chinese) and Sri Mahamariamman (Hindu) temples, both of which are free to enter.
• Little India, the picturesque Hindu quarter, full of bazaars, street food stalls and shops.
• Merdeka Square, the colonial part of the city, with its unmissable palace of Sultan Abdul Samad.
• The Masjid Jamek Mosque, one of the oldest mosques in the city, which is free to enter.
• The National Mosque, which combines Arabic, Malay and modern architecture.
• Central Market, where you can buy souvenirs and sample local dishes.
• Bukit Bintang, the neighbourhood that stands out for its narrow streets full of street art.
• Berjaya Times Square, a theme park ideal for children.

These are some of the main attractions of Kuala Lumpur, which you can visit during your tour in the tourist bus, since the stops have been strategically selected so that you can reach them comfortably. If you have travelled with children, you may be interested in Bird Park, the city's aviary, or the Berjaya Times Square theme park, where there are fun options for both children and adults.

For foreigners, the 24 hour Ronda - Ronda KL sightseeing bus ticket costs about 16 Euro for adults and about 8 Euro for children over 5 years old. You can also buy the 48-hour pass, which costs around €21 for adults and €11 for children, and gives you a 50% discount. If you want to buy a ticket for more days, you will have to make a new purchase.

Children under 5 years of age get on the bus for free and you don't need to reserve a seat for them. Students and persons with reduced mobility also pay for a discounted ticket of approximately 50%. Citizens of Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia also get a 50% discount ticket.

Please note that when you hire the hourly bus service, whether it is 24 or 48 hours, the time starts to run from the moment you board the bus. That is, if you start using the bus at 10am, you will be able to use it until the next day at the same time. This is different from a daily contract, because in that case you can only use the bus from 9am to 6pm, which is the time the bus operates.