When I first started traveling in Southeast Asia almost 15 years ago, I found it hard to get away from the main lobe of the region. I spent most of my time in Bangkok and places that could be reached via a short flight from it—Siem Reap, Saigon, Hanoi, Yangon and of course many places in the rest of Thailand.
It took me a few years to begin exploring Southeast Asia’s southern periphery, and then to fall in love with it. Which makes sense: Malaysia is underrated and overlooked; Indonesia is just plain unruly.
If you’ve entered this phase of your travel and are having the Kuala Lumpur vs Jakarta talk with yourself, I’m here to make sure decision making process a bit easier.
Why I’ve Returned to KL More Times Than Jakarta
When it comes to the reality of my own experience in KL vs Jakarta, I can’t lie that these have obviously influenced my opinion. I’ve only ever really used Jakarta as a launching pad for exploring the rest of Indonesia, a country that’s so full-on I simply haven’t devoted a lot of bandwidth to it. For KL, however, I’ve not only based myself there during comprehensive trips to Malaysia, but have also dug into its various neighborhoods and felt its many moods.
There’s also the fact of Genting Highlands. I’ll talk more about this gem of a place in subsequent paragraphs, but for me it’s one major thing that sets Kuala Lumpur apart. While many people (especially locals) make the journey up there from central KL to play popular casino games, I simply enjoy attractions like Chin Swee Pagoda—and, on clear days, magnificent views of the Kuala Lumpur skyline that you simply can’t get from anywhere else.
Jakarta
Ways to Compare Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur
Attractions
Simply put, there’s more to do for most tourists in KL than there is in Jakarta. This is true whether you’re in the city center (or KL, this is) and going up in the Petronas Twin Towers or eating your way through Chinatown, or exploring peripheral attractions like Batu Caves. There are things to do in Jakarta as well—historical Batavia; the Monas National Monument—but these are fewer and farther between.
Transportation
Both KL and Jakarta technically have metro systems, though neither are especially useful for tourists. In KL, the issue is not so much the number of stations or lines as it is how far they are from the attractions they’re meant to connect. Jakarta’s two metro lines, with intersect at a single point, are simply not adequate for its size. KL’s trump card, in this match-up, is the KLIA Ekspres train that connects the airport to the city center.
Cityscape and skyline
KL’s aforementioned Petronas towers are the formerly tallest buildings in the world, and remain two its its most famous buildings almost three decades after their construction. This is to say nothing of all the other iconic structures of the KL skyline, and not just the newer, taller Merdeka Tower. When its comes to Jakarta, on the other hand, most travelers would struggle to pick its cityscape out of a line-up.
Food and nightlife
I find both Malaysian and Indonesian food to be underrated in their own ways, so whether I’m in Kuala Lumpur or Jakarta, I always eat my weight in noodles (laksa in KL, for example) and rice (nasi goreng), to say nothing of various desserts and other snacks. For nightlife, Jakarta’s Jalan Jaksa is relatively impressive for a city in a Muslim country, though it doesn’t compare to the scale of Bukit Bintang or even Bangsar in KL.
Day trips
As I mentioned earlier, the Genting Highlands are one of my favorite day trips from KL, even though I don’t gamble. The weather is much cooler and the air much cleaner, and the views are great. Apart from this, I love visiting the Malaysian capital of Putrajaya—and, on a very long day trip, the old town of Malacca. Jakarta is harder to escape for a single day, with the possible exception of a boat trip to the nearby Thousand Islands.
Kuala Lumpur
How Many Days Do You Need in KL? What About Jakarta?
As you can probably gather from the paragraphs above, I find KL to be a more pleasant city than Jakarta; it’s a better place to explore, even if you don’t have other in-country travel plans. At the same time, I do find there’s a limit to how many days in Kuala Lumpur I can spend, on account of the heat and the difficulty of getting around. To assign a number to it, I usually find that 2-3 days in KL is the sweet spot.
When it comes Jakarta, as compared to KL, I’m of two minds. On one hand, you could spend a couple of days here and pretty quickly see that the city is much better than stereotypes of its would lead you to believe, from historical facades in Batavia, to views at Monas, to drinks along Jalan Jaksa. On the other hand, if you’re using it as a launching pad for a more extensive Indonesia trip, you might get itchy feet and want to start your journey.
Other FAQ About Visiting Jakarta and KL
Is KL better than Jakarta?
I think it’s safe to say that most tourists find Kuala Lumpur to be a more pleasant city than Jakarta. It has more (and more impressive attractions), better public transport and a wider range of accommodations than Jakarta—the former is a tourist city; the latter very much is not.
Is Jakarta more expensive than KL?
Jakarta is a great deal cheaper than KL, both for locals and tourists, no matter how you slice it—the costs of housing, food and transport are all lower. On the other hand, you’ll probably spend more time going about your business in Jakarta than you would in KL, given inferior transport infrastructure and the presence of much more traffic.
Is KL in Indonesia?
Kuala Lumpur is in Malaysia, though the city is popular among Indonesian tourists. This is partially because of its proximity (and the connectivity of Kuala Lumpur International Airport with Jakarta International Airport), and also because Malaysia’s national Bahasa Melayu language is relatively similar to Basaha Indonesia.
The Bottom Line
The Jakarta vs KL debate is as much about the cities themselves as it is about the destinations they unlock. In this way, I’d say that KL makes for a more convenient base vis-a-vis Malaysia (and even destinations in Thailand and throughout the rest of Southeast Asia) than Jakarta does for Indonesia, whose sprawling span means that certain destinations are still a day away. On the other hand, each city has its own charm and character, which may speak to different travelers for different reasons. Need personalized help putting your Southeast Asia sojourn together? Consider hiring me as your Travel Coach!