Kuala Lumpur/South

Kuala Lumpur's southern suburbs lie to the south of the city centre, Brickfields, Bangsar and Midvalley and Ampang.

This article covers the districts of Cheras, Sri Petaling, Bandar Tasik Selatan, Bukit Jalil and Old Klang Road.

The area is residential and industrial, and there is not too much to attract the visitor except maybe for major sporting events which are usually held at the Bukit Jalil National Sports Complex, and The Mines theme park which was once the world's deepest opencast tin mine. This area is more of a stopover after leaving Kuala Lumpur city centre, before continuing south to Kajang or westwards to Petaling Jaya.

Get in

To get to Sri Petaling and Bukit Jalil

• 1 Bandar Tasik Selatan railway and bus station (Terminal Bersepadu Selatan - Southern Integrated Terminal). Bandar Tasik Selatan is the largest transportation hub in the area, combining a railway station (KTM), a metro station (Sri Petaling Line), and an Express Rail Link (KLIA Transit, airport express) station, complemented by a bus terminal. Known locally as TBS, it is Kuala Lumpur's main intercity bus terminal. Express buses serving all major towns and cities in the peninsula start here. (updated Jan 2021)
• 2 Sungai Besi station. 06:00-00:00. Second integrated metro station after Bandar Tasik Selatan, serving the Sri Petaling and the Putrajaya metro lines. If one is coming from the airport, this is a cheaper transit option to access the vicinity. The station is just outside the old Sungai Besi town. (updated Feb 2024)

To get into Cheras

• 3 Taman Connaught metro station. 6AM-11:30PM. (updated Jan 2021)
• 4 Taman Mutiara metro station. 6AM-11:30PM. (updated Jan 2021)

See

• 1 Bukit Jalil National Stadium (Stadium Nasional Bukit Jalil, SNBJ). Bukit Jalil National Stadium is Malaysia's national stadium, constructed in 1998 to host that year's Commonwealth Games. It was also the venue of the 2001 and 2017 Southeast Asian Games. For the latter event, the stadium and surrounding structures were given a facelift. It is the centre-piece of a larger sports complex, known as KL Sports City. With a seating capacity of 87,000 the stadium is also a venue for concerts, while the car park was often used for furniture and interior design trade fairs. The sports complex also includes the adjacent National Aquatic Centre (see below). (updated Jan 2021)

Do

• 1 Swimming classes at the National Aquatic Center (Pusat Akuatik Nasional). M-F 8AM-9:30PM; Sa Su 6:30-10:30PM. Olympic size pool. The opening hours are a little weird though: 7 one-hourly sessions on weekdays and 3 evening sessions on the weekends. Adults: RM6; senior citizens and the disabled: RM5. (updated Jun 2017)
• 2 Watch an event at Bukit Jalil National Stadium. This huge stadium with a capacity of 87,411 is used as venue for many sports events and concerts. (updated Jun 2017)

Buy

There is plenty to shop all around the district, but are intended to cater local residents, so don't expect anything more than hypermarkets, fast food chains and department stores.

Around Bukit Jalil and Sri Petaling:

• 1 Endah Parade, Jalan 1/149E, Sri Petaling (exit from Bukit Jalil metro station, walk north along Jalan Merah Caga; the mall is painted deep red). 10AM-10PM daily. Perhaps the largest mall in the vicinity of the National Stadium. Nothing notable for a tourist, but still convenient for one to get groceries from the AEON BIG hypermarket at the lower-ground floor of this shopping mall. Some fast-food outlets inside. (updated Jan 2021)
• 2 The Store Sri Petaling, Jalan Radin Tengah, Sri Petaling. 10AM-10PM daily. Another grocery mart in the vicinity, after Endah Parade. Part of a national chain store. However this mart is located in the more bustling part of Sri Petaling, so to speak. (updated Jan 2021)

Cheras and towards Kajang:

• 3 Cheras Leisure Mall, Jalan Cheras, Taman Segar (pedestrian bridge from Taman Mutiara metro station), ☏ +60 3 9132 5088. 10AM-10PM daily. Easily spotted along the Kuala Lumpur-Kajang-Seremban federal road, this mall, though not as big as Mid Valley, is still the largest neighbourhood mall serving the locals in Cheras. Connected to the Taman Mutiara metro station, this mall is in operation since 1995. There is a grocery store on the southern wing. (updated Jan 2021)
• 4 Eko Cheras Mall, Jalan Cheras, Taman Segar (pedestrian bridge from Taman Mutiara metro station). 10AM-10PM daily. Located across the KL-Kajang road from Leisure Mall. New mall opened in late-2018, with a grocer store on the ground floor, and the remaining cinema in the area. (updated Jan 2021)
• 5 Cheras Sentral (Plaza Phoenix), 10th kilometre, Jalan Cheras (pedestrian bridge from Taman Connaught metro station). 10AM-10PM daily. Despite its name, this mall is not a major public transport hub! Only the Kajang Line MRT (metro) and two buses stop here. (updated Jan 2021)

Cheras hosts some of the best pasar malam (night markets) in Kuala Lumpur. Pasar malam in Cheras are available almost every night at different locations, usually rotating every week.

• 6 Taman Connaught night market (Bus T410 from Taman Connaught metro station in the direction of Bandar Tasik Selatan). Taman Connaught Chinese pasar malam is the most popular night market in the area, and was dubbed the 'longest Chinese pasar malam in KL'. It's held every Wednesday at the Taman Connaught housing area in Cheras, from dusk until midnight. (updated Jan 2021)

Eat

It is known by locals that the best food in the suburbs is always street food. The best location for street food are of course local Chinese night markets, such as the one in Taman Connaught.

Budget

• Fast Food Fish Head, 58 Jalan Radin Tengah, Sri Petaling, Kuala Lumpur. 
• New Restaurant Ipoh Chicken Rice, 1 Jalan 13/149L, Bandar Seri Petaling, ☏ +60 3 9057 6128. Excellent chicken rice, tasty, affordable and in more comfortable atmosphere than Jalan Gasing outlets 
• Uncle Liong (taxi or Bus 651 from LRT Awan Besar, alight at Jalan Hujan Emas). Daily 7AM - 1PM. Try some cheap and tasty noodle near Taman OUG Wet Market, Uncle Liong which is inside Restoran Ong Lay, selling Pork Noodle, Spicy Noodle and their Signature Dish-Fish Paste Bitter Gourd Noodle. Other than that there is also a lot of Chinese restaurants around that area. It is located near MCA Seputeh Community Centre. (updated Jul 2020)

Mid-range

• 1 Restaurants along Jalan Radin Anum and Jalan Radin Bagus (taxi or e-hailing from Bukit Jalil metro station is advisable). Variable business hours. A whole street's worth of eateries featuring cuisine from China, Taiwan and South Korea, too many to be listed in detail. As mentioned, this is the more happening part of Sri Petaling. (updated Jan 2021)

Splurge

• 2 Nanyang Cafe (南洋冰室). 2nd floor of Eko Cheras Mall. Check out their wanton mee, sandwiches and Yuenyeung (HK-styled coffee and milk tea mix). (updated Jan 2021)
• 3 Uncle Don's. 10AM - midnight daily. Western restaurant and bar, attached to the southern wing of Leisure Mall. Do check out their pizzas. (updated Jan 2021)

Sleep

Taman Cheras, one of the suburbs south of the Malaysian capital, is a good place to stay if guests want some time off from the hurried pace of the city. The area, however, still offers easy access to the city centre via the major highways of Jalan Cheras-Seremban, Jalan Cheras, and Jalan Cheras-Kajang.

• Hotel Caliber, ☏ +60 3-9131 6322, fax: +60 3-9132 6322. 45-46, Jalan 5/101C, Off Jalan Kaskas, Cheras Commercial Centre, Taman Cheras. The hotel offers 132 tastefully furnished rooms at reasonable rates. Each accommodation has 24-hour satellite TV, mini-fridge, air-conditioning, among others. 
• Hotel Sri Petaling, 30 Jalan Radin Anum, Sri Petaling, ☏ +60 3-90582323. Some of its amenities are tour and travel information desk, dry cleaning/laundry, and business center with comprehensive service. Rates start at RM184. 

Go next

• Kajang, for the satay, then Seremban
• Puchong then to Subang Jaya
• Or go north to the city centre.