It was my favourite morning at the Holiday Inn Express as I noticed that the delicious flatbread roti canai was on the menu and I couldn’t resist having several slices along with my usual selection of cheese, fresh fruit and yoghurt.
We had planned to spend the day in Putrajaya, 25 km from Kuala Lumpur and which has been the administrative centre of Malaysia since 1999. The city is a showcase of urban planning with majestic buildings overlooking a large man-made lake. It was planned as a garden city with 38% of its area left as a natural landscape or reserved for gardens.
Before boarding the monorail we topped up our Touch ‘n Go travel cards then took the train along to KL Sentral. There is a frequent rail service to Putrajaya with trains on the KLIA Transit Line departing every 30 minutes. By using our travel cards the fare was only RM14 (£2.60) each way for the 20 minute journey.
Our original plan was to then take a bus into the city centre 3 km away and although we located the bus station without problem we discovered that our travel cards were not accepted on buses in Putrajaya. This in itself wasn’t an issue as we just needed to buy tickets from a nearby kiosk prior to boarding the bus. After waiting for what seemed like ages at the unattended kiosk where a piece of cardboard was propped up in the window translated meaning ‘rest time’ we finally gave up and decided to order a Grab taxi. This idea didn’t work either as we were unable to connect to any wi-fi, and with the travel kiosk still unmanned we decided to walk.
There was little or no shade and it was exceedingly hot as we used Google maps to navigate into the city centre. On reaching the lake we noticed a branch of McDonald’s so popped inside their air conditioned cafe to cool down with some soft drinks before continuing.
From McDonald’s the walk was actually very pleasant as we were able to take a lakeside path all the way to Putra Bridge, a towering twin bridge fringed by landscaped gardens and the lake. The bridge connects the Boulevard which is Putrajaya’s main street with Putra Square.
Whilst walking into the centre we’d seen little activity and had begun to wonder where everyone was, but this all changed as we approached the crowded Putra Square which was teeming with cars, scooters and pedestrians. The vast square is actually circular and connects the Putra Mosque and Perdana Putra with the lake.
The square is divided into segments laid out in the pattern of a star representing the states of Malaysia and is landscaped with decorative flower beds and large flagpoles. Having seen aerial photographs of the square it looks much more impressive from above but was still very pleasant to view at ground level.
Our eyes were drawn to a magnificent building overlooking the square on a slight incline which was the Perdana Putra, the Malaysian Prime Minister’s Office housing all Government departments.
To one side of the square stands the Putra Mosque backing onto the lakeside. This mosque was completed in 1999 in a Moorish architectural style and is absolutely stunning with its rose tinted granite and magnificent pink dome. As we were visiting on a Friday, prayers were taking place and it was closed to visitors but we did manage to peer into the marble pillared courtyard which looked beautiful.
We then had a walk by the lake near to the mosque passing several cafes and the boat pier. We preferred the lakeside promenade on the far side of the Putra Bridge as this area was crowded with tour groups and souvenir stalls. We had no difficulty connecting to wi-fi by the Putra Bridge and were able to order a Grab taxi back to the station and this was only RM9 (£1.67).
It was around 3.00 p.m. by the time we arrived back at our hotel and after a little rest we set off once again on the GO KL free bus to KLCC Park. We had visited the Petronas Towers on our first evening in Kuala Lumpur but it was also interesting to view the iconic towers in daylight and to explore the surrounding gardens.
Suria Mall is located beneath the Petronas Towers and we spent some time glancing in some of its designer stores before crossing the road to look around a branch of Robinson’s, a department store similar to John Lewis in the U.K. After our dose of retail therapy we returned back to the hotel on the free bus but it would probably have been quicker if we had walked as the bus got stuck in a traffic jam for absolutely ages.
Before dinner we gathered together some of our belongings ahead of the next stage of our holiday to Singapore. Once again we ate dinner along the atmospheric food street Jalan Alor feasting on chicken and pork dishes with glasses of Tiger beer.
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Actually, you can go to the taxi counter at Putrajaya Sentral. They got similar Sight Seeing tours by taxi. The Sight Seeing Bus Tour is not available on Friday and Hari Raya holiday.
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Thanks for taking the time to comment on my Putrajaya post.
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Tq for coming to Malaysia darling
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I loved it, thank you!
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Great pictures! I was here back in 1999 and 2004-love it.
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Thank you, it’s a beautiful city.
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It looks like a nice daytrip to Putrajaya, that mosque is stunning too! Shame you didn’t get the chance to go inside.
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Yes it was a bit of a nuisance that we visited on a Friday! But still lovely anyway.
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Not many people go over to Putrajaya when im Malaysia! Glad you did, I live nearby in Cyberjaya 🙂
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Putrajaya was a very pleasant place to visit and we liked it there. Thank you for taking the time to comment Arika, it’s much appreciated.
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I love the Petronas Towers, I think they are truly beautiful! Lovely your once again, looks like KL has developed a lot in the past years. What a pain of not having wifi, it really makes the use of Grab or Uber very difficult! x
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Yes it was a pain not being able to access any wi-fi as it would have been so cheap and much more convenient taking a taxi in the humid conditions.
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It looks like there is a bit to see there. Those Petrona Towers are impressive.
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Thanks Amanda, Putrajaya has been beautifully planned and is worth a visit from KL.
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It looks like an amazing city. What building did you like most? I was just reading this morning that César Pelli (the architect of the Petronas Towers) died last Friday 😦
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I think I liked the pink mosque as it was so exquisite. I didn’t realise that the Tin Towers architect had passed away Virginia, thank you for letting me know and for your much appreciated thoughts.
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That pink mosque looks very delightful (and intriguing). I didn’t know about it so thank you for sharing it with us. It looks like a very hot day in your pictures.
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Yes it was exceedingly hot but also overcast which made it more bearable.
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I love the mosque photographs, a great looking piece of architecture. And the lizard looks amazing! Have a great week! Marcus
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Thanks Marcus, Putrajaya is relatively new but with sone gorgeous architecture.
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The mosque looks stunning, Marion 🙂 🙂
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Thanks Jo, the buildings are all relatively new in Putrajaya but still reflect the Islamic architecture beautifully,
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How lovely did that Mosque look? I love the moorish style of architecture.
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Putrajaya is gorgeous with its lakeside setting and although its buildings are all quite new, I agree they are absolutely beautiful. Thanks for commenting, it’s always nice to hear from you,
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My part of the world. Thank you for the memories. Islamic architecture is always impressive and pleasing to the eye:)
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Thanks Ian. I enjoyed our visit to Putrajaya which was beautiful with its Islamic architecture and lakeside setting.
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Amazing photos! I was particularly struck by the lizard – it looks very large to me. We only have geckos here in SW France.
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That lizard was indeed quite large and just crossed in front of us as we walked along. Putrajaya is beautiful and makes for an interesting and easy day trip from Kuala Lumpur. Thank you for your welcome thoughts.
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Hi there, Managed to leave my book for a while – so much to catch up on on line… Phew! Another fascinating place for you to explore. Looks clean and interesting. Enjoy. I’m sure you will. Oil those walking shoes… Take care. Cheers. (Some of us have dental appointments…Ugh) xx
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Hope I’m no distracting you too much from your book. Putrajaya is an interesting city to visit from Kuala Lumpur, a total contrast as everything is orderly and pristine! Thames Joy for your ever welcome thoughts. Marion
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Fabulous photos as always. Putras mosque looks amazing as do the Petronas Towers. They must dominate the city surely? Looks very hot though?
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It was hot and sultry but the heat wasn’t so intense as when we visited Bangkok because it was quite overcast. Putrajaya is definitely worth a side trip if visiting KL. Thanks for your ever welcome thoughts.
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