Is Chow Kit & Kampung Baru a good place to stay in Kuala Lumpur?

Chow Kit and Kampung Baru are a good base if you want local Kuala Lumpur, great Malay food and cheap rooms close to the centre. The KL Monorail stops at Chow Kit and Medan Tuanku, Kampung Baru station is on the LRT, and the Saloma Link footbridge leads across towards the Petronas Towers. It suits budget travellers, food lovers and anyone curious about the city's everyday life.

The area is busy, colourful and very local. Chow Kit Market is a maze of fruit, fish, meat and spice stalls, and Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman is lined with old shophouses selling fabric and clothes. Kampung Baru feels like a village in the middle of the city, with wooden houses on stilts, mosques and gardens, and its food streets, especially around Jalan Raja Muda Musa, serve nasi lemak, satay and grilled fish late into the night.

The downside is that Chow Kit is gritty and noisy. The market streets are crowded and can be messy, some corners feel run-down at night, and the main roads are loud with traffic. Kampung Baru serves almost no alcohol, and there's little in the way of bars or polished restaurants.

What makes Chow Kit and Kampung Baru worth considering is the contrast. You can eat some of the city's best Malay food among wooden houses, then walk across the bridge to the Petronas Towers, and stay in a comfortable hotel for much less than you'd pay a short walk away in KLCC.