12 Hours in Kuala Lumpur

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8pm: A short stroll away is La Vie En Rose, an authentic French restaurant set in a colonial bungalow on a hill. Indulge in a varied menu from paté to duck confit with views of faded shophouses juxtaposed against the KL skyline. Changkat Bukit Bintang is just a few minutes away by car for a lively night out after dinner.

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6.30pm: Head to KL Tower (menarakl.com.my) for 360-degree views of the day turning to dusk.

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4.30pm: Hop into a taxi to Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, a stretch of road flanked by well-preserved pre-war buildings, to see where the locals shop for textiles and clothing at bargain prices.

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3pm: Get a cab, and zoom from skyscrapers to wooden houses in five minutes. Kampung Baru was built in the 1880s as a Malay agricultural settlement, and today, remains a rustic village amidst the city lights. If you’re still peckish, hunt out hidden stalls to sample Malay street food like  mee rebus or nasi lemak.

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2pm: To see KL as a bird does, flit up to the Thirty8 restaurant in the Grand Hyatt Hotel (kualalumpur.grand.hyatt.com). Admire the views as well as the chefs’ skills in cooking up Chinese, Japanese and Western dishes, from sashimi to roast duck.

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1pm: Two stops later at Kuala Lumpur City Centre or KLCC, you’re in skyscraper land. Walk around the park for striking views of the glittering Petronas Twin Towers (petronastwintowers.com.my) before checking out the Suria mall at the foot of the towers.

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12.30pm: Retrace your steps towards Medan Pasar, and head to the Jamek Mosque built in 1909 with whimsical arcs and loops. Visitors should dress modestly. Here, you can catch the train to modern KL.

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11am: Cross the road to Petaling Street to explore lanes filled with stalls piled high with clothes and accessories. This is the place to indulge in old-style Chinese snacks like coconut and egg tarts, and puff pastries. For the adventurous, Madras Lane has the best curry noodles, or try traditional dishes like wantan mee (noodles in black sauce) or chicken rice.

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10am: A few steps away sits Central Market (centralmarket.com.my). Built in 1888, today it is a handicraft market selling anything from ornaments to souvenirs, and even Malay daggers or keris.

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b) 9am: Cross the bridge into Medan Pasar and enjoy a local breakfast of toast bread, boiled eggs, and coffee at one of the kopitiams. The old shophouses are evocative for their playful Art Deco appearance. After breakfast, walk to Lebuh Pudu to the Sin Sze Si Ya Temple founded in 1864 and find out what the fortune sticks say about your future!

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8am: Begin where Kuala Lumpur itself began - the bridge at Lebuh Pasar where the Klang and Gombak rivers meet to create an estuary where the first settlement was built. On the one side are colonial British buildings, arranged around Independence Square where the Malayan flag was first raised on 31 August 1957. With domes and arches lending it a quirky humour, the Sultan Abdul Samad building - once a courthouse - is the biggest structure. Across the road, the Tudor-styled Royal Selangor Club was built in 1884, and still clings to the tradition of being a men’s-only bar.