Petaling Street and Central Market: KL's Chinatown District
A guide to Kuala Lumpur's Chinatown — what to expect at Petaling Street, how Central Market differs, and bargaining tips.
Petaling Street: Kuala Lumpur's Chinatown
Petaling Street is the covered market street at the heart of KL's Chinatown, lined with stalls selling clothing, souvenirs, and electronics alongside a dense concentration of food vendors and traditional Chinese medicine shops. It's one of the oldest commercial districts in the city, dating back to the 1800s, and while much of the retail today caters to tourists (expect to bargain), the surrounding side streets and food stalls remain genuinely local.
What to Expect
| Element | What It's Known For |
|---|---|
| Main covered street | Clothing, bags, souvenirs, watches — bargaining expected |
| Side alleys | Traditional Chinese medicine shops, older local businesses |
| Food stalls | Hokkien mee, claypot rice, and other Chinese-Malaysian dishes |
| Sri Mahamariamman Temple | A historic Hindu temple a short walk away, worth combining with a visit |
Central Market
A short walk from Petaling Street, Central Market is a covered Art Deco building housing a more curated collection of arts, crafts, batik textiles, and souvenir stalls — a calmer, fixed-price alternative to Petaling Street's bargaining culture. It's a useful stop if you want souvenirs without the back-and-forth negotiation.
Prices on Petaling Street are almost always inflated for tourists at first — a counter-offer of 40–50% below the initial asking price is a reasonable starting point for clothing and souvenirs.
