Kuala Lumpur is a big, vibrant, very green (hello palm trees!) cosmopolitan city, with so much to see and do. With only three days to explore this metropolis I wanted to use my time wisely, and not rush about too much in the steamy and sweltering heat. These were my highlights.

1. Petronas Twin Towers
Every time I see or hear their name I think of Harry Potter (the Petronus charm……Expecto Petronum! The geek in me is never far away). I spent my first full day in KL marvelling at the tallest twin towers in the world at 452 metres (88 occupied levels). During the day the surrounding parklands are a lovely place to wander, relax and view the buildings, and I took a bit of a break paddling about in the children’s pool in the park to cool off. The views from the visitors centre on Level 86 are stunning, and offer full 360 degree views of KL. It’s at night though that the towers truly shine and sparkle, with a musical fountain show that is truly magical. Not far from Harry Potter after all.

2. Batu Caves
The Batu Caves are set in a limestone hill just outside of KL, and are a series of cave temples and Hindu shrines dedicated to Lord Murugan, who towers 43 metres over the entrance to the cave. 272 (long, hot, sweltering) steps takes you up to the cave entrance, and the 2 main caves are filled with statues of Hindu deities. Entrance to the caves is free, and I wonder whether it might be worth charging a small fee, just to help with the upkeep. Unfortunately the caves have quite a lot of rubbish lying around. Visitors should also note, beware the monkeys! Cute though they may look (especially the ones with little babies clinging to their bellies) they can be vicious when they spy your food, as my roommate Tessa found. As we strolled along I warned Tessa that one particular monkey seemed very interested in her ice-cream. As he ran at her I expected to see a battle of unprecedented proportions, but Tessa surrendered early and flung the ice-cream into a nearby bin. The monkey dove in after it, appearing a few seconds later very pleased with his score of a rainbow paddle pop.

3. Shopping
With the heat in KL being quite oppressive, you can’t spend long outdoors without wilting into a big sweaty puddle. A great way to escape the heat is to partake in some retail therapy (or window shopping) in some of the shopping centres. The Pavilion at Bukit Bintang, where I’m staying, has all of the top end stores you can imagine (Prada, Gucci, Burberry etc), and just up the road is the giant Times Square complex with all the high street stores you can imagine. The shopping at Suria KLCC, beneath the Petronas Towers, is also amazing, and open until 10pm, should you need a quick cool down between fountain shows.

4. Eat
Okay, I recognise that the need to eat occurs everywhere and anywhere, and not limited to KL. However, the amazing array of food on offer is something not to be missed. Whether you want traditional Malay, Indian, Chinese or western food, KL has it all. The traditional food courts, such as the one I visited at Lot 10, Bukit Bintang, host a huge variety of restaurants with an abundance of different Asian cuisines to choose from. The night street food stalls at Jalan Alor overwhelm your senses as the aroma of spices waft down the street (and occasionally sting your eyes!) Some of the dishes are strictly for the bravest of us. Frog porridge anyone?

5. Free bus
The GOKL free buses are a godsend. Pure air conditioned bliss, they cover 2 circular routes going to the most popular attractions across the city. From Bukit Bintang to the Petronas Towers, all the way over to Chinatown and the Central Market, these buses leave every 5-10 minutes all day, and take about 30 minutes to do their loops. I also found them an interesting place to meet locals, and had a lovely chat with an elderly man from Penang, who told me about the delicious food I should try when I arrive there next week.