From Kuala Lumpur to Batu Caves: Visiting Batu Caves Guide

Visiting Batu Caves is the most popular half-day trip from Kuala Lumpur and once you stand in front of the gigantic, colourful steps leading to a cave in which a Hindu temple is located you understand immediately why it’s so popular. And the best part is you can easily get from Kuala Lumpur to Batu Caves by train.

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Things to know before visiting Batu Caves

Batu Caves are one of the biggest tourist attractions in Malaysia and one of the most popular Hindu shrines outside of India. So you won’t just see countless tourists but also many pilgrims going to the shrines for prayers.

Visiting Batu Caves; From Kuala Lumpur to Batu Caves — Best view of Batu Caves

Opening times and entrance fee to Batu Caves

It’s almost unbelievable nowadays but Malaysia’s top tourist attraction is free to visit. So it’s definitely one of the best free things to do in Kuala Lumpur.

That is the main cave of Batu Caves is free to visit. There are two smaller caves, the Dark Cave and the Ramayana Cave, which you have to pay to visit. The entrance to the Ramayana Cave is about €1 and the cheapest tour for the Dark Cave starts at about €3.

Batu Caves are open daily from 7 am to 9 pm. Early in the morning is by far the quietest time to visit. So if you want to visit Batu Caves without hundreds of other people get there as early as possible. We visited in the late morning / early afternoon during the week and to be honest I was expecting more people. So you can always get lucky and get a less busy day.

If you visit Batu Caves in the morning, you won’t just have less crowds, you also be able to be back in Kuala Lumpur for some delicious vegan food for lunch.

A quick history of Batu Caves

Batu Caves is a complex of limestone caves. In 1891 the leader of the local Tamil Hindu community build a temple in the caves and dedicated the temple to the god Murugan because the cave entrance looked like the spear Murugan usually carries.

The two characteristics of the caves, the colourful steps and the golden statue are later additions to the Batu Caves. The gigantic golden statue of Murugan was unveiled in 2006 and the steps have first been painted in rainbow colours in 2018.

Things to bring for visiting Batu Caves

I recommend bringing the following things when visiting Batu Caves:

Water bottle
Wear clothes that cover your knees and shoulders
Wear comfortable shoes
A Backpack which closes completely

Batu Caves and the shrines there is still an active religious site where people go to pray so you need to dress modestly. This means your shoulders and knees need to be covered. You can wear a dress or skirt as long as it goes below your knees. If your dress/top doesn’t cover your shoulders bring a shawl to cover them. It is possible to borrow a Sarong there but it’s best to just come prepared.

You’ll be walking up a lot of stairs and inside a cave so make sure to wear comfortable shoes.

It can get really hot, especially walking up the steps in the sunshine so it’s important to stay hydrated. The best way to stay hydrated during travelling is to travel with a reusable water bottle. If you didn’t bring enough water don’t worry, there are countless stalls selling drinks, snacks and souvenirs.

There are a lot of sneaky monkeys around Batu Caves who might try to steal your things. So it’s best to take a back bag which seals completely otherwise they might steal the water bottle or something else from your bag.

Monkeys at Batu Caves — You’ll see monkeys everywhere

How to get from Kuala Lumpur to Batu Caves

Batu Caves are located just north of Kuala Lumpur, about 13 km away from the centre of Kuala Lumpur. You will find many tour companies offering tours to Batu Caves but the best way is to get there on your own by train. Then you can spend as much time at the temple as you want and you’ll also save. some money.

The KTM Komuter train goes directly from the Sentral train station in Kuala Lumpur to Batu Caves and takes just under 40 minutes. This is not just a super easy way for visiting Batu Caves, it’s also the cheapest way. When I visited in 2023 the return ticket from Kuala Lumpur to Batu Caves was about €1. Note that the KTM Komuter train also has two other stops in Kuala Lumpur, so it might be worth checking if the location of those is closer to your hotel if you’re staying in the North of the city.

You can get the return ticket at the train station, there’s no need to book it in advance. KL Sentral is quite a big train station but everything is clearly labelled, just keep a look out for KTM Komuter trains to Batu Caves.

Visiting Batu Caves

The first thing you see when you walk from the train station to Batu Caves is a gigantic colourful archway you have to walk through. You see the first Hindu statues and shrines way before you see the famous staircase to Batu Caves. On the way there you’ll come by countless of street-vendors selling drinks, food and souvenirs to tourists and pilgrims alike. Once you made it past all the stalls you’re gonna get the first glimpse of the the temple, the staircase and the statue. And that amazing view is gonna make you speechless.

If you visit the temple at the base of the staircase or the Batu Caves first should depend on the number of people on the staircase or queueing up for the staircase. To get faster access to the stairs make sure to be dressed modestly, so you don’t need to borrow a Sarong there.

The size of the cave is just amazing, after all a whole temple and numerous smaller shrines can fit in it and the cave looks still almost empty with the ceiling so high above. So be sure to marvel at the cave itself as much as at the temple and shrines.

We only went to the big cave which you can enter for free. There are two more caves where you have to pay a small entrance fee. The entrance to the Dark Cave is only possible with a guided tour since there’s no light in the cave. You can explore the natural wildlife and rock formations in this cave. The smaller Ramayana Cave is filled with more Hindu statues you can admire.

Is visiting Batu Caves worth it?

Visiting Batu Caves was one of the highlights of our trip to Kuala Lumpur! Yes, it is super touristy but visiting Batu Caves is still worth it. To stand in front of the colourful staircase next to the gigantic statue of Murugan is simply jaw-dropping.

The temple inside the cave is one of the most unique temples I’ve ever seen but that’s not all you can see at Batu Caves. There are also little shrines inside the cave and a really cool temple next to the base of the staircase as well.

We only visited the free Batu caves and it was definitely worth it, even more so because it’s so easy to get from Kuala Lumpur to Batu Caves by train. It’s a great half-day trip from Kuala Lumpur.

FAQ about visiting Batu Caves

How much time do you need at Batu Caves?

You need about 2 to 3 hours at Batu Caves to explore the cave and the temples.

What is the best time to visit Batu Caves?

The best time for visiting Batu Caves is in the morning when it’s the least crowded.

How far are Batu Caves from Kuala Lumpur?

By train, it’s about a 40-minute ride from Kuala Lumpur to Batu Caves and by car, it’s about a 20 minutes trip without traffic.

Can I wear a dress at Batu Caves?

Batu Caves is a religious site so you need to dress modestly. This means your shoulders and knees have to be covered. You can borrow a cloth there but it’s best to come prepared.

How much is the Batu Caves ticket?

The main cave of the Batu Caves and the temple is free to visit. There are smaller caves you can visit as well for an entrance fee.

Is Batu Caves hard to climb?

There are 272 steps to the top of the Batu Caves. The climb can get exhausting when it’s very hot but in general, it’s an easy climb. You should bring a bottle of water however, it’s very important to stay hydrated.