Bangsar is a high-income suburban area which is also a popular for its restaurants, watering holes and clubs. The area is frequented by many of Kuala Lumpur’s expatriate community. Midvalley, which is linked directly to Bangsar via an overpass, is a relatively new development which has become very popular for shopping, thanks to the perpetually packed MidValley Megamall and its higher-end extension called The Gardens. Besides shopping, the two malls and surrounding areas also offer plenty of eating options.
Shopping
Although there are three malls in Bangsar, the area still offers more of a neighbourhood shopping experience. Midvalley, on the other hand, is all about mall shopping and attracts the masses, especially during weekends.
Bangsar Shopping Centre, Jalan Maarof – Better known as BSC, this mini shopping centre is a favourite among expats and the locals staying around the Bangsar Damansara Heights neighbourhood. Plenty of cafes restaurants – a good spot to meet up with friends. BSC also features speciality stores plus the Cold Storage Supermarket.
Bangsar Village, Jalan Ara – This is another favourite with those staying around Bangsar Damansara Heights neighbourhood. Bangsar Village 2 is linked to the original Bangsar Village by a covered pedestrian bridge.
Mid Valley Megamall – This really is “mega” with over 430 shops crammed into what claims to be one of South-East Asia’s largest shopping malls. Anchor tenants include big department stores and hypermarkets such as Malaysian arm of AEON Japan called Jusco, local store Metrojaya and French hypermarket Carrefour. If you need to change money, the lower ground floor has several money changers. The Megamall is connected to the upmarket The Gardens at Mid Valley. (KTM Komuter: Mid-Valley)
The Gardens at Mid Valley – This mall is anchored by a high-end shopping gallery (anchor tenants include Isetan, Robinson’s and Market Place), two landmark office towers, five-star Gardens Residences and five-star Gardens Hotel. The mall is linked to the Abdullah Hukum LRT station. (KTM Komuter: Mid-Valley)
Eating Drinking
Bangsar has been a restaurant district for quite some time, thanks to the high expatriate numbers. Midvalley with its malls also offer an amazing array of food choices.
Bangsar has long been one of the busiest places in KL past midnight and the action is around centred on Jalan Telawi and its side streets. Midvalley has a few pubs and coffee places.
Getting There
Although there is a Bangsar station on the Kelana Jaya light rail transit line, it is situated along Jalan Bangsar and not near the restaurant and drinking area of Bangsar Baru. From the station, you’ll have to catch buses RapidKL No U87 to get you to Bangsar Baru. This bus also goes past MidValley.
The easiest way to get to Midvalley is to catch a KTM Komuter train to Midvalley station. The station is linked to the Mall via a covered walkway with escalators. The other alternative is to catch an LRT to Bangsar station and transfer onto a Midvalley free shuttle bus (which runs every half hour) or RapidKL bus No U87/U85/B105/B110 (which runs every 30-60 minutes during off-peak hours).
Another way to travel to Bangsar is by Taxi. There is an abundance of them in Kuala Lumpur and most of them will not hesitate to bring you over to Bangsar. The fares will vary depending on where you are coming from and should not cost more than RM10.00 to RM15.00 from the center of town.
