Chow Kit Market, Kuala Lumpur

Ways to Experience this attraction

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Pasar Chow Kit, Kuala Lumpur Overview

The Chow Kit Market of Kuala Lumpur, located at the Northern end of Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, is a notorious landmark in the city. It is divided into two halves - one houses the unofficial red light district, while the other is home to the largest wet market in the city.

Shaded by oversized, colorful umbrellas, the colorful souk is commonly frequented by locals, especially the Malay community. The wet market offers a variety of household products and handmade items at highly attractive prices. Also, Chow Kit Market allows the local Malay citizens and tourists to set up mini stalls and sell the products they have created or grown.

The famous and infamous Chow Kit Market

Local Market
This is the first half of Chow Kit Market which is divided into wet and dry sections. The dry section is the cleaner part of the market and offers the customers the freshest of fruits, vegetables and tofu along with the craziest range of spices. It also has an impressive collection of cloth material, CDs and other sewn articles.

Chow Kit Market, Kuala Lumpur — The dry section Chow Kit Market (Source)

Meanwhile, the wet section has stalls which sell a variety of meat ranging from fresh fishes and chicken to beef, pork, mutton and lamb. This section naturally has a very strong smell which might put off some of its customers, but the high quality combined with the surprisingly low prices and exuberant nature keep the customers returning for more.

Red Light District
This half does seem to represent Amsterdam’s Red Light District although not as prolific. This is clustered with notorious side avenues which house ‘shady businesses’ including ‘special working girls’ who hover through the inner lanes trying to solicit customers. Some might be sceptical about this part of the market, but it still is a prime tourist location.

The infamous Red light district of Chow Kit Market — The Chow Kit Market lanes at night (Source)

Tips

Prices of the more expensive goods can be reduced by bargaining
Shops are restocked during morning hours so those are the best times to go around the market.
Don’t carry any valuables while venturing or exploring the Red Light district as the area is quite a bit shady.
If you’re highly sensitive to strong scents, take necessary precautions before shopping in the wet section of the Local Market.

How to Reach Chow Kit Market

Chow Kit market is approximately 2.5 km from KLCC and the Petronas Towers and about 30 minutes away from most of the hotels and attractions around the city center. So, taking a cab directly to the market should cost them no more than RM 15 to RM 20 (prices may vary).

The Monorail line passing through KLCC and KL Sentral goes to the Chow Kit Monorail station from where the market is about 5 to 7 minutes of walking distance.