Shopping in KL splits cleanly between malls and markets. The malls cluster along the Golden Triangle of Jalan Sultan Ismail and Jalan Bukit Bintang: Pavilion KL and Suria KLCC are the upscale anchors, Lot 10 and Sungei Wang Plaza the mid-market workhorses, Plaza Low Yat the consumer electronics specialist. On the western edge of town the Mid Valley Megamall is bigger still.
For markets and handicrafts, Petaling Street in Chinatown runs every evening with stalls of fake watches, fabrics, dried goods, and street food. The restored Central Market is a pastel-blue art deco hall full of batik, pewter, and shadow puppets — touristy but pleasantly so. Kasturi Walk behind it is a covered pedestrian lane with outdoor stalls. The Royal Selangor Visitor Centre in Setapak is the place for pewter, with workshop tours and the chance to hammer your own bowl.
Pasar malams — night markets — rotate through different neighbourhoods on different evenings (Taman Connaught on Wednesdays, Bangsar on Sundays). They are where ordinary KL residents actually shop, and where the food is best.