Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Taktsang Lhakhang, also known as the “Tiger’s Nest”.
Bhutan • 11 days, 10 nights
Festivals & Temples of Bhutan
from
Macchu Picchu
Peru • 10 days, 9 nights
Peru: Machu Picchu & the Last Incan Bridges
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Oyster Police cannon.
Oyster Wars Cannon
Saint Anthony’s Sign of the Cross
The plane as it lies
Douglas C-47B Crash Site
Museum of Perfume
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Omni Parker House Hotel
The Omni Parker House: Inside the History of Boston’s Most Iconic Hotel
about 5 hours ago
The cute capybara.
Animal Takeover: Brace Yourself for Adorable Hordes
1 day ago
The Codex Gigas (the Devil’s Bible) open to the portrait of the devil.
Codex Gigas: Who Drew the Devil in This Massive Medieval Bible?
2 days ago
USDA and Washington State agriculture officials tagged this Asian giant hornet. Sept. 10, 2021.
What Ever Happened to the Murder Hornets?
3 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Bukit Bintang Street Art Alleys

Bukit Bintang Street Art Alleys

Cartoon clouds and nature-inspired murals have transformed the streets of Kuala Lumpur.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Added By
linkogecko
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Detail of a mural.   Dennis Sylvester Hurd/cc by 2.0
Detail of a mural.   Dennis Sylvester Hurd/cc by 2.0
  FrustratedFormerContributor / Atlas Obscura User
Cartoon clouds.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
  Snowdrop68 / Atlas Obscura User
  Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
  Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
  Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
  Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
  Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Hanifa Khawari / Atlas Obscura User
  Hanifa Khawari / Atlas Obscura User
  Hanifa Khawari / Atlas Obscura User
  Hanifa Khawari / Atlas Obscura User
  Hanifa Khawari / Atlas Obscura User
  Hanifa Khawari / Atlas Obscura User
  Hanifa Khawari / Atlas Obscura User
  Hanifa Khawari / Atlas Obscura User
  Hanifa Khawari / Atlas Obscura User
  Hanifa Khawari / Atlas Obscura User
  Hanifa Khawari / Atlas Obscura User
Colorful alleys.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
  mbqccd46mp / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Bukit Bintang, meaning Starhill, is one of Kuala Lumpur's most-visited districts. It's home to some of the city's biggest and most expensive shopping malls and restaurants as well as the street food mecca of Jalan Alor. Jalan Alor is one of the best-known jalans, or roads, of the district. Some of these were known for the same unsavory characteristics many major city back alleys throughout the world are known for.

But in the late 2010s, Kuala Lumpur City Hall decided to transform these streets into art projects. Most of the murals that now decorate Bukit Bintang's most infamous jalans were started in mid-2018 and completed in December of that year.

A majority of the artwork in these central alleys dividing Bukit Bintang's major city blocks comes in the form of painted murals with bright colors and natural imagery like rivers, rainforests, and tropical Southeast Asian fauna. A more novelty art type on display here are neon sculptures of cartoony cloud silhouettes that float above the street and light up at nighttime.

One of the most notable natural inspirations to this arts district is the water stream painted on the floor, following the path of an actual stream that once flowed through Jalan Alor. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like Kuala Lumpur's City Hall has released the names of the artists that designed and/or worked on this transformation. Perhaps this was not an oversight but rather by design, to emphasize the anonymous, self-less ideal of projects meant for the greater good.

Related Tags

Murals Street Art Art Roads Public Art

Know Before You Go

While the jalans have been beautified, they are still back alleys in a major city’s tourist district, so take the usual caution when wandering through them, especially at night. The most-decorated alleyways are Jalans Alor, Berangan, Changkat, Rembia and Tengkat Tong Shin, but many other murals can be found in Bukit Bintang.

Atlas Obscura Adventures

Wild Borneo: Secrets of an Ancient Rainforest

Orangutans, fishing villages & untouched beauty in the Borneo Rainforest.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

linkogecko

Edited By

Edward Denny, Fred Cherrygarden, FrustratedFormerContributor, Collector of Experiences...

  • Edward Denny
  • Fred Cherrygarden
  • FrustratedFormerContributor
  • Collector of Experiences
  • Hanifa Khawari
  • Snowdrop68
  • mbqccd46mp

Published

August 22, 2019

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/metro-news/2018/02/27/from-bleak-to-beautiful-back-lanes-dbkl-turning-alleys-in-citys-golden-triangle-into-pockets-of-suns/
  • https://mustsharenews.com/bukit-bintang-kuala-lumpur/
Bukit Bintang Street Art Alleys
62 Changkat Bukit Bintang
Kuala Lumpur, 50200
Malaysia
3.147114, 101.709139
Get Directions

Nearby Places

MinNature Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

miles away

Pudu Prison Gate

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

miles away

Muzium Telekom (Telecom Museum)

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia

Places 13

Nearby Places

MinNature Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

miles away

Pudu Prison Gate

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

miles away

Muzium Telekom (Telecom Museum)

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia

Places 13

Related Stories and Lists

15 Amazing Art Alleyways

List

By Jonathan Carey

Related Places

  • San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

    Barrio de Guadalupe Street Art

    Colonial architecture meets urban art in this sprawling open-air gallery.

  • “We the Youth.”

    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

    'We the Youth'

    South Philadelphia is home to Keith Haring's only surviving in situ collaborative public mural.

  • Duboce Bikeway Mural.

    San Francisco, California

    Duboce Bikeway Mural

    This painted marvel is San Francisco's 400-foot ode to urban biking.

  • May you rest in peace.

    Birmingham, England

    'A Life in the Year of the Chinchillas'

    The ceiling of this shopping arcade is adorned with six trompe-l’œil artworks, including a grim funeral scene.

  • Hundreds of artists have painted on this wall.

    St. Louis, Missouri

    The Mural Mile (Floodwall)

    Hundreds of graffiti artists have decorated this flood-wall on the west bank of the Mississippi River.

  • The statue at the entrance.

    Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Kwai Chai Hong

    An interactive back-alley mural project remembers the golden age of Kuala Lumpur’s Chinatown.

  • View from southwestern corner.

    Cataño, Puerto Rico

    Pirámide de Cataño

    A former pyramid-shaped library with colorful murals lies just across the bay from Old San Juan.

  • Washington, D.C.

    Ben's Chili Bowl Mural

    A gorgeous mural outside a beloved D.C. restaurant pays homage to famous Black Americans.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.