Social life in KL?

Nordica,

Everyone has a different perception, but KL and Malaysian are far different than the relaxed social atmoshpere of the UK or Finland.  I'm originally from the U.S. though I have lived in Europe (UK, Germany, Italy, and Belgium) for most of the past 20 years.

I'm a little older, 53, so clubbing is not my thing to do anymore, but I've been told there are quite a few places where many Expats go to have fun.

Depending on where you will be living and working, will decide how accessible the nightlife is.  Traffic is almost unbearable sometimes so most expats make use of the cheap Taxi services.

Best of luck to you as you begin your new adventure.  If you have other questions, don't be afraid to ask.

James

Thanks for your reply, James

I'm not really into clubbing as such

My thoughts were more around how do people meet and hang out together in their free time. Not even necessarily night time only but in general (guessing the bar and cafe culture does not exist to the same extent as Europe?) And how do people make friends -for example, is it expats in their own groups or do people mix a lot?

I'll be working in the golden triangle, near Bukit Bintang

If you join Inter Nations there are two large meet ups each month and other events around themes such as cuisine or music etc. Socializing is relatively expensive in KL if you want to have alcohol - but there are some deals for ladies. One thing friends have told me is that the social scene is a bit shallow and that because of the abundance of available women from the region, it's harder for a European women to socialize other than in groups.

Thanks Gravitas, I'll check out Inter Nations

Guess for myself it's an adventure always to go and live in different places, but challenge is how to fit in to a culture and make new friends in a place unlike home.

Surely there are enough expats who have the same feeling

you should try kl town areas, bukit bintang is the main spot...

Inter nations though generally I a meat market. Expat mingles also but similar crowd. Also try meet up .com

Just to add my 2 sens worth. Social with expats here is good, there are a few meetups on meetup.com and some internations meetups. Been to a few meetups and in general people are really friendly and happy to socialise.

I'm sure in the expat areas,Bangsar, Damansara etc, (I wouldn't know I dont live in those areas) there are more local meetups/you bump into people and become friends etc

Hope it helps

Bangsar, Damansara and Mont Kiara are more family locations and there is not much to do in the evenings. People socialize at the F&B offerings at shopping malls.

KL City / Bukit Bintang has more entertainment for expats and those travelling through. There are several esablished areas and new ones developing.  Changkat Bukit Bintang - Jalan P. Ramlee, KLCC, Pavilion, Jalan Mesui / Nagasari etc. to name a few. There are lots of clubs (e.g. Zouk, The Pool, The Bedroom) as well as restaurants and hotels with entertainment (e.g. Luna Bar)