Istana Negara’s broad gates and domes mark Malaysia’s royal institution on a wooded 97-hectare site. The palace became the official National Palace in 2011, replacing the former royal residence on Jalan Istana.
Guide preview
From outside the gates, the most useful detail is the palace’s layered roofline: domes and traditional Malay forms sit together beneath a broad skyline. Istana Negara became Malaysia’s official National Palace in November 2011, taking over that role from the former palace on Jalan Istana.
Continue exploring
Discover the full story
Keep reading with a travel pass and explore every full guide and tour.
UpgradeQuick facts
- The palace has 22 domes.
- Its largest dome rises 40 metres.
- Betel-leaf motifs decorate the two main domes.
More places in Kuala Lumpur
Aquaria KLCC
Aquaria KLCC’s long transparent tunnel places visitors beneath a moving column of water and animals. The aquarium links exhibits from Malaysian streams and forests to coastal and ocean environments, inviting attention to habitats as connected systems.
ASEAN Sculpture Garden
Sculptures from across Southeast Asia sit within a landscaped garden beside Kuala Lumpur’s National Monument. The ASEAN Sculpture Garden brings public art into a park setting, where varied materials and forms invite slower looking among the trees.
Bamboo Playhouse
Bamboo Playhouse is a pavilion in Perdana Botanical Gardens built from a cluster of raised platforms and bamboo columns. Its design reinterprets the open village wakaf shelter as a playful public structure beside the lake.
Bank Negara Malaysia Museum and Art Gallery
Bank Negara Malaysia Museum and Art Gallery brings together galleries on money, economics, Islamic finance, children’s learning and Malaysian art. Housed in Sasana Kijang, it links the central bank’s history with the country’s financial and cultural development.
Batu Caves
Batu Caves is a limestone hill and Hindu pilgrimage complex north of Kuala Lumpur, with cave shrines set into the rock. The site is sacred to devotees, especially during Thaipusam, and also reveals the region’s deep geological history.
Berjaya Times Square Theme Park
Inside Berjaya Times Square, the theme park turns a multi-storey mall into a vertical playground. Its two zones, Galaxy Station and Fantasy Garden, set thrill rides beside attractions designed for younger visitors.