All activities

Thean Hou Templewith Travelogue Guesthouse, Kuala Lumpur

Half past five, so the lanterns come on while you are standing under them. Six tiers of red and gold above the city, and a group dinner afterwards.

Day: The board has it
Time: 5:30 PM
Meet: The new common area
Cost: Free to join

Start to finish

How the day goes

Roughly. It is a group of travellers, not a coach tour, so the end of it moves.

5:30 PM: Meet in the new common area.
Dusk: The lanterns come on while you are standing under them.
Evening: The temple, its terraces and the view over the city.
After: Group dinner.

On the day

What happens

Thean Hou is a six-tiered Chinese temple on a hill just outside the middle of the city, and it is the one on this list people come back talking about. The group leaves at half past five so the lanterns come on while everybody is standing underneath them, and then goes to eat.

A tour around Thean Hou Temple, its terraces and the courtyard the lanterns hang across.
The lanterns themselves, which are the reason the group leaves at half past five rather than in the afternoon.
The view back over Kuala Lumpur from the hill the temple is built on.
Group dinner afterwards, everybody at one table.

What it costs

Free to join. Food and transport are at your own expense.

Getting there

About 30 minutes each way by car.

Rows of red lanterns across the courtyard roof at Thean Hou Temple, Kuala Lumpur

Travelogue Guesthouse guests in front of Thean Hou Temple lit at dusk, Kuala Lumpur

The place itself

What you will actually see

Three things worth knowing before you get there.

The staircase and tiered roofs of Thean Hou Temple against a clear sky

Six tiers of red and gold

The temple is built up the side of a hill in six tiers, so the roofline keeps going long after you think you have seen it.

The courtyard at Thean Hou Temple hung with lit lanterns after dark, Kuala Lumpur

The lanterns

Hundreds of them, strung in rows across the courtyard. They are the reason the tour meets at half past five and not earlier.

The gateway

You come up the hill and through it, and it is the first red thing you walk under. Most people stop here before they have even reached the steps.

The lit gateway and steps up to Thean Hou Temple after dark, Kuala Lumpur

Rows of lit lanterns under the eaves at Thean Hou Temple after dark

Thean Hou Temple lit from below after dark, Kuala Lumpur

The same steps, most weeks

One temple, one hour before dark, and whoever is staying that week. These are ten of them.

A Travelogue Guesthouse group under the lanterns at Thean Hou Temple

A Travelogue Guesthouse group under the lit eaves at Thean Hou Temple

A Travelogue Guesthouse group below the flags at Thean Hou Temple at sunset

A Travelogue Guesthouse group on the terrace at Thean Hou Temple

A Travelogue Guesthouse group in front of Thean Hou Temple

Travelogue Guesthouse guests beside the flower arch at Thean Hou Temple

A Travelogue Guesthouse group inside the painted pavilion at Thean Hou Temple

A Travelogue Guesthouse group below the roofline at Thean Hou Temple

Travelogue Guesthouse group outside Thean Hou Temple in the evening, Kuala Lumpur

Travelogue Guesthouse guests beside the flower arch at Thean Hou Temple in daylight

Take with you

Before you go

Cash for dinnerA camera or a phoneSomething to cover your shoulders

FAQ

Questions about this one

Asked at reception often enough to be worth writing down.

Still have a question?

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What time does the Thean Hou Temple tour meet?

5:30 PM in the common area at Travelogue Guesthouse. The day rotates week to week, so the board beside reception is the one to check.

Why go to Thean Hou Temple in the evening?

The lanterns. The temple lights at dusk and that is when the photographs are worth taking, which is why the tour meets at 5:30 PM rather than in the afternoon.

Is there a dinner afterwards?

Yes, the group eats together after the temple. Food and transport are at your own expense.

Is there a dress code at Thean Hou Temple?

It is a working temple, so cover your shoulders and dress as you would for any place of worship. Nothing else is asked of visitors.

While you are here