Getting from KLIA & KLIA2 to KL City Centre: Every Option Compared

Landing at KLIA or KLIA2 and working out how to reach KL city centre? You have four realistic transport options — the KLIA Ekspres train, the airport coach, Grab, and a metered taxi — and the right one comes down to your budget, your luggage, and what time you land. Here is each one compared, with current prices and times, so you can decide before you clear customs.

First, one thing that trips people up: KLIA and KLIA2 are the same airport — Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 — about 3 minutes apart by train. Every option below serves both, so the terminal you fly into changes very little.

The fastest option: KLIA Ekspres

The KLIA Ekspres is the non-stop airport train to KL Sentral, the city's central transport hub. It is the quickest way in: about 28 minutes from KL Sentral to Terminal 1, plus 3 minutes on to KLIA2 — roughly half an hour, traffic-proof.

• Fare: RM40 one-way, with around 10% off when you book through the KLIA Ekspres app or website.
• Frequency: every 20 minutes for most of the day.
• First and last train: the first train from KLIA leaves about 5:05am and the last around 12:10am; trains run from KL Sentral from 5:00am to midnight.

If you are arriving in daylight with anything more than a backpack, this is usually the smart pick — fixed price, no traffic, and you step off at KL Sentral with the whole rail network at your feet.

The cheapest option: the airport coach

If you are counting ringgit and not in a hurry, the airport coach to KL Sentral is the budget choice. Tickets start from roughly RM13, bought at the counter near the boarding platform or online in advance.

The trade-off is time: the coach takes about an hour, against 30 minutes by train, and it sits in the same traffic as everyone else. The KLIA bus station is a 3-minute walk from the arrivals hall, and buses run until around 12:30am. For a relaxed daytime arrival on a tight budget, it does the job.

Door to door: Grab and taxi

For a car straight to your apartment door — ideal with heavy bags, a late arrival, or a group — you have two choices: Grab (the ride-hailing app) or an official airport taxi with a fixed coupon bought at the counter inside the terminal.

• Grab: around RM75–90 off-peak. At peak times — Friday evenings, public and school holidays — the same ride can climb to RM130–180. Tolls are usually added on top.
• Airport taxi coupon: broadly similar, often RM75–120 depending on the vehicle, with the price fixed before you set off so there is nothing to negotiate.

The journey is roughly 55–60 km and takes anywhere from 45 minutes to over an hour depending on traffic. Whichever you choose, book or buy your coupon inside the terminal and ignore anyone offering a ride in the arrivals hall.

Arriving late at night

Late flight? Your window for the train and coach is narrower than you might think. The last KLIA Ekspres leaves KLIA around 12:10am, and the last airport coach around 12:30am. From around 11:00pm the train also slows to roughly every 30 minutes, so check the schedule before you assume you will catch it.

Miss both and your option is Grab or a metered taxi. Be aware that taxis add a 50% late-night surcharge between 11:30pm and 6:00am, and Grab prices surge when supply is thin — so a midnight ride can cost noticeably more than the daytime figures above. If you can, pre-book a car before you fly so a driver is waiting when you land.

Getting to your KLCC apartment (the last mile)

Almost every option above drops you at KL Sentral, not at your front door — so plan the last leg too. From KL Sentral, the Kelana Jaya LRT line runs directly to KLCC station, right under Suria KLCC, or a short Grab gets you there in a few minutes. If you take a taxi or Grab from the airport, you skip this step entirely and arrive door to door.

Staying with us puts you minutes from that final stop. Browse our KLCC apartments to see exactly where you would land — most are a short walk from the KLCC and Bukit Bintang stations — and if you book direct, you start earning on every night through Soulasia Rewards.

Let us handle it: Soulasia airport transfer

Prefer to skip the queue and the surge pricing entirely? We run a private airport transfer from KLIA and KLIA2 straight to your KLCC apartment. The price is fixed before you land — no meter and no Grab surge — and if your flight is late, your driver waits up to 90 minutes for free and meets you in arrivals with a name board.

A RM40 late-night surcharge applies for pickups between 23:30 and 05:59. Ready to book, or want a quote? Book a Soulasia airport transfer.

Which option should you pick?

A quick rule of thumb:

1. Daytime, light luggage, want speed → KLIA Ekspres.
2. Daytime, tight budget, time to spare → airport coach.
3. Heavy bags, a group, or a late arrival → Grab or an airport taxi, door to door.

Whatever you choose, you are never more than about an hour from the heart of the city — and from your apartment in the middle of it.