Thean Hou Temple is a six-tier Chinese temple on Robson Heights, a hill just south of central Kuala Lumpur, at 65 Persiaran Endah, off Jalan Syed Putra. It's dedicated to Tian Hou, the sea goddess also known as Mazu, and was officially opened in 1989. Entry is free. By car it's easy: you drive up the hill to the temple and park there. That's the main reason to drive: the nearest rail station is still a taxi ride from the gate.
Before you go
The Selangor and Federal Territory Hainan Association, which runs the temple, lists it as open daily from 8 am to 8 pm, public holidays included. Hours change at festivals, so check the association's site (hainannet.com.my) before a visit around Chinese New Year, Wesak or the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Dress for a place of worship. Women should cover shoulders and knees; the rule is looser for men. Shoes stay on around the temple but come off to enter the prayer hall.
A visit, in order
- Drive in from Jalan Syed Putra and follow Persiaran Endah up Robson Heights. Waze and Google Maps both know the temple by name.
- Park at the temple. A small parking fee is charged at times; on quiet weekdays it often isn't. Have small notes ready.
- Start with the main prayer hall, with its altars to Tian Hou, Guan Yin and Shui Wei Sheng Niang. Red lanterns hang throughout the temple.
- Then walk the grounds: the twelve Chinese zodiac statues, the medicinal herb garden, the wishing well, the Fortune Bridge and the tortoise pond.
- Allow an hour for all of it, a little more if you eat at the temple's restaurant.
When to go
Weekday mornings and early evenings are quietest and coolest. Midday is hot on the open terraces. Weekends are busy with worshippers, which is a reason to go if you want to see the temple in use and a reason not to if you want photos without people.
Chinese New Year is the busiest time of the year, with the temple lit up and crowds through the evenings. If you go then, go early in the day, because the hill road and the car park can fill up by evening. Getting a taxi back down has been hard at festival times, which is the strongest argument for having your own car or a driver waiting. If you're renting for the festive week, Chinese New Year car rental has the timing.
The temple also has a marriage registration office, open 8.30 am to 5 pm daily but closed on public holidays, and couples register their marriages there. If that's your reason for coming, Chinese wedding car rental covers cars for the day and the convoy.
Combining it with something nearby
Mid Valley Megamall and The Gardens are nearby, and so is Istana Negara, the National Palace. A morning at the temple and lunch at Mid Valley makes an easy half day.
For a visitor's day out, a chauffeur by the hour drops you at the gate and takes the parking off your hands. Hourly bookings run from 3 to 23 hours; a Mercedes-Benz S-Class with chauffeur is RM 300 an hour. A KL city tour with a private driver has a route that takes in the temple, and the chauffeur service page explains how booking works. Driving yourself in a Grandpride rental? Any car on the fleet list will manage the hill; the climb up Robson Heights is short.
