Many tourists say that Kuala Lumpur is more expensive than Jakarta. But others say that this is untrue.

The hotel is rate is actually at par with Bangkok but has the quality and service similar to ones in Singapore. And while the goods are a little more expensive here, it is still far more affordable than it's neighbor in the south.

But to save more while travelling in Kuala Lumpur, heed these 3 advices.

1. Use the Free GoKL Bus

Kuala Lumpur is a lovely city. Unfortunately it is hampered by rude taxi drivers.

But fret not. The alternative is to use the GoKL buses set up by the KL mayor to help tourists and KL population move from one part of the city to another.

Here are two good reasons why you should use these buses. Firstly, they are free and equipped with wifi on-board. Secondly, the buses actually connects the most important parts of the town -- especially the major malls and historical sites that you would want to see.

We are talking about places like the the Bukit Bintang, KLCC Twin Towers as well as the Central Market and Chinatown here. These are places where going one place to another would cost you more than $20 in a rigged taxi.

2. Join the Heritage Walk at the Central Market

The heritage walk at Central Market may not be boring if you are more interested in shopping. But if you are want to know the old tales of Kuala Lumpur and discover how the three major races come to share the wealth of the city, join this tour.

In this free tour by the BeFree Tourist group, you will hear and see the tales of Kuala Lumpur while you walk with an English speaking guide around the historical sites within the city.

One of the places you'll visit is the Masjid Jamek, the mosque built on the delta where the city was founded by a group of Chinese miners and a Malay shaman. Your guide will normally gather you in the mosque compound and tell you about the history of the mosque while you see how the Muslims pray in the hundred year old British built mosque.

After that, you will also walk to some parts of the city where the founder of Kuala Lumpur, the notorious Chinese kapitan name Yap Ah Loy made his fortunes by supplying woman, drugs as well as addictive recreational activities (think poker chips). If your guide is chatty, you might get to learn some gossips and the dark side of the old Kuala Lumpur that historians omit in history books.

If you want to visit other interesting places not covered by the tour (like the Jalan Masjid India), just take note that the street is just across the Masjid Jamek.

3. See Craftsmen at Work at Karyaneka

This place is near Bukit Bintang -- so you probably want to walk into the craft complex early in the morning before the malls are fully opened.

This is where you could try batik drawing, see Malay wood carvers in action as well as learn traditional kite making process by the resident artists hired by Karyaneka.

Entry is free and you could also shop for the crafts you see in the complex's souvenir shop. But since this place is one of the favourite site for tourists guide, be prepared to share the small complex with a few hundred other tourists.

Kuala Lumpur is a small city and the attractions are mainly concentrated in one small area. As such, you probably don't need to spend much except for your meals and hotel room.

And if you try the three things that I mentioned above, you will learn more about the city, avoid rude taxi drivers and save a few hundred bucks in the process.