i City Shah Alam Theme Park – Family Friendly Night Venue Near KL!

You only need one night (or a full day depending on what you want to do) to explore i City Shah Alam, Malaysia! It helps that it’s really close to Kuala Lumpur too. It’s just less than an hour’s drive away.

The main attraction (for Malaysians) of this mini city of lights is obviously SnoWalk! But they also have a water park and even a wax museum with your favorite celebs!

Here’s what you can expect when on your first visit!

Firstly, the family-oriented theme park (City of Digital Lights) has many bright and colorful LED-light displays every night.

Note: Christmas time (and Chinese New Year) looks pretty amazing too.

Hence, it is a great place to practice night photography:

At the 72-acre park, there are also typical carnival rides like a Ferris wheel, carousels and game booths.

The games and activities are suitable for families and friends to enjoy together. It’s not a bad place for a first date, too!

Ticket Prices

There is no entrance fee. But if you want to try them, you have pay for the rides and attractions. Not forgetting parking fees – more on that further on in this post!

So technically, you could just take a free stroll in and snap some wonderful pictures! If you have no interest in the rides!

If you do want to try the rides and attractions, here are some things to note:

Infants and toddlers go in for free. These are children below 90cm in height and also less than 3 years old.

They do consider adults to be 11 years old up to 60 years old. While senior citizens (above 60 years old) pay the same as older children (above 90 cm and below 11 years old).

There are some more rules on their official ticket website here.

You might want to contact them if your group needs special attention (e.g. wheelchair user, pregnant woman, etc).

Tips On Saving Money Here

• If you have a Malaysia IC or MyKad (regardless of your country of origin), you can pay a little less for some of the rides too.
• Pick your visit dates carefully! You cannot change, cancel, or refund!
• Bring your own gloves to visit SnoWalk
• Save money by buying packages instead of paying individually for the attractions at the theme park.
• You can ask for discount if your group size happens to be 30+. Contact them on [email protected]

By the way, payment is completely cashless in the theme park.

Payment Methods Available

You can go online and purchase packages from the official website. Here are the packages they offer.

Note that most of the online packages offered cannot be used on the same day of purchase. You can start using them the day after.

After successful payment, you will be sent a confirmation ticket via email. As a precaution, you can keep this email handy in your phone. Take your IC (or passport) too.

To use your package, download their dedicated mobile i-City Super App. Your package should be under My Purchases.

Once at the park, use the app to scan the respective codes (at the entrance of attractions/ rides) to deduct i-points from your purchased package. 1 i-point is worth RM1.

If you want to go for some rides and anything else (that were not in your chosen package):

Or if you ran out of i-points, you can top up via the app, their kiosks, or at their main counter at the park.

Those i-Points can pay for pretty much everything in the theme park:

• Including food and beverages at the respective food kiosks.
• And the use of lockers and any photography service in the park!
• Even parking fees!

Notes:

• Absolutely no cash at this park
• If you happen to want to buy something for RM35, you will need 40 i-Points to pay for it. And you’d be forced to find something else to buy to finish off the last 5 i-Points because you cannot exchange it for cash. Clever business tactic indeed.

What If It Rains?

There is unfortunately, no refund if it rains during your visit.

They will close most of the rides too. However, the rides that are under a shelter will still be open.

Operating Hours

i City opens from 5pm until midnight but the displays are lit from 7pm onwards.

Tip: If you want to catch the free dancing fountain, that goes on at 10pm.

There are different operating hours for the different sections in i City. Check before you go if you’re keen on a particular attraction (e.g., SnoWalk is open from 3:30pm to 11pm on weekdays, and 1pm to 11pm on weekends).

Public Transport From Kuala Lumpur To i City Shah Alam

Bus

You can take a bus but allow 2 hours’ total travel time from KL Sentral Station (factoring in wait time):

Walking may be necessary too. At least to catch Bus P701 that departs from Wisma Belia every 20 minutes. Get off at Seksyen 7 in Shah Alam and continue walking to I-City (less than 30 minutes). Or take a Grab to complete the journey as there is no direct bus to i City.

Train

Another option is to take the KTM from KL Sentral to Padang Jawa (RM5 one way and allow for 1.5+ hours’ travel time) and take a 10-min Grab drive from Padang Jawa to i-City.

Taxi

If you want to take a taxi straight from Klang (8 minutes) or Kuala Lumpur (25 minutes) it would be around RM20 and RM80 respectively.

Parking

Parking rates are RM3 per hour and max out at RM10 per day.

Attractions

When we were last here, there were fun fair booths to win stuffed animals and carnival-type rides including a Ferris wheel, a double-decked carousel, a pirate ship ride and ride and bumper cars! There’s also a fast-spinning swing that flings riders out almost horizontally.

The park is divided into different sections (more than we listed here). SnoWalk and Water World being the biggest highlights here besides seeing all the LED light displays!

• SnoWalk – largest indoor snow park in Malaysia where you can experience falling snow and bobsledding. The temperature dips close to 5 degrees Celsius. Jacket and shoe rental comes with the entrance ticket. And you can also buy gloves at extra cost, of course. There are ice sculptures and igloos and that sort of thing. And more LED lights.
• Water World – You could very well spend half a day at WaterWorld. It’s nowhere near the scale of Sunway Lagoon but there are slides, a wave pool, a large Jacuzzi and even a ride through some caves lit up by LEDs. It is enough for the kids to entertain themselves. No clothes with protruding buttons or zips. And no jeans. Sexy swimwear is not allowed either.
• Itsy Bitsy (Fun World) – Has bug themed rides for the kids

This table from the official i City site lists their walk-in prices for the individual attractions in the theme park:

What To Eat

Note that like in most theme parks, outside food and drinks are not allowed.

You’ll have the most variety of dining options to choose from over at Central i-City which is the shopping mall in i-City. These include the food court as well as franchise outlets like TGI Fridays.

Hotel Options Close To I-City

• Best Western i-City Shah Alam – A popular choice for families wanting to stay within walking distance of the theme park. There’s a gym, free Wi-Fi and basic but clean and comfortable rooms. They have suite-style rooms that have a mini kitchenette (with coffee making facilities and a microwave) too. Check Best Price On: Booking.com | Agoda.com
• Hotel de Art @ Shah Alam i-City – This homestay is very close to i City (~8 minutes) and good for large families and groups. The rooms are modern but small and have cheerful décor. They sell easy-prep meals at the lobby but going out is probably a better option. One downside is limited guest parking. Check Best Price On: Booking.com | Agoda.com
• Acappella Suite Hotel – Highlights of staying here include an infinity pool and rooftop garden. This hotel is a great option for people who want to stay together in the same room/ suite as they have large and clean suites. The hotel is close to a supermarket and is highly accessible to the highway and 15 minutes from i City. Check Best Price On: Booking.com | Agoda.com
• Concorde Hotel Shah Alam – If you’re Muslim or if you like golf, you might prefer this option. This is a 4-star hotel close to the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque (an 11-minute walk) and a short drive (13 km) from the Saujana Golf and Country Club. They have a pool, a gym, and a spa as well. From this hotel, you can have spectacular views of the “Blue Mosque” and a delicious breakfast buffet. The hotel is next to a simple mall and a 12 minute drive to I-city. They do provide an airport shuttle services too. Check Best Price On: Booking.com | Agoda.com

All of the places listed here are a short drive away from i-City:

Conclusion

You don’t have to go far from Kuala Lumpur to visit i City of Shah Alam. The park itself is sufficient to entertain visitors of different ages.

It’s free to enter if you just want to see all their different colorful LED displays. But for those who haven’t seen snow before, SnoWalk is the most exciting highlight here!

Explore Kuala Selangor

Because it’s not that far from Shah Alam, you can possibly see the famous Sky Mirror and other attractions in Kuala Selangor during a weekend trip from KL too!

Sekinchan

If it’s not harvest season, you can cycle through beautiful rice paddies over in this rural town that is known for its seafood too!