Merdeka 118

Merdeka 118 tops out at 678.9 metres including its spire, which makes it the tallest building in Southeast Asia and the second tallest in the world after the Burj Khalifa, and it was topped out in 2021 after roughly a decade of construction. The name and the siting are deliberate: it stands beside Stadium Merdeka, where independence from Britain was declared in 1957, and the faceted glass skin is meant to echo the raised hand of the first prime minister making that declaration. The observation deck, called The View at 118, occupies the upper floors and includes an open-air level and a glass box projecting from the side. Below are a mall, a hotel and a mosque. Whether the tower sits well against the low colonial-era district around it is argued about locally.

What you actually see

• The second tallest building on earth - 679 metres including the spire.
• The View at 118 - observation floors with an open-air level and a glass box.
• Stadium Merdeka below - where independence was declared in 1957.
• A faceted glass skin - the diamond facade the tower is known for.

When to go

All year; late afternoon for daylight and the lights coming on. Two hours.

Honest expectations

Deck tickets are timed and sell out at sunset - book ahead. It is expensive by local standards. Haze and cloud regularly cut the view. Queues at the lifts are long at peak.

Nearby

Stadium Merdeka is at the foot; Chinatown and Merdeka Square are a short walk.