Penang is a province in northwestern Malaysia. Penang is known as the street food capital of Malaysia (and throughout the rest of Asia). Penang’s most famous and largest city is Georgetown. This is where most travelers stay and where you can do the most. In Georgetown, your taste buds will be really spoiled with all the delicious food. When you are finished eating, you can fortunately do many other fun things to do in Penang and Georgetown.
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Street art in Penang
Penang, besides its delicious food, is known for the amount of street art. The most famous artist is Ernest Zacharevic. Commissioned by the municipality, he created street art with the goal of sprucing up the older stores. His street art reflects the story of Penang, depicting both old men and children.
As you walk around downtown Georgetown, you will naturally come across a lot of street art. There is a beautiful mural on almost every street corner. If you really want to see all the street art, it is recommended to follow the street art route on Google Maps. Click here to see the street art route map.
Penang National Park
Penang National Park is the smallest national park in the world. Still, you can walk around here for a whole day and have a good time. Admission has cost 50 RM (€11) per person since Nov. 1, 2022. For this money you get to hike all day in the park and relax on monkey beach.
Just before the entrance to Penang National Park are several boat tour providers. For 25 RM (€5.50) per person, you take the boat to monkey beach and head back in the afternoon. From monkey beach you can walk up to the viewpoint at the light house in about 45 minutes. This is a hot and tough climb so be sure to bring a bottle of water and put on good shoes. The view from the light house has been worth the climb. You can see the green nature of Penang National Park everywhere, along with the sea.
After the hot climb, you can cool off in the sea at monkey beach. You will find a bar with ice-cold drinks and several beautiful photo spots such as swings and palm tree swings over the sea. When you are ready to leave monkey beach you will be taken back to the entrance of the national park by the boat tour. You are not allowed to walk back to the entrance yourself, as you will bypass the 50 RM entrance.
Kek Lok Si Temple
The Kek Lok Si Temple in Penang is a huge temple, in fact it is the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia. The Kek Lok Si Temple stands on a mountain making it appear even larger. There are different levels in the temple in which you also spot different architecture. You do not have to cover up completely in this temple but it is suggested you dress modestly, so no extremely short shorts and tiny tops.
From downtown Georgetown, local buses leaving every few minutes go to Kek Lok Si Temple. Among others, bus 201, 202, 204 and 502 stop near the temple. You can easily buy a ticket from the bus driver and it costs only 1.40 RM (€0.30). Alternatively, you can use the Grab but of course this also costs more money, count on at least 20 RM (€4.50). The Kek Lok Si Temple is close to Penang Hill, so these two activities can easily be combined.
Penang Hill
To get to the top of Penang Hill, you can take the steep cable car. This is a fun outing in itself. If you don’t want to take the cable car you will have to walk up steeply for 3 hours. This is something (almost) no one does and is also extremely hard.
On top of Penang Hill, the temperature is a bit lower, which is a welcome coolness. During sunset, Penang Hill is extremely crowded. You can still easily get up by cable car, but when you want to return you may have to wait up to 1.5 hours. To avoid this, you can take a car to the botanical gardens for 80 RM (€18). In the botanical gardens you can walk around and take these beautiful surroundings in. When you are done here, you can catch a Grab or a bus back to Georgetown.
Clan Jetties
The Clan Jetties are wooden stilt houses that stand on the water. Here you can clearly see the history of Penang because locals lived in these wooden houses. Nowadays you can find mostly souvenir stores in the jetties but at Tan Jetty you can still see the original houses. It is impressive to take a look here to learn more about the history of Penang and Georgetown.
Blue Mansion by Cheong Fatt Tze
Cheong Fatt Tze was a Chinese philanthropist and political figure. In Penang, he built a large mansion and painted it all indigo blue. This has been nicknamed the “Blue Mansion. The Blue Mansion in Penang was bought in the late 20th century by a couple who restored it.
To remember and honor Cheong Fatt Tze, tours of the Blue Mansion are held daily at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. and last about 1 hour. Admission for the tour costs 25 RM (€5.50) per person. On Fridays at 11:00 am, the tour is given by the owner. The tour takes 2 hours with her because she is very enthusiastic and talks at length. You can also stay overnight at the Blue Mansion. Check booking.com for the offerings.
Have a drink at the rooftop bar
There are several rooftop bars in Georgetown with views of most of the island. Especially at sunset, it is wonderful to have a drink here. You watch the sun slowly sink into the sea as the lights in the city come on and you see everything moving from above. One rooftop bar we can definitely recommend is the HH Rooftop Bar.
Eating sweets at Emily’s Bakery
When traveling around Asia for long periods of time, sometimes you can miss a tasty pie or cake. Asians are not very good with flour, and baking bread is often a challenge as well. Fortunately, you can satisfy your sweet cravings for a while at Emily’s Bakery. They have amazing nutella and peanut butter brownies, different kinds of cake and croissants here. It’s hard to choose so stay here in the afternoon especially for a cozy high-tea.
Driving the motorbike on Penang
Penang consists of much more than just the city of Georgetown. In the middle of the island there are high mountains from where you have a beautiful view of the entire island. If you feel comfortable driving the motorbike this is a must. This way you will discover the most beautiful places and you can choose where you want to stop. For example, have a nice drink at this viewpoint and pick out some fruit at the fruit farm. Experience freedom and convenience on the motorbike.
How to get to Penang?
Georgetown is Malaysia’s second-largest city after Kuala Lumpur. As a result, there are many good bus connections to Georgetown. From Kuala Lumpur, the Cameron Highlands and Ipoh, you can take a direct bus to Georgetown. Alternatively, you can take the bus to Butterworth and from there take the ferry to Georgetown. The ferry runs every 20 minutes. All bus schedules, routes and tickets can be easily booked in advance through 12GO.Asia.
Tip: also check out all the information on transportation in Malaysia
Continue your journey through Malaysia after Georgetown and Penang to Langkawi. From Georgetown catch the bus to Kuala Kedah, it takes 2 hours. You can book this bus in advance with 12GO.Asia. From Kuala Kedah’s bus station, you can drive to the ferry by Grab or cab in 15 minutes. Here you can also purchase tickets right away. On this site you can see exactly what times the ferry sails. 1.5 hours later, you are standing with your feet in the sand in Langkawi.
