We were excited about Penang even before we got there, hearing from multiple people how cool this place is. An island just off the west coast of northern Malaysia, Penang is joined to the mainland via bridge and functions as it’s own big city. While the main tourist attraction has to be the UNESCO listed city that is George Town, Penang also offers beaches and amazing street food that are worth the stop alone.
How we got there
We travelled to Penang from Cameron Highlands by bus, buying our tickets online at busonlineticket.com for RM35.00. There’s multiple bus companies running this route and the quality of the busses in Malaysia are very good, definitely a comfortable way to travel. If you’re coming from Kuala Lumpur, the plane is probably the quicker and just as affordable option, with Kuala Lumpur one of the main airport hubs in Asia.
Arriving at the bus station in George Town, we ordered an Uber and were dropped off at our accommodation. Uber, like in Kuala Lumpur is a good way to get around Penang, if you’re travelling further than walking distance. We did however only rely on the services of Uber once or twice, as George Town is very walkable and a number of public bus services are available to other parts of Penang.
Where we stayed
When searching for accommodation our go-to’s are Agoda and Booking.com, however particularly when in cities, we also take a look on Air BnB, as sometimes, just sometimes, the options are better. Accommodation in Penang was one of these times, with a very nice place booked in the heart of George Town, just across the road from a large park and walking distance to a myriad of bars and restaurants. Maybe a little more expensive than we needed to invest in for the time we were there, but it’s so nice going home to a clean and sophisticated room at the end of a long day exploring. Would totally recommend George Town as your place to stay, unless you’re looking for a beach hotel, then you’re better to look elsewhere on the island. Check out The Chambers here
What we did in Penang
Wandering in George Town
Majority of our time in Penang was spent exploring the unique and inspiring George Town. You could honestly walk the streets here for days and never get bored, exploring the area that is Little India, walking through the multiple market areas, finding cool old shops and clever street art, taking a walk through the clan jetties or just discovering new places to eat and drink, one of our favourite past-times. Here’s a bit more about the highlights you shouldn’t miss.
Street Art
The street art is probably one of the more fun parts of Penang and has given tourists a reason to visit parts of George Town, which perhaps would have been ignored before. The street art began as a project a few years back, with the most famous of the paintings being done by Ernest Zacharevic, a Lithuanian-born Street artist. The real skill in his work is taking some simple activities, and making them come to life in a real and subtle way on the walls of the old town. The highlights are the boy on the chair, the swings, kids on a bicycle, boy and his pet t-rex and of course the trishaw. Some are definitely easier to find than others and some sadly have all but faded.
While these paintings were the originals, many more now adorn the building exteriors and are hidden away in alleyways telling a story or reflecting the culture of the city. You’ll find some artwork in groups, while others are a little more isolated. Some of the lesser-known paintings are worth the walk and will have way fewer tourists gathered around for photos. Ones we thought were pretty cool were the lady and the bar stool, the girl and the lilies, Chicken alley and the gangster penguins. See if you can find them, some of these we came across quite by accident.
Most hostels and hotels will have street art maps for you to use, otherwise a few organised people have put together maps online. Here’s one we used as a starting point on our search for street art, http://www.tourismpenang.net.my/pdf/street-art-brochure.pdf
Trishaw rides
The local mode of transport made available to the tourists is the trishaw, a variation on the rickshaw and driven usually by older local men. We were offered rides many times during our time in George Town, but it wasn’t until the last night of our trip when we gave in and went for a ride on one, given it seemed like the thing to do.
You can tailor your ride to go where you want to go and the usual route is around some of the most popular street art sites. There were a couple of paintings we had missed during our own exploration, so we thought this was a great opportunity to quickly tick some off our list before our final dinner in Penang. We agreed the price with our driver prior to setting out, and our agreed half an hour journey started, we had RM20 set aside and trusted that this would be honoured when we reached our final destination.
While our trishaw driver was certainly entertaining, showed us some sweet paintings we had missed, took photos of us and even had a few taken with us, he missed the one painting we really had wanted to see and then demanded twice as much money from us in the end, because he’d provided ‘extras’, even though we hadn’t asked for them. Unlike Mike, I’d say still make sure you do this in George Town, just make sure firm parameters are in place before setting out. We couldn’t be bothered arguing and gave the man his money.
Little India
This area of town wasn’t far from our accommodation, so we passed through several times, enjoying the brightness of the flower garlands and decorations adorning the buildings. The markets in this area spill out onto the road and making your way through the locals can prove to be a bit of fun. There are plenty of curry houses to choose from, meaning you won’t go hungry and roti is available every 20 metres or so. We were lucky enough to visit shortly before Duwali and enjoyed seeing the celebrations that had begun.
Henna is very popular with the tourists that pass through, myself not excluded and I took the chance to get some of the traditional body art done. Totally get this done, just make sure you take the time to decide on the design you want and agree a price before starting, you may be charged extra for colours to be added. Henna lasts a week or so, so it’s reasonably important that you love it.
Clan Jetties
While in Penang, you have to visit the Clan Jetties. Located on the east side of Penang not far from the ferry terminal in George Town, straight down from Lebuh Chuliah, the jetties are fully entrenched in the history of the city and provide a sneaky look into how some of the local families still live over a hundred years on. There’s six different jetties to choose from to visit, we did the logical thing and made our way from the north point of the jetties down. Each jetty varies from the others so it makes sense to visit all of them, some are definitely more ‘touristy’ than others, with the Chew Jetty being the busiest of all.
We however preferred the quieter, more traditional jetties where you can see how the locals live, which to be honest is a little eye-opening. It does feel a little like you’re intruding on their lives, so it pays to be a little respectful – not venturing too far off the main boardwalk and to think about what you’re taking photos of. The jetties get pretty busy during the day, so make this a late afternoon activity and take in the sunset from the stilted houses.
Batu Ferringhi
Leaving from the main bus terminal in George Town, we caught the Rapid Penang Bus 101 north to Batu Ferringhi, the beachside town on the northern coast. We hadn’t heard a lot about the beach there, but figured the fantastic weather and warm temperatures were as good an excuse as any to check it out. We arrived at our destination in about 45mins.
The beach itself is reasonably nice, although the water doesn’t look quite as swimmable as we would have liked so instead chose Bora Bora beach bar to enjoy the view from, with a drink in hand. The beach while quiet when we were visiting, does get busier in the summer months and the paragliding trips and jet ski rental on offer would suggest, a popular place for water sports.
Before booking our accommodation in Penang, we had considered spending a night or two near the beach, but after seeing the slightly dated looking resorts in the town, we’re glad we were only day-tripping.
Markets
There’s a whole lot of local markets to enjoy in George Town, and as per usual when arriving in a new place we set out to find them.
The main fresh produce and wet market in Penang, is Campbell Market, steeped in history and housed in a Victorian style building. Along a similar vain is Chowrasta market, which runs along Jalan Penang road. The locals flock here for the cheap prices and the fresh food on offer. We followed this one, with the Kuala Kangsar Market, our personal favourite, an open-air street market close to Chowrasta Bazaar. We filled up on fresh fruit, while being slightly mesmerized by the selection of foods on offer.
Finally, there’s little India as mentioned above, which is a crazy array of colour, spices, and noise around the roads near Jalan Majid.
Eat
The food in Penang was phenomenal and we really don’t know where to start on this one. There’s a wide range of food both international and local on offer, with the prices varying just as much. In Penang we truly ate some of our favourite meals ever and some of our cheapest. We hope you find the same level of culinary goodness here.
There are a couple of Penang specialities, which you just have to try, including Char Kway Teow and Cendol (ok, maybe you don’t have to try the Cendol, it’s not my cup of tea). We ate at markets, in food courts and in nice-ish restaurants, each offering their own tasty delights. One of our favourite dinners of all time was in George Town at a place called Tai Tong Restauran. This is a real old school trolley dolly style dim sum joint, with the various goodies being delivered to you at your table. If you only have one place to eat in Penang, make it this one. Some food courts to try out are New World Park and CF Food Court, with amazing street food available every evening on Lebuh Kimberley.
While drinks in Malaysia are a little (or a lot more) like the prices at home, we did sneak in a few quiet ones after a couple of busy days exploring. Our favourite bars were Hong Kong Bar, Bistro Tang and ViaPre, which also happened to have some good aperitivo options in the early evening, perfect for a pre dinner snack.
We have heaps more to share about where to eat and drink in Penang, you can check our food musings out here
