By air
Penang International (PEN), ~20 km from George Town
Southeast Asia · Malaysia
Penang, Malaysia
Street art, shophouses and Malaysia's best street food
Getting there
Best time to visit
December to February — drier weather
Don't miss
George Town's heritage core
Kek Lok Si
Penang Hill
The Blue Mansion (Cheong Fatt Tze)
Things to do
Street-art hunting in George Town
Penang Hill's funicular
Kek Lok Si
Hawker hopping
Where to eat
What to pack
Light clothes, walking shoes, modest dress for temples
A quieter corner
The Clan Jetties at dawn, stilt villages over the water
Questions travellers ask
What's the best season for a Penang trip?
December to February, when the weather is drier. Pack light clothes, walking shoes and modest dress for temples.
What are Penang's highlights?
Street-art hunting in George Town and a walk through its heritage core, then Kek Lok Si, the Blue Mansion (Cheong Fatt Tze) and the funicular up Penang Hill.
Which dishes should I try in Penang?
Char kway teow and assam laksa. Go hawker hopping, and make Gurney Drive's hawker stalls one of your stops.
Where should I go early in the morning in Penang?
To the Clan Jetties at dawn, for the stilt villages over the water.
About Penang
- Island
- Coastal
Where it is
Penang is a state of Malaysia on the north-west coast of the Malay Peninsula, made up of Penang Island in the Strait of Malacca, with its capital George Town, and a strip of mainland called Seberang Perai, linked to the island by two bridges and a ferry.
History
In 1786 Francis Light of the British East India Company took possession of the island from the Sultan of Kedah and founded George Town. As a free port it drew traders and settlers from China, India, Sumatra and beyond, joined the Straits Settlements in 1826 and became part of independent Malaya in 1957; George Town was listed with Malacca as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008.
People
Penangites are Chinese, Malay and Indian Malaysians with a strong Peranakan (Straits Chinese) heritage, and Penang Hokkien, a local dialect rich in Malay and English loanwords, is heard alongside Malay, English, Tamil and Mandarin. Clan associations, temple festivals and hawker stalls are central to island life.
Known for
- George Town's shophouses and street art
- Hawker dishes like char kway teow and assam laksa
- Kek Lok Si Temple
- The funicular up Penang Hill
- Clan jetties and clan houses
Did you know?
George Town's clan jetties are stilt villages built over the water, each traditionally settled by a single Chinese clan, such as the Chew Jetty.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.