Penang itinerary 2 days — How to spend 2 days in Penang & what to do in Penang for 2 days

Traveling in one place for 2 days is not an easy thing no matter where it is. Because to fully explore the beauty of a certain region, it takes time to experience and enjoy. And if you visit a place with so much to learn like Penang, the beautiful island of Malaysia, 2 days is too short a time. So, perhaps the below suggestion is the most optimal suggestion on how to spend 48 hours in Penang Island for many visitors who intend to visit Penang. So, how many days in Penang is enough and what to do in Penang for 2 days? Let’s check out our suggested Penang itinerary 2 days on how to spend 2 days in Penang (48 hours in Penang) perfectly and top things to do in Penang in 2 days as follows!

Penang itinerary 2 days — Day 1: Explore Penang Nature

In the morning

After a long way to arrive in Penang, the suggestion for your first day is to visit places with natural scenery and fresh air because it will help you restore your energy and refresh your mind in order to be ready to explore the interesting places in this island.

Visit Penang National Park

The starting place for the journey is Penang National Park, which is considered the most beautiful park in Malaysia. Visitors will surely feel the full beauty of it when coming here in the morning, when the sunlight pours gold on each top of the foliage in the rising green forest. All are in the freshest mood after a foggy night. An incredibly diverse ecosystem encapsulated in a small area of the rainforest awaits your discovery.

Here, you will expand your knowledge of biology, or more specifically, creatures because the sea and forest in the park is home to more than 1000 species of plants and hundreds of different species of animals. Every step you take can open up a new wild world, you can see Brahmin hawks, Burmese hawks or other birds freely hovering on the tall branches; or some leopard cats are always ready to claw and look at everything around with bright eyes without blinking…

Does a long walk on the forest trails make you feel constricted? If so, do not hesitate to go to Pantai Kerachut beach, the most famous beach in the park. Visitors will be able to see turtles, typical of the Penang marine ecosystem, such as green turtles or Olive Ridley turtles. Not only that, you will also encounter the nests used to incubate the eggs of this slow animal. Note that these two species appear out of season, green turtles will be from April to August, Olive Ridley turtles will appear more from September to February, choose a time when you can see the turtles that you love.

Visiting Penang National Park probably takes up a lot of time, when leaving here is also when the sun is high, you should have lunch nearby before continuing to the next place. Right near the entrance of the park there is a place where you can eat and rest at the same time. It was a small fishing town called Teluk Behang, a peaceful town far from George Town. There will be a few Chinese restaurants, some Muslim cafes, and even a small supermarket that provides basic necessities. Take a little rest and you can go to another place to visit.

• Address: 22km northwest of George Town

In the afternoon for Penang itinerary 2 days

Explore Penang Hill

The next place in the 48-hour journey will be Penang Hill, where there are many things to experience and beautiful views. Before climbing to an altitude of more than 800m above sea level, you can fully visit and relax in the green space of the botanical garden at the foot of the hill. Strolling on the path surrounded by trees and flowers will make the spirit more comfortable than ever. The air is fresh, sometimes a few birds chirping, in the distance is the rushing sound of the waterfalls echoing back, everything seems moving but very peaceful, very suitable for those who love quiet space. quiet or want to mingle with the life of nature.

With an altitude of more than 800m, how to get to the top of the hill is also a curious thing. Here, they have provided visitors with a means to get up the hill quickly but equally interesting, which is the vertical train (because it is built inclined in the direction of the hillside). This long-standing train line in Penang is used exclusively to bring tourists from the foothills to the top of the hill and vice versa.

Come here, definitely bring a lot of good photos home because nowhere in Penang has such an stunning view. Go to the observatory, the whole scene of the town will shrink in your sight, the houses are close together, the fields, the roads become small, how much movement still takes place, the town suddenly looks like a living model that just wants to watch forever to satisfy the strange excitement. After enjoying the boring town view, we will stop by the love lock bridge. This place is a favorite place for couples or couples to come here. They come and put a padlock on the fence to hope, to prove the love that lasts, never parting.

Go to Kek Lok Si temple (48 hours in Penang)

The last point in the Penang hill is Kek Lok Si Temple, visitors only needs to move about 3km from Penang Hill to be able to visit the temple. Kek Lok Si is not only the major and important Buddhist center of the region, but also a work of architecture that has reached its peak. The most special feature of this temple is the 7-floor structure with a number of Buddha statues up to 10,000 statues of all sizes. In which the largest statue is the statue of Quan Yin located in the middle of the temple. You will be overwhelmed by the vastness of the temple as well as the elaborate decorations with hundreds of red and yellow lanterns spread everywhere. Staying until the night come, you will definitely see the magic. It is the time to change the colour of the temple when the sun gradually fell, the whole temple simultaneously shone brightly over a large area; shimmering light, quiet space really creates a sacred atmosphere of a place to worship Buddha.

• Location: Air Itam, Georgetown, Pulau Penang
• Opening hours: 6:30 AM – 11:00 PM (Penang Hill), Kek Lok Si Temple ( 7 AM – 9 PM everyday)

The first day will take a lot of energy to move around and take part in activities, then, to prepare well for the remaining 24 hours in Penang, after coming back to the town, give yourself a deep rest and good sleep.

2 days in Penang: Visit ancient houses, explore culinary culture and shopping

Since on the first day, we were away from the town immersed with the nature quite a lot, so on the second day, without going too far, let’s discover interesting things right in the heart of George Town.

In the morning

Visit ancient houses

Penang is known as the island that converges the most unique architecture with a combination of Eastern and Western cultures, from ancient to modern. Thus, if you miss the outstanding architecture when coming to Penang, it will be a huge omission. One of the most beautiful ancient structures, worth exploring to this day, is Khoo Kongsi. It is actually a family house of a long-standing wealthy Chinese family living and settling in this land.

From the outside in the front, it is no different from the ancient palace in China, both luxurious and lavish, representing prosperity and luck. The house is constructed in an authentic Chinese architectural style, from the structure to furniture, the interior arrangement and even the intricate and curvaceous pattern in the sculpture. The meticulousness, thoroughness in each line has made the house unique beauty and above all making anyone seeing it will have to express admiration.

• Address: Lebuh Cannon, Georgetown, Pulau Penang
• Opening hours: 9 AM – 5 PM

Visit the Peranakan Mansion

The next place to go is the most luxurious mansion in Penang, Peranakan Mansion. This mansion was built when Malaysia was still a British colony, the historical context has deeply influenced the architecture of the old house.

• Address: Church St, Georgetown
• Opening hours: 9 AM – 5 PM

In the afternoon

Admire the street art in George Town

After visiting the two most famous old houses in the region, we will come to the street art located right on the wall of the old town of George Town.

Having a walk in the afternoon when the sun has stopped shining too brightly, admiring the amazingly vivid works of art here.  Hundreds of art works are painted with Graffiti art or by elaborately bent steel bars that make each line come to life, like integrating with the daily life of the people in the area. It is not surprising that this place attracts a huge number of visitors to Penang and at the same time, contributing to the creation of unique photos of millions of tourists who come here to take selfie art.

Take a walk and watch the sunset on the sea

In the late afternoon, you may want to come to a place that is cooler, with less noise, and the suggestions is spending time relaxing along the beach. Let’s come to one of the most beautiful beaches of Penang, Batu Ferringhi.

Long coastline, fine white sand and clear blue water are the characteristics that make this place a beach that attracts a large number of tourists. Come here, you can enjoy having a walk, enjoying each cool sea breeze hitting your skin, to watch the endless vastness of space, to sit and wait for the red sunset to gradually fall on the horizon, where we feel like an encounter between the sky and the ocean. A quiet afternoon, not too much romantic but extremely poetic, the sunset on the sea is really a perfect scene to prepare ending the day and starting the evening’s activities.

In the evening

Enjoy Penang cuisine

To start the evening of the second day, we will enjoy wonderful food in Penang. An ideal destination for cuisine that no other place can compare is Gurney Drive food street. This place is considered to be the center of the Penang cuisine paradise with attractive specialities. It’s almost never empty here even though this food street is not small.

Diners will be satisfied with hundreds of choices, including local dishes and slightly more popular dishes such as Laksa Penang, Bak Kuk Teh (ribs and pork in herbal stew), Oh Chien (oysters fried eggs), grilled squid… You will be lost in the neighborhood where food is everywhere, from vegetarian to non-vegetarian, from the street to the dishes in the restaurants, so refusing to enjoy the attractive dishes here is difficult that nobody can do.
There is not much time to be able to experience everything in Penang, therefore, you should enjoy everything you can, in a rather fun way, you should taste as many dishes as possible to experience the unique flavors of Malaysia cuisine.

Go shopping

The last thing to do before terminate the 48-hour journey is to go shopping and keep yourself souvenirs in Penang. The place you need to go is Gurney plaza – Gurney Paragon, the busiest shopping area on the island. Massive, spacious, flashy under bright lights are the hallmarks of Gurney Paragon. It is an extremely modern commercial center with more than 40 high-end fashion brands and 30 luxury restaurants that can completely satisfied the shopping needs of all visitors. Stroll through the shopping district to see all the best outfits and calmly choose the right set for yourself. This is also an ideal place for visitors to choose souvenirs as gifts for relatives and friends.

• Opening hours: 10 AM – 10 PM
• Address: 163 C&D, Persiaran Gurney, Georgetown

Read more: What to buy in Penang? — 12 must-buy Penang souvenirs, gifts & best things to buy in Penang.

That’s the end of the complete 48 hours in Penang journey in Penang with all kinds of activities including visiting outstanding architectural works to having an outdoor walk, on the beach, enjoying cuisine and going shopping. The above suggestions for 2 days in Penang will help visitors not have to wonder where to go, what to do if they can only travel in such a short time.

Some best day tours, trips, activities and transfer services, tickets in and from Penang you can refer to

• Private Penang Airport Transfers (PEN) for Penang
• Private City Transfers for Penang and Surrounding Cities
• Shared Penang International Airport (PEN) Transfers for Georgetown or Batu Ferringhi
• Explore Georgetown
• The Habitat Penang Hill Ticket
• Klook Pass Penang
• The TOP Penang Ticket
• ESCAPE Penang Ticket
• Explore Georgetown Half Day City Tour
• Entopia by Penang Butterfly Farm Ticket
• Dark Mansion Museum Ticket
• Penang Hill and Temple Sightseeing
• Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion Tour in Penang
• Georgetown Penang Private Car Charter
• Boutique Aquarium Ticket at The TOP Penang
• Heritage Tour and Trishaw Ride in Penang
• Penang Hill and Temple Sightseeing
• Penang Heritage & Street Food Tour
• Georgetown Scenic Night Tour
• KL TravelPass (Metro Card) in Kuala Lumpur
• [SALE] 4G Prepaid SIM Card (MY Airports Pick Up) for Malaysia
• 4G WiFi (MY Airport Pick Up) for Malaysia

Are you looking for more top things to do in Penang: Tours, activities, attractions and other things? Read more: Penang travel blog — The fullest guide for a budget trip to Penang of Malaysia. And Penang in 1 day: Let’s check it out here.