Penang travel blog — The fullest Penang guide for first-timers

There are images of the little girl, sitting on a swing, or on a saddle of the motorbike, on the window sill,…. Today, the number of visitors increase dramatically, you have to line up to take photos with these wall paintings.

Penang botanical garden: Penang’s Spice Gardens

Formerly a trade for the exchange of famous herbs and spices. Today, you can visit the spice garden and botanical garden in Penang.

If you are looking for a perfect getaway where nature and fresh air fill the atmosphere, the Penang Botanical Garden and Butterfly Garden are places you can not miss. This natural visit will bring you the fresh breeze for your Penang trip.

Kek Lok Si Temple

Malaysia is not a Buddhist country, but it is home to a number of unique religious sites. Among them are Kek Lok Si in Penang. Situated near Penang Hill, the Kek Lok Si Temple area has an extremely peaceful environment with evergreen nature.

However, what makes up the beauty of Kek Lok Si is its size and architectural features. You can visit the stupa of the temple, where preserves the image of more than 1000 Buddhas with the unique combination of Chinese-Burmese and Malaysian architecture.

Along with the bronze statue of Quan Yin and other Buddhist architectural details. Kek Lok Si is also the largest Buddhist temple among theses in Malaysia.

Wat Chaiya Mangkalaram Temple

It is a Buddhist temple but Wat Chaiya Mangkalaram is a typical Thai temple. Coming here, you can easily find the same Buddha statue at Wat Pho (Bangkok, Thailand).

This statue is recognized as the third largest Buddha in the world. Along with the Buddha statue, this temple also features typical Thai Buddhist architecture with golden chedi, curved roofs, naga statues and decorative mosaic details.

Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion – Blue House

This ancient blue building is one of the most fabulous monuments in Penang. Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion used to belong to a Chinese businessman a few centuries ago.

He skillfully combined traditional Chinese style, feng shui, modern western architecture and Penang local identity into this huge building. With its characteristic indigo blue color, this mansion is very easy to find when you come to Georgetown.

Penang Khoo Kongsi

If Kek Lok Si is the “holy place” of Buddhism, Khoo Kongsi symbolizes solidarity within the Chinese community. It is the family temple of the Khoo, which was built and dots based on the basic architecture of China in the last century. From the dragon’s head to natural flowers is carved in a very sophisticated and elegant way to create a worship space.

Pinang Peranakan Mansion

In addition to the Blue mansion built in the 1880s, Penang also has the famous Peranakan Mansion. This was the residence and office of Chung Keng Kwee – a colonial mandate at the time. The building symbolizes the wealth of mandarins in nineteenth century in the Malacca Straits. Inside the Peranakan mansion you will find a blend of brick from England, Scottish cast iron and European art. Traditions from the production of souvenirs, antiques, artefacts fill space. The furniture, the wood carvings China will make you immersed in love. You will admire the traditional out of space, from the widgets, the picture is arranged neatly …

Penang Camera Museum

If you are a professional camera player then this museum will be your paradise. From the Leica to the Polaroid, the mechanic, the photographer’s dedicated camera to the newer representatives in the technology field. You can see both the history of photography and the camera shown in the galleries of the Penang Camera Museum

KOMTAR building

The highest building in Penang will make the high altitude fear forget about anxiety due to the magnificent view. The 60th floor of KOMTAR building is the ideal place to see Penang from high to far away.

Upside Down Museum

The museum is located at No. 45 Lebuh Kimberley, designed as a small house with kitchen, bedroom, … completely upside down. For the fun here you have to pay 27 RM ($6.69), children are 16 RM ($3.97) only!

Snake Temple

Looking for some thrills?, then don’t forget to check out at the Snake Temple. It is also a temple of the Chinese, but the Snake Temple is not famous for architecture or statues but for the “resident” here.

The snakes are “good” but do not annoy these guys! Image by: penang travel blog.You have to be extremely careful as this is home to all kinds of small reptiles. Legend has it that a monk had saved a snake life and brought him to the temple, from then, the temple became the “nest” of this kind of animal. Therefore, they will not harm visitors. Historically, this has never been documented in the case of visitors bitten, however, for safety reasons you should not poke any snake at this temple.

Nibong Island

Nibong Island is one of the must-go destinations when you travel to Penang, especially if you are a nature lover and a romantic addict. Join the journey to explore this small island, you will be visiting the mangrove forest where gather thousands of fireflies. And this blinking light creates a marvelous beauty that you only can see in the Nibong Island.

If you are excited to discover new things, natural landscapes, and cultural explorations, Penang will definitely be your favorite destination. Accumulate a plenty of Penang travel experiences and start your journey to this striking old town.

Penang blog: What to eat in Penang?

Cendol

Cendol is the famous dessert of the people of Penang! After enjoying the flavors dishes of Malaysian cuisine, Cendol will make you satisfied with ice cold, sweet syrup, add durian, red beans, just fragrant and fat.

Assam Laksa

This delicious yummy sour dish is one of the experiences that you should not miss! Assam Laksa is similar in taste to sour noodles in Vietnam, made from sour Tamarind water, meats, noodles and fish, shrimp. However, to know how different, you have to try.

Char kway teow

Fried rice noodles mixed with black soybean sauce and shrimp, oysters, fried eggs and chives, Malaysian specialties.

Curry Mee (Curry Laksa)

This can be considered as spicy coconut soup with egg noodles or rice vermicelli, surrounded with a lot of chicken, tofu, shrimp, porridge, satay … make a very explosive taste it!

Penang travel blog: Where to eat?

In addition, the Penang cuisine is contain very much the characteristics of India, China and many other countries so the dishes are so diverse in both form and taste. Especially, the price is relatively cheap (ranging from $0.6 to $2.5) from “kitchen of the world”. So, where to eat in Penang?

Gurney Drive area

It is a 20-minute drive from Penang International Airport (at the end of Persiaran Gurney Beach Road). The new Foodcourt Gurney Drive includes both vegetarian and savory dishes, open from 6pm. From Indian milk tea to fried noodles, fried dough, … comfortable choice. In the morning there are still bars but not bustling and sparkling by evening.

Lorong Love Lane intersection – Lebuh Chulia Street

The area is also lovely and true to the style of the evening as are above. Traveling to Penang is must eat “street food” like this that are real backpackers.

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.