Where to visit in Penang? — 15+ must-see, best & must visit places in penang

In addition, Botanic Gardens is located next to many surrounding waterfalls, so it is also called Waterfall Garden. Visitors can walk in the park on a path surrounded by trees, hear the sound of a waterfall pouring in their ears, feel the gentle sunlight spreading evenly on the green grass, and enjoy the purest things gathered. here. If you really love plants like a scientist, this is also a good place to study because it provides realistic images of plants! This place is also home to the most beautiful jogging and climbing trails on the island, along the trail you will have a perfect view of the top of Penang.

• Address: Jalan Kebun Bunga, Pavilion Complex, Penang.
• Hours: 6:30 AM–7 PM

Penang State Museum and Art Gallery

This is an interesting place for those who are curious or love history and want to explore the process of formation and development of Penang. Although it tends to provide historical knowledge, this work also attracts tourists because of its high aesthetics.

The museum was built and redesigned from an old school, so the museum’s area is quite large. It can be said that Penang’s brilliant history, ups and downs, are all condensed here with artifacts from weapons to utensils and costumes showing the culture and activities of the people and kings through different periods. On the outside, it is covered with a pure white coat, looking like the architecture of a palace or a British Royal building, imbued with Western design style and a powerful majestic look.

Tourists who visit here are often history or art lovers, or even archaeologists or people who like nostalgia and curiosity. Because inside there are also large ancient works of art on display that need to be preserved, such as unique writings or paintings, which reveal the daily life of bygone eras.

Address: Farquar Street in central Georgetown with stops on almost every major bus route.
Opening hours: This museum is open every day of the week, except Fridays and holidays.

Fort Cornwallis

Fort Cornwallis was built when Malaysia was a British colony. Up to now, it has become a historical relic and an attractive tourist destination for tourists every time they come to Penang. Cornwallis is considered the largest fortress and in terms of history, it is almost the oldest fortress built in Malaysia.

Visiting this place, visitors will see an old war scene with a prison, an ancient city wall and cannons that were filled with the smell of gunpowder during the war. Among them, visitors will definitely not be able to miss the largest cannon on display here named Sri Rambai. Even though it has gone through many ups and downs, overcoming changes due to time, you will still find the original colonial look here with almost intact artifacts that show the way of life and work of British civil servant in Malaysia at that time.

When first built, this monument was made from palm trees, then changed to stone, so its solidity and durability can also be explained. Inside the fortress, as soon as you enter the gate, you will see a towering statue of a man, which is a statue of Sir Francis Light, who oversaw the construction of this structure in the 18th century, perhaps they built the statue to express the connection between him and this special historical site.

Today, in addition to its role as a monument and a tourist destination, it has also become a part of the cultural beliefs and beliefs of Penang people, especially local women, who consider the cannon Sri Rambai serves as a fertility amulet with the hope of getting pregnant when flowers are placed in a firecracker tube.

• Location: near the Victoria Memorial Clock Tower at the Esplanade
• Opening hours: 9am – 6:30pm daily

Myanmar and Thai temples on the island

Penang, an island that seems to have a separate culture, but it has an extremely impressive cultural combination, especially Buddhist works. The two most prominent temples on the island are the Dhammikarama Burmese Temple of the Myanmar community and the Wat Chayamangkalaram temple built by the Thai community. Perhaps it is a coincidence or perhaps it is intentional that two temples were built on the same Burma road, making this place a very unique intersection between three cultures.

Wat Chayamangkalaram, also known as the Reclining Buddha Temple, is the tallest temple in peninsular Malaysia with a height of 165 feet. Its architecture alone is a combination of Chinese and Thai culture. Because its original appearance was built in Chinese architectural style, but after restoration, it took on Thai architectural style and has existed since then until now. The highlight of the temple is the gold-plated reclining Buddha statue with a length of 33m, which holds many meanings for Buddhist followers. Besides, the giant Naga snake statue is a notable point in the temple’s architecture with meticulous carving to every detail, delicately combined with eye-catching colors in harmony with each other. You will definitely be amazed at the patience of the talented people who built such a beautiful temple.

In a year, Thai people organize 4 major festivals here: Thai New Year, Vesak Buddha’s Birthday, Merit Making Day in July and the anniversary of the statue’s erection. Therefore, choose these holidays to go to the temple to burn incense and visit because those are the occasions when visitors can feel its atmosphere most clearly.

• Address: Burma, Pulau Takis district of Georgetown
• Opening hours: 6am-5:30pm

Opposite the Thai Buddhist temple, on the other side of the road is the Dhammikarama Burmese Temple, the oldest and only Burmese temple on Penang island. This temple stands out with two main colors covering it: red and yellow. Visitors will easily distinguish it from the opposite Thai temple by the statues of two giant white stone elephants standing on both sides of the entrance. The design of the pagoda attracts viewers with its graceful curved golden domes and strong, steady columns. Inside the main hall, you will have to look up at the large Buddha statue with a white hand facing outwards expressing tolerance, forgiveness and peace. Visitors to the pagoda not only feel the inherent purity and sacredness but also feel the harmony between it and the surrounding nature because within the campus are rows of tall, straight green trees that combine extremely well. in harmony with the colors of the temple.

• Address: Pulau Takis district of Georgetown
• Opening hours: 8am-5pm

Street Art

George Town is recognized by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage and if you travel to Penang and do not explore the unique old streets in this town, it will be a regret. George Town Old Town occupies an important position in promoting images that reflect Penang’s unique culture and is one of the most popular tourist attractions for the island. Are you curious why it has that appeal? The answer is art. But the art here is not the elegant, restrictive aristocratic style like in galleries, but is free art, street art.

Paintings by many different artists, both amateur and professional, are painted on the walls of old houses stretching across a street. Talking about this art means freedom in creativity and lines, but not in the way you like to draw. Actually, it is also part of a project to help develop tourism by the Penang government called “Make George Town”. Here you will see that each picture has a different meaning and they all have their own names. They represent what is closest to people’s daily lives because the materials used to draw them are taken from that rustic life. Visitors will not only be able to see authentic works of art with a lot of effort, but also see the life around us in each painting there.

Another special thing that makes visitors excited is that the paintings here are one of graffiti paintings and the other are paintings of bent steel embossed on the wall. This makes them more vivid and alive, with a sense of detail in living paintings that exist in real life. This will be the ideal place to take top photos. Don’t forget to bring your camera when walking on the old town and admiring the “street art” of George Town!

Kapitan Keling Mosque

Kapitan Keling is one of Penang’s most beautiful and famous mosques. This architectural work is absolutely not inferior to mosques in other regions such as the Middle East. Even if you don’t know it’s Penang, you might mistakenly think you’re in Arabia or India. Kapitan Keling was built by Indian Muslims. It took many restorations to get the beautiful mosque it is today. It appears with a small rounded dome towards the top in muted tones, mainly black and white.

If visitors want to explore the interior structure, there are a few small notes about clothing. Because it is a mosque, it is mandatory for those who come here to pray or visit to dress seriously, covering both arms and legs, and women must wear a headscarf. When night falls and you are still here, you will feel what the atmosphere of a Muslim prayer is like, they do not leave lights inside but will light candles, a bit of quiet adds to the devotion of the people. Muslims, that is all that is needed for a prayer.

• Address: Jalan Masjid, in the heart of Georgetown.
• Visiting time: Every afternoon but on Friday the tour time will be shorter

Khoo Kongsi

When tourists come to George Town, don’t be surprised if there are even more Chinese people than native people. Because since ancient times, most people of Chinese origin have lived here, which also explains why many famous buildings here are designed in the style of Chinese and Khoo architecture. Kongsi is no exception.

This ancient house has a unique architecture that is not found anywhere else, and is definitely a great stop for tourists. The origin of this ancient house comes from a famous Chinese clan who lived in Penang for a long time. It is considered one of the most luxurious ancient houses built here to worship ancestors according to tradition of Chinese people. Visiting this house, you will really see the most luxurious, eye-catching and sophisticated things.

The project is a collection of countless small details designed extremely elaborately and meticulously. They seem to be glued together perfectly to become a giant block of Khoo Kongsi as we see. The grandeur worthy of the wealthy family’s reputation is more evident when stepping inside: many gold carvings and 36 statues of guardian gods are scattered throughout the house. Not to mention the fact that it was built on a granite precinct, using a series of decorative images representing majesty and prosperity such as dragons and carp. Besides, red lanterns and ceramic sculptures are popular to enhance its beauty and long-standing nobility.

• Address: 18 Cannon Square, George Town
• Opening hours: 9am-5pm

Tropical spice garden

Anyone who has ever enjoyed Malaysian cuisine will surely feel the unique flavor of each dish, the reason comes from the fact that they use many local spices and flavorings, things that cannot be found anywhere else to make a difference. Penang is the same, there is a tropical spice garden with both herbs and spices. This is truly an advantage for the cuisine of Malaysia in general and Penang in particular.

At first glance, you may just see it as a dense forest full of ordinary plants, but don’t rush to step on even a certain herb that looks like a harmless grass because it can create a unique flavor of many delicious dishes. Just standing at the outer edge of the garden, visitors will smell something, perhaps quite strong, but you will not be able to guess what the smell is because it is a mix of scents of more than 100 different species of herbs and spices. Only when you step deeper inside can you recognize the specific smell of a certain plant. Maybe it’s the sweet scent of the ginger flower or some familiar plants like ferns or palm trees, but there are certainly many scents that we don’t know emanating from quite strange and unknown plants.

Here you will have another experience besides learning and being curious about plants and spices, which is learning to cook right on site with locally available ingredients such as herbs and extremely fresh agricultural products. You will have the opportunity to become a chef and show off your talent in cooking traditional Malaysian dishes, and for those who are passionate about food, don’t miss that wonderful, rare opportunity to mingle with nature and be satisfied in a special way at the same time.

• Address: 2 Jalan Teluk Bahang, Teluk Bahang, Penang (Northwest coast of Penang)
• Opening hours: 9am – 6pm daily

Penang Hill

Penang Hill is a collection of many different small hills, namely Strawberry Hill, Halliburton’s Hill, Flagstaff Hill, Government Hill, Tiger Hill and Western Hill. The top of the hill located at Western Hill has an altitude of about 2700 feet above sea level.

The climate here is inherently tropical with lots of sunshine and many times it will be quite hot, but once you get to Penang Hill, there will be no more heat because at such a high altitude the air becomes airy. along with cool breezes. Here, visitors can enjoy taking beautiful photos with the background being a large space with the green of grass, trees and far below is the gentle blue of the sea. Does anyone wonder how we will go up the hill? You can walk there, but perhaps only for young people who are extremely strong and want to challenge themselves. Most people will be taken up by specialized funicular rides. That is, there is a small funicular system built just to take tourists to visit the top of Penang hill. Don’t be surprised because this train is an upright train because the tracks are built along the steep hillside, so you can also experience it as a thrilling game.

Next, after being at the top of the hill, there are certain activities you must try once. One of them is standing at the observation deck at the top of Penang Hill. From there, looking down, you can completely grasp the entire panorama of Penang in your eyes to see how beautiful it is, especially when the sunlight gradually lowers, the sunset on the sea begins to fall over the city or at night. The electric light begins to shine brightly in every corner. That will be the most beautiful moment, leaving the deepest impression in everyone’s heart.

In addition, on the hill there is also a love lock bridge for couples or husband and wife. To prove their feelings or hope that their love will last forever, both people will hang a lock on the fence and then throw the key away so that it can never be opened, showing that they will never be apart.

• Address: Air Itam, Georgetown, Pulau Penang
• Opening hours: 6:30 a.m. – 11 p.m

Snake Temple

The last place we want to introduce to you in Penang is the Snake Temple – a quite strange temple. The Snake Temple is not a very famous place for foreign tourists, however it is an indispensable part of the spiritual culture of Penang people and of course they always want to share this tradition with everyone. everyone who comes here to travel. Maybe some people won’t like this name because it sounds quite dangerous and scary, maybe that’s why people have found another name for it, which sounds quite poetic: The Temple of the Azure Cloud.

The name Snake Temple comes from a phenomenon when the temple was just completed. That is, there are many types of snakes crawling both inside and outside the temple. Instead of killing them, people turned this place into a temple as if to be grateful that they did not harm anyone when they came here. Just like that, since then, every year on holidays or whatever happens, everyone comes here to worship and see snakes as sacred animals at the temple. Many people may think that they only worship snake statues for symbolism, but the snakes here are real snakes, even many, they are often motionless on trees or in fruit trays in the temple. This may scare many people, but since the Snake Temple was built, people here have lived in harmony with them until now.

A little courage to explore that incredible culture is probably worth doing because other than that, the temple is built in the familiar Chinese architectural style, sophisticated, with patterns, details and all. Of course, it has created its own beauty. When you come here, remember to follow the warnings in the temple grounds such as not turning on the flash when entering, not making too much noise, not touching them… to avoid provoking this animal.

• Address: Sungai Kluang on Penang Island
• Opening hours: 7am-7pm

Hopefully with the above travel suggestions, visitors will have suitable choices that you feel interested in when traveling to Malaysia. Come to Penang and you won’t have to worry about not knowing any interesting places to have fun and experience.

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.