Must-see attractions in Penang

  • Door and blue wall, Penang, Malaysia

    Blue Mansion

    George Town

    The most photographed building in George Town, this magnificent 38-room, 220-window mansion was built in the 1880s and rescued from ruin in the 1990s…

  • Rainforest canopy walkway

    Penang National Park

    Penang

    At 23 sq km, this is Malaysia's smallest national park, but it's beach-fringed forests are home to silvered leaf monkeys, flying lemurs, leopard cats and…

  • Offerings before the Datuk Kong tree at the Tropical Spice Garden, Penang, Malaysia

    Tropical Spice Garden

    Penang

    Facing a beautiful white-sand beach on the 101 bus route, this beautifully landscaped oasis preserves 500 species of tropical flora, spread across 200…

  • Pinang Peranakan Mansion

    George Town

    Lovingly restored, this ostentatious, mint-green structure was one of the most stunning private residences in George Town. Every door, wall and archway is…

  • Kek Lok Si Temple

    Penang

    Malaysia's largest Buddhist temple is a colourful explosion of statues, pagodas and pavilions, cascading down a hillside in Air Itam, around 8km from the…

  • Khoo Kongsi

    George Town

    The most spectacular clanhouse in George Town, Khoo Kongsi is an explosion of colour. Intricate ceramic mosaics of immortals, carp and dragons dance…

  • Kuan Yin Teng

    George Town

    Dedicated to Kuan Yin, goddess of mercy, this temple is the liveliest place of worship in George Town. The current temple was built in the early 19th…

  • The Habitat

    Penang

    Bordering one of Penang's two virgin rainforest reserves, the spine of this fantastic addition to the Penang Hill experience is a finely crafted 1.6km…

  • Komik Asia

    George Town

    If you don't know your Lat from your Tezuka Osamu, then this is the place to become more closely acquainted with the dynamic work of comic-book artists…

  • Art Lane

    George Town

    This 2018 addition to George Town's ever-growing collection of public artworks is a gallery crafted from two vacant pre-WWII shophouses. Artworks run the…

  • Pantai Pasir Panjang

    Penang

    This empty, pristine beach with white sand the texture of raw sugar is one of the prettier spots on Penang for the few who make the effort to get here…

  • Teluk Bahang Forest Reserve

    Penang

    This 873-hectare forest reserve contains a chunk of Penang's virgin rainforests. Guides are rarely available, so pick up a hiking leaflet at the ranger's…

  • Cheah Kongsi

    George Town

    Looking splendid after a major restoration, Cheah Kongsi is home to the oldest Straits Chinese clan association in Penang. Topped by a tiled pagoda roof,…

  • Chew Jetty

    George Town

    The largest and most intact of the clan jetties, Chew Jetty consists of 75 elevated houses, several Chinese temples, a community hall and lots of tourist…

  • Lebuh Armenian

    George Town

    Although this street is named for Penang's Armenian population (such as the famous Sarkies, who established the Eastern & Oriental Hotel), there's no…

  • Botanical Gardens

    Penang

    Once a granite quarry, Penang's Botanical Gardens were founded in 1884 by Charles Curtis, a tireless British plant lover who collected the original…

  • Hin Bus Depot

    George Town

    The industrial remains of this former bus station have become a vibrant hub for George Town's burgeoning contemporary art scene. There are cafes and pop…

  • Protestant Cemetery

    George Town

    Under a canopy of magnolia trees you’ll find the graves of Captain Francis Light, the founder of the British colony of Penang, and many others, including…

  • Entopia by Penang Butterfly Farm

    Penang

    Entopia is about so much more than tropical butterflies – although there's some 13,000 of these beauties from around 120 species fluttering freely around…

  • Ban Po Thar

    Penang

    This seven-tier, 30m-high tower is one of the most striking features of Kek Lok Si Temple. Completed in 1927, the octagonal pagoda is Burmese at the top,…

  • Dhammikarama Burmese Buddhist Temple

    George Town

    Penang's first Buddhist temple was built in 1805 by migrants from Myanmar (Burma). A series of panel paintings on the life of the Buddha line the walkways…

  • Wat Chayamangkalaram

    George Town

    The Temple of the Reclining Buddha is a typical Thai temple, complete with mosaic-covered naga serpents guarding the entrance, a sharp-eaved pagoda roof,…

  • Lim Kongsi

    George Town

    Set up in 1860, this Clanhouse is also known as Kew Leong Tong, which means Hall of Nine Dragons. The association is open to anyone with the surname Lim,…

  • Hock Teik Cheng Sin Temple

    George Town

    This 1850 temple is dedicated to its patron deity, the Taoist God of Prosperity. Resplendent in red, gold and polished black columns, it has quite a few…

  • Masjid Kapitan Keling

    George Town

    Penang’s first Indian Muslim settlers, troops from the East India Company, built Masjid Kapitan Keling in 1801, named for the captain who had the idea…

  • Art & Garden by Fuan Wong

    Penang

    Rising up a hillside on a part of the family’s durian orchard is this amazing conceptual garden where glass artist Fuan Wong marries his collection of…

  • Rainbow Skywalk

    George Town

    Located at the tippy top of George Town's iconic but homely KOMTAR tower, Rainbow Skywalk offers a variety of elevated activities, from a rooftop…

  • House of Yeap Chor Ee

    George Town

    Housed in an exquisitely restored three-storey shophouse mansion, this interesting museum is dedicated to a former resident, itinerant barber-turned…

  • Asia Camera Museum

    George Town

    The contents of a former portrait studio have been relocated to this shophouse on Lr Armenian. A guided tour escorts you to a camera obscura, more than…

  • Escape

    Penang

    It's fun for all the family here, but be warned: adults report being more challenged than kids by the adventurous games and attractions at this play park,…

  • Batik Painting Museum Penang

    George Town

    Penang artist Chuah Thean Teng is credited with applying the age-old local craft of batik (a dye-resist process) to making works of art. Several of his…

  • St George's Church

    George Town

    The oldest Anglican church in Southeast Asia, St George's was constructed in 1816, with backing from the East India Company. In the grounds is a memorial…

  • Tropical Fruit Farm

    Penang

    About 8km south of Teluk Bahang is this 10-hectare hillside farm, which cultivates more than 250 types of tropical and subtropical fruit trees, native and…

  • Han Jiang Ancestral Temple

    George Town

    This beautifully decorated and maintained Clanhouse, belonging to the Penang Teochew Association, dates back to 1870. It features informative displays on…

  • Church of the Assumption

    George Town

    The Catholic Church of the Assumption was founded in 1786, not long after the foundation of Penang, but the present building was constructed in 1861.

  • Lee Jetty

    George Town

    Perhaps the most appealing clan jetty, with a new row of wooden homes and businesses owned by members of one extended family.

  • Teochew Puppet & Opera House

    George Town

    A family collection of puppets, costumes and traditional instruments form the basis of this charming specialist museum.

  • malaysia, penang, georgetown, sri mariamman temple. part view of exterior roof and gopuram painted tower decorated with brightly painted figures of hindu gods and characters.

    Sri Mariamman Temple

    George Town

    Built in 1883, Sri Mariamman is George Town’s oldest Hindu house of worship. For local South Indians, the temple fulfils the purpose of a Chinese…

  • Interior, Penang State Museum, Penang, Malaysia

    Penang Museum

    George Town

    Penang's state-run museum includes exhibits on the history, customs and traditions of the island’s various ethnic groups, with photos, videos, documents,…

  • P Ramlee House

    George Town

    This museum compound is dedicated to the 1950s and '60s movie star P Ramlee, who was born here. Ramlee was particularly known for his singing; he also…