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Rickshaw ride to the temples of Penang

Penang has a fascinating atmosphere of colonial heritage mixed with an intriguing melting pot of Chinese, Malaysian and Indian culture. In Georgetown, travel back in time as you wander through the mystical temples and admire the intricate Chinese shop facades. Most travellers tend to gather around the touristy Batu Feringhhi but we actually prefer the more interesting cultural heart of the island. Besides, Malaysia boasts a lot better beaches than Penang which you’re sure to visit at some other point on your trip.

During this Penang trip you’ll stay in our authentic special stay accommodation in the heart of Georgetown. The atmosphere of the hotel really reflects its surroundings and that’s one of the reasons why we've chosen it. We’ll arrange a trishaw to take you along the heritage route past all the interesting buildings in Georgetown. Penang is also the culinary heart of Nyonya cuisine, with a unique mix of Chinese, Malay and Indonesian influences that you can try at one of the many food stalls or restaurants.

You can start building your own Malaysia trip using our bite-sized Malaysia tours. Or alternatively you can take your pick from our range of suggested holidays in Malaysia. Want to combine your Malaysia adventure with a trip to Borneo? No problem. Simply choose from our selection of bite-sized Borneo tours or ready-made holidays in Borneo.

Duration	3 days / 2 nights departs daily	Accommodation	2 nights' accommodation in our special stay accommodation. Comfort level 4 (see accommodation).
Price	Special Stay option: £136 per person - based on 2 people sharing	Includes	Accommodation with breakfast, half-day trishaw city tour.
Transport	Trishaw city tour	Excludes	Other meals and transfers to and from Penang

Day 1: Arrival in Penang

You can arrive into Penang via many modes of transport; by boat, aeroplane or a route used by the majority of Penang’s visitors- via Butterworth along the 8-mile long Penang Bridge. Your hotel is in the centre of Georgetown and has its own hawker’s centre next door; here you can try some of the best local dishes in Penang. And while we’re on the subject of food, make sure you try the typical Nyonya cuisine, a unique mix of Malay, Chinese and Indonesian influences. You can find it at the Datuk Keramat Hawker Centre, also known as Padang Brown. This is also where the typical night markets are held - just ask at reception for the exact days or dates as they tend to change.

During your Penang trip, you'll stay in our centrally located special stay accommodation, the Blue Mansion. The comfortable rooms are tastefully decorated and although you’re in the middle of a busy city you’ll feel like you’re in the middle of a peaceful oasis.

Day 2: Penang trishaw tour

Today is the second day of your Penang trip and after your breakfast; you’ll be picked up at the hotel by your trishaw driver around 9am. You will be given a Penang trip of the highlights of Georgetown, including Fort Cornwallis and the Goddess of Mercy Temple.

Early afternoon you’ll be dropped off at the hotel where you can spend the rest of the day relaxing or perhaps explore more of the island. There are several ways to travel around Penang; besides local buses there’s a free shuttle hop-on hop-off service to all the major sights, very useful if you want to visit other places outside Georgetown. For suggestions on some of the most interesting attractions see our travel tips at the bottom of this page.

Day 3: End of Penang trip

Your Penang trip ends today, but if you wish delve deeper into the cultural history of Penang, we can always extend your stay. Just let us know in your quote request form.

From Penang you can continue your Malaysia trip in various directions. If you're heading north, you could try our Langkawi trip, if you travel eastwards you could opt for our Perhentian trip, our Malaysia beach trip on Lang Tengah or our Malaysia islands hopping trip on Perhentian and Lang Tengah. Finally, if you decide to continue your trip southwards, you could try our Malaysia trip on Pulau Pangkor or a Cameron Highlands trip.

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Penang trip special stay

The fabulous Blue Mansion is an original 19th century Chinese mansion which in 2000 was awarded the UNESCO Most Excellent Heritage Award. Besides a small hotel the mansion also houses a museum on the history of the original owner Cheong Fatt Tze and its unique 18th and 19th century Chinese architecture. The mansion has limited guest rooms so we can’t guarantee availability but if you book well ahead we can arrange a beautiful room for you in this exceptional house for a truly Special Stay in Penang.

Tips for your Penang trip

Best time to travel
Pulau Penang, like the rest of the west coast is fine to visit all year round.

Food
Penang is the culinary heart of Nyonya cooking, a unique combination of Chinese and Malaysian influences with sweet, sour and spicy flavours. Specialities are the assam laksa (sweet and spicy fish soup), nasi kandar (curry), mee yoke (king prawns in chilli noodle soup) and inche kabin (chicken marinated in spices and then fried). The food stalls are famous for their Nyonya dishes. Thirty Two is a great restaurant in the north of Georgetown that serves fusion cuisine. Besides fantastic food the restaurant has a great atmosphere, a waterside terrace and a live jazz band. We couldn’t tear ourselves away.

Beaches
The word Pulau, Malaysian for ‘island’, conjures up images white beaches and clear blue sea but on Penang most of these paradise beaches have long disappeared. These days Batu Ferringhi, once a favourite hippy hangout, is more reminiscent of the Spanish Costa Brava than a Malaysian tropical island. The best place on the west coast for an island stay we believe is Pulau Langkawi. With tropical white beaches and so much to do, you will never get bored here.

Street names
You might notice during your Penang trip that the street names can be a bit confusing because they use both the Malaysian and English names, for example the Jalan Penang/Penang Road and the Lebuh Penang/Penang Street. Many of the street names have also been changed; Lebuh Pitt (Pitt Street) is now called Jalan Mashid Kapitain Kling, and Beach Street is now Lebuh Pantai. As soon as you arrive in Penang, we suggest that you buy the most recent map available to help you find your way around during your Penang trip.

Local transport
MPPP Rapid Penang CAT is a free shuttle bus service that operates around the whole city. The bus covers a route from Pengkalan Weld (Weld Quay) to Penang Road and back again. To help you distinguish the buses, on the front of the bus there is a "Hop On Free" sign. On the sides of the bus are the words "City Hop On" and "Central Area Transit". Along the way, it makes 19 stops at the island's main points of interest. The service runs from 6am until midnight. Apart from the route around Komtar, the shuttle service travels along the roads within the core and buffer zones of the George Town UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Georgetown
The Penang Clock Tower, Fort Cornwallis (RM3 adult / RM2 child) and the ABN AMRO Arts & Culture Centre (free admission) are just a few of the attractions of Georgetown. Go via Little India to Chinatown with its many colonial buildings like the Courts of Justice, the Mariner’s Club and the Penang Museum (RM1 adult / RM 0.50 child, opening times: 9.00a.m. - 5.00p.m, closed on Fridays) and Art Gallery (free admission, opening times: 9am-5pm daily.)

Not far from here is the ‘Religious Square’ where you’ll find among others the Catholic Cathedral of Assumption, the Anglican St Paul’s Church, the Chinese Goddess of Mercy Temple (Kuan Yin Teng), the Indian Sri Mariamann Temple (with lots of little restaurants and tea stalls around it). You’ll also find the many Chinese shophouses that Penang’s so famous for. One of the most interesting sights has to be the ornately decorated Khoo Kongsi (RM5, open daily, including Sundays and Public Holidays: 9 am to 5 pm), just south of the ‘Religious Square’ and the nearby Malay Mosque with its distinctive Egyptian minaret.

Western Penang
Wat Chayamangkalaram, the largest Thai temple of Penang with a 100ft Reclining Buddha, and opposite the Burmese temple guarded by giant stone elephants. You can take bus 93 to Penang National Park where you can go hiking through the jungle.

Central Penang
The largest and newest temple of Penang, the State Mosque. The Bat Temple, the Ayer Tam Dam and definitely not to be missed; the Kek Lok Si Temple.

Southern Penang
Snake Temple and the Chinese fishing village Batu Maung, known for its floating restaurant, good beaches and the War Museum.

Northern Penang
The area around Batu Ferringhi beach is worth a visit. Don’t expect the paradise beaches, it’s more of a large-scale tourist resort and you can’t really swim here. The place does have several excellent restaurants though as well as a Butterfly Farm with over 4000 butterflies and an orchid farm. There’s also an interesting botanical garden, dating back to 1844 (take bus no. 7). You can follow a 6-mile hiking trail to Penang Hill (or take the train from the other side of the hill).

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