Must-see attractions in Penang

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • (GERMANY OUT) Statue Franicis Light, Fort Cornwallis, Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia  (Photo by Schöning/ullstein bild via Getty Images)

    Fort Cornwallis

    George Town

    Captain Francis Light first built a wooden fort here in 1786, establishing the free port where trade would, he hoped, be lured from Britain’s Dutch rivals…

  • 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…

  • 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,…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • High Court

    George Town

    This impressive 1903 building, with rows of columns holding up balconies and shaded exterior corridors, is Malaysia's oldest high court. Outside is a…

  • Suffolk House

    George Town

    This impressive Georgian-style mansion is built on the site of the original residence of Francis Light, founder of the colony and native of Suffolk,…

  • Padang

    George Town

    A typical feature of Malaysian colonial cities is the padang, which is an open playing field surrounded by public buildings. George Town’s padang…

  • 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…

  • Wat Buppharam

    George Town

    This Thai temple, dating from 1942, is home to the 'Lifting Buddha', a renowned, 100-year-old, gold-leaf-encrusted Buddha statue about the size of a well…

  • 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…

  • Top at KOMTAR

    George Town

    There are all kinds of attractions – most targeted at families – in this major revamp of part of George Town's iconic KOMTAR tower. The biggest draw is…

  • Sam Poh Footprint Temple

    Penang

    This small seaside temple overlooking fishing boats and the second Penang bridge has a shrine dedicated to the legendary Admiral Zheng He. Also known as…

  • Penang Jewish Cemetery

    George Town

    Believed to be the oldest single Jewish burial ground in Southeast Asia, here you'll find some 107 graves, the earliest of which dates back to 1835. The…

  • Witness Collection

    George Town

    Since this splendid collection of modern and contemporary art works, mainly from Vietnam and Cambodia, is displayed in the home of their owner, Adrian…

  • 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…

  • Penang War Museum

    Penang

    Perched on top of the steep Bukit Batu Maung hill, this former British fort, built in the 1930s, was used as a prison and torture camp by the Japanese…

  • Sun Yat Sen Museum

    George Town

    Dr Sun Yat Sen was the leader of the 1911 Chinese revolution, which established China as the first republic in Asia. He lived in George Town with his…

  • 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,…

  • Bukit Tambun

    Penang

    This attractive village is worth a look before or after a trip to the nearby island of Pulau Aman. The shophouses along the main street are painted with…

  • 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,…

  • Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church

    Penang

    When this Catholic church was first established in 1854, it occupied a hut made of palm leaves; the handsome current structure dates from 1894. The floor…

  • E&O Gallery

    George Town

    Originally built in 1884, the E&O was the archetypal 19th-century colonial grand hotel. It was established by two of the Armenian Sarkies brothers, Tigram…

  • 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…

  • 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…

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