Top 10 places to visit in Penang

Finally, I got all the attractions of Penang sorted out, according to my experiences with them. If you are planning a holiday to Malaysia, one of the Top 10 places to visit in Malaysia is Penang, the Northern state with a nice nickname of “The Pearl of the Orient” or “东方花园”. It is the capital of Malaysian Chinese culture and Buddishm religion of Malaysia and is one of the UNESCO heritage sites in Malaysia. Even more attractive to travelers, Penang is also one of the food paradises (Ipoh is another one) in West Malaysia.

Combining all these features together, Penang is surely a “Must visit” island in the North. Points of interest are countless and here are the top 10 places to visit in Penang.

1. Penang Bridge – Undeniably the most iconic structure in Penang, Penang Bridge stretches 13.5km connecting the mainland Malaysia with the island for motor vehicles. It is the longest bridge in Malaysia and its steel cable stayed girder design is similar to Golden Gate Bridge of San Francisco.
   
2. Kek Lok Si temple – Another iconic landmark in Penang, Kek Lok Si is the largest Buddhist temple on the hill side of Ayer Itam, which is famous for its giant 36.5m high statue of Kuan Yin (the Goddess of Mercy) on top of the hill.
   
3. Penang Hill – Located next to Kek Lok Si in Ayer Itam, Penang Hill was the favourite high tea location for the English during the British colonial era, and it is still a great spot for afternoon tea and offers the best city viewpoint.
4. Batu Ferringhi beach – Don’t be overwhelmed by the historic image of Penang. Apart from temples and fishing village, Penang island also features some of the nice sandy beaches in West Malaysia, especially along the Batu Ferringhi coast line which is facing the same Andaman Sea as other popular beach resort islands such as the Langkawi Island, Krabi and Phuket of Thailand.
5. Gurney Drive – If you are looking for the full local foods varieties to try, Gurney Drive could be your destination. Along the Tanjung Bungah coast line, Gurney Drive offers 1-stop food centre with over 100 different food stalls selling most of the local delicacies include Char Koay Teow, Hokkien prawn noodles, Assam Laksa, oyster fried eggs and more.
   
6. Clan’s Jetties – A series of 6 jetties featuring fishing villages grouped under 6 Chinese clans from their individual ancestor. It is believed these water villages are the last bastions of old Chinese settlements on the island and they are interesting  to explore and appreciate the ancient life of the local people.
7. Catch the wall murals – The latest attraction addition in Penang is no other than the street interactive murals created by Ernest Zacharevic, an international artist from Lithuania, in conjunction with the George Town Festival in June, 2012.
   
8. Fort Cornwallis –  An ancient fort constructed by the British under Captain Francis Light features some cannons, a small lighthouse, a chapel, and a gunpowder bunker within its walls. It marks the British colonial history in Penang and is still a famous historic site to visit in George Town.
9. Snake temple – The Snake Temple is situated in the small town of Bayan Lepas on the edge of a highway and is famous for the fact that it has pit vipers living within the temple grounds. It is believed a Chinese monk gave shelter to the snakes and the smell of the burning incense within the temple attracted many snakes coming from all over the nearby jungles and are miraculously harmless to devotees. Today, the snake population of the temple is very small, due to the urbanization of the area, but you can still see them coiled up on the altar tables, and you can touch them, if you are brave enough.
10. Little India – Located in George Town, Little India is an area covering a few roads with mainly Indian inhabitants. You can find all the Indian spices, fashions, tasting the authentic Indian foods while listening to the Bollywood musics. The area is very lively, one might say it is the noisiest part of Georgetown.

Off course there are more attractions than these top 10 list. If you are a shopaholic looking for shopping malls, Queensbay mall, Gurney Plaza and Strait Quays are some of the largest. There are also some other latest attractions in Penang Island include the Exscape Adventurous theme park in Teluk Bahang, near Batu Ferringhi. Spend at least one week here to discover the hidden gem in Penang and appreciate what others refer it as the Pearl of the Orient. After Penang, Langkawi island, Ipoh and Pangkor Island are not far away. 🙂 – Travel Feeder .

About The Author

Cecil Lee

The author is an avid traveler and photography hobbyist who loves to share with others his travel and photo-taking experience in many popular tourist destinations around Europe, Asia and Australasia. Read the exciting stories with many photos captured on his journeys.