Penang is one of the many reasons we love visiting Malaysia. Of all the country’s best destinations, you’ll see that this island doesn’t mess around. But there are quite a few things to see and do there, so let’s break it down a bit for you. Through this guide, we’ll show you why and how to visit Penang in style.
Why and How to Visit Penang in Style!
This Penang travel guide is part of our series on Malaysia Travel and Southeast Asia Travel. It was originally created on November 20, 2017. It has been maintained and updated (as of December 27, 2018) to reflect current viewpoints and travel trends.
Getting There and Where to Stay
It’s pretty easy to get to Penang from Kuala Lumpur. It’s so close to the mainland that one could easily forget that Penang is an island. We stayed in a hotel not far from hawkers by the ocean and the best-known hawker mall—Gurney Drive. There are plenty of places to stay in Penang and we used Booking to find a great deal for our trip!
Penang Food
One should visit Malaysia first for its wonderful food and Penang in particular, where the famed “hawker” food stalls dominate the scene. Everything was pretty cheap, too. Oceanside hawker malls serve up anything worth eating. Hawker food wows visitors with its wide variety of stalls serving different ethnic foods and in this case, to accompany the lineup of variety Malay, Chinese, and Indian food. It’s hard to top these moments eating beautiful, delicious food and having a view of the quiet water.
More Penang Attractions
The Tropical Spice Garden’s Malay cooking class and its accompanying garden tour teach wannabe foodies where our most important ingredients originate. Our morning walk through the Chew Jetty and all its colorful walls and walkways left me wondering if we’d gone back in time. Penang Hill is a bit touristy but one of the few true views a person can get from above here. Many people love just walking around and checking out the gorgeous street art found all over the island. I can’t wait to go back and see more!
Our Thoughts and Yours, Too!
The Colonial Period still rings throughout Penang, with the old buildings and relics from a time gone by. There are so many interesting places in Penang, making it certainly worth a visit, if not for the food, culture, and look back into its history. I feel like there’s so much to explore and out of everywhere we’ve been, it’s one of the tiniest spots one can visit. It’s definitely one place in Southeast Asia that you should visit.
So, what do you think of Penang? Would you visit this wonderful part of Malaysia? Have you ever been? If you’re in the middle of planning your Penang trip, where do you plan on going first? We’d love to read your thoughts in the comments section below:)
Further Reading
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Sample, sample, sample. YUM! This post made me hungry.
Lol, I hope you found something good to eat today:) Thanks for commenting!
nice write and glad you enjoy your trip to Malaysia. Yes, there are still lots of places in Malaysia especially in the East Malaysia. Hope you get a chance to visit Malaysia again. =)