Penang is one of those places I would rush back to in an instant. There is so much to see and do in Penang that we only touched the surface. We spent 4 days here in May and whilst we had a couple of downpours, this place is perfect for a few days of exploring and meandering streets and parks.
We arrived in Penang from the mainland, having hired a car and travelling from KL via the Genting and Cameron Highlands, and travelling over the enormously long road bridge over the sea was pretty epic! 3 full days in Penang is enough to explore the main areas well, but it’s one of those places I imagine you notice and explore more each time you go.
Penang Hill and the Habitat
Penang Hill and The Habitat – a totally brilliant place to visit that really isn’t on the tourist trail. This is really two places in one, and don’t neglect the Habitat and just to Penang Hill as many tourists do. You can spend a good few hours here exploring the rainforest at the top of Penang Hill, named the Habitat.
To gain access and avoid a huge walk, take the funicular up the hill. Once you are there you are greeted with pushchair friendly paths, stunning views over Penang town and a rainforest sanctuary full of educational information, and large swings (big enough for 4 or 5 people) to swing over the treetops and create great excitement for children (and parents alike).
The nature trail is around 1.6km long so takes around an hour (or 2 depending how many swings you want to enjoy) and very family friendly. You can also get breathtaking views atop Curtis Crest Tree Top Walk, the highest viewing platform in Penang, and traverse the Langur Way Canopy Walk, the longest double span stressed ribbon bridge in the world and the only one in a rainforest. Entrance fees are £10 per person and under 3s are free.
Penang Street Art
Enjoy the hidden street art. Penang is a wanderer’s paradise, and exploring the small, narrow, weaving streets will find you discovering a whole host of street art, some with immersive images for you participate in.
Some are Banksy style, others are created to look like 3-D structures, others have swings, bench or bicycles to sit on with the paintings behind. There are quotes, graffiti, doodles, and even plant art of a wealth of green shrubs and garden flowers planted in rickshaws. Each corner you’ll unearth something new and different so take the time to just mosey around exploring.
Sites around downtown Penang
Exploring downtown Penang – aside from the streets of art, there are several sites worth visiting as you mooch around downtown Georgetown.
The chew jetties are full of wooden houses on stilts over the sea full of various shops and stalls from bars, to tourist tat, the art and textiles. It’s amazing that people also live here amongst the stilts and wooden gangways.
The best places to eat in Penang
Little India is made up on one main street filled with ornate buildings and of course a wealth of indian inspired cuisine and decoration. We had a wonderful curry here with authentic Mango Lassis!
Love lane is another long street with a younger vibe where we escaped to without the kids for a few hours. There are restaurants serving drinks and food from around the globe and we settled on mexican for our child-free hours!
New Lane Street Foodstalls – word of warning this is a fish eaters paradise, not so much for the veggies! But this is a great hawker market area with hundreds of seats outdoors surrounded by all the street vendors. This is also frequented by all the locals so much be a good place!
Penang is hot and humid so as always we recommend finding an apartment with a pool. We stayed on Jalan Macalister which is very central and we thoroughly enjoyed the rooftop pool which rarely had anyone else in it!
