Penang: TOP 12 attractions, photos and description

Malaysia attracts tourists not only with its exotic nature, beach vacations, diving and surfing, but also with the fact that it has something to see. Penang deserves special attention of lovers of excursions - the sights here are found literally at every step. According to various sources, this relatively small island has from 1 to 3 thousand attractions. Most of them are located in the capital of Penang - Georgetown, which is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Consider what to see on the Penang is in the first place.

Penang Peranakan Mansion House Museum

Peranakan Mansion is the home of a wealthy family belonging to the Chinese diaspora, preserved from the 19th - early 20th centuries. Peranakans in Malaysia are the descendants of Chinese immigrants, whose culture combines Chinese, Malay and European traditions. All these trends are clearly visible in the rich decoration of the Penang Peranakan house-museum.

The mansion was built for the family of the wealthy Jogtown merchant Chung Keng Kui, who was an influential figure in the Peranakan community.

The decoration and furnishings of the house were carefully restored, which allows you to see how the upper class peranakan lived at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries.

You can visit Penang Peranakan House Museum any day, including holidays.
Working hours: 9:30-17:00.
Address: 29, Church Street, 10200 Penang, Malaysia.
Ticket price for adults RM 20.00. Admission is free for children under 6 years old.

ESCAPE Amusement Park

Fans of outdoor activities are advised to visit the ESCAPE amusement park, which is located an hour's drive from the center of Georgetown, next to Entopia Butterfly Farm. Here are collected attractions that will please both children and adults.

Water park and rope park, descent in flight from towers of various heights, all kinds of trampolines, slides, bungees, swimming in inflatable chambers - everyone can choose entertainment to taste. In accordance with its motto: “It’s not necessary to grow up!”, The ESCAPE amusement park provides everyone with the opportunity to feel like a child. All rides are arranged in accordance with the principles of complete safety, so that 100% safety is guaranteed to all visitors.

The price of tickets depends on the age of visitors, you can find it on the site of this attraction www.escape.my.

Visit time Tue - Sun, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Where to find: 828 Jalan Teluk Bahang, Malaysia, Penang 11050.

Butterfly Farm Entopia

Near the amusement park ESCAPE, there is another attraction of the island - Entopia Butterfly Farm. Here you can not only look at the butterflies, but also "chat" with them. Having smeared with a special cream, you can feel like a flower attracting butterflies. Here they collected more than 120 species.

Entopia Farm also introduces many other insects and arachnids: scorpions, spiders, bees, giant millipedes, which can be observed from a safe distance. In addition to insects, here you can look at predatory plants and representatives of reptiles: monitor lizards, snakes, geckos, turtles, water dragons.

Working hours: daily from 9: 00-17: 00.
830 Jalan Teluk Bahang, Teluk Bahang, Penang Island 11050, Malaysia
Ticket price: adult - RM 54, child - RM 36 (up to 4 years free).

Monastery on Crane Hill (Kek Lok Si Temple)

The temple complex Kek Lok Si Temple is an active monastery. There is no attraction on Penang Island in Malaysia more famous than Kek Lok Si Temple, because it is the largest Buddhist sanctuary in the entire Southeast Asian region.

Situated on the slope of Crane Hill, the monastery complex rises to its very top, on which there is a gazebo with a 36-meter-high statue of the Goddess of Mercy. You can climb here by funicular, car or on foot. A magnificent panorama of the surroundings opens from the top.

On the territory of the Kek Lok Si Temple, you can see the Buddhist temples and pagodas built since 1885. All of them are active and free to visit. A lot of souvenir shops and cafes, comfortable leisure places come in handy, because familiarization with this attraction can last several hours.

Kek Lok Si Temple is open 7.00-21.00, the entrance is free.
Address: Air Itam, Penang Island 11500, Malaysia.

Street Art in Georgetown

Georgetown wall painting is also his attraction, because it causes increased interest among tourists. The idea to paint the walls of the George Town houses belongs to the young Baltic artist who lived here, who at first did this at night. Residents and guests of the city liked the results of his work, and the government supported this initiative.

Now in the capital of Penang, there are many street art objects whose location is marked on the maps. Walking on exotic Asian streets in search of works of wall painting allows you to look at the city from the inside and get to know it better. It is better to choose cloudy days for this.

Armenian Street

One of the central streets of Dzhozhtown Armenian Street got its name from the Armenian diaspora who lived here once and built its church. Currently, the Armenians do not live here, the church has not been preserved, and the street has become a landmark of Penang, thanks to the authentic architecture and color of the old city.

Armenian street attracts visitors to the city with unusual decor - bas-reliefs, mosaics, lanterns. Here you can see Buddhist temples and modern graffiti. At the service of tourists are many cafes with different cuisines, souvenir shops and shops.

Khoo Kongsi Temple House

One of the most memorable sights of the capital of Penang is the Khoo Kongsi temple house. This cult structure looks especially impressive in the evening illumination. It was built by the first Chinese immigrants of the Khu clan as a sign of worship to their ancestors. For more than a century and a half, the building was destroyed several times, but the Chinese diaspora restored it every time.

Khoo Kongsi Temple House attracts with its graceful architecture, rich decor, stucco and stone carvings. Once inside, you can see the temple rooms, the community hall, as well as the theater, in which traditional Chinese opera performances are held every six months.

Khoo Kongsi House-temple accepts visitors on weekdays from 09: 00-17: 00, on Saturdays from 9: 00-13: 00, on Sundays it is a day off.
Ticket price RM 10.00 for adults and 1.00 RM for children under 12 years old.
Address: 18 Lebuh Cannon, Georgetown, Penang Island 10200, Malaysia.

Penang Hill Lookout

The observation deck on Penang Mountain overlooks the city and its surrounding landscape. In clear weather, you can look at the famous bridge connecting the island with mainland Malaysia. There are also other attractions that attract tourists to Penang Island: Muslim and Hindu temples, a botanical mini-garden, and a museum of owls. Entrance to the observation deck, mosque and Hindu temple is free. There are cafes and specially designed places for photographing.

You can get to the top of Penang Hill by funicular; the journey time from the foot of the mountain is 12 minutes.

Ticket price on the funicular - RM 15.00 one way, children receive a discount depending on age.
Funicular operating time - 6.30 - 23.00.

You can also drive to the observation deck by car or go on foot from the Botanical Garden, the climb will take at least 2 hours.

Penang National Park (Taman Negara Pulau Pinang)

Penang National Park is one of the main natural attractions of the island, it gives a unique opportunity to visit the real equatorial jungle. The National Park is located at the northwestern tip of Penang, from Georgetown there is a bus of route 101. Travel time is about 40 minutes, ticket price is RM4.

At the entrance to the park you need to register and choose a route to one of the two beaches where you can see monkeys or cubs of a sea turtle. The visit is free, you only have to pay for boating along the coast.

The routes in Penang National Park are quite long, so it is better to plan a trip in the morning. Comfortable closed shoes and the use of repellents are recommended.Find out RATES or book any accommodation using this form

Botanical Gardens (Penang Botanical Gardens)

Penang Botanical Garden is a favorite place for recreation and sports for citizens. Tourists are attracted to this attraction by the opportunity to look at monkeys of the macaque genus and langurs in their habitat, as well as the many plants of the equatorial flora, which are equipped with signs with their names. Here you can also find squirrels, large exotic butterflies, millipedes and other harmless representatives of the local fauna.

Entrance to the botanical garden is freeNearby there is a shop with drinks, groceries and souvenirs.

You can get to Penang Botanical Gardens from the center by bus of route 10, ticket price is RM 2.
The Botanical Garden is open to visit daily, 5.00-20.00.
Address: Jalan Air Terjun, Georgetown, Penang Island, Malaysia.

Museum Upside Down (Upside Down Museum)

The Upside Down Museum, in fact, is not a museum, but a place of entertainment that allows you to make funny photos and videos. Visitors walk through a series of rooms whose interiors are turned upside down. Entering the premises are standing on the ceiling, in an inverted shot it looks funny. The employees of this museum work in each of the rooms, prompting visitors with the most ridiculous poses and photographing them with personal photo equipment.

Air-conditioned rooms provide an opportunity to relax from the heat, the visit time usually does not take more than 40 minutes. Upside Down Museum can be called Penang's most fun attraction. The photos and videos taken in it are ridiculous to watch and show to friends ourselves.

Upside down museum works daily 9:00-18:30
Ticket price RM 25, for children - RM 15.
Address: 45 Lebuh Kimberley, Georgetown, Malaysia, Penang 10100.

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Burmese Temple Dharmikarama (Dharmikarama Burmese Temple)

Burmese Temple Dharmikarama - a Buddhist temple, erected in the Burmese style, one of a kind on Penang. The history of this attraction has more than two centuries, during which wealthy citizens gave the Dharmikarama temple Buddha statues. Here you can see the unique architecture of the temple, murals with scenes from the life of the Buddha, countless statues of the Indian deity.

The temple has a mini-park with a small pond, inhabited by a variety of fish and turtles. It offers tourists all kinds of "magical" entertainment: blows the bell, purifying the soul, making the desired journey on the globe, falling into coins in rotating pots with the words "good luck", "happiness", etc.

Working hours: 05:00 - 18:00
The entrance is free.
Address: 24 Lorong Burmah, 10250 Penang.

All prices on the page are for October 2018.

Not counting all the interesting places that Penang attracts tourists, the attractions described in this article make up only a small part of what you can see on this Malaysian island.

The sights of Penang Island described in this article are marked on the map in Russian.