chloedickensonLast Updated on 19th December 2023
This post about the best things to do in George Town contains affiliate links.
While I never expected to love Kuala Lumpur as much as I did, I definitely didn’t think I’d fall in love with George Town as intensely as I did.
Aside from pretty much the entirety of New Zealand, I’m going to go out on a whim and say that George Town is my favourite place that we’ve visited since travelling so far.
It’s hard to explain why I love it so much, but it’s honestly now one of my favourite places in the world. The food (OMG the food!), the people, the street art, the temples; absolutely everything about GT just had me head over heels in love.
I’m sure you’re all sick of me rambling on about this small little town now, so I’ll get straight to the post and try and convince you why you need to visit by sharing the best things to do in George Town, Penang.
P.S. This post is incredibly photo-heavy as I took over 150 photos while we were in GT and I found it so hard to choose just a handful!
How to get to George Town
George Town is located on the northeastern tip of Penang Island, Malaysia and is a multicultural hub which is home to people from all over the world.
It’s a backpacker’s paradise; with cheap and incredibly delicious food, insanely cheap alcohol (if you know where to look 👀) and so many free attractions to enjoy too.
Getting to George Town is relatively easy, depending on where you’re travelling from.
We got the bus from Kuala Lumpur to Penang Island bus station and then took a Grab to our accommodation.
However, you can also fly into Penang airport which is at the bottom of the island from many places all over Southeast Asia.
Where to stay in George Town
We originally intended to spend just 11 days in George Town but within just one day of being there, we already knew that we wanted to extend our stay.
We ended up spending 18 days there and we stayed in two different accommodations while we were there (we would have spent the whole time in the first place but we weren’t able to extend our stay due to a lack of rooms available!).
The first place we stayed was SO Hotel. It was pretty basic but the staff were friendly, the bed was comfy and the bathroom was very decently sized. The only negatives I have to say about SO Hotel is that it was a little far from the main town (but still only a 15-20 minute so we didn’t mind at all and it was actually a lovely walk) and the toilet seat was cracked so it hurt every time you sat down!
The second hotel we stayed at was a bit closer to the main area of GT and was a good place to stay. We stayed at Nice Inn which had a lovely, huge rooftop seating area.
The layout had slightly more of a hostel feel to it and the room was much smaller but we didn’t actually really see anyone else while we were staying there and I’d definitely highly recommend it for a cheap accommodation option in George Town!
Book your accommodation in George Town here!
Booking.com1. Love Lane – best things to do in George Town, Penang
Love Lane is one of the top places to go in George Town and Penang if you’re looking for some fun and lively night-out entertainment.
It’s lined with bars, restaurants and quirky outdoor drinking establishments where you can get relatively affordable drinks.
Most places also have “happy hour” which actually seems to last from 4 pm to around 11 pm!
We absolutely loved Lane Lane, but it might not be to everyone’s taste. The bar staff and waiters can be quite pushy but as we spent so much time hanging around down Love Lane, we actually built up a pretty good relationship with most of them!
It’s supposed that Love Lane got its name due to the rich men who lived in Penang who would keep their mistresses in accommodation on the street, but I’m not entirely if that’s true or not haha!
Even if you don’t plan on spending any money or getting a drink on Love Lane, it’s still well worth a stroll down just to see it.
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2. Kek Lok Si Temple
Kek Lok Si Temple isn’t technically in George Town itself but it’s not too far away and is easily accessible via Grab or taxi.
It’s the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia and it’s arguably one of the most spectacular temples I’ve ever seen!
Kek Lok Si is an important pilgrimage centre for Buddhists from Southeast Asia including the Philippines, Hong Kong and Singapore.
It’s hard to comprehend just from pictures just how impressive the temple really is; you can see the giant statue of the Goddess of Mercy, Kuan Yin which is an impressive 36.5 metres tall, as well as multiple Buddha statues and various gardens and temples.
There’s no actual entrance fee to the Kek Lok Si temple but it sits incredibly high up on top of a hill so you can pay to get two different cable cars to the top for around 8rm (£1.50) each way (I think!).
There’s also an awesome turtle pond at the bottom of the entrance to the temple which is home to hundreds of adorable turtles of all sizes!
I could have happily spent hours watching the little fellas swim around and jump into the pond; they’re so bloody cute!
If you can make the effort to get from GT to Kek Lok Si, I’d highly recommend doing so!
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3. George Town Street Art
One of the main things that the UNESCO World Heritage Site of George Town is famed for is its abundance of street art.
All over the town, you’ll find beautiful street art on many walls and hidden alleyways.
There are some much older-looking creations that have clearly been there for many years, but there are also plenty of more modern-looking designs too.
I took pictures of almost every single street art design in George Town but as there are so many, I could only include a select few of my favourites!
You can choose to go on a walking tour around the town to discover the street art, or just do what we did and walk around aimlessly to find it for yourself.
I think the latter is actually a much better way of seeing it as you’ll likely stumble across other things in the town that you might not have seen otherwise.
The street art above was of a cat called Skippy but locals had begun the process of “rubbing” the paintwork off the wall since Skippy the cat died early last year!
It was still so cool to see the remnants of it however and I’m intrigued to see whether they paint over it or not!
You can easily spend a good few hours walking around and finding all the best street art in George Town; it was actually one of my favourite things that we did there.
I’ve included a map below which suggests where you should begin exploring all the artwork, but if you’re spending a prolonged period of time in GT and you don’t want to follow a certain path to see them, just casually make your own way around like we did and stumble across them for yourself!
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4. Hawker Markets
The food we ate in George Town was without a doubt some of the very best I’ve ever had.
There is an abundance of Hawker Markets (sort of like food courts), street food vendors and of course, plenty of actual restaurants too.
Read more: Where To Eat, Drink & Party in George Town, Penang
In the meantime though, here are some of the top Hawker Markets you need to visit in George Town!
- Red Garden
- Jetty Food Court
- Jalan Macalister
- New World Park
5. Kapitan Keling Mosque
Kapitan Keling Mosque was built back in the 19th century by the first Indian Muslim settlers in Penang.
It’s the largest mosque in GT and is also the most beautiful. It’s painted white and features numerous gold details which make it pop at sunset!
We didn’t actually go inside Kapitan Keling Mosque as the day we went, there was a special ceremony happening.
However, just seeing the outside of it was enjoyable enough as it’s such a photogenic and important religious structure in Penang.
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6. The Top Penang
The Top is the highest entertainment tower in Penang. While it doesn’t exactly rival the Petronas Towers in terms of height, it still offers incredible panoramic views of George Town and beyond!
There are 18 different attractions to experience and enjoy inside the tower including (but not limited to); the Rainbow Skywalk (see below), Boutique Aquarium, Jurassic Research Centre and the Dino Gym.
We only got to experience the Rainbow Skywalk and Observatory Deck which we did on our last night in GT.
The Observatory Deck is located on Level 65 and features an indoor glass walkway that you can walk along and see all the way down to the streets below through the glass!
The Rainbow Skywalk on the other hand is located on Level 68 and is an open-air observatory platform that sits 816 feet above sea level!
On the 68th floor, you’ll also find the Coco Cabana bar and restaurant where you can sit outside on the rooftop deck and enjoy the spectacular views while eating and drinking something tasty!
While it’s a little on the pricey side to head up to the Rainbow Skywalk, I’d definitely say it’s well worth it for the views. I can’t vouch for how it looks during the day, but the views at night are truly magnificent!
Opening times: 11.00 am to 10.00 pm (Sunday to Thursday), 11.00 am to 11.00 pm (Friday to Saturday).
Price: 68rm adult (£12.80).
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7. Antarabangsa Enterprise
While we found GT to be one of the cheapest places we’ve been in terms of food, accommodation and alcohol since travelling, we were still determined to reduce our budget even further when it came to drinking and that’s where Antarabangsa Enterprise came into play.
If you’re looking for the cheapest place to drink and buy alcohol in George Town, then you 100% need to head to Antarabangsa Enterprise.
It’s essentially just a corner shop (see picture above) where you can buy alcohol to take away, or you can purchase your drinks and then pull up a chair and table on the street outside.
It doesn’t sound like much but not only is this one of my favourite memories from GT, it’s actually one of my favourite moments of travelling so far!
The “shop” sells so many varieties of alcohol; from beer and lager to wine and spirits and everything in between.
It’s unfathomably cheap (I mean like literally pennies for some drinks!) but it’s all totally legit and it’s a place that means so much to me!
We met some incredible people while we were drinking on the street corner outside the shop (it sounds so bad haha), but the memories, moments and most importantly, friends, we made there are something I’ll never forget.
I think the reason that the alcohol is so cheap at Antarabangsa Enterprise is that the owner imports it from the Malaysian island of Langkawi as there’s no alcohol tax there; though that’s just a rumour!
It’s a small, family-run business and the “toilet” is just a squatting porcelain hole in the kitchen at the back of the shop.
It’s hard to sell it just by typing a few words onto a screen, but if there’s one ~experience~ I’d urge you to have while in George Town, it would be this!
Head there between 7 pm and 8 pm when it slowly starts to get busy and watch by 10 pm the whole street come to life with locals and travellers from all over the world drinking and sharing stories!
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8. Chew Jetty
Chew Jetty is one of the famous Clan Jetties in George Town that’s part of the Penang Heritage Trail.
It’s one of the last six remaining jetties that form the remaining Chinese settlements on the island and is made up of dozens of houses on stilts above the water which are home to numerous Chinese clans.
While the history of Chew Jetty and the other Clan Jetties is fascinating in itself, Chew Jetty is also just one of the coolest parts of George Town!
They’re located just along the waterfront near Chulia Street (AKA the biggest and most popular street in GT) and they’re an incredible sight to see.
Chew Jetty is the one that’s still largely untouched and very much intact; with many stilted houses, a temple, a long walk-through and even an arcade area!
While we were walking through Chew Jetty, we noticed a small room that had been turned into an arcade. Just for fun, we decided to have a go on one of the machines and we actually won a soft toy!
I personally love Chew Jetty for that fact alone, but it’s also a place that’s rich in history and is also a beautiful place to photograph.
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9. Little India
As with most towns and cities in Southeast Asia, George Town has its own offering of Little India.
We’ve been to our fair share of “Little Indias” on our travels so far, in both Kuala Lumpur and Singapore most recently, and GT’s offering lived up to our expectations.
It’s such a beautifully vibrant and colourful part of town and is home to many restaurants and street food vendors selling chapatis and bags of curry for as little as 20p!
Even if you don’t plan on eating any Indian food, you should still head through the streets that make up Little India as it’s a truly lovely part of town.
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10. Colonial George Town
George Town and Penang have influences from all over the world including Singapore, China, India, Portugal, Spain and more which you can see reflected almost everywhere you look.
However, it was also ruled and influenced by British colonies in the late 1860s and you can see some of the impressive Colonial buildings in various parts of the town.
There’s the actual Colonial Museum, but you can also see numerous other buildings and estates that have been influenced by the British too.
More of the best things to do in George Town
Despite spending over two weeks in George Town, we still didn’t manage to tick off absolutely everything there is to do there.
I’m not mad, however, as it just gives us an excuse to head back one day soon (not that I’d need one! I’m already desperate to head back haha!).
If you’re still looking for a few more things to do in George Town, check out the list below. A lot of these things are a bit of a distance away from the centre of GT and are actually near the beach which is largely why we didn’t visit them.
- Monkey Beach
- Penang Hill Cable Car
- Fort Cornwallis
- Tropical Spice Garden
- Batu Ferringhi Beach
- Arulmigu Balathandayuthapani Waterfall Temple
- Blue Mansion tour
As you can tell, I’m absolutely obsessed with George Town and it’s now one of my favourite places in the world. I already can’t wait to go back but for now, I’ll just have to live vicariously through other people!
If you do manage to visit GT while you’re in Malaysia, please let me know as I’d love to know if you loved it as much as I did!
Related posts:
- Where To Eat, Drink & Party In George Town
- Why Kuala Lumpur Isn’t Just A Layover City
- 17 Best Things To Do In Kuala Lumpur
- The Best Places To Eat And Dishes You Need To Try In Kuala Lumpur
Pin for later – the best things to do in George Town, Penang
Is George Town somewhere you’d like to visit after reading this post? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter at @imjustagirl_16.
*Prices in the post are accurate as of the currency exchange rate in January 2020.
you are going to cost me a fortune hun, am loving all the places you are visiting
Haha sorry!
Hi, I am just in George Town and I agree it is a fantastic spot, amazing food, street art, the temples and mosques and soooo lovely people! My hostel ist Red Inn next to the Kapitan Keling Mosques and I love everything here. I am from Germany.