7 Attractions You Should See in Penang Malaysia, George Town, Malaysia

Penang is the place everyone seems to talk about in Malaysia. In addition to Kuala Lumpur, I’ve gotten the impression it’s a must-see destination. I grabbed a bus there from the Cameron Highlands, direct to George Town, for a week. I decided to stay by the Tanjong Tokong Beach - more remote, and outside the city center, but also delightfully quiet. There was even a bus stop two minutes’ walk from my hotel which went direct to the city, and a food market across from the hotel so I could easily eat meals for under $5.

Let me clarify a few confusing things. Penang is the name of a city (shown in the map below at the right) and it’s also the name of an island - Pulau Pinang, or Penang Island. In this article, I am discussing Penang Island. Buses sometimes go to George Town, which is the city center of Penang Island. Some go to Butterworth, and you would need to catch a ferry or a taxi from there into George Town. The map below also references most of the places discussed in this article.

I’m not a big ocean swimmer, but I do like walking on the beach. Tanjong Toking beach has jellyfish warnings, so if you like to swim, you’ll be safer in the pools than at this beach. Though there were some ocean swimmers who swam despite the risk. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).