Food, food and more food! Welcome to Penang Island, "Food Capital of Malaysia" located North West of Peninsular Malaysia in between Hadyai Thailand and the capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur. We only mention Penang island because there isn’t much to do on mainland Penang. The only time you will be there is when you want to catch a train or an interstate bus (The train terminal and one of the few interstate bus terminals in Penang is in Butterworth). Penang's History (dates back to 1700's) is relatively young compared to those of Europe, but Penang offers a more vibrant sort of scene. Expect Golden Mosques blaring in harmonic prayers, with stunning Chinese and Indian temples (the graphical paintings and statues are simply amazing) in the outcrop. Penang comes alive during major festivals especially during Thaipusam, Wesak Day, Chingay and Chinese New Year. Need a break from the city and its history? The beaches up north in Batu Feringghi and Tanjung Bungah offers luxurious beach resorts, exhilarating water sports, beer and some fresh seafood. If you are a nature lover and you love the greens, then Butterfly Farm, Spice Garden, Fruit Farm up north is a great way to check out the tropics. And if you really want to get dirty, then sweat it out and hike thru Penang Forest Reserve for some rewarding secluded white beaches and turtle laying sites (Pantai Kerachut).

4 good reasons we know you will love it here!
1) Penang is most famous for its hawker food. Make sure you try every thing! (Penang is one of the few places we know that you can buy food practically at any time of the day and at almost every corner of the street)
2) Batu Feringghi has some nice beaches that you can relax with a book and a beer.
3) Recently recognized as a Unesco Heritage Site, inner Penang has some nice temples, and clan houses that will get you on a cultural high!
4) A good mix of street pubs and disco clubs to get the night going @ Upper Penang Road (UPR)

Some brain teasers! Did you know?
* If you can ride a motorbike here, you can ride one any where else in the world (and by that we
  also mean Bali and Ho Chin Minh City).
* Free flow premium drinks for Ladies every Wednesday nights (UPR clubs)
* Plenty of lady boys along Chulia St and Upper Penang Road. You have been warned!

Don't leave without sampling some of Penang's specialties
Char Koay Teow - flat noodles(koay teow) stir fried with prawns, cockles, bean sprouts, egg, chilli and black sauce. A normal plate costs RM 3. But famous stalls, have add ons such as duck eggs and mantis prawns that can costs RM 5 - 6/plate.
Laksa - Rice noodles, cooked in a rich thick sauce made from fresh fish and hae kor (black, sticky sweet
shrimp paste). The dish tastes sourish, spicy and very fishy. The peppermint leaves adds to the fragrance.
RM 2.50 /bowl.  >> click here for more

"How much money do you need for a holiday in Penang?
Cheapest Estimate roughly RM 30 (~10USD) Will get you a bed, 3 meals, a beer and enough to take the bus around town)
Eating: Flaming woks to steaming pots! There isnt a reason "NOT" to splurge on food while you are here. Food here is cheaper compared to most states in Malaysia. A decent plate of chicken rice or noodles still costs around RM2.50/plate. Some might complain the portions are small, but it’s because Penangites want you to try everything in their cookbook. Don't be surprised to have 5-6 dishes in one sitting.

Admission for Museums and Clan houses: The inner city of Georgetown has plenty of museums, clan shouses, and historical sites worth visiting. Most of these places has free admission, but some charge up to RM 10/entry. Expect to spend a maximum of RM 30 in total for entrance fees. (Includes all the clan houses/museums that are worth visiting)

Transportation: Getting around Penang by bus is easy. Costs around RM 4 to get from tip to tip of the island. Or you can take the free Georgetown shuttle service which plies most of the popular routes within downtown Georgetown. (Scroll down for more information on this service).Renting and riding a motorbike is the easiest way. Rental for a day is around RM 30 along Chulia Street in town. Taxis don't run by meter, so negotiate first. (Costs around RM 70 from town to Batu Feringghi)

Accommodation: First you need to decide on whether to you want to stay by the beach or in town.
Staying in town, you are nearer to the heritage buildings, museums, night clubs and food outlets. If you are staying near the beach, you are nearer to the natural parks, bird park, spice garden and Batu Feringghi Beach. To get between town and beach, the Rapid Penang bus is pretty reliable and costs about RM2. Or you can take a taxi.

The problem most tourists face is:
It can be troublesome after a few drinks at the clubs and you want to get back to your hotel near the beach. Taxis charge extra after midnight.
Or if you are taking an early flight, van or train. You need to be prepared to get up really early.

Staying in Town: Telling the taxi or van driver you want to go to Georgetown is not enough. Be more specific, so you don’t have to walk around to look for a guesthouse. Georgetown covers a big area. Most guesthouses are located along Muntri Street, Love Lane, Chulia Street and Penang Road. You can get a dorm for RM 15 or even a single fan room for the same price. There isn’t a fixed price for it. You can still bargain. A standard room with air conditioning and ensuite bathroom costs about RM 40 to RM 90. Check out our recommendations.

Staying near the Beach: Batu Feringghi or Tanjung Bungah. You can either take the bus, (Rapid Penang Bus U101) or a taxi to get here. It is about 30 minutes from town. The beach stretch is lined with plenty of top hotels and also with some budget selections squeezed in between. Most of the budget hotels are located in the small turn off to the right after passing Park Royal Hotel.

Clubbing: Night life in Penang is centralized around Upper Penang Road and Weld Quay Area. Most clubs implement a cover charge to get in after 10pm (RM 35/person, inclusive of one drink). Getting drunk in clubs can be an expensive affair (RM 288/bottle of spirit, RM 16/bottle beer), so we suggest starting it slow at the all night long happy hour pubs like Sohos (RM 32/jug of beer), or any of the al fresco cafe's along Upper Penang Road = jug of beer RM 28, Beer in towers (equivalent to 3 jugs) are RM 84.



Getting To/Out and Around Penang
Penang is divided into two parts, mainland and island. There isnt much to do on the mainland.  All attractions, shopping and budget accomodation are on the island. There are 2 main bus terminals, one on the mainland (Butterworth) and one on the island (Sungai Nibong Bus Terminal)- (both has interstate busses but to get to Alor Setar Kedah from Penang you need to head over to the Butterworth Terminal. The international airport is on the island. If you are taking the train, you need to go over to Butterworth which is on the mainland. Penang Island is connected to the mainland via the Penang Bridge (One of the worlds longest bridges) and Ferry Service.



Getting To Penang:
From KL (4hrs), Singapore (8hrs), Hadyai (3.5-4hrs)
Express busses fr KL (4hrs - RM28/32, RM50 - VIP Bus, every hour, daily)
Express busses from Singapore (9hrs - SGD45/60, board at Golden Mile Tower), SGD45 (Board at Boon Lay Shopping Center)
Vans from Hadyai costs 280 THB (4 hours).
Flights: Penang has a international air port. There are daily flights. For budget airlines, check out AirAsia, Tiger Airways, Jetstar.

All Express busses arrive /depart Penang at the Sungai Nibong Bus terminal or the Butterworth  Bus Terminal. There are public bus services and taxis serving both these terminals. To get to Penang Island, you can choose from the ferry, taxi or public bus (Rapid Penang Bus 704 and 705 will take you from the mainland to the island). **It is easier to take a ferry to Penang Island and then only grab a taxi at the island or a free shuttle as below. Vans from Thailand  will generally drop you off in town. You can tell them where you want to go.
** Before buying your ticket to Penang, make sure if your bus is going to Butterworth or Penang Island. (As both destinations are usually called Penang by some agents). It is troublesome having to lunge your luggage from Penang Mainland (Butterworth) to Penang Island, unless you are dying to take the cheap ferry ride!

Arriving by train, you will arrive at Butterworth (Mainland Penang).Then you will need to take a ferry across to Penang island. The ferry from Butterworth to Penang takes 20mins, ONLY RM 1.20 (Adult), RM 0.60 (Child). First ferry departure from Butterworth at 0600 hours, with the last at 0030 hours; and the first departure from Penang Island at 0530 hour, with the last at 0100 hour. Enjoy the cool breeze and view of the mainland and Georgetown from a cheapskate's version of a CRUISE.
You can also hop on the Rapid Penang bus that heads to Penang Island. This is a longer journey compared to the ferry.



There is a free shuttle bus service that goes through most of inner Georgetown. If you are headed to Downtown Georgetown (e.g Chulia Street, Muntri Street or Love Lane) where most of all the guesthouses are located then look out for a bus with this sign on the top.The main bus terminal is in Weld Quay Jetty. (there are many CAT busses and other Rapid Penang busses waiting here) Weld Quay Jetty is the terminal you will reach first on the island if you are taking the train to Butterworth- and then a ferry across to Penang Island. For routes: Tourism Penang (the download map isnt really clear). This site gives a pretty clear discription on the CAT routes

Arriving by plane: There are plenty of airport limousines around. You need to purchase a ticket at the ticketing booth. There is also a reliable public bus service that takes you to town. Bus No 102 takes you to the Jetty Terminal.

Getting out of Penang: You have 4 options. Sungai Nibong Bus Station, Prangin Mall near Komtar, Chulia Street and Butterworth Bus Station.
For most interstate travel, or even to Singapore and Hadyai, express bus tickets can be purchased at the Sungai Nibong Bus station. The Sungai Nibong Bus station is located out of Georgetown, near to University Sains Malaysia.There are no vans available from Sungai Nibong- Only Busses.
To go to Cameron Highlands or Genting Highlands, you can head over to Prangin Mall. Just in front of the Komtar bus terminal, just next to CIMB bank, there are some travel agents that can sort your transportation. They also arrange vans to Thailand- Hadyai, Krabi, Samui. The other alternative would be to try the agents along Chulia Street in town. If you are traveling to Thailand, heading over to Prangin Mall would be a more convenient option as they are all within Georgetown and most of them will offer to pick you up from your hotel.
There is another bus terminal on the mainland- the Butterworth Terminal. There are also interstate busses leaving this bus station. If you are on Penang island, you will need to cross over to the mainland by ferry first to get to the Butterworth Bus Station. The Butterworth Bus Station is next to the Butterworth Train Station.

Bus companies to check out (reliability according to order):
https://www.aeroline.com.my/
http://www.transnasional.com.my/
http://www.plusliner.com
http://www.konsortium.com.sg/
http://www.kbes.com.my/

*Careful when you are buying bus tickets in Malaysia. Buy it from the counter. Anyone signaling you to buy it from them (usually touts), usually will cheat, and sell you, "NOT ON TIME" bus tickets and even factory/holiday bus tickets that are not fit for on the road travel.

Flights are daily, from all destinations.
Budget Airlines:
www.airasia.com
www.jetstarasia.com

Ferry from Penang to Medan
Note:(Trip takes around 6 hours)
Ferry leaves only on Monday, Wednesday & Friday
Check-in :8.30am
Medan - Penang
Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday
Check-in (Belawan): 10.00am (WIB)
Check Langkawi Ferry for more departure times and rates

Getting Around
Besides using the free inner city shuttle service -CAT as mentioned above, renting your own transportation is the best. You can either rent a car, at the airport (as they provide insurance) or there are scooters to rent along Chulia Street. Cabs in Penang hardly use the meter. So it’s better to agree on a price first. Public bus service is much better nowadays with Rapid Penang. As timing and facilities have improved drastically, please don’t entirely rely on it. For more bus routes, rates and schedules, you can refer to their website >> Rapid Penang

Main Terminals are Weld Quay and Komtar
Useful bus numbers from Komtar Terminal:
Air Itam U201, U202, U203 (30 mins ride)
Batu Feringghi U101 (50 mins ride)
Gurney Plaza U103 (35-40 mins ride)
Balik Pulau U401E (1hr 20min ride)
Bayan Lepas Airport U401, U401E-50 to 55 mins ride, starts 0635, ends 1100
Penang Hill U204 (30 min ride)
Teluk Bahang and Penang National Park U101 (60 min ride)
Queensbay Mall U401E (25 min ride)

Emergency Numbers
Emergency 999
Tourist Police: 042615522
Police 24hr hotline: 042691999
Penang Tourist Center(PTC): 042616663

Hospitals
Gleneagles Medical Center  (GMC): 604 220 2108
Adventist Hospital: 042227200
General Hospital: 042293333
Island Hospital: 042288222

Train
KTMB Penang: 042610290
KTMB Butterworth: 04331 2796
Click here for train schedules and fares
Notice (May,2010): There is no more sleeper trains departing from Butterworth Penang anymore. Only seats are available. Sleepers now depart from Bukit Mertajam, which is about 20 minutes drive from Butterworth.

Airlines
Air Asia: 038777 4000
Malaysia Airlines: 042176323
Malaysia Airlines (24hr): 130088 3000
Singapore Airlines (SIA):  042263201 / 042260455
Thai Airways: 04226 6000