Penang might be a small island* off the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia, but it is probably the country’s most popular destination to visit. Penang boasts entire streets packed with heritage architecture, great street food, a sprawling hill, and a small but pleasant national park on its northwestern coast. Penang was one of the British Empire’s former Straits Settlement, and its capital George Town is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which it shares with Malacca, another former Straits Settlement.
With almost 40% of its population being Malaysian-Chinese, Penang has the highest proportion of Chinese in Malaysia and is one of the country’s most multicultural places. As a result, a lot of its buildings and businesses are Chinese, especially food places.
The capital George Town has a large heritage district that boasts many historic colonial buildings including a fort, Chinese temples and halls, shophouses, churches, mosques, and mansions. This is similar to Ipoh, the inland city from where I had come from on this trip, though much more extensive. Some of the buildings have been restored and look very new, while those that had not still have a sort of old-time charm. Though I spent 1.5 whole days walking through the streets, there were a lot of buildings I missed out on.
Another thing to look out for are murals on various buildings, with the most well-known ones having been painted by Lithuanian artist Ernest Zacharevic (I only came across two or three of them but I wasn’t actively searching for them). Zacharevic painted them in 2012 for the George Town Festival, then painted several murals in Ipoh afterwards.
One of the most well-known sites is the Clan Jetties, several long waterfront piers along which entire Malaysian-Chinese clans live, hence the name. I found several of them quite touristy with gaudy signs and lots of souvenir stalls, but there were also a couple of quiet ones. As people actually live there, remember to be respectful when walking around and taking photos.
One notable piece of Chinese history in Penang is the Sun Yat-sen Museum, the preserved house where the Chinese revolutionary Sun, often considered the “father of modern China,” lived for several months in 1910. While there, he organized and raised funds from the local Chinese community in his efforts to overthrow the ruling Qing Dynasty. The house is a fine, elegant two-story dwelling that is very long and features open space in the centre.
Penang is famous for food. However, I’m not a foodie and was traveling solo, so I didn’t indulge in too much of the local delicacies. I did enjoy Chinese noodles and Indian food, as well as nasi kandar, which is rice with fried chicken.
- Penang actually also includes part of the adjacent coastal mainland called Seberang Parai, which is larger than the island. But travelers usually just go to the island, which for all purposes is the main part of Penang.
How to get there: You can fly to Penang or you can cross over on a car ferry from the mainland, after getting off the train at Butterworth station (which I did).
First view of Penang from the ferry
Goddess of Mercy temple (Kuan Yin Teng), built in 1728, Penang’s oldest Taoist temple
Kapitan Kling mosque, built in 1916 to replace an older mosque built in the 19th century
Indian Fisherman, my favorite Penang mural. Painted by Russian artist Julia Volchkova
Little children on a bicycle mural, painted by Zacharevic
Temple built for the Yap clan (my name is the same in Chinese)
One of the Clan Jetties (above and below)
At the very end of one of the Clan Jetties (those are not my fishing poles) 
Hindu temple
Inside the Sun Yat-sen Museum, a large house where Sun stayed for several months
Not all of the colonial buildings are humble like this hotel, which was set up in 1885
St. George’s Church, built in 1818, Southeast Asia’s oldest Anglican church
Another Clan jetty
Campbell Street Market, seen from the rear
