11 Must-Visit Attractions in George Town, Penang

Thanks to the Indian-Muslim community here, you can breakfast with pasembur (sweet salad), roti jala (net bread), murtabak (meat-stuffed pancake), biryani (need we say more?), and a variety of colorful syrupy desserts. Food is a cross-cultural event between Tamil Indian and Arabic cuisine.

Every Sunday morning, the traffic along Penang Road will be awful. Why? This market’s why. Fresh poultry, bargain clothing and household items are all available here, and people come with their shopping bags and carts for a good grocery run. We recommend the roasted chestnuts stall, which is usually located at the fork between the market and Penang Road (or just ask around until you find it).

If you can brave the sweltering heat with a hat and water bottle, your reward comes in the form of a new understanding of Malaysian muhibah (cultural harmony). This is the street where the oldest Anglican church in Malaysia meets Penang’s oldest Guan Yin Temple meets the former state mosque Masjid Kapitan Keling. You can enter each religious site for free, though there is a specific dress code for entering the mosque.

Part of the Penang Heritage Trail, the clan jetties are six water villages housing seven old Chinese clans, namely the Lim, Chew, Tan, Yeoh, Lee, Koay, and unnamed (mixed surnames) families. The ‘floating’ houses are made of wood and aluminum, and sit on stilts above the sea. The most tourist-friendly of these villages is the Chew Jetty, featuring a long walkway, souvenir shops and a small temple. Given that this is still a residential area, we recommend being thoughtful about how you take your Instagram shots.

Nobody visits George Town without taking a look at the street art. Following George Town’s incorporation as a UNESCO Heritage Site in 2008, the state has since commissioned various wall murals at the heart of George Town. Here are a few of Penang’s best street art, or if you feel like following the illegal street art route, check out our list here.