Penang

[kjets]

Would love any input of what not to miss, and what wasn't as good as you thought it would be? Thanks folks!

[bronte2]

We were there in April this year and decided to take the shuttle into George Town. I think it was about $8 each way. The shuttle dropped us at a very small shopping mall which was of no interest so we wandered out into the street to check out the city.

We found that in some parts there was little or no pavements and quite a lot of cars so it wasn't all that rewarding walking around plus it was very, very hot so we jumped back on the shuttle and headed back to the port.

 

The most interesting part of Penang is right next to the pier. At the end of the pier you can turn right and walk to Fort Cornwallis and if you wish to have a look around the fort it only costs a dollar or two. Nearby there are lovely old colonial buildings and you can stumble across restaurants and 'pubs'. The only problem with walking around is the heat. There are rickshaws and taxis at the pier and friends hired a taxi and did a tour which was probably a better bet than the heap of walking we did. It was so hot, it became a bit unpleasant and we are used to a certain amount of hot weather and have travelled in Asia quite a bit but for some reason really noticed it in Penang.

 

Unless you have something specific you wish to see or do in George Town, I wouldn't bother going there (at least not on the shuttle). If you wanted to see the city, I think hiring a taxi to drive you around would be a better bet.

 

If wandering around the colonial part of town doesn't appeal you can always go to Ferringhi Beach and laze around in one of the resorts.

 

We actually didn't make the best use of our time in Penang for various reasons so didn't see as much as we could have.

I hope you enjoy your time there.

[kjets]

Hey bronte2, thanks so much for your post! I wonder if you can tell me for Fort Cornwallis is there a proper tour you can join once inside or do you just look around by yourself?

Edited October 9, 2014 by kjets

[chrispb]

You could visit Kok Lok Si Pagoda (Pagoda of 10,000 Buddhas)which is 7 storeys high, views are pretty good from the top and the gardens are very nice too.

[hallasm]

We did a Penang Circle the Island tour

We did Circle the island to see some of the most interesting sights. Visit the Thai Buddhist Temple, which houses the 4th largest Reclining Buddha in the world measuring 108 feet long. The Burmese Buddhist Temple sitting across the road spices up the already rich cultural diversity of Penang. Leisurely drive towards the northern tip of the island passing beautiful coves and bays of Batu Ferringhi. Nearby is the Craft Batik workshop, where the intricate and timeless art of printing the cloth with wax and dyes is demonstrated. Scents of clove and nutmeg follows as our driver pass through the hills. Stop at a local fruit & spice stall for a look at the spices and local fruits.

[YOUTUBE]VKvB230c38Y[/YOUTUBE]

[bronte2]

Hey bronte2, thanks so much for your post! I wonder if you can tell me for Fort Cornwallis is there a proper tour you can join once inside or do you just look around by yourself?

 

I'm actually not sure if there is a guided tour. There was practically no one there when we went even though it's only 5 minutes from the port. It's not very large and really there isn't a lot to see there so I suspect that there wouldn't be any need for a tour. We thought it was worth a look and you can get nice views over the bay from the wall where the cannons are located but I wouldn't put it on any 'not to be missed' list. ;).

Oh I must clarify by what I meant in my previous post about George Town not being worth a trip. I meant the inner city area not the Colonial part near the port.

If you could manage a tour of the island with some sightseeing in the Colonial District that would be about perfect. Otherwise get a map of the Heritage Walking trails and follow that around the Colonial District.

[estebofarr]

We did a Penang Circle the Island tour

We did Circle the island to see some of the most interesting sights. Visit the Thai Buddhist Temple, which houses the 4th largest Reclining Buddha in the world measuring 108 feet long. The Burmese Buddhist Temple sitting across the road spices up the already rich cultural diversity of Penang. Leisurely drive towards the northern tip of the island passing beautiful coves and bays of Batu Ferringhi. Nearby is the Craft Batik workshop, where the intricate and timeless art of printing the cloth with wax and dyes is demonstrated. Scents of clove and nutmeg follows as our driver pass through the hills. Stop at a local fruit & spice stall for a look at the spices and local fruits.

[YOUTUBE]VKvB230c38Y[/YOUTUBE]

 

May I ask, what company did you use?

[lahore]

What sort of things do you like? I've lived there and return for a month or so most years.

[crafter188]

We are scheduled to arrive at 3pm on January 27. Will we have time to get to Kek Lok Si and have a decent look around before it closes for the day or should we plan to stick around the old town? Thanks for your advice!

Cheryl

 

 

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[emski83]

What sort of things do you like? I've lived there and return for a month or so most years.

 

 

Is the bus that goes around worth it?

 

 

Emily

[mistyraj]

What sort of things do you like? I've lived there and return for a month or so most years.

 

Hi

 

We are visiting Penang and dock at 7am- 4pm

We would like to visit either the tropical fruit farm or the spice farm.

How far away are these from the post and can we get a taxi there and back?

Are there any tour companies in Penang we could use?

 

Sorry for so many questions and thanks in advance

[lahore]

We are scheduled to arrive at 3pm on January 27. Will we have time to get to Kek Lok Si and have a decent look around before it closes for the day or should we plan to stick around the old town? Thanks for your advice!

Cheryl

 

 

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Hi, Kek Lok Si closes quite late so it shouldn't be a problem at all, however be aware that the traffic toward there can be quite bad, particularly around rush hour - there are lots of housing estates on the way to Kek Lok Si. Personally I have never seen the fascination with Kek Lok Si, but then I've seen inumerable temples. If you want to see an interesting temple with lots of activity constantly happening, the Guan Yin (Kuan Yin) temple just near the port is always interesting and is walking distance.

[lahore]

Is the bus that goes around worth it?

 

 

Emily

 

Which bus do you mean Emily? There is a public bus system, is that what you are referring to?

[lahore]

Hi

 

We are visiting Penang and dock at 7am- 4pm

We would like to visit either the tropical fruit farm or the spice farm.

How far away are these from the post and can we get a taxi there and back?

Are there any tour companies in Penang we could use?

 

Sorry for so many questions and thanks in advance

 

Hi Misty

 

I would recommend the Spice Garden out of those two for the following reasons:

 

Not as far as the fruit farm

Always interesting, whereas the fruit farm can be a bit dull if nothing is in fruit. When I lived there I loved the fruit farm because it's up in the hills and it's quite cool, but as a tourist it wouldn't be my first choice. It's a considerably longer drive than the spice garden and off the beaten track.

 

They are both a long way from the port. However that is relative as Penang isn't a huge island. The Spice Garden is closer.

 

You can certainly get a taxi to either, but you can also get a public bus. Don't discount the latter as it's very reliable. You can catch the bus from town (best place is the bus centre underneat the Komtar building or the main public jetty known as Pengkalan Weld, or Weld Quay). Just tell the driver you want to get off at the spice garden, it is past Batu Ferringhi on the way to Teluk Bahang. The bus number is 101. Coming back you just stand opposite the Spice Garden outside the hawker centres on the little beach and flag down any coming bus. This might all sound risky but it's not, I have done it countless times. The lack of a proper bus stop opposite the spice garden is just how penang works, they haven't got around to putting one up yet and probably never will. Taxi's will gouge you if they know you are a tourist. The taxi fare to the spice garden should be no more than around 50 Ringgit and that's with me allowing for the fact that you are not a local. You could get a taxi to Komtar or Weld Quay and then catch the bus, that should cost you no more than 15 ringgit, indeed anywhere within the central georgetown area should be no more than 15 ringgit.

 

I don't use tour companies as I have no reason to so I can't answer that. Frankly I don't know why you'd bother in Penang with the above advice. It's all too easy.

 

NOte that the restaurant at the Spice Garden (called Monkey Garden) has a most spectacular setting and wonderful Thai inspired food. Highly recommended,as are the ice blended mocktails (made from spices of course).

[lahore]

Sorry, the restaurant at the spice garden is called tree monkey, not monkey garden. Please see link below, one of thse reviews is mine;

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Restaurant_Review-g635527-d2016468-Reviews-Tree_Monkey-Batu_Ferringhi_Penang_Island_Penang.html

[emski83]

Which bus do you mean Emily? There is a public bus system, is that what you are referring to?

 

 

I got told there is a circular bus that u can hop on n off

 

 

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[lahore]

Ok. Yes there is certainly a public bus that you can hop on n off around downtown Georgetown. It's free and useful if you know your way about but if you're only there for one day it's quite sporadic and probably not the best for tourists. Most of heritage Georgetown is walkable and cans are very cheap. For someone who is only there one day I wouldn't bother due to the sporadic nature of the free circle bus. You can google the buses as 'rapid buses penang'.

There may now be a tourist hoho service. Not certain about that but i seem to recall seeing something like that when I was last there in November.

 

 

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[lahore]

Sorry, on my phone. Cabs not cans!

 

 

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[By The Bay]

Penang has a double decker (open top) Hop-on Hop-off bus, see http://myhoponhopoff.com/pg/index.php They run a city route and a beach route passing 60 attractions. The cost is RM45 for 24 hours.

 

There is also the free CAT (Central Area Transit) bus route restricted to Georgetown area, see http://www.mppp.gov.my/en/perkhidmatan-central-area-transit-cat-

 

One attraction to consider visiting is the funicular railway which climbs steeply up Penang Hill and provides a cooler view of Georgetown and the mainland,see http://www.penanghill.gov.my/.

[url=http://myhoponhopoff.com/pg/index.php][/url]

[kjets]

We had a great time in Penang and were alongside from 8am - 9pm.

 

Got off the ship at 9am and went to the Penang Hill funicular first up before any of the Princess excursions got there and it was a really good way to get our bearings.

 

We then stopped at the top of Kek Lok Si, then took off for the Butterfly Park. I was happy with where we had decided to go and the times we went as we never felt there were any crowds.

 

There were six of us on this private tour and we were back at the ship for 2pm. The Butterfly Park was about 50mins from the pier and it was a great scenic drive there and back.

 

After a bite to eat, and a nanna nap (it was draining cos it was very humid), we went for a walk to look at the street art and the Chew Jetty.

[crafter188]

Hi, Kek Lok Si closes quite late so it shouldn't be a problem at all, however be aware that the traffic toward there can be quite bad, particularly around rush hour - there are lots of housing estates on the way to Kek Lok Si. Personally I have never seen the fascination with Kek Lok Si, but then I've seen inumerable temples. If you want to see an interesting temple with lots of activity constantly happening, the Guan Yin (Kuan Yin) temple just near the port is always interesting and is walking distance.

 

 

Thanks so much for your assistance. That sounds like a great idea.

Cheryl

 

 

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[kassiopi]

Have any of you visited the orangutan Sanctuary. Is it worth a visit. This is one of the excursions offered by Cunard.

Thanks. Vera & Mike

[kassiopi]

Thank you for that information By The Bay.

Vera

[emski83]

We did the tour with the ship. Glad we did as the tour guide was very good, explained what everything was and you are guaranteed to be back on the ship at the right time.

 

 

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[woodyren]

We are in Penang for one day in June on the Quantum of the Seas. Our preference is to DIY whenever possible. We just like to walk around and get a feel of the local are if there are no significant must see places in a port.

 

Lahore has been extremely helpful in this thread so I hope they pop back in or others can answer a few simple questions.

 

Is there an ATM in the terminal building or close by where we can get some local currency?

Approx how much money would we need for snacks, fruit and a local style meal at lunch?

What denomination bills should we try to get from the ATM or is it easy to just use larger ones and receive change?

 

Could we spend 4 or 5 hours in the local walkable area?

 

Any other suggestions?