What to See in George Town - Top Sights and Attractions

Ornate 19th-century Buddhist temple. The Kek Lok Si Temple is a Buddhist temple situated in Air Itam, Penang, Malaysia. It is the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia, and is also an important pilgrimage centre for Buddhists from Hong Kong, the Philippines, Singapore and other countries in Southeast Asia. The entire complex of temples was built over a period from 1890 to 1930, an inspirational initiative of Beow Lean, the abbot. The main draw in the complex is the striking seven-storey Pagoda of the late Thai king Rama VI, which structure is known as the pagoda of Ten Thousand Buddhas with 10,000 alabaster and bronze statues of Buddha, and the 36.57-metre-tall bronze statue of Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy. The 10.000 Buddhas concept belongs to the Chinese Mahāyāna school of Buddhism while Rama VI was king over a Theravāda country and Buddhist tradition.

Mahayana Buddhism, Theravada Buddhism and traditional Chinese rituals blend into a harmonious whole, both in the temple architecture and artwork as well as in the daily activities of worshippers.^[1]

Historical landmark in George Town, Malaysia. Fort Cornwallis is a bastion fort in George Town, Penang, Malaysia, built by the British East India Company in the late 18th century. It is the largest standing fort in Malaysia. The fort never engaged in combat during its operational history.

It was named after the then Lieutenant-General The 2nd Earl Cornwallis (1738–1805), the Governor-General of Bengal at the time of the fort's construction, who had also been involved in the American War of Independence, surrendering his army to George Washington at Yorktown in 1781. Lord Cornwallis was later created, in 1792, The 1st Marquess Cornwallis, and he was promoted to being a full-ranking General in the British Army in 1793. Lord Cornwallis later served, from 1798 to 1801, as the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, where he overseen the implementation of the Act of Union.^[3]

Mountainous park with views and hikes. Penang Hill is a hill resort comprising a group of peaks on Penang Island, Malaysia. It is located within the Air Itam suburb, 9 km west of the center of George Town. Penang Hill is also known by the Malay name Bukit Bendera, which actually refers to Flagstaff Hill, the most developed peak. One of the peaks is known as Strawberry Hill, which was also the name of a house owned by Francis Light, founder of Penang colony. It is the highest point in the state of Penang.

Penang Hill covers a number of hills, with the highest point at Western Hill which is 833 m (2,733 ft) above sea level. The hill stands out prominently from the lowlands as a hilly and forested area. It was used as a retreat during the British colonial period, and is now a popular tourist destination in Penang.

The top of the hill is accessible via the Penang Hill Railway from its base station at Hill Railway Station Road. To date, this funicular railway system is the only one of its kind in Malaysia, transporting over a million visitors to the peak of Penang Hill as of 2014.

Penang Hill is part of Penang Hill Biosphere Reserve, recognized by UNESCO as the third Biosphere Reserve in Malaysia listed in the World Network of Biosphere Reserve (WNBR).^[4]

Museum in George Town, Malaysia. The Pinang Peranakan Mansion in George Town, Penang, Malaysia, is a museum dedicated to Penang's Peranakan heritage. The museum itself is housed within a distinctive green-hued mansion at Church Street, George Town, which once served as the residence and office of a 19th-century Chinese tycoon, Chung Keng Quee.

The mansion contains thousands of Peranakan artifacts, antiques and collectibles, as well as showcasing Peranakan interior design and customs, such as the typical grand long dining table (Malay: tok panjang). Due to its unique architecture and interior design that reflect the lifestyles of the Peranakans in Penang, the mansion has been featured in television series and reality TV shows, such as The Little Nyonya, The Amazing Race and The Amazing Race Asia.^[5]

Building in George Town, Malaysia. KOMTAR Tower, in the city of George Town in Penang, Malaysia, is the state's tallest skyscraper and the eleventh-tallest building in Malaysia. KOMTAR is a Malay acronym for Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak, named after the second Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Abdul Razak.

Construction of the complex started in 1974 and was completed in 1988. When the skyscraper topped out in 1985, it was originally completed with 65 floors and a height of 232 metres (761 ft). At the time of its completion, the KOMTAR Tower was the third-tallest building in Asia (after Sunshine 60 in Tokyo and One Raffles Place in Singapore). The building maintained its status as the country's tallest skyscraper for another two years before surpassed by the 244 m (801 ft) Menara Maybank in Kuala Lumpur in 1987. As of October 2021, KOMTAR Tower's status as Penang's tallest skyscraper remains unchallenged.

KOMTAR actually consists of a multipurpose complex, comprising retail outlets, a transportation hub and administrative offices of the Penang state government. It was named after Tun Abdul Razak bin Hussein Al-Haj, the second Prime Minister of Malaysia, who officiated the piling of Phase 1 on 1 January 1974.

In 2015, as part of a revitalisation plan, three more storeys were added, raising the height of KOMTAR Tower to 249 metres (817 ft). In addition, KOMTAR Tower is home to the Rainbow Skywalk, the highest glass skywalk in Malaysia, which has been installed at the top of the skyscraper and launched in 2016. Further efforts to revitalise KOMTAR include the launch of The Gravityz, billed as the world's highest rope course, at the exterior of the skyscraper's 65th floor in 2018.^[6]

Charming mosque with Moorish elements. The Kapitan Keling Mosque is a mosque built in the 19th century by Indian Muslim traders in George Town, Penang, Malaysia. It is situated on the corner of Buckingham Street and Pitt Street. Being a prominent Islamic historic centre, it is part of the World Heritage Site of George Town and lies at the centre of the city's Tamil Muslim neighbourhood, the chulias. It is the first permanent Muslim institution to have been established in the area, dating from the early 1800s. Cauder Mohuddeen Merican is known as the founder of the mosque and leader of the Chulias. In 1801 Sir George Leith, who was then Lieutenant Governor of Penang, appointed a prominent Indian Muslim leader, Cauder Mohudeen, as Captain of the South Indian “Keling” community. He granted a piece of land to build a mosque on the south side of Malabar Street. Cauder Mohudeen was a ship mandoor or foreman from Porto Novo, which the Tamils called Paringgipettai and the Muslims Mahmudbandar, about 50 kilometres south of Pondicherry in India. He was referred to as 'Kapitan Kling'.

"Keling" is a Malay term for people of Indian origin, nowadays considered offensive but not so considered at the time when the mosque was built. The "Kapitan " was a representative of the Indian community, like the "Kapitan Cina" for the Chinese community.

Another renovation in 1930 gave the Kapitan Keling Mosque its present appearance after the previous design was deemed impractical. In keeping with tradition, the mosque was not rebuilt, but only enlarged. Among the major work during this period included doubling the height of the central prayer hall, improvement to the ventilation system, and allowing more natural light to enter. The exterior is ochre yellowed while the interior had white marble floors and a high ceiling. The interior aisles are formed by a series of horseshoe arches, crowned with King Edward's plaques. The façade of the building and its interior were decorated with geometric designs, as human and animal forms are forbidden in Islam.^[10]

Posh boutique hotel with fine dining. The Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion is a government gazetted heritage building located on Leith Street in George Town, Penang, Malaysia. The mansion's external decorations and indigo-blue outer walls make it a very distinctive building, and it is sometimes referred to as The Blue Mansion. Built by the merchant Cheong Fatt Tze at the end of the 19th century, the mansion has 38 rooms, 5 granite-paved courtyards, 7 staircases and 220 vernacular timber louvre windows. It served as Cheong's private residence as well as the seat of his business activities in Penang.

The mansion is eclectic, but mainly reflects Chinese architectural styles of the Imperial Period. Features of the house include Gothic louvred windows, Chinese cut and paste porcelain work, Stoke-on-Trent floor tiles made of encaustic clay in geometric pieces all shaped to fit to a perfect square, Glasgow cast iron works by MacFarlane's & Co. and Art Nouveau stained glass windows. The mansion was originally built with careful attention to the principles of Feng Shui. The domestic annexe is built in front of it to prevent any road being built to create a T-junction in front of it; it has water running through a meandering network of pipes that begin from the eaves of the roof, channelled through the upper ceiling, down the walls collecting in the central courtyard before being channelled away from the property via a similar network of pipes, in this case, underneath the entire flooring system and is built with a step in the middle to create a slope (to ride on the dragon's back). The distinctive blue colour of the mansion is the result of mixing lime with natural blue dye made from the indigo plant. The blue was very popular in the Colonial period and the dye was imported from India to Penang by the British. The lime-wash was very effective in a tropical weather as it absorbed moisture and cooled the house whilst dispelling moisture without damage to the structural integrity of the walls. Though white was the most easily available colour, the indigo-blue was chosen because it was highly prized by all communities, adding stature to the mansion.

The mansion was purchased from Cheong Fatt Tze's descendants in 1989 by a group of local Penang individuals to save the edifice from encroaching development and possible demolition. The property operates as an 18 Room Hotel-cum-museum as part of the adaptive reuse of an ongoing restoration project which has won awards from UNESCO. Tours are offered in English three times a day to central parts of the house. In 2016, a restaurant called 'Indigo' opened on the first floor of the mansion. The mansion has been featured in various films including the 1993 Oscar-winning French film Indochine starring Catherine Deneuve, The Red Kebaya, Road to Dawn, 3rd Generation and the critically acclaimed The Blue Mansion in 2009 by Singapore director Glen Goei of Forever Fever fame. The mansion has also been featured in programs broadcast on various international television channels (CNN, BCC, The History Channel, Discovery Travel & Living). Most recently the mansion served as one of the locations for the Hollywood blockbuster Crazy Rich Asians.^[11]

Temple in George Town, Malaysia. The Goddess of Mercy Temple is a Chinese temple in the city of George Town in Penang, Malaysia. Situated at Pitt Street, it was first built in 1728, making it Penang's oldest Taoist temple.

The temple is dedicated to the Taoist Goddess of Mercy, Guan Yin. However, the temple had been originally established for the worship of Mazu, a sea deity. Following an influx of ethnic Chinese into George Town after the founding of the settlement in 1786, the temple transitioned into one dedicated to Guan Yin in 1800; by then, it also began to function as a neutral mediator between the rival Cantonese and Hokkien communities.

While the temple's more secular functions have since been passed on to the Penang Chinese Town Hall, it retains its religious significance and remains popular amongst Penangites of Chinese descent. It becomes a focal point for Chinese festivities such as the annual feast days for Guan Yin and the Jade Emperor's Birthday, attracting devotees from across Southeast Asia.^[13]

The Esplanade is a waterfront location in the heart of George Town, Penang, Malaysia. It covers the field adjacent to Fort Cornwallis, known locally as the Padang, and the seaside promenade along the edge of the field. The Penang City Hall faces the Padang and the Cenotaph of Penang is also located along the promenade.

The Esplanade was the site of a significant event in Penang's history; it was here where Captain Francis Light, the founder of George Town, first landed on 17 July 1786. Upon claiming possession of Penang Island (then Prince of Wales Island), for the British Empire, the Esplanade became the first area to be cleared by Light, while Fort Cornwallis was constructed immediately east of the clearing.

The cleared field was then used as a military parade ground, prior to its recreational and sports use beginning in the mid-19th century. The planned layout of the Padang is similar to that of the Padang in Singapore and Merdeka Square in Kuala Lumpur. the Esplanade is currently a major venue for celebrations and cultural activities in Penang.^[14]

Temple in Malaysia. The Khoo Kongsi is a large Chinese clanhouse with elaborate and highly ornamented architecture, a mark of the dominant presence of the Chinese in Penang, Malaysia. The famous Khoo Kongsi is the grandest clan temple in the country. It is also one of the city's major historic attractions. The clan temple has retained its authentic historic setting, which includes an association building, a traditional theatre and the late 19th century rowhouses for clan members, all clustered around a granite-paved square. It is located in Cannon Square in the heart of the oldest part of the city of George Town, in the midst of narrow, winding lanes and quaint-looking pre-War houses exuding a palpable old world charm.^[15]

Cemetery in Malaysia. The Old Protestant Cemetery, also known as Northam Road Cemetery, is a disused Christian cemetery in George Town, Penang, Malaysia. After more than a century of neglect, it is now listed as a Class 1 Heritage Site and is maintained by the Penang Heritage Trust.

The cemetery lies in a grove of frangipani trees along Northam Road (now Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah) near the historic core of George Town, only metres away from the beachfront and a short walk from the Eastern & Oriental Hotel.

Established in 1786, the cemetery is of significant historic interest: it is older than many better-known burial grounds such as Père Lachaise in Paris, Powązki in Warsaw, the Zentralfriedhof in Vienna, and Highgate Cemetery in London. It is also 35 years older than the Old Protestant Cemetery in Macau. In 2012, conservation works were undertaken to protect and preserve the site, although there was some concern about how the restoration was done.^[21]

Mosque. Lebuh Aceh Mosque is a 19th-century mosque built by the Acehnese situated on Acheen Street, George Town, Penang, Malaysia.

Next to the mosque lay the cemetery of the mosque's original benefactor, Tengku Syed Hussain Al-Aidid and members of his family. The houses surrounding the mosque today is part of the original Muslim settlement of the mid 19th century.

Another interesting mosque in Georgetown area that are open to visitors is the Kapitan Keling Mosque.

The Acheen Street Mosque was built in 1808 on land donated by an Achenese aristocrat, Tengku Syed Hussain Al-Aidid. It all began in 1792 when Tengku Syed Hussain opened a Muslim settlement in the area near Lebuh Acheh. Over the following years, this settlement became the centre of Islamic studies in Pulau Pinang, frequented by traders from the surrounding Malay archipelago, Arab and India.

The mosque was built alongside houses, shops and a Madrasah for Quranic Studies. One of the religious figures of the time was Sheikh Omar Basheer Al-Khalilee, who was succeeded by his son Sheikh Zakaria who later was appointed as the first Mufti of Pulau Pinang and in 1888, Sheikh Yahya, his older brother, was appointed as the first Kadi of Pulau Pinang.

Following the demise of Tengku Hussain in mid 19th century, the Lebuh Acheh Muslim settlement continued to thrive and was at one time referred to as the Second Jeddah, as pilgrims from nearby congregate here before departing to Mecca by sea. Each year when the Haj season began, the Lebuh Acheh area was thronged by pilgrims and their families. However, all this ended with the establishment of the Lembaga Tabung Haji in the 1970s.^[23]

Town in Malaysia. Butterworth is the largest urban town in the city of Seberang Perai, Penang, Malaysia. It lies about 3 km east of George Town, the capital city of Penang, across the Penang Strait. As of 2021, Butterworth has a total population of 107,591 residents.

Butterworth was named after William John Butterworth, a former Governor of the Straits Settlements during the mid-19th century. Under the British Raj, the town came into being as a transportation hub, due to its proximity to George Town. While the British East India Company initially obtained Seberang Perai (then named Province Wellesley) for agricultural purposes, Butterworth has also witnessed massive industrialisation during the latter half of the 20th century. In 1974, the Port of Penang was relocated into the town.

Currently, Rapid Ferry is the main transportation link between Butterworth and George Town. The Port of Penang handled 1.52 million TEUs of cargo as of 2017, making it one of the busiest seaports in Malaysia. In addition, the Butterworth railway station, situated adjacent to the town's ferry terminal, is a major Malayan Railway station, with train services operated by both the Malayan Railway and the State Railway of Thailand.

Butterworth is also home to RMAF Butterworth, a British-built facility, which now functions as a major Royal Malaysian Air Force base.^[32]