Overview
Take a trip to Penang Island on your Malaysia Vacation
One exceptional place to visit on Malaysia vacations is Penang Island, the most populated island in Malaysia located in the state of Penang, off the northwestern coast of Peninsular Malaysia and the fourth largest in size, measuring 285 sq. km (177 sq. miles).
As the oldest British settlement in Malaysia, Penang Island features a rich multicultural blend of Chinese, Malay, Indian, and European influences, and is considered the ‘food paradise of Malaysia'.
Penang Island’s northern coast features the city of Batu Ferringhi, where its white sandy beaches and luxurious hotels make Penang Island a premier resort destination on a Malaysia tour.
Georgetown, Penang’s state capital, is situated on Penang Island and features many colonial buildings, 19th-century churches, temples, mosques, and Fort Cornwallis, the largest fort in Malaysia. A major tourist attraction on Malaysia tours, Georgetown is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Penang Hill, situated 830metres (2722 ft) above Georgetown and featuring pleasant gardens, a hotel, a Hindu temple and a mosque, offers great views of Georgetown’s twinkling city lights.
Penang Island features various cities, all offering their own unique attractions, including an array of water and land activities, scenic gardens, temples, markets, cuisine, shopping, and festivals. With its warm, tropical climate, Penang Island is a destination offering something for everyone on a Malaysia vacation.
Penang Hill, situated 830metres (2722 ft) above Georgetown and featuring pleasant gardens, a hotel, a Hindu temple and a mosque, offers great views of Georgetown’s twinkling city lights.
Penang Island features various cities, all offering their own unique attractions, including an array of water and land activities, scenic gardens, temples, markets, cuisine, shopping, and festivals. With its warm, tropical climate, Penang Island is a destination offering something for everyone on a Malaysia vacation.
At a Glance
Languages
Malay[e]Currency
Malaysian Ringgit (MYR)What do the experts say?
I love Malaysia's delicious food. The country is also incredibly affordable, and visitors' easy access to public transit is a great way for them to experience local life.
If you want to get out of the capital city, Kuala Lumpur, then you should visit Malacca. The history of this ancient port city is well worth the trip.
I absolutely love travelling through Malaysia by train. It is incredibly scenic. I also love Kuala Lumpur's amazing skyline and Malacca's old Portuguese and Dutch buildings.
St Georges Church
Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion
Fishing on the beach under a blue sky
Town Hall
A chinese temple in Georgetown on Penang Island...
Travel Stories
Get Inspired About Your Trip to Malaysia
Unlock more by subscribing to our newsletter.
With our newsletter, you’ll get access to regular communications that inspire you and help you explore the world your way.Exclusive Savings
Insider Benefits
Trending Stories
ExcellentBased on 5,156 ReviewsAfter spending some time with our agent, we felt that she understood exactly what we had in mind as far as the level of service, etc, we were hoping for. The trip exceeded our expectations. Lori kept us busy(not too busy!) and we had many, many very exciting experiences. Bruce BelshawAylin is an exceptionally proficient advisor. Coordinating my clients simultaneously often feels like herding cats, but she has remained patient and accommodating through every modification and delay. Goway continues to be my go-to for complex itineraries, and they never disappoint.Nick Cron, ACCMahalo Goway Travel for helping in planning our group Japan's trip. Lawrence was very helpful & patient with all the changes & additions we did. Also, mahalo to Natasa who helped planned my Australia trip past November. The planning from transportation to tours to hotels worked very smoothly. I'll continue to use Goway travel for all my International trips. I'll also will recommend to my friends & family to use Goway...MahaloTanya LaguatanMaria Spitman was wonderful to work with. She was very helpful in designing our trip to Japan and equally wonderful when we had to cancel it. I loved the service she gave us.Sandy WarrenMy daughter and I had a wonderful 2 weeks in New Zealand! The country is so beautiful and the people so friendly. Our destination specialist did a great job with planning and organizing the itinerary, choosing our hotels, and organizing transportation. The hotels were absolutely beautiful and we had great views. We felt right at home and found all of the staff to be friendly and accommodating. There were no issues with our itinerary and our excursions we were always on the list. Our transportation was always ready and waiting for us.
We want to thank Goway Travel for their hard work and patience with us in planning this trip. Any changes that needed to be made were communicated timely. We also want to thank you for the beautiful weather during the entire 2 weeks it was perfect every day 😀.
It was a memorable trip that we will never forget and we will think of Goway when we plan our next adventure. Because it was not just a vacation; it was an adventure!Connie WenhardtWe had a great travelling experience with GoWay !
Thank you all involved in organazing our trip!MaiaBrigitta Fuller is Amazing! She was my group coordinator. She understood the assignment and all the nuances I was trying to achieve. The itinerary she curated was fantastic. If you want someone who truly cares about her group and what they are trying to achieve. I will always reach out to Brigitta first for Europe groups. Kathryn WalkerMy clients had a wonderful time on their trip to Easter Island. They were very pleased with the Hare Nua Hotel Boutique and especially noted the warmth and hospitality of the hotel staff as well as their excellent breakfasts.
Jaime Vargas-Hendandez was an exceptionally gracious and knowledgeable agent, who went out of his way to ensure that my clients had the best possible experience. I will definitely contact him for future bookings and will recommend him to my colleagues.Alethea KardasWe were just back from an ambitious 42-day grand circle through seven of the ASEAN countries! An itinerary gestating over a period of time, carefully planned and pore over intently all the way through proved satisfying as expected, but the amazing "embarras de richesse" in six weeks such as we've never experienced before truly went beyond our imagination, both in terms of scenery and culture! The vast majority of the local teams who work with Goway provided impressive service throughout our stay, and quite a number of the guides and drivers deserve to be called cream of the crop in their line of work. But ultimately, we owe our destination specialist Taryn a profound gratitude for her insight and for her coordination efforts which made all this possible.
When our debit card was not retrievable in an airport ATM Taryn again went out of her way to approve a small loan through transfer to our local guide's bank account, who then withdrew cash from an ATM while we simply paid Goway Travel by credit card through an online payment link. This helped us tremendously through that difficult moment. We will always treasure this kindness on her part.Yuan LinAlice was most helpful - full of insider suggestions.
She was a good listener and able to provide tours, routes and guides tailored to our interests. She made our February trip to New Zealand entirely wonderful.
Marlene
Verified
Verified
Verified
Verified
Verified
Verified
Verified
Verified
Verified
Verified