Colorful Georgetown on the island of Penang in Malaysia is best known for the amazing graffiti that covers the walls of many buildings in the city, and the interesting colonial buildings that add to the city’s charm.

In addition, the city has to offer delicious street food, a town on the water, as well as amazing old mansions full of history. Going a bit outside the city you will visit interesting temples and see the tall statue of Goddess Guanyin.

In this article, you’ll learn about the 10 places you absolutely must visit while in Georgetown.

Georgetown was high on our list of places we absolutely wanted to visit while in Malaysia. All because of the amazing graffiti that drew us to Georgetown, as did hundreds of other travellers.

In Georgetown we also fell in love with the city’s colonial buildings, but also in its more modern face, full of cool bars, restaurants and meeting places. Our favorite activity was to stroll through the streets of the city and admire the graffiti, buildings, and the usual life going on right in front of our eyes.

#1 Admire Street Art all around the city

Georgetown is best known for its numerous colorful graffiti, which in addition to paintings also contain physical elements that make the graffiti come alive.

The paintings were created by the talented artist Ernest Zacharevic, who created several graffiti scattered throughout the old city of Georgetown. He was hired by the local council to paint graffiti on the walls of the city to attract tourists.

Walk the streets and admire the graffiti, if you don’t want to miss any work of interest, download the Street Art map that will make your search easier.

#2 Get lost on streets of Georgetown

Georgetown is full of colorful colonial buildings, which in addition to its visual value is also where you will visit many stores, cafes, and restaurants.

Stroll the city’s streets, admire the surrounding buildings, have a delicious breakfast, lunch or dinner, or go shopping in one of the many souvenir stores. You can find the coolest souvenir stores on Armenian Street.

#3 Visit delicious China House

For all lovers of sweets, China House is the perfect place for an afternoon cake and coffee, or a refreshing lemonade.

But ChinaHouse is not only a cafe with a huge selection of delicious cakes, but also an art gallery and library, and there is also a small boutique clothing store in the adjacent building. If you want to sample a delicious cake, don’t miss this place.

#4 Admire Cheong Fatt Tze (Blue Mansion)

This amazing indigo blue mansion was built in the late 19th century by wealthy buissnesman Cheong Fatt Tze. The building is also called Blue Mansion because of its amazing color, which was very popular during the colonial time.

Cheong Fatt Tze was built in Chinese architectural style and has as many as 38 rooms. Currently, the building is also a boutique hotel.

Daily tours start from $5.50 (MYR 25).

#5 Enjoy Pinang Peranakan (Green Mansion)

Another beautiful building on the map of Georgetown is the amazing Pinang Peranakan Mansion, commonly referred to as the Green Mansion because of the green color of the building’s facade.

Like the Blue Mansion, this building was also built in the 19th century, by one of the richest men in Penang at the time. Once a residential building, it is now an amazing museum full of beautiful furniture, accessories and decorations in both Chinese and European styles.

Entrance costs is $5.50 (MYR 25) and you can buy a ticket when you arrive. A reservation in advance is not required.

#6 Stroll around Little India

Indian culture is a big part of all of Malaysia and so it is no different in Georgetown. Here you can immerse yourself in a completely unique culture and feel like you are in the middle of the streets of Mumbai while enjoying delicious Indian cuisine and marveling at their temples.

#7 Visit Clan Jetties

In the late 19th century, a family sharing the same surname arrived in Penang from China. Since they lived from fishing, they formed a clan living on the water. They built their houses on stilts, and the streets were formed by wooden planks. Today Clan Jetties is where you’ll find numerous souvenir stores and a lot of tourists.

#8 Enjoy Hin Bus Depot

It used to be a bus depot, but today it’s a creative space with several charming stores that sell handicrafts, as well as small cafes where you’ll enjoy a tasty cup of coffee. Hin Bus Depot is a meeting place, as well as a place where local artists exhibit their unique works.

Entrance to the area is completely free, however, we encourage you to make small purchases that will support the local artists.

#9 Explore Kek Lok Si Temple

A bit outside the city is the amazing and huge Kek Lok Si temple, consisting of several buildings decorated with colorful ribbons – these are the prayers of the faithful written on fabric.

Kek Lok Si is the oldest Buddhist temple in Malaysia. Construction began in 1890, and the most important pagoda “Ten Thousand Buddhas” has as many as seven floors and contains 10,000 Buddha statues. At the very top of the hill is a 30m high statue of the goddess Guanyin made of bronze, to which a multi-person elevator travels every few minutes. It costs $1.30 (MYR 6) for a return ticket.

#10 Have fun at Love Lane

Love Lane is a street that comes alive after dark. Filled with fantastic bars and restaurants, it is a great place for an evening drink. Many places have live music, which also adds to the charm of the place.

Have some fun at Love Line, enjoy drinks with firends, and loud, lively music.

• That’s Nacho Cheese | Yummy Mexican Food
• Every Fresh Bar | Delicious smoothie bowls
• Yin’s Sourdough Bakery | Nice breakfast place
• ChinaHouse | Awesome cakes
• Vegan Falafel Penang | Best Falafel in town
• Otto Pizza | Yummy Pizza place
• The Pok Ok | Refreshing drinks and cocktails
• Mona Lisa Bar | Nice teas and drinks

Flight

There is an international airport in Penang. If you are coming from outside Malaysia or prefer to fly in general, this is the perfect way to go

Bus

If you are already in Malaysia, you can easily reach Georgetown or Penang by bus. Ticket prices are affordable and during the trip you can get new impressions of the country. Check you bus connections to Georgetown (Penang) .

In most cases, you will arrive on the mainland in Penang. To get from there to the island and Georgetown, you can use Grab to drive you directly across the bridge to your accommodation.

Once in Georgetown arrived, the best way to get around is on your own feet. Then you can enter every street and admire every nook. If you are in a hurry rent a bicycle or call a Grab here as well.

The best time to visit Gorgetown is between November and January, when the weather is by far the best. However, if you want to avoid the crowds, aim for the time between February and April, when there are not so many tourists in the city.

Since most of the attractions are located in the center, this is where you should look for accommodation.

Unfortunately, this time the accommodation in which we stayed is absolutely not worth recommending, so we do not have a specific guesthouse that we could recommend.

Remember, however, that before booking it is worth reading reviews, even on Google, so that when you arrive at the place you do not get shocked. 🫣

To get a full feel for the city, to admire the numerous graffiti and colorful buildings in peace, and to visit the temple outside the city, book at least four days in this interesting city. Although there is a risk that after that time you will want to rebook your tickets and stay a little longer.

Entry to Malaysia is in many cases uncomplicated and no visa is required. For example, EU and US citizens can stay up to 90 days visa free in Malaysia. This also applies to many other countries as well. Some other countries travel visa-free up to 30 days. Check your Malaysia visa requirements before your travel.

Malaysia is a card-friendly country. In most places in Georgetown like restaurants, bars, stores and attractions you can pay by card. As everywhere carrying some cash with you is a good idea, especially to buy something from street markets.

Since in most situations such as finding a Metro connection, ordering a Grab or just to stay connected to the world, you will need internet, it is worth getting a sim card. We feel that provider Hotlink Maxis offers the best option for internet in Malaysia.

The prices are per person, except for the accommodation and taxi, which we rent for 2 people.

Accommodation: $25 / night

Restaurant: $4 – $7 / meal

Snack: $1 – $3 / meal

Pleasure: $2 – $4 / event

Taxi: $2 – $6 / ride

Activity: $1.30 – $5.50 / event