One week Penang itinerary: how to spend your time wisely

For many visitors, Penang is the place they fall in love with and never want to leave. And while spending a lifetime here would be ideal, if you only have one week on this enticing island, it’s still a pretty good second prize. A one week itinerary allows you to explore and understand Penang, with enough time left over to relax and uncover some of the hidden gems that only come to the surface when you’re not here on a flying visit.

George Town takes centre stage, with its UNESCO World Heritage status and picturesque streets, but there’s plenty more to the island than the capital city. During this week you’ll discover the rest of the island, with hikes, beaches, boat rides and rainforests all vying for your attention.

Check out our other Penang itineraries here:

• 1 day in Penang
• 2 days in Penang
• 3 days in Penang

Day 1

George Town or Penang?

For many visitors, George Town and Penang are synonymous and often mistakenly considered to be the same place. As you’ll learn throughout your week, there’s a great deal more to Penang than just its capital, but George Town is world-renowned for a reason, and is one of the most vibrant and contrasting cities on the planet.

Your first day starts by exploring the city and getting your bearings: the best way to achieve this is always on foot. We’ve hand-picked the best sights in the city and created our own George Town walking tour, which we’d suggest you follow this morning. Depending how may times you stop for sightseeing and refreshment, the walk should take you around three or four hours to complete, ideal timing to break for lunch when you’ve finished.

Start your food journey early

Food is going to be quite the theme of your week’s visit, and now is the first proper chance to sample the extensive and world-class range of dining options. We’ve listed our favourite restaurants in Penang in a separate post but if you need some inspiration, we always suggest Gem Restaurant on Bishop Street for authentic North Indian food served in a friendly, welcoming and air-conditioned location.

Quirky museums

In the afternoon, you might like to retire back to your accommodation to let the hottest part of the day pass by, otherwise head to one of the many indoor museums around central George Town. Museums in Penang tend to be more quirky than high-brow, so your choices are places like the Ghost Museum or Upside Down Museum. For something much more traditional, we adore the Batik Painting Museum on Armenian Street, which showcases examples of this beautiful artform that originated in Penang.

Dinner in George Town

In the early evening before dinner, take a rickshaw ride around the streets, an ideal time is around 7pm when the sun is setting and the streets begin to cool down.

Ask to be dropped off near the Blue Mansion where you’ll find Red Garden Food Paradise. This is one of the most atmospheric and enjoyable food courts in Penang and offers a convenient chance to taste as many different local cuisines as your stomach will allow. Take a quick lap around the edge and see what takes your fancy, order and return to your table where the food will be delivered. Pay in cash when it’s brought to the table and order drinks from the separate waiters who’ll come over to your table. For a fun night out with cheap and tasty food, it takes some beating.

Day 2

Go through your highlight reel

Your schedule allows for another full day in George Town on the second day, so we’d suggest choosing one of the big-ticket items you passed on the walking tour yesterday. Perhaps a couple of hour exploring Penang’s colonial history at Fort Cornwallis, or the Chinese heritage at the Clan Jetties. Either activity can take up a couple of hours and get you up to speed with the early history of Penang.

Later on, check out the famous Penang street art, which has brought new life and context to the street of George Town. It takes you to some different areas of town and the art is both thought-provoking and impressive to discover.

A little luxury

For a change of pace, have a late lunch or afternoon tea at the Eastern and Oriental Hotel, the oldest and grandest luxury hotel on the island, and the place where the great and the good first visited after arriving on the ocean liners from Europe. It still maintains an old-world charm, with modern touches and just the right balance between friendly but formal service.

Day 3

Break free of the city

It’s time to move away from the city and get your first taste of the other side of the island. Penang National Park might only take up a small portion of land in the north-western corner of Penang, but it’s an ideal and accessible introduction to the lush rainforest that plays such a big role in the ecology and personality of the island. There’s more to the park than rainforest, with jungle hikes, boat rides, kayaking and lazy hours relaxing on golden sands all waiting for you.

If you have the motivation and stamina, perhaps the best way to enter the park is on foot, taking the well-defined hike to Turtle Beach, where you’ll emerge to find a meromictic lake and turtle conservation centre.

Check out our full guide on Penang National park before you set off, but your main choice is between taking a hike across the park to reach the beaches (and then hike or take a boat back), or book a boat both ways and enjoy a more chilled day. Both options provide a great experience, and there’s plenty of time to relax at Monkey Beach or check out the Turtle Sanctuary.

Lazy afternoons

We’d suggest leaving plenty of time for kayaking and sunbathing at Monkey Beach and enjoying some beers and food before you head back to the park headquarters. You can stay in touch with your boat driver via WhatsApp and arrange pick-up times and meeting points to suit everyone.

Day 4

The best theme park in Malaysia?

Another change of gear for today, as you move away from cultural and sightseeing activities towards more of an adrenaline rush. ESCAPE Penang is one of the most well-known and visited theme parks in Malaysia and is considered by many to be the best in the country.

While it’ll be of particular interest if you’re in Penang with kids, ESCAPE is an non-stop, fun-packed day for all ages.

For most visitors, the waterpark is the main area to spend time, with tube rides (including the longest tube water slide in the world), wave pools, speed racers, kids pool, lazy rivers and water obstacle courses to keep you occupied.

If it was just a waterpark, ESCAPE Penang would be worth a visit, but that’s only part of the story. The theme park section of ESCAPE is cleverly interwoven into the rainforest setting, with a number of harness-based activities including the longest zip-coaster in the world (yes, that’s two Guinness World Records in one place!), slingshots, giant swings, high-rope courses and traditional ziplines.

There’s even Malaysia’s first dry ski-slope (although manage your expectations), where you can choose to descend on skis, snowboards or on top of inflatable tyres.

As you can see, ESCAPE Penang combines the sort of rides and attractions you’d usually find in multiple parks, and packs them all into one long (but thrilling) day.

Slow down at Entopia

Nearby to ESCAPE is Entopia, which began life as Penang Butterfly Farm but was rebuilt and rebranded in 2015 to become a much larger tourist attraction split into two distinct areas: Natureland and The Cocoon. It’s an accessible and well-managed place to visit for an hour or two after you’ve finished at ESCAPE, before heading back to your hotel for a well-earnt rest and dinner.

Day 5

Head for the hills

The climate in Penang isn’t usually too much of a problem for visitors, assuming you’re able to avoid the hottest parts of the day and find some shelter. However, if the temperature does get too much, day 5 might be day to head for the hills and find some cooler climes.

Penang Hill was used by the early colonial rulers to survey the island, keep an eye out for invaders but, perhaps most importantly, also as a retreat from the heat. It’s still the best place on the island to experience lower temperatures, and there are enough activities and sights to keep you occupied during the visit.

The most iconic way to reach the top is via the funicular, but make sure you arrive early if possible, as the queues can be severe during busy periods such as public holidays and weekends. Alternatively, to avoid the crowds and work off some of the Penang food you’ve been eating, consider taking the hike up Penang Hill via the Heritage Trail.

Once at the top, there are plenty of activities to keep you occupied, perhaps the best is The Habitat, a rainforest discovery centre that brings you up close and personal to the rainforest and provides an opportunity to learn about some of the flora and fauna that calls Penang Hill home. Included in the ticket price are treetop and canopy walks, bringing you even closer to the action.

There are a couple of places to eat on Penang Hill but, if your stomach allows it, there are better options at the bottom of the hill in Air Itam.

The best of the best

Conveniently positioned a few minutes drive away from Penang Hill is the most impressive religious monument in Penang, Kek Lok Si Temple. Home to a hundred-plus foot Guanyin statue, the temple complex is spread around multiple levels and lets you descend through intricate prayer halls, pavilions, and pagodas.

The climb up to the top of the pagoda might be hot, but the worn steps are testament to how many people have made the journey before you. Even in Penang, which is world-famous for its religious heritage, Kek Lok Si Temple stands out as a special place to visit, reflect, and to spend a few hours of your time.

Day 6

Southeast Asian beach vibes

Penang has a decent selection of beachside resorts in the suburb of Batu Ferringhi, but not to the scale and variety you may have experienced in other parts of Southeast Asia. But, as you’re only visiting this area for one day, there’s plenty here to keep you entertained, and the stretch of beach is usually quiet and always stunning to experience.

The best approach is to pay for a day pass at one of the resorts, our favourite is the PARKROYAL, but you’ll find several other international-chain options offering a similar experience. Select a sun lounger, order some food and drink, and let a few others drift by in the Penang sun.

Later on on the afternoon or early evening, walk westwards along the beach until you reach Frandy’s, with its laid-back atmosphere, beer buckets, affordable local cuisine and fire-breathing shows. If you still have the energy, the night markets and restaurants of Batu Ferringhi are famous around this part of Malaysia and full of energy and good time vibes.

Day 7

Last call for George Town

The last day is here already, we told you the week would fly by quickly. After spending a few days away from the city, now’s a good time to return to the city and spend your final few hours in George Town.

This is really all about revisiting your highlights and filling up with as much of the gorgeous Penang cuisine that your waistline will allow. For some added culture, you can’t beat a tour of the Blue Mansion, to learn how the pre-UNESCO days almost decimated the heritage buildings of the city, and how a few dedicated residents came to the rescue. The hour-long tour is low-key and informative, ideally followed by lunch at the in-house Indigo restaurant afterwards.

You can’t have failed to miss the Komtar building during your visit; it’s the tallest building on the island and the source of mixed feeling among Penangites who question its value and aesthetics so close to the heritage streets. That aside, it has plenty of activities inside, including a 360 degree walkway at the top, with views across the island. It’s a nice way to finish your visit, allowing you to pick out all the places you’ve visited over the past seven days.

Once you come back down to earth, take a final walk around the streets and a nightcap in the bars on Chulia Street and Love Lane (or one of the other bars in Penang), the ideal place to plan your next visit to Penang.

Looking for more inspiration of things to do in Penang?

Then check out our guide to the best things to do in Penang, as well as our guide to off-the-beaten-track in Penang. There are certainly enough activities on the island to fill more days.