Penang Ferry Museum: preserving a maritime icon in George Town

The Penang Ferry Museum celebrates the island’s most iconic mode of transport, offering visitors an engaging journey through history, heritage, and hands-on exhibits.

The iconic and brightly painted double-decker Penang ferries spent many years crisscrossing the narrow stretch of water between Butterworth and Penang Island. Capable of carrying cars, motorcycles and foot passengers, these elegant vessels were undoubtedly a romantic way to travel to or from the mainland.

In 2020 the ferries were retired and then, a few years later, replaced by faster, sleeker and more efficient models. Since their retirement, the old ferries have suffered ignominious fates: some sank, others were towed away to be scrapped, and a couple were left to rust on the edge of George Town, their future uncertain.

But for one lucky ferry (aptly named Pulau Penang), the journey wasn’t over just yet. Resurrected as a floating museum dedicated to the history of Penang ferries, the vessel now houses the Penang Ferry Museum: an authentic, atmospheric and welcome addition to Penang Island’s (sometimes) hit and miss museum options.

Arriving to Penang Ferry Museum

The Penang Ferry Museum is located only a few metres from the George Town Ferry Terminal, making it an easy place to access either from the Jetty Bus Terminal or the George Town to Butterworth ferry. If you’re arriving in a Grab, you can select ‘Tanjung City Marina’ as your destination.

It’s a perfect place to position a ferry museum, taking advantage of a patch of land between Church Street Pier and the ferry terminal that has long been neglected. Hopefully this is the beginning of a revival for the former docks area along Weld Quay.

Ticket choices

Ticket options are split into two main categories: VIP and General Admission.

The main benefit of VIP tickets is access to the engine room (more on that later) and priority entry if there’s a large queue.

• VIP entry is RM59 for adults, RM39 for children.
• General admission for MyKad holders is RM29 for adults, RM15 for children aged 4-15, senior citizens and accessible tickets.
• General admission for international visitors is RM39 for adults, RM19 for children aged 4-15, RM39 for senior citizens and RM19 for accessible tickets.

What to expect onboard

The first thing you notice after passing through the ticket gates is that you’re boarding an actual ferry, complete with gangway and a not-insignificant rocking motion from the waves. It’s certainly authentic but something to bear in mind if you’re prone to motion-sickness.

In spite of the option of accessible tickets at the ticket counter, the Penang Ferry Museum isn’t really accessible at all, with its narrow gangways, multiple staircases, uneven surfaces and lack of lifts. It might be possible to visit some of the lower deck area with assistance, but these ferries were never built with accessibility in mind, and there has been no attempt to retrofit improved access.

Our visit coincided with a quiet time, and we were the only visitors on board. This meant we had the full attention of the friendly tour guides throughout our visit, which was both good and bad. If you prefer to explore museums at your own pace, it’s not always ideal having someone shadowing you as you try to read the displays. Alternatively, if you enjoy hearing plenty of extra details and information about the ferries, then the guides will be a welcome addition to your visit.

Main Deck

The main deck is the most ‘traditional museum’ part of the visit, with a multitude of displays, information boards, models and information. It’s quite a lot to take in, although it’s well laid out and, if you take your time, there’s some excellent information to be found.

Anyone visiting with kids will find this part of the museum hugely popular, with the model replicas of the Penang ferries a big hit.

Further along the deck, wander through the curtains and enter the cinema room, where a slightly eclectic film awaits detailing the history of the ferries from their inception in the 19th century. As the images spin and scroll across the panoramic screen, it’ll certainly test your ability to withstand motion sickness. The voiceover is in Malay, with English subtitles.

Engine Room

For the VIPs amongst you, the next door on the tour leads to the access to the engine room. Before heading down the steps, choose your Personal Protective Equipment: boiler suit or hi-vis vest (unclear whether this is all for safety or fun, but just go with it). The hard hat is useful though, as the headroom once you get down below is minimal and there are lots of pipes to bash your head against.

Is it worth the money to come down? Sort of, but more so if you’re really interested in engines and their operation. Aside from a few simple signs, there isn’t really much in the way of information, but as it’s been left exactly as it was before the ferry was decommissioned, it certainly feels authentic.

Upper Deck

Moving onto the upper deck, you’ll first find a special area dedicated to children, with the chance to work on a paper model of a Penang ferry, create your own painting, or play with other ferry-related toys. It’s a fun place for everyone to take a break from the museum tour.

Further along the deck, and of particular interest to kids and young-at-heart adults, is a painstakingly-created replica of Weld Quay, with trams, trishaws, ships and pedestrians gliding around the model. Press the green button and watch the scene come to life, it’s a beautiful reminder of what the surrounding area would have looked like back in its heyday. There are plans to extend this area to include other areas of Penang.

Navigation Deck

It might come as a slight relief to break free of the enclosed deck areas and get some fresh air. The navigation deck provides access to the bridge where all of the controls are still left exactly as they were on the ferry’s last day of service.

Aside from the navigation areas, this is the best place in the museum to get a different perspective of George Town that you just can’t appreciate from the ground level. In the near distance is the clocktower that used to house the ticket office and ferry company offices, plus Church Street Pier and the grand (but often decaying) colonial buildings that line Weld Quay.

It’s easy to imagine the scene from previous centuries when passengers were making their way through the surrounding area towards the ferry and onward train connections to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. It’s a view and ambience you can’t feel elsewhere on Weld Quay, which is unfortunately a shadow of its former self, especially on the water side of the road.

After your visit

The free CAT bus departs right outside the museum entrance on the main road, otherwise it’s only a short five minute walk to join up with our George Town walking tour at the corner of Beach and Church Streets.

If you have a bit more energy, the Clan Jetties are a fifteen minute walk along Weld Quay, otherwise head deeper into the Unesco heritage zone to check out the beautiful Penang street art or discover some of the many things to do in George Town.

Final thoughts on Penang Ferry Museum

While there’s no doubt the new George Town to Butterworth ferries offer a quicker and more reliable service, many Penangites were sad to see the old ferries disappear. So it’s great to see that at least one of them has been rescued and restored as this impressive museum.

Many areas of the ferry are exactly as they would have been when it was in service, so there’s a definite air of realism to your visit, right down to the rocking motion and smell of engine oil. There’s a well-curated mixture of detailed exhibits, interactive films, helpful guides and several exhibits specifically tailored towards younger visitors.

If you never got to ride on one of these ferries, now’s your chance to climb onboard and see why they were so well loved. And for those people who remember them plying the route across the water, it’s sure to bring back some happy memories.

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