Penang Hill visitor guide (2025): everything you need to know

Here we discuss the best things to do on Penang Hill, how to get up Penang Hill, and what to expect from your visit.

Penang Hill offers visitors a large selection of sights and attractions to enjoy on top of this iconic Penang landmark. A visit here will give you the chance to explore the natural rainforest setting, visit religious and colonial-era sights, or enjoy a meal at Penang’s highest restaurant. With several different ways to reach the top, a visit to Penang Hill is a highlight of any visit to the island.

How to get up Penang Hill

READ OUR FULL GUIDE: How to get up Penang Hill

There are three main options to get up Penang Hill:

• Penang Hill funicular railway: most popular route which only takes five minutes from the base at Air Itam (click here for location), but factor in the large queue times that can be over an hour during busy periods. Great views but the carriages are packed full to bursting at times. Best to visit weekday, early mornings, otherwise purchase the Express ticket.
  
• Take a Jeep: surprisingly affordable if you’re in a larger group (RM160 for up to four people) and also a good option for visitors with limited mobility. Click here for the location of the pick up point. The pick up used to be next to the Penang Botanical Gardens entrance, but while the cable car is being installed, the road is closed.
  
• Walking trails: several to choose from, starting from either Air Itam or the Botanic Gardens. You’ll need plenty of fitness and water but the walks are rewarding and give you the chance to see a side of Penang Hill other visitors miss. The most direct route (very steep, but short) is along the Heritage Trail. This is one of the best walks in Penang.

And soon there will be a fourth option to get up Penang Hill! In June 2024, the initial work began to build a cable-car from the Penang Botanic Gardens to the Upper Station of Penang Hill, offering an alternative to the funicular.

It’s expected to take several years to complete, so the cable-car isn’t an option for now, but it’s interesting that, even after all these years, the appeal of getting up Penang Hill is still as strong as ever.

What to expect at the top of Penang Hill

Regardless of how you get to the top, you’ll arrive at (or near) the Upper Station which acts as the unofficial park headquarters. A large open circular area in front of the Upper Station is a good place to pause and get your bearings, with all of the sights and activities radiating out from here. Don’t expect too much from this area, keep in mind that the best sights and activities on Penang Hill are waiting for you a short walk or buggy ride away.

An interesting exhibit is the original funicular coach, with its first and second class accommodation. For many years, this was how visitors to Penang Hill reached the top before it was gradually replaced with the modern and efficient system we used today.

There are a couple of vantage points to get your first panoramic view of Penang, although better and less crowded viewpoints await you further into your visit. If hunger is already an issue, the Cliff Cafe food court is the best place to get a cheap meal or snack, or you can grab some fizzy drinks, candy floss or frozen lollies from the nearby stalls.

What to do at the top of Penang Hill

The top of Penang Hill is an eclectic place and you get the sense it has developed over the years with a limited amount of planning or cohesion. Colonial-era police stations, red post boxes, temples, mosques and heritage buildings jostle for space with earthquake simulators, toy museums and an under-maintained playground.

But take a few steps away from the main area and you’ll find peaceful walking trails, classy restaurants and excellent attractions such as The Habitat and Gallery@Edgecliff. It does mean that there’s something for everyone to enjoy during their visit.

The best places to explore are those which showcase the natural and religious heritage of Penang Hill, for example Penang Hill Mosque and Sri Aruloli Thirumurugan (Penang Hill Temple).

As you’d expect from the highest point on Penang Island, you’re never short of places to take in the panoramic views. One of the best is the viewing area near the departure point for the funicular. On a clear day, you can see across the island to the mainland or out over the Malacca Strait towards Langkawi.

A visit to The Habitat is highly recommended and by far the best thing to do on Penang Hill. This takes you away from the crowds and into the rainforest that covers so much of Penang Hill.

In addition to these ideas, there more than twenty other attractions and sights to visit, including David Brown’s Restaurant, nature trails, colonial-era buildings, and Penang’s oldest post box.

How to get around Penang Hill when you reach the top

The top of Penang Hill is a pleasant place to walk around and most of the major sites are only a few hundred metres away from one another (these mostly tend to lead off from the main circular area).

However, small golf-carts / buggies can be hired with a driver at the top to take you around the top of Penang Hill. This is particularly useful if you have limited mobility. Click here for the location of the buggies.

Buggies ride you for 2km along a road to a coffee shop (located here), where you turn around and come back again. En route there is a scenic lookout point. The return fare is RM30 (cash only, direct to driver), but if you want to get off at the coffee shop at the turnaround point, then you need to pay your driver RM30 and then organise another buggy back for RM15.

Tips for visiting Penang Hill

• Penang Hill is one of the busiest attractions on Penang Island so try to prepare yourselves for the crowds and queues, especially if you’re arriving via the funicular.
  
• If possible, try to arrive early as you’ll find the whole area so much quieter, and the early morning views across the island are some of the best. The first funicular journey starts at 6:30am.
  
• The food options can be limited and overpriced; try to fill-up before you arrive.
  
• Choose a couple of activities to focus on rather than trying to rush around ticking everything off.

Final thoughts on visiting Penang Hill

Penang Hill is an interesting mixture of sights and activities, giving you the opportunity to plan and arrange your own day out. There’s a good combination of natural outdoor activities (e.g. The Habitat and nature walks), religious sites, colonial-era buildings and heritage, plus a few more ‘fun’ things such as Henna Art and Earthquake simulators.

Even if you’re not doing one of the activities, it’s still a beautiful location in its own right, with glorious views to enjoy from almost any vantage point.