Known for its resorts, sandy beach and night markets, Batu Ferringhi takes full advantage of its location on the tropical island of Penang, offering visitors a fascinating contrast to the heritage streets of George Town.
Batu Ferringhi is Penang’s beach resort, the place on the island that most closely matches the tropical clichés of sun, sand, blue water and beach bars. It’s not always an idyllic paradise though: large-scale hotels line the prime beachfront location and, on the main road that runs through the town, it can feel very touristy at times, with souvenir stalls, Starbucks and western restaurants squeezing into the available space. Factor in the crowds, weekend traffic jams and the often neglected buildings, and your first glimpse of Batu Ferringhi might fall short of expectations.
However, first impressions are deceiving and, if you know where to look, Batu Ferringhi has plenty to offer visitors. It does have one of the best beaches in Penang, especially the stretch between the PARKROYAL and Hard Rock Hotel, and access is open to all, not just to the hotel guests. Although some people do swim, you should be aware that the sea is home to large numbers of jellyfish, so swimming isn’t recommended.
Away from the beach, Batu Ferringhi has a good range of tourist-focused activities, including night markets, a lively restaurant scene and a couple museums and attractions.
Things to note when visiting Batu Ferringhi
- You might see some people swimming in the sea but it’s unfortunately full of jellyfish, a problem that’s only getting worse as a result of pollution and the changing climate. It’s safe enough for a paddle along the shoreline but we’d not recommend going out for a swim, which can be hugely frustrating on a hot Penang afternoon.
- Aside from the odd plastic bottle, which is sadly all too commonplace in Southeast Asia the beach is clean, especially around the resorts where it’s regularly cleaned. Note that none of the hotels or resorts have their own private areas of beach, so the entire shoreline is free to enter. There aren’t any sunbeds or parasols to hire though, so bring a towel, sunhat, sunscreen and water if you plan to sunbathe.
- During the day, the main strip is largely deserted and it gives off quite the ‘out-of-season’ vibe. The restaurants along here are almost all closed until 5pm, with only a few places remaining open. The majority of tourists are at the resorts during the day, and many local visitors are still at work, so it can feel slightly anti-climatic if you’re here in the morning or afternoon.
- Prepare for epic traffic jams on a weekend evening, especially Saturday night when the queue into Batu Ferringhi from the east can stretch back to Tanjong Bungah and beyond (i.e. several kilometres). Everyone is trying to get to the night markets and car parks nearby, so it’s pretty slow going. Queues of over an hour aren’t uncommon and it gets worse later on, so try to arrive before 6pm if possible.
How to get to Batu Ferringhi
The narrow road from George Town clings to the coastline, winding its way through the suburbs of Tanjong Tokong and Tanjong Bungah. It gets congested at weekends but at other times it’s an attractive drive with views over the sea towards Langkawi.
From George Town, the drive usually takes around 30-45 minutes, but this can be substantially longer at the weekends and during public holidays. It’s easiest to take a Grab taxi, although several buses (101 and 102) go through Batu Ferringhi on their way to and from George Town and Penang National Park.
If you’re in your own vehicle, there are several large car parks along the main road that you can pay to park in. Be warned, they get busy and the parking spaces become increasingly tight as the evening wears on and the parking attendants get ever more optimistic as to how many more cars they can squeeze in.
Things to do in Batu Ferringhi
Since the 1970s, Batu Ferringhi has grown into a busy and bustling beach resort, with the number of things to do increasing all of the time. Roughly translating as ‘Foreigners Rock’, the area has traditionally catered to foreign tourists but it’s also popular with Malaysian families visiting from the mainland.
Largely centred around the beach, sea and hotels, Batu Ferringhi really comes to life once the sun goes down, but there are plenty of activities to keep you occupied during the daytime hours.
1. Enjoy the beach resorts
It only takes up a couple of kilometres of coastline, substantially less than you might expect if you’ve recently arrived from somewhere like Thailand or Vietnam, but Batu Ferringhi has several excellent beach resorts to choose from including the PARKROYAL, Shangri-La and Hard Rock Hotel.
Most offer a day pass for non-residents to enjoy the facilities (pool, gym and restaurants), so you can enjoy five-stay luxury at a fraction of the cost (we recommend the Parkroyal day pass). As there aren’t really any places to hire sunbeds on the beach itself, using a hotel’s facilities is usually the most comfortable way to visit the beach area and enjoy some sunbathing and swimming.
Check with each hotel when you book as they often offer up to 20% off your food bill during the visit.
2. Watersports
All of the resorts have their own in-house watersports booths from where you can book parasailing, banana-boats, jet-skis and kayaks. You don’t need to be staying at the hotels to book this, just walk along the beach and keep your eye out (although they’ll probably spot you first and offer their services).
3. Take a beach stroll along to Frandy Beach Bar
The clean beach is ideal for a stroll, with the sea lapping at your feet and the crystal blue water stretching off into the distance. On a clear day, you can see across to Langkawi, Mount Jerai and the mainland. There’s nearly always a cruise ship visible on the horizon, heading to or from the Penang cruise port in George Town.
It’s fairly rare for the beach to be too busy with sunbathers, and the jellyfish keep most would-be swimmers out of the water, so it’s a relaxed walk (1.5km) from near the Shangri-La resort all the way to Frandy Beach Bar and Restaurant, one of our recommendations for the best restaurants in Penang and the best bars in Penang.
Here you can sip cocktails, share a bucket of beer, order some local food and watch the sun set over the water. There are wooden tables and chairs inside for when you’re eating, with comfy beanbags waiting outside on the beach when you’re ready to move onto drinks and chill-time.
4. Batu Ferringhi Night Market
Perhaps the most famous of Batu Ferringhi’s attractions, the night markets are ever-popular with locals and tourists alike. When you’re stuck in the long line of cars inching their way along the coastline, this is what they’re queuing for.
It’s arguably an acquired taste, with tacky souvenir stalls selling things you don’t really need, but it has a lively, holiday vibe and is certainly lots of fun the first couple of times you visit. The highlights are the food stalls, selling every type of dish you can think of, from local Penang specialities, Asian standards, and Western imitations. Bring some cash and throw yourself into the mix.
Batu Ferringhi night market starts from around 6pm and stays open until late.
5. Watch a fire show
Starting from 9pm onwards, there are a couple of places along the beach to watch a live fire show, including BoraBora and Frandys. These guys are seriously impressive and it creates a brilliant spectacle, particularly with the bright sparks flashing against the night sky. Stand back and enjoy the show.
6. Tropical Spice Garden
READ OUR GUIDE: Tropical Spice Garden
Click here for more information
Open daily from 9:00am to 4:30pm (until 6:00pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday)
For a chance to understand the flora and fauna that makes Penang unique, take a trip to the Tropical Spice Garden Penang, which is just 1km further along the road to Penang National Park from Batu Ferringhi beach.
The Tropical Spice Garden offers much more than just another botanic garden, with a range of activities, displays and trails to keep you entertained, all under the canopy of the tropical rainforest. It’s especially fantastic if you are visiting Penang with kids.
With the opportunity to explore the gardens, take part in a cooking class, visit a museum, or an educational class for adults and kids, it makes for a great visit.
Open daily from 9:00am to 4:30pm (until 6:00pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday), the Spice Garden can be reached by Grab taxi or 101/102 Rapid Bus.
Tickets for adult/senior/child cost RM28/20/15 and can be booked via the website. A free audio tour is included in the price.
7. Get a massage
You don’t need to walk far in Batu Ferringhi to find a massage parlour, it’s big business here and competition for business is quite fierce. Each place offer a similar range of treatments and packages, from a simple head massage all the way through to a full-body programme for a couple over the course of several hours.
8. Eat at Long Beach food court
One of the most popular food courts on the island, this caters more to a touristy crowd than locals, so the taste, flavours, prices and authenticity might not be 100% to your liking, but there’s no question it’s a exciting place to sample many of the dishes that make Penang famous.
As with other food courts, it’s simply a case of checking out the different stalls, placing your order and pulling up a plastic chair. Beer is available, order from the guys wandering around with large plastic menus.
If you’re here with kids (or adults with limited palates), this is their chance to try something new.
9. Take the little ones to Adventure Zone
Part of the Shangri-La resort complex, Adventure Zone is a great option if you’re visiting Batu Ferringhi with younger kids and need somewhere for them to burn off some energy in a cool, safe, well-maintained and monitored location.
It’s basically a indoor play centre, with slides, rope ladders and climbing areas for the kids to enjoy. Remember to bring some socks for them to wear.
There’s a cafe area within sight of the play area if adults want a coffee while the fun is happening, although one adult must accompany children at all times in the Adventure Zone. If you’re a two-parent family, you might need to draw straws to decide who gets to sit and watch.
10. Batu Ferringhi Iron Waterfall
READ OUR GUIDE: Batu Ferringhi Iron Waterfall
Only a fifteen minute walk (630 metres) from the main road, the Batu Ferringhi Iron Waterfall might seem close but it feels a world away from the tourism of the resorts and beaches. Just follow the track straight ahead into the rainforest from this point, next to Kafe Vsassy.
The track is relatively flat and easy-going with only the very last section (40 metres) along a muddy path and a few upward steps. Do be mindful of territorial dogs along here when you walk over the bridge, they can seem rather aggressive. Just keep walking and they won’t bother you once your further along the path.
It’s not on most people’s radar, so don’t expect to find much here in the way of tourist infrastructure, but that might be just what you’re looking for.
After the walk, we very much recommend enjoying some roti canai from Kafe Vsassy.
11. Teddyville Museum Batu Ferringhi
READ OUR GUIDE: Teddyville Museum Batu Ferringhi
Open 9am to 6pm every day
If you’ve heard about the Penang Teddyville Museum in Batu Ferringhi, you might be wondering whether it’s just a place to visit with young kids. After all, as cute as teddy bears can be, do they really justify a museum all to themselves?
As it turns out, this clever (and deceptively large) museum at the DoubleTree Resort is much more than just a collection of teddy bears and actually has something to offer everyone, especially if you’re interested in the history of Penang. You’ll see displays depicting Penang’s most famous sites, e.g. Kek Lok Si Temple, George Town UNESCO Heritage Area, Fort Cornwallis, and Penang Hill.
The detail and design of the teddy bears is intricate and manages to enhance the displays and dioramas, meaning adults and kids alike will always find something of interest. The information boards are well-written and explain different periods of Penang’s history, including pre-colonial, the arrival of the British, WWII, and modern-day.
12. Yahong Art Gallery
Penang was the home of Chuah Thean Teng, an artist who first combined the disciplines of fine art and batik to create batik paintings in the 1950s. You may have visited the Batik Painting Museum in George Town which provides and excellent introduction to the artist and the art form he created, but the Yahong Art Gallery in Batu Ferringhi has even more of his work, and that of his children who followed in his footsteps.
It’s a lovely change of pace to the rest of Batu Ferringhi and is a welcome retreat from the daytime heat. The batik paintings are displayed alongside traditional batik, carvings, jewellery and watercolours, so there’s plenty to view during your visit.
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On Penang ebook£16.95
On Penang ebook
New for 2025, the On Penang ebook is the only travel guide you need for exploring the island of Penang. It is jam-packed with inspiration on what to do, where to eat, where to stay, and also includes a step-by-step self-guided walking tour of George Town (with photos).
This is a PDF download for use offline and on the go (and ad-free!). Save it to read on the plane to Malaysia, download to your phone to follow the self-guided walking tour, or print it off at home before you leave on your adventures and highlight all the bits you want to remember for your visit.
Before your go, check out these useful reads for your visit:
The best things to do in Penang
15 BEST restaurants in Penang
Top tips for visiting Penang
One day Penang itinerary
Best hotels in Penang
How to get around Penang
A brief history of Penang
