How to travel around Penang – travel the Malaysian way

 Penang is an island situated in the northern part of Malaysia. It is one of the most renowned resort destinations in Southeast Asia and is nicknamed the peart of the Orient. It is a traveler's dream with a range of different cultures to explore, great food to eat, and exciting adventures to be a part of.

Best time to go

The first thing to decide is when you want to go to Penang. As an equatorial island, Penang has two main seasons, wet and dry. This means the country has a highly humid and warm part of the year and one that is filled with heavy rains. Between December and January are the most famous tourist seasons. This is because it falls in line with the New Year as well as the Chinese New Year when people are on holiday and are in a mood to travel. The time between April and November is usually considered off-peak since there is a lot of rain. The advantage of visiting during these times is that it is usually cheaper.

How to get around Penang

This depends on which parts of the island you want to focus on. Most of the key tourist attractions are in George Town and you can get to this location via taxi or bus. The choice between the two will really on how much you want to spend and how long you want to be traveling. Taxis will only take about 30 minutes from the airport while the bus will take over an hour. If you are coming from PARKROYAL Penang Resort to George Town the trip will still take a similar duration. This tends to be the case with every Penang suite hotel. However, once you get to George Town, getting around is quite convenient. You can walk to most of the key tourist attractions. The UNESCO heritage site which is the old town is less than 4 square kilometers in size. There are also rapid busses running quite frequently that you can catch.

Beyond George Town

Rapid Penang Scania Bus George Penang Island | Image via Wikimedia Commons

If you want to go to the areas that are beyond George Town the easiest thing to do is to take a Grab. Grabs are the main type of taxi available in Malaysia. Note that Ubers are no longer functional in the country. The fares are usually very affordable, and you can get one quite quickly. While the Rapid Penang buses also take you to the key locations around Penang, they can be a bit more expensive to navigate. However, this is the cheaper option.

Ultimate freedom

While busses, taxis, and walking are all great ways to explore Penang, there is nothing quite like renting your scooter. This will give you the ultimate freedom to go anywhere whenever you wish. There are several shops in and around George Town that exclusively rent scooters to travelers. Technically, you must have the necessary paperwork to rent a scooter (such as an international driving license). However, this is not always the case. Once you have a scooter, you can go to your favorite places in Penang with no hassle. People in Penang are quite friendly and happy to help so you won’t come into too many issues even if you are not familiar with the surroundings.

Going to the mainland

Finally, if you want to go to the Butterworth area which is situated across the channel, you will have to take the Ferry. This is also quite convenient and regular so it shouldn’t be too difficult to catch one. It will always be helpful to know the Ferry schedule in advance so that you can plan your trip accordingly.

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