Where to stay in George Town

See

See Penang for attractions in the rest of the state; this list covers only sights in George Town. Thanks to the UNESCO World Heritage Site listing and strict zoning laws within the historic core of George Town, a combination of historical buildings and gently crumbling, but largely intact, shophouses offer a glimpse into the city's past. It may be worthwhile engaging a walking tour guide as they are trained to give in-depth details on the history and culture of heritage sites. There are several themed walking guides to choose from and each typically takes around 3 hours. Book ahead.

• Armenian Street
• Gurney Drive
• Little India
• Penang Hill
• Penang Botanic Gardens
• Entopia Butterfly Farm
• Tropical Spice Garden
• Penang National Park
• Padang Kota Lama
• Penang Sports Club
• Protestant Cemetery
• Jewish Cemetery

Do

Besides enjoying excellent food, walking tours and sightseeing the beautiful old city, George Town offers various modern entertainment options to the discerning tourist. If you, tired of walking, want to kill a couple of hours there is the possibility of catching a movie at any of the several shopping malls in the city centre, including 1st Avenue, Gurney Plaza and Gurney Paragon. Some shopping malls, notably Gurney Plaza and Queensbay Mall contain other forms of entertainment as well, such as karaoke, laser tag and escape games.

• Rainbow Skywalk
• The Gravityz
• Occupy Beach Street
• Hin Bus Art Depot
• Penang Bowl
• The Habitat
• ESCAPE Theme Park
• Penang Sports Club
• Batu Ferringhi
• Paintball at Penang War Museum

Eat

Penang is widely considered to be the food capital of Malaysia, and George Town is the best place in Penang to eat. (See Penang for listings of local dishes.) Gurney Drive may be the main location where tourists go to have their food, but that does not necessarily mean that the best food can be found there. In fact, most locals consider it to be overrated and expensive. A variety of Chinese food courts, and Durian stalls, can be found in Jalan Macalister between the crossing with Jalan Penang and number 105.

Drink

If you're looking for something to do at night, there's always Upper Penang Road, where clubs, pubs and bars are always flooded with young people. UPR is opposite the famed Eastern And Oriental Hotel and beside the City Bayview Hotel.

Stay safe

Compared to other major Malaysian cities, George Town is relatively safe. The city's crime rate is somewhat low and serious crimes are pretty rare. Be extra careful in crowds and on roadsides, as they are the spots where petty crimes such as snatch thefts and pickpockets occur. If you look like a tourist, you will get considerably higher prices from the salesmen in markets, like Batu Ferringhi Night Market, or the market near the Kek Lok Si temple. The real price of the product is always a lot less and at times the "best price" is five times the normal price. Taxis generally do not use meters due to poor enforcement by local authorities, even though it is "compulsory".