Northern Peninsular Malaysia

In the northwest of Peninsular Malaysia, the old streets and food of George Town in Penang, the duty-free island of Langkawi and the white coffee of old Ipoh are the three main draws.

This region covers four states in the northwest of Peninsular Malaysia: Penang, Kedah, Perlis and Perak, bordered by the northern Strait of Malacca to the west and Thailand to the north.

Highlights: George Town in Penang is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with its shophouse streets, murals, Clan Jetties, Kek Lok Si Temple and the Penang Hill funicular, as well as street food such as char koay teow, Hokkien mee and cendol. Langkawi is a duty-free archipelago, with the SkyBridge cable car, mangrove boat tours and island-hopping to watch eagles. Ipoh has limestone cave temples, Concubine Lane, white coffee and bean sprout chicken. Taiping's Lake Gardens is one of the oldest parks in Malaysia, and Pangkor Island, the Cameron Highlands and the upper Perak River make good extensions.

Classic itineraries: 2–3 days in Penang plus 2–3 days in Langkawi; or go north from Kuala Lumpur via Ipoh to Penang in 4–5 days, then cross into Thailand to Hat Yai or Phuket from Perlis or Penang.

Getting there: Penang, Langkawi and Ipoh have airports. The ETS electric train links Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh and Butterworth (across from Penang island), and Langkawi can be reached by ferry from Kuala Perlis or Kuala Kedah.

Good to know: most food stalls in Penang open in the evening, and some close on Mondays. Langkawi's sea is calmest in the dry season (Nov–Apr), and some island-hopping tours are cancelled in the rainy season.

Destinations

Itineraries