5 Untouristy Penang Day Trip Ideas
You’ve waited long enough for that creamy bowl of laksa, you’re 100% on board with adhering to safety protocols of the “new normal”, and you’ve saved enough time and money to venture out--this calls for a victory lap! So how about a day trip of Penang Island’s lesser known gems?
We spent many a day dreaming about strolling through emerald green rice fields, watching a breathtaking sunset, or scouring the stately streets for our favorite eats in Penang. So that’s exactly what we did--and with a little planning, so can you!
To Experience Penang Off the Beaten Path, Head to Balik Pulau
You’ve already “ticked the boxes”: the sights, sounds, and scents of Georgetown, Kek Lok Si Temple and its many steps, and a few of Penang’s street art murals--so let’s head off of the tourist trail. Few visitors take the time to experience Penang’s pastoral beauty, and that’s a shame!
Cross the hilly spine of the island’s interior (via bus or your own transportation), and the road winds its way out to a sweeping view, descending into a wide basin of lush fruit orchards, emerald green rice paddies, and village settlements dating back hundreds of years--you’re now in Balik Pulau.
As the island’s agricultural heartland, you’ll see fruit and vegetable stands throughout the area, enticing you to pull over for some mangosteen, dragon fruit, or delicious local black thorn durian, which just might change your mind about durian if you aren’t already a fan, but at a hefty price.
The town’s dusty main stretch isn’t a show-stopper, but it’s a great stop for lunch. Here, you’ll find some of the best laksa in Penang--and perhaps the entire country--served at legendary coffee shops like Kim Laksa.
What makes Balik Pulau laksa special? You’ll need an appetite or a hungry friend to find out, because you’re gonna need two bowls! There’s the classic asam laksa, fresh and springy rice noodles smothered in a rich, tangy kembong & tamarind broth--the pride and joy of Penang--but save room for a bowl of decadent laksa siam (or laksa lemak), which adds a healthy dose of coconut milk to the stock...Healthy? I meant “heavenly”, we’re not counting calories today, folks.
Grab a strong kopi or fresh nutmeg juice--another one of Balik Pulau’s secret charms--and you’re ready to get lost in the back roads (or the bicycle path) leading through the paddies, fishing villages, and kampungs featuring traditional raised wooden homes. This is a different Penang, rooted firmly in the past--or is it?
You might notice a bit of George Town’s creative vibes have spilled over to this side of the island: a beautiful Penang street art mural adorns the town center, and a colorful Penang container art installation has popped up in the middle of a beautiful green rice paddy, adding a bit of modern expression to the island’s vibrant traditions.
Discover a Neighborhood Morning Market for Some Local Food
Like any major travel & food destination, Penang’s eateries aren't immune to the occasional bout of--gasp--tourist crowding.
Yes, hard to believe right now, but the island has and will again see huge throngs of travelers descending onto its famed hawker centers, which can sometimes alter the experience and the quality of the food, especially when vendors are forced to amend the local flavors to suit the tastes of the “uninitiated”--so on occasion, we like to venture into often overlooked Penang neighborhoods in search of some delicious Penang hawker food.
This time, we grabbed some breakfast at Batu Lanchang, and found nothing less than a classic morning market experience!
What makes places like Batu Lanchang special is that it caters only to local sensibilities and standards. To succeed, everything must be up to standard, freshly prepared, and quickly executed!
You can relax in the frenetic but surprisingly organized outdoor seating area and chomped on some soft, sweet, and spicy chee cheong fun, a mug of black kopi “O”, and a many other classic Penang dishes, but here’s a secret: if you want to test the mettle of a hawker center’s breakfast skills, try the roti bakar. The quality of this simple dish of toast, butter, kaya, and a half-cooked egg will tell you that you’re in the right place, and Batu Lanchang does the quintessential kopitiam dish proud!
Feast on a Seafood Dinner with a Sunset View
Spend enough time getting lost in the lorongs of George Town and you’ll forget that you are, in fact, on a tropical island... which means there are sunsets and seafood to be found, if you know where to look! If you like the sound of feasting on incredibly fresh grilled fish in a sea-side eatery, while the sun sinks into the Straits and waves lap the shores of a quiet kampung behind you--head to Teluk Tempoyak, just past Batu Maung.
Never mind Batu Ferringhi or the other tourist hotspots--this small cluster of villages, shops and seafood cafes offers a real slice of seaside life, and feels miles away from everything, even though it sits about 10 minutes from the airport!
For informal dining at its best, Medan Ikan Bakar Teluk Tempoyak is a no-frills food court with some of the best sunsets in Penang--and grilled fish is even better--some of Malaysia’s best! Choose your sea creature of choice from the bustling stall at the far side of the food court--local favorites include sting ray (ikan pari), sea bass (siakap), and many more--and have it grilled Malay-style: slathered in spicy sambal and seared in a banana leaf over hot coals, brought to the table with a side of tangy air asam, a dipping sauce usually made of a combination tamarind, lime, soy, and herbs.
Note that if you come on a weekend evening, like us, you may find yourself with a bit of a wait; but when your food shows up, we’re pretty sure all will be forgiven. We killed time gawking at the sunset, chatting with local felines, and getting an order of sotong tepung, battered and fried squid. Yep, this is a seafood lover’s paradise!
Find the Best Night Markets in Penang
If one is ambitious enough, it is possible to night-market hop all across Penang, every night of the week!
We once took the 1.5 hour bus ride to Balik Pulau and back again, to sample their goods--and we’d gladly do it again! But for a change, we’re going to stick with something a bit closer to George Town: the Macallum Street Monday market on Monday nights, in our opinion, is one of the best night markets in Penang!
While it's safe to say most night markets in Malaysia feature Malay cuisine, which we love, Penang’s night markets are unique in that they reflect the island’s diverse cultural make-up, and reflect a few modern food trends as well. Traditional tents and hawker stalls share the crowded but orderly lot with a bevy of food trucks, serving what you’d expect, classics like Penang laksa and char kuey tiao, but also traditional Chinese teas, Taiwanese-style fried chicken, and even sushi & burgers!
Since the era of the social distancing is upon us, we were actually happy to see Penang-ites and market organizers taking such care and caution to maximize the safety as well as the easy access of the market--one entrance, one exit, so you might just have to take a preliminary loop through to make up your mind and a second to load up all your arms can carry.
And making up your mind, well, that’s the tough part! Sink your teeth into some ayam percik, grilled chicken basted in a delectable coconut & lemongrass sauce, or some traditional Chinese steamed pau, buns filled with bbq meats, mushrooms, or our favorite, kaya (coconut-pandan egg jam). An uncle & auntie team clangs away on a giant cast iron skillet full of seafood char kuey kak, stir fried rice flour cubes seasoned with pickled radish, chili, soy, and chives, deftly plunked into banana leaf packets. The pungent aromas of laksa fill the air, and there’s a constant hum of generators, powering sugar cane presses, churning out fresh juice.
Our favorite? There’s a young man selling an exceptional rojak, a chopped fruit salad of unripe mango, pineapple, rose apple, and ambra, tossed in a sweet, spicy, nutty, slightly shrimpy sauce garnished with crushed peanuts, sesame, and crispy eu char keuy (Chinese cruller) croutons! For the “adventurous”, a couple of belacan fried chicken stalls make excellent use of the umami-rich fermented prawn paste, belacan, which marries beautifully with proteins. You’ll know by the strong fragrance, when you approach! One caveat about Malaysian food, for the curious newbie: don’t be put off by things that challenge the ol’ olfactory senses at first; try something new, outside of your comfort zone and you may be pleasantly surprised--and that’s what this road trip is all about!
Speaking of Penang Durian…
Well, we weren’t talking about Penang durian, but let’s! So, as we’d mentioned, we were on a bit of a wild goose chase (well--that goose at Saanen Dairy Goat Farm was actually chasing us, if you wanna get technical), to find some of Penang’s best durian, because the season was just about to end.
Luckily, we finally got the chance to crack open some black thorn durian. In case you don’t know, not all of these polarizingly pungent fruits are created equal. In fact, there is a wide variety, from bitter, to smokey-sweet, to more strong and savory flavors--and everyone seems to have their favorites. Black thorn durians are the stuff of legend, and can be hard to get even in peak season, as they often sell out or are exported to other markets. After plonking down the cash, if you’re lucky enough to find one, well, we think you’ll see why! It’s bright orange pips, both fleshy and creamy, hold a flavor more complex than most fruits you’ll ever encounter--and we recommend you give it a try, as we did on this last trip.
If You’re Traveling from KL, make a Pit Stop for Dim Sum, Curry Mee and More in Ipoh’s Old Town
We’ve discussed how you can make your way around Malaysia safely and conveniently via train, but if you do opt for your own wheels, here’s a bonus idea for you.
Leave Kuala Lumpur bright and early, to avoid any holiday traffic (since a Malaysian national holiday always seems to be waiting in the wings), and you’ll likely be reaching Ipoh’s karst-studded outskirts at the onset of those pesky hunger pangs--talk about perfect timing! Ipoh’s Cantonese-Malaysian roots make this revitalized old town the perfect place to stop for a snack. While there’s dim sum, chee cheong fun, and of course, juicy bean sprouts with plump chicken, our pit-stop choice is usually Ipoh curry mee, with a silky Ipoh white coffee.
What makes Ipoh curry mee truly unique is the use of the town’s stellar Cantonese roast meats (like crispy-skinned roast pork, siu yuk) as the crowning jewels in the creamy curry noodle soup--like this bowl of heaven at Xin Quan Fang. On your way out, grab a sampling of Ipoh’s pastries! Sample a few egg tarts, flaky kaya puffs, and grab some of Perak’s fresh fruit for the road. You’re already full? Don’t fret--we’re sure you’ll be planning another trip to this former tin-mining capital in the near future.
Try a Stay at a Heritage Hotel in George Town
Here’s another bonus idea for you - accomodations in Penang run the gamut, from dingy dorms, to 5-star sea-view suites--but there is something to be said for seeking out somewhere that really connects you with the destination--and there are few places in Penang that do this like Ren I Tang Heritage Inn.
A stay at this renovated Traditional Chinese Medicine hall right in the middle of George Town is a truly immersive experience. The breezy cafe on the ground floor offers both privacy, and an air of cosy community.
In Little India, Ren I Tang’s Tang Bistro feels like the place to relax with a book and sip espresso, or try one of the cafe’s gin-based cocktails, mixed and served by one of George Town’s friendliest and most attentive staff members. The rooms are simple, spacious, and comfortable--and they utilize the antique charms of the old medicine hall to great effect. Don’t miss the museum exhibits on the Penang Road-side of the inn, and the old pulley system with which the staff will hoist your luggage up to your floor! Set foot outside, and you’re in the epicenter of one of Penang’s oldest neighborhoods, surrounded by bustling cafes, fragrant spice shops, and the pulsing rhythms of Tamil music in the distance.
So if you’re planning to stay the evening after your day trip around the island, Ren I Tang is definitely on the top of our list for a unique, immersive hotel stay experience that will put you right in the middle of the action - for when you get hungry again!
We’re always on the lookout for great things to do (and eat) in Penang. Have you tried any of the place’s on our ideas list? If you have your own ideas that you want to share, let us know in the comments!