Penang is an island in the north of Malaysia – however I did not live the typical beach-lying-and-chilling-island-feeling here. I was only on the beach once for lunch. Because Penang offers so much more!

Unfortunately I can’t say anything about the accommodations in Penang because I was able to meet another wonderful couch surfing host again. To be honest, I only paid attention to his personal information when describing the profile and then I was flashed by his apartment! A private room with a double bed, a private bathroom with a rain shower, a huge kitchen, a balcony with a beautiful view of the harbor and a shared pool. I couldn’t have done it better from the location. Thanks to Michael, I ate the best pizza in Malaysia, enjoyed the nightlife in George Town, went to a German birthday party, baked cupcakes and was able to discover the most important places in a few days. As you can see: not an ordinary weekend stay on an island.

Penang Hill is an 821m high mountain with a view over the city of Georgetown. You can either climb it by foot (it took me 2 1/2 hours and then arrived wonderfully sweaty and with 27 more mosquito bites on the platform) or buy a ticket for the cable car. I did this for the way back.
The ticket costs 8 RM for residents and 30 RM for us visitors (= approx. 6.50 euros).
The view is very beautiful – no matter what time of day. Of course, most of the tourists appeared on the main platform at sunset – at this point I went back down.
In addition to the 360-degree platform, you can also simply walk through nature or explore other, less-visited viewing points.

Georgetown is the capital of Penang and even the largest city in Malaysia after Kuala Lumpur. If you are in Penang, you cannot avoid the beautiful old town of Georgetown.
My highlight is the Little India district: lots of bright colors, happy music, a thousand different smells of spices and of course an incredible amount of food.

There are some long beaches on Penang that offer some activities like jet skiing and paragliding. The beaches definitely offer a day of relaxation in addition to the hustle and bustle. However, there are far more paradisiacal beaches in Malaysia!
The small harbors and promenades on Penang are much nicer in my opinion. Especially the waterfront Penang Esplanade (Padang Kota Lama) is definitely a must go! The town is only a few minutes walk from the Little India district and is especially great in the evenings!

Most visitors come to George Town’s Old Town for street art. All you have to do is walk through the old streets and take a closer look at the walls of the buildings. After a few minutes you will definitely discover one of the artworks – mostly they are photo-enthusiastic groups of people. So you really can’t miss the street art.
What is special about this? The mix of graffiti and paintings on the walls with real objects, such as a bicycle is amazing. If you want to take photos, you are even allowed to interact with the objects and sit on the bike, for example. You have to bring a few minutes with you in the rush hour.
In this way it’s so much fun to explore the old town of Georgetown!

Love Lane is a street in Georgetown that becomes alive in the evening and is particularly popular with the younger generation and backpackers. Here you will find cheap hostels, cozy cafés, various bars, restaurants and discos.
And I actually found the best pizza after a 1 1/2 month tour of Asia! There are generally many restaurants with western food that also offer pizza. Of course, you have to expect a higher price compared to local food. But in Penang I found my long-awaited, incredibly delicious pizza in the restaurant The Loft. Here you will also find pasta, salads or steaks on the menu. But I can really recommend the pizza if you are keen for western food. 🙂

Have you ever been to Penang and have other insider tips? Feel free to write a comment!

Lots of Love ♥