Top 20 Places to Sightsee in Penang
The House of Yeap Chor Ee was built in the nineteenth century and became a museum managed by his descendants. The museum was opened to mark the 140th birth anniversary of Yeap Chor Ee and is part of Sire Museum Restaurant. The shop house is one of the rows containing nine houses. There are nine townhouses that speak opulence. Built during the 1880s, the houses number between four and sixteen, extending across the Penang Street into the King Street.
One of the most fascinating things about the temple is the graffiti on the walls. What particularly gains prominence here is the typical Chinese culture. During the Chinese New Year, the place is decked up with flowers, paper packets and lanterns. The temple, dedicated to Lord Buddha, is mounted on a high hill and has a number of steps.
The Penang Hill locates itself in the Penang Island in the area known as Air Itam and is located at a distance of 6 kilometres from the city. The hill goes up to a height of 823 metres above the sea level on the northern part in Penang. The tourists are attracted by the historicity of the place and its unpolluted and cool air. The place stands distinct from the lowlands in the form of a forested and a hilly area.
Khoo Kongsi had been built to perform as clan house for Khoo family through 2 centuries. This place exhibits a number of features that include opera stage, meeting hall, a temple, shops, and educational facilities. The mansion is the most distinctive of Malaysia’s Chinese clan associations, in which the extensive lineage of this clan goes well back through 650 years.
The indigo hued Chinese courtyard house, Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, is located in Georgetown and had earlier been the residence of the famous Chinese figure, Cheong Fatt Tze. The mansion was constructed by special Chinese craftsmen and features 38 rooms, 220 windows, 7 staircases, and 5 courtyards paved with granite. It exhibits Gothic louvre windows, Chinese timber carvings, russet brick walls as well as stained glass panels.
Wat Chayamangkalaram is located on the Burma Road. The most striking feature to see is the reclining Buddha which is gold plated and covers a length of thirty three metres. The temple had been constructed in 1845 on the land that measured five acres and was given to the Thai community by Queen Victoria.
A new life has been given to some of the oldest buildings in Georgetown. The travellers to the place can come across fascinating and funny graffiti art that have been done on the wall by Ernest Zacharevic, a young Lithuania-born artist. The streets along which such innovative wall paintings and graffiti have done include Acheen Street, Cannon Street, Ah Quee Street, and Armenian Street.
The Clan Jetties is a part of the Heritage Trail of Penang. There were seven jetties in all of which now six remain. The jetties have come down through more than a century. Each of the jetties has its name after a clan of China. The most traveller-friendly among the jetties is the Chew Jetty and contains maximum number of stilt houses along with the longest walkway and also a temple.
This museum presents a complete collection of vintage toys that are most likely to cast an impression that is in part nostalgic. Strolling through the museum would take you through sections where the toys give a creepy feel with the paint peeling out of some. You can see toys that include space toys, old school trains, classic robots, and antique aircrafts.
The foundation of the temple was laid down in 1803. Besides being the oldest, the Dharmikarama Burmese Temple is the only Burmese Temple in Malaysia. The temple features numerous sites for praying while narrating the life of Buddha through the paintings of the Lord which goes well over twenty in number. You can see the delicate sculptural works done by the Burmese craftsmen.
The mosque in Georgetown offers free entry. However, you are required to wear the robes that are provided at the mosque. The Information Centre provides guided tours. The mosque was designed by Henry Alfred Neubronner, a German architect. The domes are done in Moghul style and are embellished with stars and crescents, sitting on the Moorish, Roman, and Gothic arches.
Balathandayuthapani is a garden temple that has been into existence since 1850 when the original site was taken over by the British. The temple, since the time, became the centre of annual Thaipusam celebrations. Several major renovations have been made in the temple in keeping with Hindu agamid tenets. The place is clean and green with a landscaped garden at the entrance and Temple veli veethi.
The Queen Street presents the visitor with the most ideal place for sightseeing. The travellers can meander through the side streets. The Queen Street is a road that keeps intact Georgetown’s original grid which had been laid out by Francis Light. The road has taken after the name of Queen Charlotte, who was King George III’s wife. This place shows a predominance of Hindu culture.
The regal statue of Francis Light made in bronze welcomes you as you walk inside Penang State Museum. The museum, situated in Georgetown beside Jalan Farquhar has earned reputation over the years. The museum has galleries that have been dedicated to the historical communities in Penang along with specific historical events that have taken place at Penang. There are costumes, embroidery, Chinese furniture, and historical documents in the museum.
In this mansion, you would get a taste of the Malay culture assimilated with the Chinese one and a charming history of the Baba Nyonya heritage. The owners of the house were from a Peranakan family. Within the mansion manifests the particular lifestyle of the Nyonya family along with a depiction of the architecture showing Malay and European influence.
Han Jiang Ancestral is the only temple in Georgetown that follows the Teochew architectural style. The temple has been dedicated to the Teochew patron deity, the Taoist God in the north. The local community of Teochew funded a rather recent project for the restoration. The Teochew Kongsi was formed in 1885 as the number of immigrants of Teochew increased to Penang from China.
The Penang Botanical Gardens is better known as Waterfall Gardens and had been set up by the British in 1884. You will admire the beauty and the tranquillity of the gardens. This place is also a centre of botanical conservation, training, and education. The striking features of the garden include roots of Sengkuang tree and the Cannon Ball Tree.
The house was built 200+ years ago and was a residence of the former Governor. It is one of the heritage sites visited by the locals and tourists but is not accessible from the main road. Nothing much to see in the house but there is a good restaurant there. A blend of western and Eastern cuisine is served as a five course meal. The main courses consist of chargrilled lamb along with mint lambjus and fettucine along with mushrooms and spinach. You can also taste panfried cod fillet along with garlic aioli, basil tomato coulis, and basmati rice pilaf.
Old Protestant Cemetery had been founded in the year 1821 when the plot was purchased by British East India Co. for burying the Protestants within Macau, the Portuguese Catholic colony. There are three terraced levels in the ground of the cemetery and two memorial plaques in the Morrison chapel. The second terrace consists of about forty five graves, while the other graves are contained in the largest terrace.
Sri Mariamman Temple is a good religious place rather than an attraction to sightsee. This temple worships Goddess Mariamman for her power of curing diseases and epidemic illnesses. The entrance of the temple exhibits the ornamental tower or the gopuram. Theemithi is the main festival that is celebrated in the temple in October.
These are the top 20 places to see in Penang. You may also be interested in finding out the..
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