• Queen Victoria Memorial Clock Tower - The Queen Victoria Memorial Clock Tower is a Moorish-style Jubilee clocktower located in George Town, Penang, Malaysia. Situated at the junction of Light Street and Beach Street, it was constructed to honor Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897. The tower stands sixty feet tall to the center of the clock, representing one foot for each year of Victoria’s reign. Behind the tower is a corner of the wall surrounding Fort Cornwallis.
• Fort Cornwallis - Fort Cornwallis is a bastion fort in George Town, Penang, Malaysia, built by the British East India Company in the late 18th century. Named after Lieutenant-General The 2nd Earl Cornwallis (1738–1805), the Governor-General of Bengal at the time of its construction, it is the largest standing fort in Malaysia. The fort never saw combat during its operational history.
• Esplanade Walkway - The Esplanade is a seafront city square in the heart of George Town. This waterfront area features historical landmarks like the Cenotaph war memorial and Fort Cornwallis, scenic promenades, and access to several museums of art and culture. Architectural highlights include Penang City Hall, which blends Edwardian Baroque and Palladian styles. The area is dotted with cafes, restaurants, bars, and a few hotels.
• Penang City Hall - The City Hall serves as the local government headquarters of George Town in Penang, Malaysia. Originally built by the British, it now houses the Penang Island City Council and was previously the seat of the George Town City Council. Completed in 1903 as the Municipal Offices, the building was constructed at a cost of $100,000 to meet the demand for office space at the adjacent Town Hall. The name City Hall dates back to George Town’s city status grant in 1957.
• Logan Memorial - The Logan Memorial is located in front of the Penang High Court on Light Street in George Town, Malaysia, and was erected in memory of James Richardson Logan, a Scottish lawyer and scholar who lived in the Straits Settlements in the 19th century. Logan (1819 – 1869) was a lawyer trained in Scottish law who practiced in Penang, defending the rights of non-Europeans without charge. He was also a distinguished scholar, founding and writing for the influential Journal of the Indian Archipelago and Eastern Asia, and owned the leading newspaper, the Penang Gazette.
• St. George’s Anglican Church - St. George’s Church is a 19th-century Anglican church in George Town, Penang, Malaysia. As the oldest purpose-built Anglican church in Southeast Asia, it was elevated to the status of pro-cathedral in 2023. The church falls under the jurisdiction of the Upper North Archdeaconry of the Anglican Diocese of West Malaysia.
• Penang State Museum and Art Gallery - The museum building originally housed the Penang Free School from 1821 to 1927. After the school moved to a new location in Green Lane, the Hutchings School occupied the building from January 1928 until 1960. The museum was inaugurated by the Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Penang, Raja Uda Raja Muhammad, on 14 April 1965. The building was declared a heritage site under the 2005 Heritage Act.
• St. Xavier’s Institution - St. Xavier’s Institution, located on Farquhar Street in George Town, Penang, Malaysia, is the oldest Lasallian school in Southeast Asia and one of the Catholic Lasallian schools in Malaysia. Although its history dates back to 1787, the current institution, named after St. Francis Xavier, was established in 1852. This secondary school has been an all-boys school since its inception, although girls have been admitted in Form 6 since the 1950s. As of 2022, it is now a co-educational secondary school, with female students admitted starting in Form 1 for the 2022-2023 academic year.
• Cheong Fatt Tze - The Blue Mansion - The Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion is a government-gazetted heritage building on Leith Street in George Town, Penang, Malaysia. Known for its indigo-blue outer walls and distinctive decorations, it is often referred to as The Blue Mansion. Built by merchant Cheong Fatt Tze at the end of the 19th century, the mansion features 38 rooms, 5 granite-paved courtyards, 7 staircases, and 220 vernacular timber louvre windows. It served as Cheong’s private residence and the base of his business activities in Penang.
• Old Protestant Cemetery - The Old Protestant Cemetery, also known as Northam Road Cemetery, is a disused Protestant cemetery in George Town, Penang, Malaysia. After more than a century of neglect, it is now listed as a Class 1 Heritage Site and maintained by the Penang Heritage Trust. Established in 1786, the cemetery holds significant historical interest, being older than many well-known burial grounds such as Père Lachaise in Paris and Highgate Cemetery in London. It is also 35 years older than the Old Protestant Cemetery in Macau. In 2012, conservation efforts were made to protect and preserve the site, although there were some concerns about the restoration process.
• Eastern & Oriental Hotel, Penang - The Eastern & Oriental Hotel (commonly known as E&O Hotel) is a British colonial-style luxury hotel in George Town, Penang, Malaysia, established in 1885 by the Sarkies Brothers. The sea-fronting hotel is renowned for its luxurious accommodations and restaurants. The Eastern Hotel was founded by the Sarkies Brothers in 1884, and within a year, its success led to the establishment of the Oriental Hotel in 1885. The two hotels merged into the Eastern & Oriental Hotel in 1889. The brand’s success prompted the brothers to establish sister hotels, including the Raffles Hotel in Singapore in 1887 and the Strand Hotel in Rangoon, Burma, in 1901.
• Hainan Thean Hou Temple 天后宮 - Penang’s Hainan Temple, also known as Thean Hou Kong Temple, is located on Muntri Street in George Town. The temple was funded and built by Chinese immigrants from Hainan Island, dedicated to the Taoist Deity Mazu, believed to be the protector of seafarers. Immigrants who survived the long sea journey from Hainan Island would visit the temple to thank Mazu for their safe passage. The Hainanese community in George Town first established a temple to the Goddess Mazu in 1866. Thean Hou Kong Temple moved to its current location on Muntri Street in 1895, funded by donations collected over nearly 30 years.
• Goddess of Mercy Temple (Kuan Yin Teng) - The Goddess of Mercy Temple (Chinese: 觀音亭; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Koan-im-têng), also known as Kuan Im Teng or Kong Hock Keong, is a Mahayana Buddhist temple in George Town, Penang, Malaysia. Located on Pitt Street, it was built in 1728, making it the oldest Buddhist temple in the state. The temple is dedicated to the Buddhist Bodhisattva of Mercy, Guan Yin, although it was originally established for the worship of Mazu, a sea deity. Following the establishment of George Town in 1786, an influx of Chinese migrants led to the temple’s transition to one dedicated to Guan Yin by 1800. It also began to serve as a neutral mediator between the rival Cantonese and Hokkien communities.
• Sri Mariamman Temple - The Arulmigu Sri Mahamariamman Temple is a Hindu temple in George Town. As the oldest Hindu temple in the state, it was built in 1833 and features sculptures of gods and goddesses over its main entrance and facade. Also known as Mariamman Temple or Queen Street Indian Temple, it has been referred to by several names over the years, all referring to the same temple. The temple is open daily from 6:30 am to 12:00 noon and 4:30 pm to 9:00 pm. It became a place of worship as early as 1801 and was established as a temple in 1833. It has stood in the same location for over 200 years. The temple is located in central Georgetown on Queen Street, with the back entrance on Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling, between Lebuh Pasar and Lebuh Chulia. Situated in Penang’s Little India, the Sri Maha Mariamman temple reflects the city’s rich cultural heritage.
• Kapitan Keling Mosque - Built in the 19th century by Indian Muslim traders in George Town, the mosque is located at the corner of Buckingham Street and Pitt Street. As a prominent Islamic historic center, it is part of the World Heritage Site of George Town and lies at the heart of the city’s Tamil Muslim neighborhood, the Chulias. It is the first permanent Muslim institution established in the area, dating back to the early 1800s. Cauder Mohuddeen Merican is recognized as the founder of the mosque and leader of the Chulias. In 1801, Sir George Leith, then Lieutenant Governor of Penang, appointed this prominent Indian Muslim leader as Captain of the South Indian “Keling” community and granted land to build a mosque on the south side of Malabar Street (Chulia Street). Cauder Mohudeen (born 1759) was a ship mandoor or foreman from Porto Novo, known as Parangipettai by the Tamils and Mahmudbandar by the Muslims, about 50 kilometers south of Pondicherry, India. He was referred to as ‘Kapitan Kling’.
• Boon San Tong Khoo Kongsi - The Leong San Tong Khoo Kongsi, or “Khoo Kongsi” for short, is the largest Hokkien clanhouse in Malaysia, known for its elaborate and highly ornamented architecture, a testament to the dominant presence of the Chinese in Penang. The famous Khoo Kongsi is the grandest clan temple in the country and a major historic attraction in the city. The clan temple has retained its authentic historic setting, which includes an association building, a traditional theater, and late 19th-century rowhouses for clan members, all clustered around a granite-paved square. It is located in Cannon Square in the heart of the oldest part of the city, amidst narrow, winding lanes and quaint pre-War houses exuding a palpable old-world charm. The Khoo Kongsi is a clan association of the Leong San Tong (Dragon Mountain Hall) clan, whose forefathers came from XinAn Village, Haicang District, Xiamen Municipal in Fujian province, and were of Hoklo descent. They were wealthy Straits Chinese traders.
• Sun Yat Sen Museum - Formerly known as Sun Yat-sen Penang Base, this museum is dedicated to Sun Yat-sen, a Chinese nationalist who established the Republic of China after his efforts in the Xinhai Revolution. He devised many of his plans to overthrow the Qing Dynasty in the museum building. In 1910, with immense support among overseas Chinese for the ousting of the Qing dynasty, Sun moved the Southeast Asian headquarters of the Tongmenghui party to Penang. When Sun first brought his family to Penang in 1910, the building housed the Penang Philomatic Union reading club, which was a cover for Sun’s political party. On 14 November 1910, Sun chaired an emergency meeting of the Nanyang Tongmenghui in this house and launched the fundraising campaign for the Second Guangzhou Uprising. It was in this building that Sun delivered his famous speech at the 1910 Penang Conference. In December 1910, the first issue of the Kwong Wah Yit Poh was published from 120 Armenian St. It is now the world’s oldest Chinese newspaper outside of China.
• Syed Alatas Mansion - Syed Alatas Mansion, once known as the Penang Islamic Museum, is a heritage building along Armenian Street in George Town. The museum was created to celebrate the role and contribution of Malay leaders in the development and propagation of Islam in Penang. It also documents the history of the Malay settlement in Acheen Street and provides details on Malay personalities of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Syed Alatas Mansion was built by Syed Mohammad Alatas, an Achenese by descent, who constructed his mansion along Armenian Street. The mansion, in mid-19th century Indo Malay Straits Eclectic style, was built in 1860 and stands today as one of the few bungalows with Islamic elements from that era.
• Mural - Kids on bicycle by Ernest Zacharevic - Lithuanian artist Ernest Zacharevic captures the essence of Penang with various street murals around George Town. Street art is not a new concept, as artists like Banksy in London have created many cherished murals. However, Georgetown and Penang are unique in that street art has transformed the entire city, giving it a new identity. Tasteful street art is a brilliant idea that raises awareness of art among the masses and supports local artists. It is truly an idea worth promoting and preserving. This 2012 work by Ernest Zacharevic is the most famous of George Town’s street-art pieces. It features a real bicycle attached to a wall, with two laughing children painted as if riding the bike. Crowds often line up to insert themselves into the scene for a photo.
• Penang Street Art - Boy on Motorbike by Ernest Zacharevic - One of the most popular street art pieces, Boy on a Motorbike by Ernest Zacharevic, often attracts visitors waiting for “a ride” on the motorbike that is part of the installation. The main photo at the top of this story was taken in the morning when there was less motorbike and trishaw traffic on the busy street where it is located, Lebuh Ah Quee. The abandoned motorcycle used in the mural-installation was reportedly left by a tourist who rode it from Vietnam to Penang.
• Chew Jetty - Chew Jetty is the largest of the waterfront settlements in George Town. It was established in the mid-19th century, in a very different Penang from today. The Clan Jetties consist of seven sets of wooden piers, home to seven clans who migrated from China: the Lims, Chews, Tans, Lees, Yeohs, Koays, and one mixed jetty. Each clan jetty has a small shrine to honor the sea deities. Chew Jetty is the only clan jetty that continues to observe the annual worship of its Temple Deity and the Jade Emperor.

• Snacks

• All Fees and Taxes
• Alcoholic beverages
• Meals
• Private transportation

Join an engaging journey through the George Town Heritage Trail with a knowledgeable local guide. The tour can be tailored to your interests, but will definitely include these must-see attractions: (1) Historic buildings, sites, and monuments (2) Clan houses and jetties (3) Heritage places of worship for various religions (4) Chinatown, Little India, and Malay Kampung (5) A food tour to savor the renowned Penang Street food (6) Penang Street Art & Murals. Additionally, evening programs can be arranged to experience the vibrant nightlife, explore the night bazaar, or relax in local bars. Tours beyond the Heritage site can also be organized, if desired.

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.