One Day Itinerary In Penang
Planning to visit Penang and do not know what to do and where to go? This is my one day itinerary in Penang and it has been tested and tried.
Summary
- Breakfast at Sin Seow Fong Lye Cafe
- Visit Pinang Peranakan Mansion
- Lunch at Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul
- Shopping at Gurney Paragon Mall and Gurney Plaza Shopping Mall
- Dinner at Tek Sen Restaurant
Breakfast
We stayed at St Giles Wembley Hotel for this trip and this hotel is located on Magazine Road. If you wish to know more about this hotel, click here to read about my review on this hotel.
We decided to venture out for breakfast near our hotel and we decided to go to Sin Seow Fong Lye Cafe on Macalister Lane. From our hotel to the cafe is less than 1 km away, about 7 minute walk.
Why we chose to have breakfast at this coffee shop was because it has a very famous stall selling chee cheong fun a.k.a. rice noodle roll. This stall has been running for 55 years! In addition, there are a lot of good reviews on this chee cheong fun. And it did not disappoint us. The chee cheong fun was smooth and soft, together with the shrimp paste, sweet sauce and chili sauce, it tasted different from what we have been eating at other dim sum restaurants. Delicious and yummy!
Other than chee cheong fun, this coffee shop also famous with its char koay kak. So we ordered the chee cheong fun, char koay kak, wanton noodle, western breakfast set, toast bread and half boiled eggs for the kids. Thumbs up for the chee cheong fun and char koay kak. My kids also like the breakfast set and toast bread.
Sin Seow Fong Lye Cafe Address :94, Lorong Macalister, 10400 George Town, Penang Opening hours : 7.30am - 12.30pm Daily
Activity
After a hearty breakfast, it was time to go explore Georgetown, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Our next stop was the Pinang Peranakan Mansion. The current owner bought the mansion from the fifth generation of the rich Kapitan as the mansion was too big to live in and difficult to maintain. After the current owner bought over the mansion, he turned it into a museum and put all the antiques and collectible items on display in this mansion.
From the outside, you will not miss this building as it is painted in green. At the entrance, there are some banners that tells everyone about this award winning museum. Admission fee to the museum is applicable. The museum also organises free guided tour during the day at 11.30am and 3.30pm. You can call ahead to book for a free tour if you have more than 5 people in your group. We were lucky to join the english guided tour group once we entered the museum.
The tour guide was friendly and his explanation had been very informative. Occasionally he cracked some jokes and all adults and kids enjoyed very much.
The interior showcased the opulent lifestyle of the Kapitan, for example the expensive china tea sets, the decorative fruit plates that shaped like flowers, mosquito net holders which were made from pure gold, floor tiles that were made in England, ironwork made in Scotland, Chinese carved-wood panels etc. There was a big room full with antiques and expensive collectibles that a security guard with a gun was hired to stand by and guarding that room.
A summary of the Kapitan who lived there many years ago. He was from China and settled in Penang doing business. Being a rich merchant, he had four wives. First wife was living in China and the others lived in Penang. This mansion belonged to the second wife. In addition, he was rumoured to be a secret society leader.
Though the Kapitan was not a Baba, but his mansion was fashioned in the Chinese Straits style. Our tour guide did explain the tradition and the culture of Peranakan for example, young girls at the age of 8, 9 and 10 had to learn how to make their own shoes and cook.
Pinang Peranakan Mansion
Address: 29 Lebuh Gereja, Georgetown, Penang
Opening Hours: 9.30am – 5.00pm Daily
Admission fee : Adult RM 20
Children under 12 years old RM10
Children under 6 years old free entry
Lunch
Penang is a place for food lovers. The local food has so many varieties that one can only wish to have a big stomach to eat them all. So our lunch, of course, it is another famous local food in Penang, that is the Penang asam laksa and chendul.
Penang asam laksa is popular noodle in sweet-savoury-sour-spicy soup. In a bowl of Penang asam laksa you can find flaked fish, slices of pineapples, onions, chili, cucumber and a spoon-full of shrimp paste (for you to add flavour to the soup).
Chendul is a bowl of shaved ice mix with green worm-like jelly, red beans, coconut milk and sweet syrup. It is a cold dessert and definitely good for travellers in this hot and humid country.
Our lunch stop was at the roadside stall named Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul. Under the hot afternoon sun, I could see many people gathering around the roadside stall waiting for their orders. You can choose to eat standing there, find a table to sit in the coffee shop next to the stall or takeaway.
Take note that Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul has other air-conditioned outlets which sell the same things like chendul and Penang assam laksa, however, the prices will be higher at those air-con outlets.
Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul
Address: 27 & 29 Lebuh Keng Kwee, 10100 Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia
Opening Hours: 10.30am - 7.00pm Monday-Friday
10.00am - 7.30pm Saturday and Sunday
Activity
If you like shopping, then Gurney Drive has the two most popular shopping malls in Penang. They are Gurney Paragon Mall and Gurney Plaza Shopping Mall.
Gurney Paragon Mall comprises a ninth-storey retail shops, luxury residences and office towers. Local specialty retailers and international design labels are housed in this mall. There are different variety of food stalls and restaurants to choose from. However, the most unique feature of this beach-facing mall lies in the fact that the entire 700,000 square-feet complex was built around St. Joseph’s Novitiate, a 1925 chapel that has been beautifully restored and incorporated into the mall’s alfresco layout design.
On the other hand, Gurney Plaza Shopping Mall is a ninth-storey mall with more than 380 retails outlets that comprises of local and international brands. It is the second largest shopping mall in Penang. The goods sold here are suited for mid-range budget travellers.
Take note that Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul has outlets in both Gurney Paragon and Gurney Plaza. You can try the famous chendul and assam laksa in a comfortable air-conditioned environment.
Gurney Paragon Mall Address: 163 C & D Persiaran Gurney, Penang Opening Hours: 10:00am – 10:00pm Gurney Plaza Shopping Mall Address: 170 Persiaran Gurney, 10250 Penang Opening Hours: 10:00am – 10:00pm
Dinner
Tek Sen Restaurant is my favourite restaurant for dinner in Penang. I love the roasted pork with chili padi. This restaurant has been around since 1965 and most of the time long queue will formed outside the restaurant. It is so good that people left the restaurant with big tummy and great satisfaction. Another good point is that we always called up in advance for table reservation so there is no need to queue. Read my detailed review here on Tek Sen from my previous blog.
Tek Sen Restaurant Address : 18 Lebuh Carnarvon, Penang Contact number :+60 12-981 5117 Opening hours : 12.00pm - 3.00pm ; 6.00pm - 9.00pm ; close on Tuesday
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Keen
Hi, I am Keen. This blog is about taking the Goldilocks approach to travel and lifestyle, i.e. Just Right!!! Here I share tips, tricks and itineraries from my personal experience travelling as a couple and as a family to various places around the world. Most of my journey involved architectures, cultural, shopping, food and family outing. In addition to being an occasional traveller, I am also into staying healthy and ageing gracefully. I hope to inspire you to travel more, create better memories and live a life that you love!
