Things to Do When You’ve Only Got 24 Hours to Explore Penang

I don’t know why you’ll give yourself only 24 hours to tour a whole island. Maybe you’re doing multiple city visits in a limited time or this is just a spontaneous trip. Whatever it is, it’s done. So how can you fully experience the perfect mix of the cosmopolitan and heritage in a place such as Penang?

Well, we’ve got a few ideas.

Choose the most ideal Penang accommodation

One of the first things you need to do is find a hotel with access to all the most important destinations in Penang. For instance, Rainbow Paradise Beach Resort is minutes away from restaurants, shopping centres, and heritage sites. You can’t afford to lose time commuting long distances.

Temple run

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Start your tour early in the morning, and do it with temples. The reason being that it can get completely overcrowded and might not get to appreciate the architecture and the spiritual significance of the differing temples.

Make sure to visit Kapitan Keling Mosque, Penang Khoo Kongsi, and Kuan Yin Temple.

Memorials and ancestral mansions

From morning to mid-day, make your way to the memorial sites and the preserved mansions. Places like the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, Peranakan Museum,  Fort Cornwallis, and the Queen Victoria Memorial.

Restaurants and the Clan Jetties

At mid-day, around 11:00 AM at least so it’s not exactly lunchtime, treat yourself to some local delights. The reason you want to grab lunch early is so you can get seats before the rush.  Visit Penang’s best hawker centres like New Lane Hawker Centre, Gurney Drive Hawker Centre, or the Long Beach Food Court.

Then just as the food centres are thick with people, you can jettison out of there and visit the Clan Jetties. Take a relaxing stroll and see rustic houses standing on stilts over water. There are at least 6 jetties you can visit here, named after the surnames of Chinese families who owned them before.

Shopping centres

By this time, it’s already evening, and you’re probably tired of touring. You can start draining your remaining adrenaline by shopping!

Make your way to Gurney Plaza Shopping Mall or Paragon Mall for your unique bargains.

Explore the Penang nightlife

Now that the day is drawing to an end, you can just chill at the local bars and pubs to get a dose of Penang’s nightlife. Head over to the Penang Upper Road and check out all the places lined along the street.

Drop by Slippery Senoritas, Three Sixty Rooftop Bar, or Soho Free House.

That’s your 24-hour itinerary! Make your Penang trip extra special when you take advantage of Rainbow Paradise Beach Resort's website exclusive offers!

Enjoy taking that odd trip!