Penang attractions

Opened in 1985 following 15 years of planning, Penang Bridge (Jambatan Pulau Pinang) connects George Town in Penang with Seberang Prai on the Malaysian mainland. At 8.4 miles (13.5 kilometers), the cable-stayed toll bridge is the second longest in the country and the fifth longest in Southeast Asia.

Touted as one of the country’s best state museums, the Penang State Museum and Art Gallery covers Penang’s history, including the settlement of the islands and the Penang Riots. The museum’s collection also showcases the cultural heritage that developed along the way, from the Peranakan people to British colonial influence to today.

The Wonderfood Museum in Penang is a fun and informative museum all about food. As Malaysia’s culinary capital, Penang draws travelers for its delicious food. At this quirky museum, visitors can learn about the cuisine of Penang and wider Malaysia through dozens of realistic models of food, in addition to taking some amusing photos.

Escape Penang is an immersive activity park in jungle-clad grounds that's best known for its signature 3,645-foot (1,111-meter) waterslide, which won a Guinness World Record in 2019. You'll find three main elements. There’s Adventureplay, a ropes course; Waterplay, a water park with high-adrenaline slides and rides; and Gravityplay, a hilltop attraction.

Built by the British as a fortress in the 1930s, and later used by the Japanese as a prisoner of war camp, the Penang War Museum now serves as a memorial to its darker days. Sprawled across some 20 acres (8 hectares) of land, it boasts the title of Southeast Asia’s largest war museum.

In 1910, the Chinese revolutionary and future president Sun Yat-sen spent six months in Penang. The Sun Yat-Sen Museum Penang occupies the restored historic shophouse where he and his family lived and his political party met. Besides perusing displays about Sun’s activities in George Town, you can learn about historic George Town architecture here.

Part archive and part exhibition space, the Penang House of Music focuses on the diverse musical heritage of this historically and culturally rich city. Visitors to the museum, opened in 2017, can play radio announcer, view vintage films, and learn about puppet theater, Chinese opera, local dances, musical instruments, and Malaysian pop bands.

Penang’s TeddyVille Museum is dedicated to all things teddy bear. Check out teddies from around the world, from tiny to human-sized, including antiques from the early 1900s. You’ll also see the Mini Penang exhibit, where miniature bears are dressed up and posed in reenactments of key moments in Penang’s history.

Travelers looking for an easily accessible way to explore Penang’s much-storied history will find what they’re seeking at the Penang Tunnel Museum (Penang Time Tunnel). This unique interactive museum features 12 tunnels that cover periods of time between the early 1700s and the contemporary 21st century, which together tell the tale of this incredible place. Illustrated maps, photos, artifacts and indigenous artwork cover the walls of the museum’s galleries, and while adults will find detailed information about each of the exhibits, shorter (both in height and in length) versions of placards are available for the museum’s younger set, too.Visitors say the Penang Tunnel Museum puts the country’s culture, history and architecture into context. Whether it’s learning about the 10-day riots in this now peaceful place or exploring the migration of its every shifting populations, Penang Time Tunnel helps create a fuller picture of local life for visitors who’ve spent time wandering the streets, exploring the shops and sampling local cuisine.

Opened in 2014, the Asia Camera Museum Penang displays antique and modern cameras from across the globe, including vintage cameras from Japan, Sweden, and the United States. The permanent exhibition features more than 1,000 cameras and photographic accessories, some of which you can pick up and play around with.

Nature lovers will enjoy exploring Penang National Park, home to the secluded Teluk Duyung, better-known as Monkey Beach for the long-tailed gray macaques that call the cove home. The area is also home to sea otters, fruit bats, and eagles, and the clear, green waters are perfect for cooling off.

This one-of-a-kind museum features street art style murals with a truly unique slant. That’s because most of the images and displays in this popular tourist spot are designed to allow photo-loving travelers to snap off-beat pictures that thanks to lighting and angles, play tricks on even the soundest of minds.Expert staff stands by to help guide and position visitors to ensure each and every picture that pairs traveler with art is perfectly styled, leaving viewers to ask, “just what is going on here?!” Be sure to download the museum-specific app that allows visitors to view their photos in a special 3D way, adding just a bit more fun to a trip to the tricky Made in Penang Interactive Museum.