Penang Island

Top Penang Island activities

Penang Island trip ideas

Penang Hill Funicular Ticket

Name: Penang Hill Funicular Ticket
Brand: Penang Hill
SKU: 60576P1
Price: 8.35 USD
Rating: 4.0 (387 reviews)

Penang, Malaysia

From $8.35

Select Date and Travelers

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

1 to 8 hours

Explore our promoted experiences

Penang Island, Penang

Penang Full-Day Private Customizable Tour with Pick Up

from $150.00

Price varies by group size

Penang Island, Penang

Chef Samuel's Private Malaysian Cooking Class with Wet Market Tour

from $116.46

Penang Island, Penang

Georgetown Heritage: KhooKongsi, FortCornwallis, PeranakanMansion

from $94.70

Price varies by group size

Viator earns higher commissions on experiences featured here

Overview

Secure tickets in advance to ride the funicular railway up Penang Hill. Glide around 1.2 miles (1,996 meters) up to the peak, where you can soak up sweeping views of the island from the viewing deck or admire the colonial-era bungalow Bel Retiro. Upgrade for skip-the-line access via the fast lane.

Ride the steep funicular railway for 1.2 miles (1,996 meters) up Penang Hill
Enjoy sweeping views across the island from the 2,732-foot (833-meter) peak
Explore the historic British hill station, dating back to the 18th century
Upgrade to skip the line via the fast lane

What's Included

Penang Hill Visitor Guide (Brochure)
Wheelchair Service

Food & drinks
Entrance fee to Habitat, Little Village, Typhoon, Post Office, Owl Museum
Hotel buggy service
Hotel drop-off and/or drop-off

Meeting and Pickup

Start time

Opening hours

Select your preferred ticket/pass option to see hours.

View tour option

Ticket Redemption Point

Penang Hill Lower Station, Jalan Bukit Bendera, 11500 Ayer Itam, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

What To Expect

Penang Hill Corporation

Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Confirmation will be sent at the time of booking
You will be required to display this confirmation voucher and present your passport at the time of redemption at the Penang Hill ticketing counters
Wear Comfortable clothes
Near public transportation
Children must be accompanied by an adult

Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Most travelers can participate
Travelers to take the funicular train at Penang Hill Lower Station. The trip to Upper Station takes less than 5 minutes. Attractions are placed at Penang Hill Upper Station.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.0

387 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 387 reviews

Exciting funicular ride

Seow_P, Apr 2024

The Funicular ride and courteous, helpful staff. Nice wonderful place. Food wise is ok. Wonderful buggy ride.

Must do trip

JAMES_H, Mar 2024

Book the fast track and order you ticket via Viatour by far the best way to do it. View point worth the trip up there, plenty of grab taxi for your return at the base station

A must do in Penang

Teena_D, Feb 2024

Very well organised. Easy ticket collection and easy to see when it was our turn. Quite a long wait ( 12 midday) Quick but fun ride to the top. You may have to stand but only 5 minutes. Very good

A must visit in your Penang itinerary

Mary_S, Feb 2024

When I heard the word canopy I was afraid. But when I saw and walked in the structures I was bowled over. An architectural and engineering phenomenon. Stupendous views and informative and pleasant Habitat. I was thoroughly impressed by the helpfulness if the staff and the wealth of knowledge about flora and fauna and animal life the Habitat afforded.

Miss the Queues

Paul_W, Feb 2024

Having the fast track tickets meant we could skip the queue which was enormous. We had a fabulous time at the top. Thoroughly recommended.

great experience

Robert_B, Jan 2024

great experience for the train ride and the amazing views at the top! would advise going for fast-track

Stunning views and fast track is a must

Stephanie_D, Dec 2023

A brilliant trip to Penang Hill and the views are stunning, especially if, like us, you are fortunate enough to get relatively clear weather. Well worth paying the extra to fast track your funicular train entry too - the queues were lengthy but we walked straight onto the train. Don't leave Penang without doing this trip!

Breathtaking scenery bring our trip close to nature.

Thomas_B, Nov 2023

Fortunately we got a Fast Lane ticket which takes around 7mins queuing time and enable us to have seats in the train. The scenery at upper section of the hill is spectacular and nice breezy air. Able to catch the glimpse of about 8-10 dusky leaf langurs playing happily. The steepness of the journey ferrying a big group of passengers in the train cabins is marvelous.

Worth it

Shubham_P, Nov 2023

Wonderful ride. Spectacular views. I took the fast lane/ express lane ticket, which I think is worth it because people there told it gets very crowded and you have to wait for more than 2-3 rides up and down (which sometimes is 30-40mins). It was not crowded however, when i went there. Got the bottom seat (the best seat for views of the city) with express lane pass. Recommended.

Not worth it

Joanna_S, Nov 2023

Got absolutely squashed onto tiny train that I had other peoples armpits in my face whilst holding a toddler. Not much to see on top of the hill except for a cloudy view. Maybe would have been better on a completely clear day. Toilets were super gross wear proper shoes or you’ll feel like you’re standing in urine. Pretty sure there is pick pocketers luring around. The playground needs a complete redo as it’s nearly dangerous for kids to play on. Maybe if you’re super religious this is a place for you but was not anything special worth spending 3 hours at. I think the Penang botanical gardens was so much better and nicer to see. Then to top it off the line to get back down the hill was over an hour long. I personally wasn’t sure what the fuss is about going up to Penang hill station. I feel like all I did was spend time in the line. Absolute waste of time and money 😬

Unless you have your own car, don't bother going.

Kerry_K, Nov 2023

The best part was buying a ticket in Australia for the Fast Lane. We had a 10 minute wait for the train whereas the normal queue was more than an hour and being a warm day, would not have been very pleasant. The food and drinks at The Sky cafe at the top of Penang Hill was very limited and expensive. The view over Penang was hazy, but okay. The toilets up there are disgusting and very old, with only 2 cubicles. The worst part was that there were no taxis available when we exited the tour. And I mean that they aren't available. We had to walk a far way down the road to the main road in the hot sun to hail down a taxi.

FAST TRACK IS WORTH EVERY PENNY!

Jackie_D, Sep 2023

We bought a fast track ticket for the whole family a day in advance and it was SO WORTH the extra cost and the low stress levels. It allows you to skip the queues from both directions saving several hours of queuing from each side!!! That’s half a day gained from not queuing! There’s several activities that can be done at the top of Penang Hill and the views are just stunning. The food offerings are also better at the top! Many of the locals tend to visit early in the morning to catch the sunrise from the top of the hill, so it tends to be busy very early. The sunset is also beautiful, especially when walking ‘The Habitat’ rainforest and doing the canopy walk. (Extra cost to do this)

Penang Furnicular

Pamela_d, Sep 2023

Firstly it was the going up in that furnicular and later it was the coming down the same furnicular. Splendid!

Nice ride up and down. Buy express lane tickets!

Lynne_T, Aug 2023

It is a really nice ride up the hill and on the way down, there is a bend which is quite thrilling. DO buy the express lane tickets as you will skip the queue, save time, and get seats. Normal ticketholders often have to stand.

Fast Lane - you must purchase them!

Timothy_W, May 2023

I purchased the Fast Lane tickets and it was worth it’s weight in gold. It didn’t even look like a busy day until I saw the line of people waiting for the funicular. I went right to the front and got to choose the best seat on the train — both ways. I’m so happy I purchased the tickets ahead of time.

Awesome!

Belinda_L, Mar 2023

The ride was interesting especially for my son who loves trains. The part where it was steep was quite thrilling!

Penang Hill

MengTeck_H, Mar 2023

Easy to redeem. Highly recommended to buy the fast lane ticket during peak hours as it can be a difference of 1-2 hours or more waiting time in the queue.

Fast lane best

Janice_C, Mar 2023

We had a great ride up on fast lane. Recommend this lane for everyone. Beautiful once we got to top. Be sure to allow time to walk around and enjoy the views. Also at bottom we had a refreshing A&WRootbeer in a mug. Quite a treat.

Great Experience and amazing views.

Nigel_H, Feb 2023

Try and pick a clear day! But great to book tickets in advance - VIP is worth it for weekends as queues can be long - great thing to do in Penang.

The fast track saved so...

Tera_B, Jan 2023

The fast track saved so much time on both trips. Worth the money not to stand in the long line. Look for the monkeys when you exit the train. They will keep you entertained.