Penang To Kuala Lumpur Road Ride

If you want to peer a laid-returned, food-loving and culturally conscious side to Malaysia, you’ll need to journey to Penang. Especially after you’ve achieved the excitement and the overpriced booze in Kuala Lumpur.

In Penang, you couldn't cross a very long way without seeing road artwork, food carriers and trishaw bicycles. Ever since it was indexed as a UNESCO Heritage Site in 2008, traffic had been flocking to George Town and for exactly this reason. Between butterfly farms, boutique cafés and Sunday markets, Penang is Malaysia's trendiest spot to stick around right now.

Why you must visit Penang

With a populace density of one,663/rectangular km, Penang is one of the largest densely populated states in Malaysia. Want to recognize why it’s so popular? It’s due to the food (cheap, tasty and no, they no longer fry carrot desserts with gutter oil), the street artwork (both nation-commissioned and people pending approval) and the trending arts and tradition scene.

Generally, a bus ticket from Penang to Kl will charge you in the variety of 30 to forty MYR.There are 16 bus operators on this line, and nighttime and daytime buses are available every 30 minutes. 188 buses fly between Penang and Kuala Lumpur every day. The most well-known operators on the course are GJG Express and KKKL Express.

As many people come right here to appreciate the mixture of races, the convergence of food and storytelling artwork, Penang is becoming increasingly more of a travel hotspot. But it will be time to abandon this island jewel and visit the capital city, Kuala Lumpur. Here is how the trip can be made.

Unique seating arrangements

It became five mins prior to departure and there were no symptoms of any bus, so we went internal to invite. The man at the back of the table didn’t communicate a lot in English and just wrote the vehicle registration on our paper ticket, so it became our task to locate the bus ourselves.

It was simplest across the corner, but still, poor signposting and awful customer support.

If you discover yourself in the same scenario, make certain to go searching nearby, and if unsure, ask a local. People in Malaysia are typically very useful, and have superb English.

Also, make sure you arrive at the bus station 20 mins earlier than your bus is due to go away, so that you can make sure you are in the proper location.

We’ve noticed a distinct distinction in the seating preparations of buses in Malaysia: there are seats on one side and one seat on the alternative facet - and we suppose we know why. Malaysia is a Muslim U. S. And gender segregation is a part of their subculture/religion.

By no method is it enforced, but it lets solo woman vacationers the choice to sit alone. Moreover, the monorail machine in Kuala Lumpur has female-most effective carriages for the equal purpose. Very few tourists have been on board the bus that day; it was 1/2 complete and made up of the main local guys and a few neighborhood girls.

Surprising services and toll road views

As for the amenities, the website most effectively said there would be air con, so it was a nice wonder to discover the seats reclined and that leg rests folded out. The leg room changed into out of the ordinary, and the journey changed into cozy to mention the least. We sat, no wait. lay with our tune on and slept the complete way through. Food wasn’t to be had on board, however, you’re more than welcome to deliver your personal snacks.

The journey became smooth and most effectively took around 5 hours. Malaysia’s street infrastructure is exquisite for keeping off congestion but the scenery along the way turned into nothing but highways. We made numerous stops alongside the way for locals to hop-off and new passengers to hop-on at small cities and villages.

Penang First Bus Station: Penang Sentral, or Butterworth Bus Station

Butterworth is the city proper opposite George Town on Malaysia’s mainland of Seberang Perai.

A quiet place and one that most travelers pass - a pity, for the food is pretty top and there is an exciting art stroll alley. Butterworth is also where Penang major transport hub, Penang Sentral, is placed: this swanky new multi storey parking lot-cum-shopping mall and bus terminal sits right next to Penang Ferry port and Butterworth’s KTM railway station (Penang’s primary railway hyperlink).

Penang Sentral in Butterworth is with the aid of a long way to the most convenient bus station to arrive at while making plans to go to George Town. Also, from Penang Sentral there are many extra buses from Butterworth to KL.

Rapid Penang Ferries run greater or much less each twenty mins from 6 am to approximately 12.30 am and price handiest RM 1,20 for a return ticket (which means you most effectively pay in your manner to the island, and not whilst you come back).

 So YES, it's far feasible to arrive at Penang Sentral past due at night, and nevertheless, make it to George Town without the need to overnight in Butterworth. Be warned though: like Cinderella, don’t come after middle of the night, or you can leave out the final boat!

It’s a half-hour scenic ferry ride to Penang island, each via day and through night. The ferry will deposit you in five minutes strolling distance from George Town’s exciting principal thoroughfare Chulia Street.

Bus Terminal

Located more or much less on the center of Penang Island’s jap coast, the Sungai Nibong Bus Station isn't very handy for vacationers as it is a good 10km south of George Town and traffic sucks for the pleasant part of the day.

Penangites from the island insist that is the first-rate bus station in Penang, but unless you stay someplace within the middle or the south of Penang, it’s hard to get amongst a few others, prevent right here en path between GeorgeTown and Penang Airport, however the journey can absorb to forty five mins, and the path is frequently congested with traffic. What’s extra, there are many extra scheduled departures from Penang Sentral Bus Station in Butterworth each day.

There’s a smorgasbord of selections available, with greater corporations we will maintain music of. But while you take a bus from Penang to Kuala Lumpur, the maximum essential issue is to ensure the carrier is direct.

Indeed, most of the smaller businesses don’t advertise this and become prevented in different important cities in the path, which include Ipoh, making a 4hr30min ride tons longer.

What to See & Do Along the Way

45 mins to an hour’s power out of Kuala Lumpur alongside the dual carriageway takes travelers to the outskirts of a small region of villages called Sungkai, outside the similarly small city of Slim River.

Sungkai is domestic to a neighborhood warm springs house known as the Felda Residence Hot Springs that has been created to take advantage of the wonders of nature determined there. Weary travelers can choose to stay a night at the residence or to truly enjoy multiple hours’ well worth of therapeutic relaxation inside the warm springs pool.

Continuing at the toll road all the way down to Penang will finally lead travelers to the city of Ipoh, once a tin mining backbone of Malaysia. Ipoh has in view converted into a famous traveller vacation spot thanks to its exact meals that competitors that of Penang, superb architectural attractions, rich records, and cultural background.

Whatever the cause, spending a night or maybe some hours right here can be a worthwhile experience. Food is a must try while in Ipoh with dishes inclusive of the its famous Ipoh Chicken Rice, Ipoh Keow Teow, the city’s widely recognized aromatic biscuits (Heong Peang), pomelo fruits, white espresso, and curry bread, making them impossible to resist to passer-through.

Those who aren’t seeking out meals also can checkout the eerily stunning Kellie’s Castle that when belonged to an eccentric English planter is supposedly haunted. The less courageous, but, can head all the way down to the Lost World of Tambun amusement park for a few family amusing times.

Returning to the highways after a pit stop at Ipoh will convey visitors to every other small town called Taiping simply before they hit the kingdom of Penang. Taiping serves as the web site to house the beautiful Lake Gardens Park, Maxwell Hill, which serves as a great spot for nature fanatics and birdwatchers, and a Zoo & Night Safari. Enticing attractions make it a possible forestall for the ones using down to Penang even as seeking out some regions of pastimes at the manner.

Taking a journey down from KL to Penang by using an automobile does have its own rewards except the aforementioned facet sights, so clutch a car and set forth for the open dual carriageway to head to your very own personal journey to the isle of food.

Travel from Kuala Lumpur to Penang by means of car

“Road trips are the equivalent of human wings.” – Victoria Erickson

We couldn’t agree greater! And this street experience from Kuala Lumpur to Penang in addition solidified our notion on this notion. But before we get into our revel in the pressure itself, let’s get the tough numbers and logistics out of the way.

Kuala Lumpur to Penang distance through automobile is about 355 Km, which took us approximately five hours to complete, together with 2 stops for refreshments. Without any stops, the drive could have taken us a bit more than 4 hours. A very secure distance for a street ride we think. This pressure takes you through tolled highways and you will need to skip 3 toll gates on your way.

We paid a complete of RM 55 (1 Malaysian Ringgit = Approx. USD zero.25) for the first leg of the adventure and any other RM 50 for the go back journey. So, depending on your journey's beginning and endpoint, you'll want about RM one hundred ten as dual carriageway toll rate for the whole pressure from KL to Penang with the aid of car and again.

The simplest manner to pay these toll prices is with the aid of purchasing a Plus Miles Touch n Go clever card that may be reloaded as and while required. With this card, all you want to do is literally touch the card on the scanning machines at the toll gates and stale you move! No want for coins transactions or waiting in lengthy queues to pay the toll. You should buy and reload those cards at Shell petrol stations. We offered ours right on the start of the journey and it saw us easily via the complete ride.

Fuel is likewise fairly cheap in Malaysia (as a minimum, as compared to what we generally pay in India). At the time of our journey, we paid RM 2.3 according to litres of petrol and our total fuel price for the go back avenue trip which includes sightseeing for 3 days in Penang, became about RM one hundred forty.

The journey from Kuala Lumpur to Penang by way of avenue takes you immediately up north through very well-maintained highways. And in case you are lucky to keep away from any visitors congestion, it is a treat no longer most effective for the passengers inside the automobile however the one driving too. Neil had an absolute ball and changed into so satisfied we chose to do an avenue trip in Malaysia.

Another highlight of road trips for us is the stops we get to make at the way. We stopped two times on our manner to Penang and again to KL. Throughout the highway drive, there had been several locations wherein you can actually prevent applying the washroom, which may be very considerate.

On top of that, there have been many gasoline stations on the way which also came prepared with easy washrooms as well as convenience stores to load up on snacks or drinks. We in my opinion cherished the Shell petrol stations for that reason. Each considered one of them had an accompanying Shell Select store that had small sections devoted to Costa Coffee, a breakfast deli, and a comfort store, all packed into one. Mighty useful when you’re on the street!

Apart from that, we additionally stopped by way of a food court for lunch. It essentially had a selection of small food stalls selling all sorts of freshly cooked local food – Malay, Chinese and Indian. We stuck to our favourite, Chinese meals, and had a luxurious plate of fowl and rice. Happy tummies make for a glad avenue experience!

As for the amenities, the internet site simplest stated there could be aircon, so it became a pleasant marvel to find out the seats reclined and that leg rests folded out. The legroom changed into exceptional, and the adventure became comfy, to mention the least. We sat, no wait lay with our music on, and slept the entire way via. Food wasn’t to be had onboard, but, you’re more than welcome to carry your personal snacks.

The journey was clean and best took around 5 hours. Malaysia’s road infrastructure is notable for keeping off congestion however the surroundings alongside the manner become not anything but highways. Have completed numerous stops along the manner for locals to hop-off and new passengers to hop-on at small cities and villages.

Private automobile journey is a great choice in case you want to travel with extra people as the price in keeping with individuals will be decreased. You can also choose to journey at times which are likely to be less congested. The dual carriageway has some properly-serviced Rest areas with smooth lavatories and restaurants Some also have fruit stalls where you should buy domestically produced end result at affordable charges. You may even have the auto to get about after you arrive in George Town.