Kids in Penang

Should I holiday with kids in Penang?

‘My requirements for a great holiday are fab food, friendly locals, a relaxing atmosphere, plus plenty to keep the kids happy. Penang is exactly that. ‘ says BYO-Kids, the Australian family travel gurus.

Indeed, Penang has it all: a historic city-centre filled with colonial buildings, from the simple Chinese shop house to gems like the Eastern & Oriental Hotel; plenty of tropical beaches, with coconut trees and resorts on the water side for those who believe in sea-side relaxation and, despite lots of new houses, an abundance of nature to explore. But where to start?

Visit Penang met several foreign tourists travelling with children. They told us what they enjoyed doing in Penang. We show you how to do it by yourself.

THE PENANG FERRY was recommended by Adrian & Meret with their daughter Swantje (9) from Holland :
‘We are seasoned travellers and arrived at Butterworth bus station early in the morning. We had deliberately chosen not to take the bridge. It was the first ferry at six am that brought us over to Penang. It was a great experience for Swantje. She stood right at the front railing and watched the citylights come closer, as it was still dark. As we entered she had noticed that the backrest of the seats can be shifted according to the direction of travel; quite a clever invention, considering that the ferry is over 40 years old! Forget about plane and bridge, this is certainly the best way to approach Penang.

How to do it: Most of the busses and coaches from other parts of the country stop at the Butterworth bus terminal. Just follow the crowds. Penang ferry is a cheap thrill, toll is merely RM 1.20, Kids pay 60 Sen.

A VISIT TO LITTLE INDIA was suggested by Pietro & Maria with their daughters Carla (7) and Annalisa (6) from Italy:
‘Friends had told us to visit Little India, in the heart of Georgetown. So we hired a cab from our hotel that droped us right at a temple entrance. I believe it was a Hindu temple. We all loved the beautiful ornaments, the goddesses, the animals. Everything was so intense, so colorful. It wasn’t just the temple; the Saree-shops also had clothes and materials in every color of the rainbow. In another shop we bought bangles and little silverbracelettes for the girls. There was loud music everywhere and strange smells – all pretty tiring. We took a rest in a typical corner restaurant. The waiter made us sit right in front of somebody who was frying local specialities and the girls were fascinated by how roti canai was made. The man was very friendly and asked them to try it, but they were a little shy. Anyway, they both ate one with sugar. Maria and I had something called Paper Tosai, which was basically a very thin pancake, but enormous. A formidable experience.

How to do it: Just do what the Italians did: take a taxi or trishaw from your Hotel or a bus from KOMTAR to Queen Street / Little India. The temple they visited is called Arulmigu Mahamariamman, but you don’t need to remember that. Make sure you are hungry enough to take a meal there or at least some snacks.

FORT CORNWALLIS was visited by Frank & Katherina and their son Sven (5) from Austria:
‘I’m very interested in history so visitig Fort Cornwallis was a must for me. However, for kids of our son’s age there is not much to see there. Katharina volunteered to stay with Sven at the playground, which is right in front of the entrance, while I visited the site. When I came back he’d had a great time and made some local friends. According to our little expert the playground, with all its activities, is top. A clever idea of the city council! What followed was even better. We were all rather thirsty and went to the hawker centre right next to the playground. The coconut-milkshakes were a real hit. Very rich and creamy and cost less than a Euro. Fantastic!

How to do it: Buses 4, 7, 10, 11, 18, 101, 202, 303, 313, 325, 136, 137 stop right in front of the Fort.

SPICE GARDEN was recommended by Julia & Michael with their son David (11) from Germany:
‘A taxi driver had told me about this aparently relatively new place. When we asked at the hotel counter they explained to us how to get there and suggested joining a guided tour, which in hindsight was an excellent idea. The garden is a paradise and very well kept, but without any explanations – well, it’s just a garden and David would probably have found it boring, but our guide was really good. At the entrance David had spotted a lizzard surfacing from the lotus pond and the guide told us that it was about two meters long, so almost a dragon! Unfortunately, it kept hiding under the surface, so we quickly shifted our attention to the guide’s informative talk. We basically saw every spice that you might have in your kitchen cupboard: from nutmeg, cardamom, clover, aniseed and lots lots more. It makes you realise how rich the Southeast Asian countries are in natural resources. We heard a lot of stories about the spice trade and learned a lot about jungle plants that can be used as medicine or poison. In the end they lead you to a well mantained shop cum café; a beautiful place sourrounded by jungle trees. So we would definitely recommend the Spice Garden to parents with children, but they should be above nine or ten, otherwise they can’t quite appreciate it all.

How to do it: Public buses No. 93 (Hin) and No. 202 (Transit Link) and 101 (Rapid Penang) from Penang to Teluk Bahang stops right in front the garden. It’s open for the public from 9.30 til 6pm. Admission, plus guided tour, is RM 55 for a family, with up to three children.

BUTTERFLY FARM was visited by Enrique & Carmen with Maria(6) & Jorge(5) from Spain:
‘Everybody recommends the butterfly farm and I can see why. It’s a beautiful garden surrounded by a tight net, so that the animals can’t escape. Where else can you see so many butterflies? They have lots of different species and they all fly around you; it’s a feast for the eye. As we entered one of the guards put a huge Raja Brooke butterfly right on Jorge’s shirt. Spectacular! They also have a few other animals there and some exhibition rooms. The kids were impressed by the scorpions and a huge turtle in an aquarium. It’s quite a long journey from Georgetown, but it’s worth it. The kids keep on painting butterflies now.’

How to do it: Take the Rapid Penang Bus 101 to Teluk Bahang Village. Change to Bus U501 towards Balik Pulau. Take note that the bus services are a little sporadic. The Penang Butterfly Farm is open from 9-5.30pm. Admission is RM 20 for adults and RM 10 for kids.

TAMAN NEGARA / NATIONAL PARK was recommended by Francoise from Belgium:
‘I didn’t find this place in any brochure, but some local friends brought us there. This is a brilliant place for nature lovers, a bit off the beaten track. We took swimming gear, towels and a big picknic basket along. After the entrance gate we followed a track which is mostly paved. After a few minutes the kids got all excited as we saw a group of monkeys. They were bathing in some mangrove swamps, really funny to watch. We also saw iguanas and some colorful birds before we reached our destination; a beach called Teluk Tukun. It’s much nearer than the more famous Monkey Beach, only 20 minutes from the gate, so much better when you are with kids. They can swim there and everything is nicely set up for a picknic. Nearby is also a canopy walk, hovering 15 meters above the ground, which the brave ones in our group very much enjoyed. But don’t go up if you are afraid of heights. Although it’s safe, it can be scary. Well, the kids just loved it.’

How to do it: Take the Rapid Penang Bus 101 to Teluk Bahang Village. The entrance gate is within walking distance.

GUERNEY DRIVE was recommended by Claudia with their daughters Stella (10) and Mara (9) from Switzerland
‘We are staying at G-Hotel, which is a rather perfect spot for our taste, right in the middle of town. We just arrived yesterday morning and didn’t do any special kid’s acitvities. After a long session at the pool we headed for the shopping centre next door. The girls enjoyed looking at the little stalls there, they spent hours just browsing. They got themselves stamps carved, bought cheap watches and fashion jewelry. After that we went down to the hawker stalls and had our dinner. That was really amazing. You won’t believe the variety of food they have there. They have lots of Chinese, Indian and Malay dishes, but you can also get Thai and Western food as well. We tried quite a bit and most of it was very nice. For us Europeans the concept of a hawker square is quite unusual. It’s a little chaotic, sometimes hectic, but the three of us liked it a lot!

How to do it: Gurney Drive is 10 minutes drive from the historical centre. Just take a cab, as many of the busses don’t go directly passed the hotel.

THE BOTANICAL GARDENS were suggested by Shaun & Val with their three kids from England
‘We had a lovely morning with the kids at the Botanical Gardens. It’s good to go there early, as the place tends to get quite crowded and, of course, it’s much cooler earlier on. We also purposely didn’t bring any food along, neither for us nor for the monkeys! Well, for many visitors, especially those with kids, they are the main attraction there and you can see them already a mile before the gate. I heard that there are more than 200 of them. They can get quite aggressive when you feed them but if you don’t bring food they are not interested and it’s quite safe to watch them. It’s actually great fun, well our gang was exhilarated. It’s a great package deal; we parents are real garden lovers and the gardens here are really impressive, with all their tropical plants. One could spend hours just browsing through the various paths and alleys. But for the kids it would be a bit boring. So the monkeys came quite handy. The fresh coconuts at the exit were another pluspoint. The Kids just loved them.’

How to do it: The Gardens are located at the end of Waterfall Road, about 8 kilometres form the city centre. Bus Nr. 7 from Komtar takes you there. Admission is free and opening hours are fom 5am – 8pm.

The SNAKE TEMPLE was recommended by Ake & Berit from Sweden with their daughter Carla (9):
‘We joined a tourist-tour yesterday and when I asked my daughter what she had found the best bit of Penang she instantly mentioned the snake temple. I have seen quite a few temples, but this one is really unique. There are quite few snakes in there, green vipers – supposedly poisoness. As you enter the temple there is a strong smell of incences and our guide mentioned that many people believe that it paralyses the snakes. According to him that’s wrong. He said it’s also not true that their fangs have been exracted. His explanation was that the holiness of the place makes the snakes peaceful. Well, I don’t know, probably they are all well fed with whatever vipiers like to eat and so they are just not interested in biting humans. It seems perfectly safe but you should only bring kids there who aren’t scared by snakes. This isn’t a zoo. Aparently there is also a snake farm nearby, which is supposedly quite good, but our tour didn’t go there.’

How to do it: Penang Snake Temple is open from 6am til 7pm. It’s located at Sungai Kluang near Bayan Lepas airport. A 30 minute ride with bus 401 from Komtar takes you there. Although admission is free donations are expected.

Category: Penang News, Travel