Penang City Sightseeing Tour

After morning hotel pickup in Penang, travel with your private guide in a climate-controlled vehicle along a famous stretch of the Batu Ferringhi beaches.

Stop at a traditional fishing village, then visit a batik factory. There, watch artisans shape designs from wax and dye to create this classic Malaysian textile art. Then drive by fruit plantations and learn about commonly grown fruits and spices such as clove and nutmeg.

Continue to the famous Snake Temple (aka Temple of the Azure Cloud), which was built in 1850 in memory of a Chinese monk who sheltered jungle snakes. Inside Snake Temple, venomous pit vipers coil around temple altars, the reptiles supposedly made drowsy and harmless by incense smoke, but their venom removed for safety.

Next up, head to one of the largest Chinese Buddhist temple complexes in Southeast Asia, Kek Lok Si Temple. The temple complex contains many pagodas, prayer halls and bell towers built in varying styles—from Chinese to Burmese to Thai. A bronze statue of the goddess of mercy, Guanyin, looks down from the hill above the pagoda.

Your final destination is the funicular railway that ascends Penang Hill (Bukit Bendera)—a 2,625-foot (800-meter) peak and Malaysia's oldest hill station. Disembark at the top for sweeping views of the island and mainland. When descending the hill, visit the Royal Selangor Visitor Centre and enjoy a 30-minute lesson about crafting pewter. Learn 19th-century techniques for manipulating the versatile metal into a simple pewter bowl using basic hand tools. 

Your tour includes a stop for lunch at a local restaurant (own expense) and ends when your guide returns you to your hotel. Alternatively, you can opt to be dropped off at the Straits Quay Mall for some shopping on your own.