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I want food!
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Penang shore excursions for less than S$50 for 4!
Yes, it is possible. If you have been to Royal Caribbean Cruises or Genting Dreams cruises, you would be familiar with shore excursions. Normally, during these shore excursions, you would be limited to what is on the itinerary and have to follow a group around.
We decided to go cheap and explore Penang on our own. Going cheap does not necessarily mean losing out on the fun. On the contrary, with our flexible itinerary, we were able to enjoy ourselves without worrying about time. We covered 5 attractions for under $50 for a family of 4. Compared with the price of $50 per person when you book a shore excursion, you would end up saving a pretty penny for food and souvenirs!
This is how we do it...
Getting off the boat
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Voyager of the Seas
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If you are on a cruise, you would probably end up in Pier Swettenham. You would be given approximately 6-7 hours to explore Penang. For our recommended itinerary, it would take about 4 hours to explore. You will get to experience history, culture and the fun side of George Town for this trip.
The first thing that will greet you as you exit the immigration is the scores of taxi operators. They will most likely offer you RM 150 for a 3 hours trip. If you had taken that option, you would have nothing left in your pocket for play. Get yourself out as fast as possible. Many operators will tell you that there is nothing to see in Georgetown, but that is far from the truth.
1 Pinang Peranakan Museum
29 Church Street
Historical Stop
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| Pinang Peranakan Mansion |
The home of the original crazy rich Asians in the old days, the Pinang Peranakan Mansion is a typical home of a rich Baba a century ago. It is recreated to offer a glimpse of their opulent lifestyle and its customers. This stop is about 500 meters from the Pier and you would be able to reach there in less than 10 minutes on foot.
There are over 1000 pieces of antiques and collectables on display.This two-story house will bring you back to yesteryear with its carefully maintained furnishings and artefacts. You could explore on your own or join in the free guided tours.
Admission is at RM 20 per adult and RM 10 for the child. Total cost at RM 60 for a family of 4 (S$15)
2 Wonderfood Museum
49 Lebuh Pantai
Fun Stop
Next Stop is Wonderfood museum. Located less than 300 meters away from Pinang Peranakan Museum, you would reach there in under 5 minutes.
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| Chendol anyone? |
Wonderfood Museum is one of many fun museums in the vicinity of Georgetown, We decided to head to this one because Penang is well known for it's food culture.
This is similar to trick eye museum with a difference. Here you will get to see Supersize Penang dishes as well as quirky food setup. Kids will go gaga over this place as they can pose with various food exhibits. We had more fun than we had anticipated for this visit!
Be warned... you will be hungry after a visit!
You could get your
tickets from Klook before your visit. Tickets are at $8.20 per adult and $5 per child. For a family of 4, it will be under $25
Other museums you could visit are the Penang Trick Art Museum, Magic World Penang, Made in Penang Interactive Museum, Ghost Museum among others.
3 Chew Jetty
Cultural Stop
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| Chew Jetty |
There are 6 Heritage Clan Jetties along the stretch of road near the shore. The clan jetties in Penang were mostly built in the late 1800s. They are mainly residential houses on stilts. A fun fact- these residents do not pay tax as they are not living on land!
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| Shops at Chew Jetty @Penang |
We decided to venture to the one that is right smack in the middle - Chew Jetty. It is also the most tourist-friendly Jetty with the most stilt-houses and the longest walkway. There are shops along the walkway that sells food and souvenirs. The stop is about 600 meters or an easy 7 minutes walk from Wonderfood Museum. There are no charges for admission.
If you are looking for food, you have to try the Durian snacks and the Big Ramen Bowl.
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| Water Art? |
Admission is Free
4 Jetty Food Court
Food Stop
When you are in Penang, you have to try the local hawker food. We head to the Jetty Food Court located opposite Chew Jetty. They have popular food such as Char Kway Teow, Wanton noodles, Egg Omelette, Nasi Lemak and more. For something different than your cruise meals, you should try a few dishes when you are there.
Prices are cheap too. Imagine only RM 5 ( SGD 1.60) for a nice plate of wanton mee!
5 Penang Street Art
After eating, we have to digest our food right. The best way to do it is to explore the Street Art around Georgetown. You do not have to wander far as there are plenty to see around the vicinity. We explored Gat Lebuh Armenian, Gat Lebuh Chulia and Lebuh Ah Chee. They are all within 5 to 10 minutes walk from each other.
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| Ernest Zacharevic - Boy with Pet Dinosaur |
There are famous artworks by Ernest Zacharevic
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| Malaysia 27 |
And artworks by local and other international artist
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| Chicken Alley |
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| The Cat |
There are quirky ones that blend well with the surroundings. Catch them all before they fade away in time. Do allocate about 30 minutes to 1 hour to explore this street art.
Heading back
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| Goodbye Penang! |
By early evening, we decided to head back to the ship as the overcast clouds threatened to bring in a storm. The whole excursion took about 4 hours and cost less than $50. If you are looking to DIY Penang for your next shore excursion, this might be the right itinerary for you!
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