Georgetown

Penang’s island capital is Georgetown is a multicultural capital rich in heritage architecture, magnificent mosques and preserved shophouses. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is also arguably Southeast Asia’s all-time top spot for mouth-watering street food.

The settlement of George Town was the British East India company’s first foray into Southeast Asia, established as a small trading port in 1786. The coming years have seen mass comings and goings: Chinese merchant settlers, primarily the Peranakans, have left just as big a mark as the British, with further influences also evident of Tamil Indians, Burmese, Arabs, Persian, Armenian, Filipino, and of course ethnic Malay.

Georgetown today sees all these cultures live side-by-side. A typical day in the city will see you walk past Chinese ‘clan’ houses down by the waterfront, admire a Hindu temple, barter for clothes and trinkets in bazaars, and hike to small villages in the forest interior. Breakfast could be Indian, lunch Malay, dinner Chinese, and dessert European.