Why George Town is the ideal destination for the modern traveller

Stepping onto one of George Town’s busiest intersections – where Lebuh Armenian meets Lebuh Cannon – delivers a sensory jolt. Late spring sunlight clings to roof tiles and paving stones alike, while pastel-yellow walls of heritage buildings wear their grime and erosion unapologetically. Cars, trishaws and camera-wielding tourists converge in a steady stream. It soon becomes clear this is where all movement, wheeled or on foot, funnels together.

Nearly two decades after the capital of Malaysia’s Penang island was inscribed as a Unesco World Heritage site, much of what has made George Town so beloved endures. Trade-era shophouses blend Eastern and European design, street art brings life to peeling façades and a multicultural food culture thrives: char kway teow noodles tossed streetside at hawker stalls, nasi kandar eaten by the handful in no-frills canteens, strong coffee sipped in old-school kopitiams.

George Town’s shophouses live on

For travellers seeking experiences beyond the checklist stops, George Town continues to deliver. Case in point: Soori Penang , a new hotel whose luxurious suites are spread across historic shophouses. For owner-architect Soo K Chan, who grew up in these very buildings, the property “distils the essence of my memory of this place”.

The suites remain shaded and cool, in architecture conceived long before the invention of air conditioning. Black timber doors and window frames allow just the right amount of sunlight to stream in. Where rainwater would once pool beneath a roof opening, Chan has installed a water fountain; its gentle trickle, he says, brings back childhood memories of rain striking granite.

Experiencing slow travel and local creativity

Though shopfronts encroach like foliage on “five-foot ways” (narrow covered walkways in front of shophouses) and age has taken its toll on some tiled floors – one reason many keep to the main road – George Town is still remarkably easy to navigate. Increasingly, its streets are giving way to laidback, modern arrivals: playful photo booths, glowing ice cream parlours and hip cocktail bars.

Cafés, too, seem to pop up every week. At Orcabrew , pour-over enthusiasts and digital nomads settle into artistically designed interiors and enjoy speciality coffee. Co-owner Es Loh doesn’t see the venture as part of an incoming wave; instead, the city’s growing café culture reflects “the passion of independent owners who want to create spaces that reflect their own interests”. Time and again, we see that it’s individual human creativity that shapes George Town – not trends.

What keeps travellers coming back

If the people give the city its character, food brings them together. “You’ll make friends here easily; you can just buy food and start a conversation with the vendor,” says Clement Liang, chairman of Penang Tourist Guides Association. “Everyone will try to understand you even if they aren’t fluent in English.”

Food content creator Zhi Yi – better known online as Hungry Penang Lang – maintains that George Town is defined by what’s on the plate. But his partner, Jocelyn? “It’s the people.” Over Hakka fried pork, Guinness stout chicken and asam curry fish at Kedai Makan Fok Kee , the answer seems to be both. The couple chat to the restaurant owners in Hokkien like old friends, translating so we can join in, before taking us on a drive around the city.

The outing culminates at The Nest Cocktail Bar , where founder and bartender Oh Chong Hau mixes a fruity Pearl & Ruby mocktail developed over months of experimentation. It may not be on the menu for long – a reflection of the bar’s rotating menu principle, which Oh sticks to regardless of a drink’s popularity, guided by a commitment to creativity and craftsmanship.

Departing Penang on an early flight back to Hong Kong, memories come floating back – cafés glimpsed in passing, small talk with food vendors and hotel staff, the satisfyingly chewy bite of an oh chien oyster omelette. They settle into a list of everything to return for, the next time we’re in George Town.

Where to snack

Orcabrew

For speciality coffee, baked treats and relaxed vibes.

Kedai Makan Fok Kee

For flavourful Cantonese dishes and speedy service.

56, Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling

The Nest Cocktail Bar

For innovative cocktail and food pairings.

Where to stay

Soori Penang

This ultra-luxurious hotel, due to expand further in late 2026, is set in restored shophouses and offers utmost privacy as well as excursions curated by your concierge team.