Capital city of the Malaysian state of Penang

George Town

George Town is the capital of the Malaysian state of Penang.

Plan a trip to George Town→From Langkawi

Every way there

Langkawi → George Town
122 km · quickest by ferry, 6h 35m · RM57–156
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Ipoh → George Town
124 km · quickest by road, 2h 32m · RM31–41
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Hat Yai → George Town
178 km · quickest by road, 3h 26m · ฿330–440
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Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.

The field note

How transport actually works in Penang, George Town and Butterworth: 11 ways of moving, each with its operator, timings, fare and sources, and what we could not confirm.

Read the note on Penang, George Town and Butterworth

What George Town has

YScheduled flightsPenang (PEN), 14 km
YTrains and coachesTransitous carries 7 timetable feeds for this country, 0 with real-time
YFerriesFeri Pulau Pinang (George Town ke Butterworth), 2 km, Penang Port Sdn Bhd; sailings estimated
YDriving and taxiOpenStreetMap roads; cab fare from the country band
NBike and scooter shareno share feed known
NCruisesno open itinerary source anywhere

Y routable now · F found, not yet implemented · N no source known.

5.414°, 100.329°

It is the core city of the George Town Conurbation, Malaysia's second largest metropolitan area with a population of 2.84 million and the second largest metropolitan economy in the country. The city proper spans an area of 306 km2 (118 sq mi) encompassing Penang Island and surrounding islets, and had a population of 794,313 as of 2020.

How locals move

Getting around George Town the local way

The island and the mainland are one system stitched together by two toll bridges and a passenger-only ferry; George Town's own streets run on Rapid Penang buses, a free downtown shuttle and Grab.

01
Penang Ferry (Weld Quay – Butterworth)ferry
Raja Tun Uda terminal, Weld Quay, George Town to Sultan Abdul Halim terminal, Butterworth
Where
Terminal is at the seafront end of Pengkalan Weld, next to KOMTAR side; the Butterworth terminal adjoins the railway station
When
Every 20–30 minutes, 06:30–23:30 daily
Fare (2026)
RM2.00 adult one way, RM2.50 with a motorcycle; child, disabled and bicycle tickets are only quoted at the ticket counter
Takes
15 minutes
Season
year-round
Booking
none, pay at the gate
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · penangport.com.my (2026-09) · penangport.gov.my (2026-09) · confidence high
02
Penang Bridge and Second Penang Bridge tollsservice status
Island-bound traffic on either bridge pays; mainland-bound traffic does not
Where
Toll plazas are on the mainland side, before you cross: Sungai Dua or Juru for the First Bridge, Batu Kawan for the Second; Touch 'n Go is accepted
When
always in force
Fare (2026)
First Bridge: motorcycles RM1.40, cars RM7. Second Bridge: motorcycles RM1.70, cars RM8.50, six-wheel two-axle vans RM30.50
Season
year-round
Booking
none
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence medium
03
Rapid Penang bus networkbus
Hub-and-spoke from KOMTAR and Pengkalan Weld across the island and to the mainland
Where
Board at KOMTAR bus terminus or Pengkalan Weld next to the ferry terminal; stops are signed and numbered
When
varies by route; timetables hold badly in traffic, so use the MyRapid PULSE app for live bus positions
Fare (2024)
RM1.40–RM4 per ride depending on distance; RM30 Rapid Passport for a week of unlimited travel
Season
year-round
Booking
none, pay the driver on board
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2024-06) · en.wikivoyage.org (2024-06) · confidence high
04
CAT (Central Area Transit) free shuttleshuttle bus
Between the Pengkalan Weld ferry terminal and KOMTAR, through the George Town heritage core
Where
Stops are marked CAT along the loop; boards from Pengkalan Weld ferry terminal forecourt
When
Every 20 minutes, 06:00–24:00 daily including weekends and holidays
Fare
free
Season
year-round
Booking
none
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence medium
05
George Town trishawcycle rickshaw
Ad hoc, wherever the rider is asked to go within the heritage core
Where
Riders tout along the heritage-core streets and outside hotels; no source names a fixed stand, so ask a hotel to call one
When
on demand
Fare
negotiated before boarding, no meter; hourly hire is the usual basis
Season
year-round
Booking
none, negotiate on the spot
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence medium
06
Butterworth – Kuala Lumpur ETStrain
Butterworth railway station to KL Sentral via Ipoh
Where
Butterworth station adjoins the ferry terminal and Penang Sentral bus terminal; book ahead as trains sell out
When
Seven ETS departures daily
Fare
no confirmed fare figure for the current timetable
Takes
4 hours
Season
year-round
Booking
advance booking recommended via KTMB or Easybook, seats sell out on weekends
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence medium
07
Butterworth – Padang Besar Komuter, onward to Thailandtrain
Butterworth to Padang Besar on the Thai border; cross on foot, then Thai State Railway to Hat Yai or Bangkok
Where
Same platform as the KL trains at Butterworth; at Padang Besar, immigration is inside the shared station building
When
Hourly Komuter departures, 05:25–21:25
Fare (2026)
RM11.40 Butterworth to Padang Besar; 80 baht Padang Besar to Hat Yai on the Thai side
Takes
1 hour 50 minutes to Padang Besar
Season
year-round
Booking
none for the Komuter leg, pay at the counter
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence medium
08
Penang International Airport bus 401Ebus
Penang International Airport (Bayan Lepas) to Weld Quay via KOMTAR
Where
Bus stop directly outside the arrivals hall; look for the Rapid Penang livery
When
not confirmed; 401 and 401E both run from the airport to Weld Quay through the day
Fare (2026)
RM2.70, exact change required
Season
year-round
Booking
none
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence medium
09
Grab versus airport prepaid taxiprivate hire
Anywhere on the island or mainland
Where
Grab pickup zones are marked outside arrivals; the prepaid coupon kiosk is inside. Street taxis have meters but drivers almost always refuse to use them
When
on demand
Fare (2026)
Prepaid airport coupon: RM18 to Bayan Lepas town, RM44.70 to George Town, Air Itam or Balik Pulau, RM69 to Batu Ferringhi, plus a 50% surcharge between midnight and 06:00; Grab fares float with demand and were not separately confirmed
Season
year-round
Booking
prepaid taxi: buy a coupon at the counter; Grab: app booking
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence medium
10
Penang – Langkawi direct ferry, discontinuedservice status
Formerly Swettenham Pier or a Penang jetty to Kuah, Langkawi
Where
No current jetty serves this route; the operator's own site now points travellers to Kuala Kedah or Kuala Perlis instead
When
no longer running
Fare
not confirmed, no current service
Season
n/a
Booking
none, service ended
Sources: langkawi-ferry.com (2026-09) · en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence high
11
Penang Hill funicularfunicular
Air Itam lower station to Penang Hill upper station
Where
Reached by Rapid Penang buses 203/204 from KOMTAR to the Air Itam terminus, then a short walk to the station
When
continuous departures within opening hours
Fare (2026)
Return, normal lane: RM40 adult and RM20 child at the standard rate; RM16 adult and RM8 child with MyKad, MyKid, MM2H or i-Kad. Express lane is double. One-way and a RM6 MyKad sunrise round trip are counter-only
Season
year-round
Booking
book online at penanghill.gov.my or buy at the Lower Station counter; one-way and special rates are counter-only
Sources: penanghill.gov.my (2026-09) · penanghill.gov.my (2026-09) · en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence high

Not yet confirmed: Rapid Penang's per-route fare table could not be read on myrapid.com.my; the RM1.40–RM4 range and the RM30 Rapid Passport come from Wikivoyage, which dates both to June 2024. Confirm at a KOMTAR counter or in the MyRapid PULSE app.; Butterworth–Kuala Lumpur ETS current one-way fare was not confirmed from KTMB's own site; check ktmb.com.my or Easybook.com for the current price.; Correction to the brief: there is no longer a direct Penang–Langkawi ferry. The operator's own site (langkawi-ferry.com) says the route has ended and points travellers to Kuala Kedah or Kuala Perlis on the mainland instead; the George Town Wikivoyage article says the same.; Whether bicycles ride the passenger ferry free or at a fare was not confirmed; the Wikivoyage fare line sends children, disabled passengers and cyclists to the ticket counter rather than naming a price.; Sources disagree on who runs the ferry and what it costs. The Penang article and Penang Port Sdn Bhd's own ferry section point to PPSB at RM2.00, while the George Town article still describes a Prasarana 'Rapid Ferry' at RM1.20 with free return legs. The RM2.00 figure is the one used here; confirm at the gate.; The vehicle-ferry closure date (2020) and any partial vehicle service since were not independently confirmed beyond the Wikivoyage account.; Frequency and journey time for airport bus 401E were not confirmed from Rapid Penang; only the RM2.70 fare and the exact-change rule are sourced.; The Municipal Council of Penang Island's own CAT bus page has been dead-linked since August 2026, so the free shuttle's current hours and route should be reconfirmed on arrival.; No source names where George Town trishaws actually wait; the fare-negotiation and hourly-hire customs are sourced, the pick-up points are not.; Whether the bridge toll plazas still accept cash, or are RFID and Touch 'n Go only, was not confirmed..

The field note on Penang, George Town and Butterworth reads this entry in full, one option at a time, with every source beside it.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see file page), Wikimedia Commons.