Category: Peninsular Malaysia West Coast

Back when the distinction between governments, armies and companies was less precise, the British-based East India Company sailed into Penang harbour and took over the 28-sq-km island as its first settlement on the Malay peninsula, a move intended to brea

The island of Pangkor is just a 40-minute ferry ride from Lumut, which is easily accessible via Ipoh. It’s a low-key resort island noted for its fine beaches. These can be visited via the road running around the island. The jungle-clad hills of the interi

Malaysia’s best-known holiday destination, Langkawi is one of those places whose name alone summons up images of tropical romance and carefree days under swaying coconut palms. In the Andaman Sea 30km off the coast from Kuala Perlis, it is made up of a gr

Malaysia’s multiculturalism is best viewed along the west coast. Nestled against the Straits of Melaka, protected, for the most part, against swells and tsunamis, this part of the peninsula has entertained ­foreign visitors since the days of early traders

One of Malaysia’s most eagerly sought-after destinations, the small city-state of Melaka (Malacca) lures droves of visitors to its namesake historic port city, where they are quickly steeped in an intoxicating multicultural world of heritage architecture

Ipoh, which takes its name from the poison­ous ipoh tree (Antiaris Toxicaria) which once grew in profusion here, was established in the 1870s and quickly made its fortune from the rich tin mine of the Kinta valley; the city’s elegant mansions testify to t

Georgetown is a bustling, colourful and largely Chinese city, full of tumbledown shophouses, impressive colonial architecture and countless trishaws ferrying tourists and locals alike around the maze of broad streets and narrow lanes. Ancient trades such

Malaysia’s most extensive hill station, about 60km off the main KL–Ipoh–Butterworth road at Tapah, is at an altitude of 1300m to 1829m. The Cameron Highlands is a vast area of rolling green hills, tea plantations and forests stretching along the road from

This mainland town is the jumping-off point for Pulau Penang. The Butterworth–Penang ferry jetty (RM1.20, every 20 minutes from 5.30am to 12.30pm) is conveniently located next to the train and bus stations. Fares for the ferry are charged only for the jou