Food, Culture & Art — George Town, Malaysia has it all.

The confluence of Indian, Chinese, Thai, Malay and British influences make George Town a can’t miss city for your next adventure.

New Lane street food hawker area is known for its char kuey teow, assam laksa and baked fish.

I admit it. I hadn’t thought much about traveling to Malaysia in the past. In fact, I didn’t really think much about Malaysia at all. When I would fantasize about fabulous vacations, my mind went to Europe, or perhaps Patagonia, or if I was in a particularly beachy state of mind I would dream of white sand beaches on Thailand.

I’m here to tell you to stop right now with all that tourist nonsense. You need to go to Malaysia. We spent a little over two weeks in Malaysia — four days in Langkawi, six days in George Town and six days in Kuala Lumpur. I would recommend all of these places, but if you are even remotely into food, street art and culture you need to put your pencils down right now and go to George Town. Here are some ideas on how to spend your time there.

George Town has street murals all over the city. This beauty is found on Klang Street, painted by Julia Volchkava.

George Town is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is known for its British colonial buildings, Chinese shophouses and mosques. When I read “UNESCO World Heritage site,” I was imagining a pristinely renovated city that felt like stepping back into the early days of British colonial rule. On my first day in George Town, I was actually a bit disappointed. At first glance, George Town is kind of crumbly and run down. There’s no Eiffel Tower or Sydney Opera House at which to gaze. The buildings are renovated, but only in pockets. But as you start to dig into the neighborhoods of George Town, you start to see all the layers of amazing. I took more photographs in George Town than I have on our entire 6 months of traveling. I ate more food and declared it the best I’d ever eaten in George Town. And I marveled at how so many different cultures and religions could live together so seamlessly, so beautifully, in George Town.

One of the many beautiful sites you will see on Armenian Street.

If you have three days to spend in George Town, here’s how I would suggest you spend your time to get the most out of your experience. Keep in mind that it takes a couple days in George Town to really see the beauty of it. It’s like that over-used onion analogy —you have to uncover the layers. We were lucky enough to have a friend who lived in Penang who gave us her insider tips. Here is a combination of her tips and ours put together. You can’t go wrong.

Day 1: Get the lay of the city and understand the cultural influences

Take a morning bike tour with Metro Bike Tours. On this guided bike tour you can either ride in a trishaw or man your own bike to see the key parts of the UNESCO world heritage zone. On our tour we got a good overview of the Chew Jetty, several of George Town’s amazing street murals, Chinese temples, Indian temples, Harmony Street, Little India and tried some of the yummy street food. It’s a great way to get the lay of the land, and figure out what you’re most interested in seeing more of.

Little India has the most beautiful colors, music and food you will see outside of India.

Have lunch in Little India at Sri Ananda Bahwan — make sure you get several different rotis, the overly sweet indian tea and of course, try several curries. After lunch, explore Little India, take in the whiffs of incense and loud Bollywood music. Pop into an Indian store selling all sorts of Indian costumes and bling jewels, and buy the Indian street snacks. Check out Harmony Street and see all four religions represented by the Chinese Kuan Yin temple, a Ganesha temple by the old banyan tree, an Indian temple(currently being renovated) and a beautiful Arab Mosque.

Red lanterns were up at all the Chinese temples in preparation for Chinese New Year.

In the evening, go eat at the New Lane street hawker center. Here’s how it works. Find a table on the street. You are allowed to sit at the table as long as you order drinks. Then start going out to the different food hawkers to order different dishes. The food hawkers will take your order, ask you where you are sitting, and then bring the food to you. You pay as you go. Make sure you try char kuey teow, assam laksa, baked fish, wantan mee and the oyster omelette. Assam Laksa was my personal favorite. It’s a rich and spicy, fish-based soup noodle broth of tamarind juice, chili paste, lemongrass, topped with prawn paste and mackerel/sardine flakes. It has a tangy, wholesome flavor from the tamarind which some may find it too overpowering. I loved it though.

Day 2: Museums, Love Lane and Nyonya Chinese food

Start your day by going to the delightful (and small) Penang State Museum to learn about the different cultural influences in Penang, British Colonial rule and Japanese occupation during WWII. From there, make your way to Leith Street and visit the Cheong Fatt Tze mansion. This is often called the “Blue Mansion” as it is now a hotel as well. It was the home of Cheong Fatt Tze, a Chinese-born tycoon whom the NY Times called the “Rockefeller of the East” back in the day. They have tours at 11 am, 2 pm and 3:30 pm. I would highly recommend doing the tour as the stories are fabulous, not to mention the east-meets-west architecture and design.

This picture is of my family, taken upstairs at the Cheong Fatt Tze mansion.

After your two museums, you will probably be ready for a break. Walk down to Muntri Street where all the old clan houses are, beautiful wood & gold carved doors with British colonial tiles, and lovely cafes along the way. If you are feeling thirsty, have a drink at Mish Mash, which is known for its cocktails. Otherwise, keep walking down towards Love Lane, which used to be the red light district of the area and now has several small, beautifully restored guest houses like 23 Love Lane hotel. Pop in for a view of the lobby and then carry on towards Stewart Lane.

You’ll see street art along the street and a beautiful one of the Indian man on his boat. Across from this mural, stop for lunch at the Daily Dose Cafe. The Daily Dose has good coffee, a market fresh daily menu, and very good dim sum dumplings for a snack.

For dinner, you have to check out Nyonya Chinese food, which is the cultural blend of Malay and Chinese food. The place to go for it is Tek Sen on Lebuh Carnavon, close to Chulia Street. Everything is good, but my favorites were the steamed fish pomfret with ginger and garlic, curry red snapper, dragon spinach with egg & mushrooms and the spicy Szechuan pork ribs.

Day 3: Armenian Street, Batik Museum and China House

One of my favorite neighborhoods in George Town is Armenian Street. It’s worth a day long putter in this area. Start at the Yap Temple and work your way down. Make sure you get home-made coconut ice cream from a street vendor as you meander, looking at all the street art. Pop into the Batik Museum as it has some really nice prints by Malaysian artists, and stories that will stick with you. Stop in for lunch at the China House, which is perfect for cold drinks (like home made lemongrass ginger ale & pineapple mint tea) and cakes. And oh my word, the cakes are to die for. Walk through the whole shophouse as its goes all the way to the other end and has some really cool art throughout. Armenian street has a street fair every Saturday, 10am — 6pm, which is also work checking out.

The cakes at China House are to die for. Try the coconut cake with lemon curd.

So what are you waiting for? Book your ticket now. George Town is not to be missed. Happy travels!