Ipoh to Penang

How to Go from Ipoh to Penang Island

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When you’re done exploring Malaysia’s third largest city Ipoh, then one of the most popular places to head to next is Penang.  And it was certainly next on our list.  The Malaysian State of Penang has two parts.  The island of Penang, where you’ll find the capital city, George Town, and the mainland Malaysia area of Seberang Perai.  These two parts of Penang are connected by two bridges and the famous Butterworth ferry.  I digress.  This guide is all about how to go from Ipoh to Penang, with details on all the different routes and transport you can take.

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The Best Way to Get to Penang

The best way from Ipoh to Penang is to take the bus. Book early for the best availability.

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When most people look for details of how to go from Ipoh to Penang what they *actually* want is how to go from Ipoh to George Town, Penang < so I wrote specifically about that here.

However, George Town is just one part of Penang, so I’m focusing today on getting to Penang from Ipoh.  And I’ll get you to the main areas of Penang, and then you can plan your onward journey from there.  This is a well-traveled route and there are lots of options, 39 buses a day, up to 6 trains, and ferries for the last part if you’re heading over to Penang Island (which most people are), then I’ll explain what we did on our journey from Ipoh to Penang.

Where is Penang?

The Malaysian state of Penang is bordered to the north and east by Kedah and by Perak (where Ipoh is located) to the south.  The west?  Well, that’s the body of water called the Malacca Strait – it goes all the way down, past Kuala Lumpur, then Malacca, and onto Singapore.

The island of Penang is where most visitors to the state head, to its capital George Town, which is the heritage part of the island and also the capital of Penang.

It is 161 kilometers (100 miles) to Penang from Ipoh by road and it’s a short 3.4 kilometers (2 miles) at the shortest point between Penang Island and the Malay mainland.

How to Go from Ipoh to Penang – Transport Options

In this guide on how to go from Ipoh to Penang, we’ll cover the fastest way to travel from Ipoh to Penang, the easiest way to go to Penang from Ipoh, and the cheapest way to get to Penang from Ipoh, as well as the route that we took from Ipoh to Penang.  Our guide to the best things to do in Penang is here

How to get to Penang from Ipoh

For transport from Penang to Ipoh, you have several options.  I don’t know where in Ipoh you’re starting from or where in Penang you want to get to, but I do know that unless you live at the bus or train station and are going just to another bus or train station, then a direct transfer has GOT to be the most convenient.  It’s also the quickest.

Right from the door of your hotel to the door of your next hotel.

If you’re toting kids and a lot of luggage around, then this is definitely the best option.  You can check prices for direct transfers from Ipoh to Penang here.

The state of Penang had 1.74 million residents as of 2020.  The total area of the state is 1044 square kilometers (403 square miles).  Penang Island is also pretty big, at 295 square kilometers (114 square miles).  It can take some time to get between places!

As well as transfers, there are LOTS of buses that go from Ipoh to Penang, and this is the cheapest way to go to Penang from Ipoh.    Buses go to three different bus terminals in Penang, one of which is on the mainland at Butterworth, and the other two on Penang Island.

And then there’s the train, which goes from Ipoh to Butterworth – which is co-located with the Penang Sentral Bus station.

Confused?  Don’t be.  It’s pretty simple, keep reading.

Taking a Taxi or Transfer from Ipoh to Penang

Taking a private taxi to Penang from Ipoh is the fastest way to go to Penang.   It means that you don’t have to worry about any of the different bus stations (as many travelers end up getting a taxi or a Grab anyways whenever they arrive at the bus or train station) and you’ll get taken from door to door.

You can check prices for Ipoh to Penang taxis here.  It can take as little as 2 hours to go by taxi from Ipoh to Penang, but the time it takes is going to depend on WHERE in Penang you want to go.

Ipoh to Penang Trains

The train from Ipoh to Penang actually goes to Butterworth Station.  This is the closest train station to Penang Island.  Butterworth is in the state of Penang, it’s just on the mainland.  However, the Butterworth train station is co-located with the Penang Sentral Bus station AND the Butterworth ferry that goes across the Malacca Straits to Penang Island.

There are 6 trains a day that go from Ipoh to Butterworth, with the first going at 10:34 and the last train leaving at 22:41.

The train timetable from Ipoh to Butterworth is 10:34, 13:34, 16:08, 18:26, 20:36, and 22:41. 

Trains in Malaysia get booked up, as these trains do not allow standing, so once all the seats are sold, you’re out of luck.  You’ll get to pick your seat and if you book online here you can pay with a foreign card and get your tickets sent by email.  Use Busonlineticket to book train tickets from Ipoh to Butterworth. 

If you’re heading to Penang Island once you’ve arrived at Butterworth, then you can take the ferry from here, it’s just a short walk (it’s all under cover) to the ferry terminal which goes over to Penang Island.

Ipoh to Penang Bus

Buses to Penang from Ipoh are the cheapest way to travel this route, but you’ll have to do a little bit of compromising.  First of all, it’s important to know where you need to get to in Penang.  Mainland or the island?  And if you’re going to Penang Island, whereabouts on Penang Island?

That’s because there are several bus terminals that the buses go to.  I’ve marked them on the map, but they are

  1. Penang Sentral Bus Terminal:  This is on the mainland near the Butterworth Railway Station.
  2. Sungai Nibong Bus Terminal:  This bus terminal is on Penang Island, about halfway down from top to bottom, on the way to Queensbay Mall.
  3. Komtar Bus Terminal:  This bus terminal is on the edge of George Town in the southeast of Penang Island.

You can see all your bus options for going from Ipoh to Penang here – just be aware of where the different bus terminals are.

To add to that, buses leave Ipoh from two different locations – most of the buses (all bar two) leave from the Ipoh Amanjaya Terminal, which is about 15 kilometers north of Ipod Old Town.  The other two buses from Ipoh to Penang leave from Jalan Bendahara, which is about 2 kilometers to the southeast of the old town.

You can take a local bus to Amanjaya Terminal from old town Ipoh (more details below), or Grabs are pretty cheap here.  Here are the details of the various buses that go from Ipoh to Penang each day.  Public holidays and Ramadan may affect schedules.

1. Ipoh Amanjaya aka Meru Raya Terminal to George Town, Penang

If you’re going to George Town on Penang Island, (reminder, my guide on how to do this route is here), and you want to take the bus, then there is only one bus that does this specific route.

The direct bus to George Town is operated by CS Travel & Tours. It departs Ipoh at 16:30 and takes 3 hours and 30 minutes to get to the Komtar bus terminal, which is on the edge of George Town.

Check availability on the bus from Ipoh Meru Raya Terminal to George Town, Penang here.

When you arrive at the Komtar bus terminal it is on the edge of George Town and you should be able to easily walk to your hotel in George Town from here.

2. Ipoh Amanjaya aka Meru Raya Terminal to Sungai Nibong

While this route picks up from Ipoh Amanjaya (details of how to get there from downtown Ipoh are below), its final stop is the Sungai Nibong bus terminal, which is near the airport on Penang Island.

Four bus companies run this route and you can get a bus from Ipoh to Sungai Nibong at 08:45, 09:15, 10:30, 11:00, 12:00, 12:30, 13:00, and 16:30. The trip takes about 2 hours and 10 minutes.

Check your options on times and availability for Ipoh to Sungai Nibong here.

3. Ipoh Jalan Bendahara to Sungai Nibong, Penang

There’s a further option that takes you to Sungai Nibong on Penang Island and it leaves Ipoh from Jalan Bendahara.  These buses (run by the same company) take about 2 hours and 30 minutes and leave Ipoh at 08:45 and 12:00 (noon). 

It’s only 2 kilometers (1.24 miles) from the Ipoh train station, so it might be an option for you if you don’t want to trek out to Ipoh Amanjaya.

You can book the bus from Ipoh Jalan Bendahara to Sungai Nibong, Penang here.

3. Ipoh Jalan Bendahara to Penang Sentral (Butterworth)

The bus that leaves from Jalan Bendahara and goes to Sungai Nibong also makes a stop at Penang Sentral (Butterworth).  Penang Sentral is the bus station on the mainland that is co-located with Butterworth train station and the ferry to Penang Island. 

Book the bus from Ipoh Jalan Bendahara to Penang Sentral here.

5. Bus Ipoh Amanjaya to Penang Sentral

The last option for buses from Ipoh to Penang is the busiest one.  28 buses run this route – they go from the Ipoh Amanjaya intercity bus terminal to Penang Sentral on the mainland.

The first bus to Penang Sentral from Ipoh is at 00:30 and the last bus is at 21:00, in total 28 buses run throughout the day!

Check the timetable and book your preferred time here.

Getting from Ipoh Old Town to the Ipoh Intercity Bus Terminal

As you can see most of the buses from Ipoh to Penang leave from the intercity bus terminal aka the Meru Raya Terminal, aka Ipoh Amanjaya.  This bus terminal is about 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) north of Ipoh. 

You can get there from Ipoh Old Town by public bus.  Perak Transit buses go from downtown Ipoh to the bus terminal.  Catch bus number T30a or T30b, these buses cost 2-3 MYR (pay cash) and take about 30 minutes. The bus starts from the Medan Kidd Bus Station and runs from 06:00 until 21:00. 

Alternatively, take a taxi or a Grab which will cost from 15 to 30 MYR depending on the time of day.

Our Trip from Ipoh to Penang

As our apartment was pretty close to the train station in Ipoh we decided to take the train from Ipoh to Butterworth.  

Ipoh Train Station

We were then heading to an apartment in the north of Penang Island, so we hopped on the Butterworth ferry to George Town and jumped in a Grab to the apartment.

The train station in Ipoh is easy to find and has a café, ticket office, and a reasonably sized waiting area.  We arrived about 15 minutes before the scheduled departure time and waited until the sign went up at the entrance and the train was announced.

Ticket Barrier and Signs for Trains at Ipoh

The announcements give you plenty of time to get across to Platform 3, where the train from Ipoh to Butterworth leaves.

Crossing plaforms at Ipoh Train Station

We scanned our tickets through the automated gates, took the escalator up and over the tracks, and waited a few minutes for the train to arrive.  There are markings on the platform to show which carriage stops where, so there’s no last-minute rush to get to the right carriage.

All seats are ticketed and the details are clearly displayed on the ticket, as is the train number.

The train arrived on time, set off on time, and arrived at Butterworth on time too. 

Once you get to Butterworth train station there are signs everywhere, for the bus station, the ferry, and so on.  It was easy to find our way to the ferry, where we bought tickets and headed over to Penang Island.

Butterworth Train Station to Ferry Terminal

You can’t pre-purchase tickets for this ferry – they only cost 2 MYR per person, and you can’t buy them with cash, it’s card payments only.

Tickets and entrance Butterworth Ferry Terminal

Scan your paper ticket on the entrance barrier and there’s a huge waiting area for the ferries that leave every 30 minutes between 06:30 and 20:30.

You’ll barely have time to drop your bags in the luggage storage area and get comfortable before you arrive at the George Town ferry terminal 15 minutes later!

Map of Bus Stops and Train Stations for going from Ipoh to Penang

You can also see full map of the train stations and bus stops from Ipoh to Penang here

Map of How to Go from Ipoh to Penang

Popular Routes in Malaysia

Traveling around Malaysia? Here’s some of the most popular routes and the best ways to go between these places.

The quickest way to get from Ipoh to Penang

The quickest way to get to Penang from Ipoh is to take a private, direct transfer or taxi. It takes, depending on traffic, as little as 2 hours to go to Penang from Ipoh and you can book a transfer from Ipoh to Penang here.

The easiest way to go to Penang from Ipoh

The easiest way to get from Ipoh to Penang is to take a direct transfer, but if you don’t want to do that, then take either a bus from Jalan Bendahara to Butterworth and then catch the Butterworth to Penang ferry if you’re going to Penang Island or take the train from Ipoh to Butterworth and catch the ferry.

The cheapest way to go from Ipoh to Penang

The cheapest way to get to Penang from Ipoh is to take a bus– reserve your seats here. Don’t forget that you’ll have to plan to get from your hotel to the bus station, and also take a look at where the buses arrive in Penang, there’s only one option that goes directly to Georgetown (and that’s here)

Malaysia Travel Tips

Final Words on How to Go from Ipoh to Penang

You’ll need to take a look at where it is you’re going to in Penang before deciding which is the best mode of transport for this route.  There are different bus terminals in both Ipoh and Penang that buses go from and to, and the state of Penang is pretty big too.  So take a look at our map, and then work out which option is best.  To my mind, however, taking the Butterworth to George Town ferry as part of your transport is a great way to arrive in Penang – if the weather is good – the views of the Penang Skyline are spectacular.

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AUTHOR

Sarah Carter
Sarah Carter is an avid reader, writer and traveller. She loves hiking, sailing, skiing and exploring the world through food. She left a successful career in IT security and compliance in both the UK and US to travel the world with husband and partner in adventure, Nigel.

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