*warning: this is a long post*
*warningagain: very informative and you might need it*
*morewarning: no, you need it. period*
*lastwarning: please keep reading, will you?* :’)
“Can you google and find places to visit in Penang?” said me to my tripmate, Kakatete.
“No. No need to make itinerary. It’s small (island), right? Let’s just go!”, answered her.
Coming from a person whose OCD level is more acute than me, that kinda surprised me a bit! Hihihi. But oh well, considering our limited budget and my big dream of coming to many places to visit in Penang, I voluntarily made the itinerary. And while making the itinerary, I just figured out that there is an easy and cheap way to go around Penang!
Here’s how:
> MAKE USE OF THE CAT FREE HOP ON BUS!
Penang has an amazing transportation system that’s very much traveler-friendly called CAT Bus that you can take to go around Penang. It’s a hop on bus that covers most of places to visit in Penang. The bus is very comfortable, equipped with air conditioning (HALELUYA!), and has several seats available inside; though I personally like standing near the big stage in the middle while looking out and enjoying the view. 😀
One thing you have to keep in mind is that the bus looks exactly like the regular bus. The only different is the name displayed. It says Bee is the cutest princess ever CAT or number 5. Also, CAT Bus doesn’t stop at every stop. So either ask the driver to let you know when the bus has reached your stop destination or just like us, you count the stops and press the ‘stop’ button when you almost reach your destination. Hehehe.
Most places to visit in Penang covered in the CAT Bus route as below:
– Stop KOMTAR: The main terminal. You can get CAT Bus at the outside part of the bus lanes. Find an Information Counter near lane 1, then find a shop with Mustika Ratu (yes, they sell those Mustika Ratu – Indonesia Products there. Yippie! #ProudIndonesian ) behind it. CAT Bus stops right in front of that Mustika Ratu shop.
– Stop 11: Jalan Kedah. If you happen to stay at Tune Hotels (like we did – which you should, cus it’s damn strategic!), then this stop is the essential one for you. Funnily, this stop is not located in Jalan Kedah! It lies in Jalan Transfer. Hahaha. It’s only one block away from Jalan Kedah, though. So from Tune Hotels, walk to your left, and you pass Jalan Kedah (small lane). Walk again towards Burmah Mosque and you find Jalan Transfer on your left afterwards.
– Stop 2: Jetty to Butterworth (mainland Penang) – change bus. It’s a big stop other than Komtar. At this stop, if you want to continue the trip, you still have to go down the CAT Bus you’re in and find another bus in the CAT Bus lane. If you want to go to mainland Penang, take ferry to Butterworth from this place. Regular buses also available here cus it’s another big terminal other than Komtar. 😀
– Stop 3: To Pinang Peranakan Mansion. Be really careful with this stop. It’s not too big, you might miss it! It is located right in front of a bank (RHB Bank, if I’m not wrong), across the Georgetown Dispensary Bhd. Hopping off the bus, walk to your right. First junction, turn left. Walk again and you shall see the big picture of Pinang Peranakan Mansion.
– Stop 7: To Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion. See a bit left once you hop off the bus and you shall see the Blue Mansion.
– Stop 12: To Chowrasta Market and Teochew Cendul. It stops right in front of Chowrasta Market. To get to the famous Teochew Cendul (you can have Asam Laksa there too!), walk to your right – when you face the Chowrasta Market – to Lebuh Keng Kwee.
– Stop 14: To Sun Yat Sen Penang Base. It stops right in front of the house but sadly, when we got there, the house is in renovation mode. 🙁
– Stop 15: To Khoo Kongsi, Cheah Kongsi, Yap Kongsi, Choo Chay Keong Temple, Hock Teik Cheng Sin Temple, Armenian Street, Masjid Kapitan Keling.
– Stop 16: To St. George’s Church, Goddess of Mercy Temple, Little India. Me and Kakatete missed Stop 15 and hopped off at this stop instead. We walked to every places to visit in Stop 15 area and it’s actually not too far. 😀
– Stop 18: To Fort Cornwallis. CAT Bus stops right in front of the fort.
> TAKE BUS BASICALLY EVERYWHERE!
– Airport to downtown (Komtar Terminal), take bus! DC – a Penangite friend, advised us to take 401E but we arrived so late that day and the first bus coming was 401. We asked the driver whether it goes to Komtar or not, he said yes, so we hopped on. 😀 We took 401E when we headed to airport, taking it from Jetty Terminal.
– Downtown to Pulau Tikus Market, take bus! We took 101 bus from Komtar and turned out, that bus passed our hotel again. Hahaha. So if you stay at Tune Hotel Downtown Penang (like we did, which you should, cus it’s damn strategic!), you don’t have to go to Komtar. Just pick a bus stop near the hotel along Lebuh Burmah. Either going to left or right from the hotel, you’ll find a bus stop. That’s why I suggest you to stay at Tune Hotel Downtown Penang! It’s damn strategic! 😀
– Downtown to Batu Ferringhi Beach, take bus! We took 101 (or you can take 102 also) down to the beach! 😀
– Jetty to Kek Lok Si Temple and Penang Hill, take bus! We took 204, it passes Komtar Terminal so you can take it from Komtar also.
– Downtown to Gurney Drive Night Market, take bus! We took bus 101 till Gurney Plaza and walked to the food night market.
Other option that might help:
– Bus 101 passes Gleneagles Hospital and Penang Hospital. It passes a Burmese Temple also.
Although we’re not travelers who really count the money we spent for vacation, but we were happy knowing that we each spent only RM350 for five days trip in Penang. That, already includes our food! We cut corners on transportation! Hihihi.
It’s definitely an easy and cheap way to go around Penang! 😀
Senyum dulu ah.. 🙂
Kemaren gw ke Penang nyewa mobil. Lebih efisien sih kalo orangnya banyak. Harganya juga mirip2 seperti kalo nyewa di Jkt. Lalu lintas sepi jadi enakkk kemana mana- deket, lancar, dan parkir murah. Tapi waktu itu nginepnya di daerah Gurney jadi rada jauh dari pusat kota.
Iya betul kalau bareng2 enak sih ya nyewa mobil. Kemarin cuma berdua. Hahaha. Dan Penang kalau Jumat pas jam pulang kantor tu gile macetnya. Hahaha.
Again, thank you for making the itinerary, Pwincess!! Naik bus di Penang menyenangkan sekali laah.. kecuali di bagian ada mas-mas ndesit (ndeso bingit) yang jackpot karena mabok darat di Batu Ferringhi itu, hihi..
OMG that mas-mas!! Yang temennya ngeliatin paha akuh!! ???