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The island of Penang, on peninsular Malaysia’s western coast, is a diverse and photogenic delight. It has a blend of prominent religious buildings surrounded by some of the most characteristic colonial architecture I’ve seen, all concealing a mass of world-renowned, iconic street art down its side alleys. There are so many camera-friendly little nooks, it was a challenge to document them all!
We spent two weeks on the island (inside and out of its UNESCO designated capital city, George Town), during our recent trip to Malaysia. We wandered about, uncovering little corners of this exceptionally visual place; it’s genuinely one of the best street photography destinations I’ve ever visited.
We’ve included a list below of all our top photography spots, with details on how to get there, useful photography tips and a map of all the locations.
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IN THIS GUIDE //
Penang Photography Spots
STREET ART OF GEORGE TOWN
BOMBA STREET ART AND CENTRAL FIRE STATION
FLOATING MOSQUE
CHAIYA MANGALARAM BUDDHIST TEMPLE
KEK LOK SI TEMPLE
PENANG BOTANICAL GARDENS
AVATAR TREES
CLAN JETTIES
KAPITAN KELING MOSQUE
COLONIAL ARCHITECTURE IN GEORGE TOWN
HINDU TEMPLES OF JALAN KEBUN BUNGA
ARCHWAYS OF GEORGE TOWN
ARMENIAN STREET
GODDESS OF MERCY TEMPLE
PENANG HILL
PENANG PHOTOGRAPHY SPOTS – MAP
FINAL THOUGHTS – PENANG PHOTO SPOTS
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Epic Penang Photography Spots
1. Street Art of George Town
George Town, the cultural hub of Penang, has some of the most iconic street art in the entire world. Hidden down small alleys, on the sides of houses and at the ends of the jetties are cultural, educational, humorous, or simply cat-related frescos. Some of these are even three dimensional and interactive!
If you take a George Town walking tour, it will include some of the most iconic street art spots. If not, then a self-guided wander will easily lead you to many of the most famous spots! There are honestly more than is possible to list here!
Centre your self-guided walk around the alleys and small roads near Chulia Street, Beach Street, Pengkalan Weld and Armenian Street, you can’t miss the art work.
Street Art Photo Tips
Patience | George Town can get very busy. You may need to wait for the perfect shot at many of the more popular street art spots.
Lenses | some of the art is located in side-alleys and a wide lens is the only way to take the shot (with your back against the wall!) – this means phone cameras are actually ideal here!
Best time to visit | in the earlier mornings there are far fewer people around, in our experience. This, combined with the lower temperatures, makes for the perfect time to get unobscured shots of George Town’s street art.
Light | in terms of light for street art photography, there’s no best time to visit because the frescos are all over the place, facing in different directions. So, contrary to almost any other photography tips, midday is actually a great option because the art is less likely to be in shadow down the narrower alleys.
Obstructions | sometimes, you’ll be unlucky, and your favourite bit of art will be hidden behind a van or car. There’s not much you can do but visit later and hope for the best, so build in a bit of spare time if you’re aiming to photograph everything.
2. Bomba Street Art and Central Fire Station
On the corner of Beach and Chulia Street is the Central Fire Station, a wonderfully photogenic, classic-looking red and white building. Ensure to pop down the alley to the building’s right-hand side – there’s a beautiful street art dedication to first responders.
Also, the fire station has exhibits you can take a quick look around, too.
Fire Station Photo Tips
Narrow | the side alley is quite narrow, so you’ll need a wide lens or a phone camera to take any photos here (our 18mm, cropped sensor was absolutely fine).
Best time | if the side alley is busy with people, it’ll be a bit nightmarish for unobstructed pictures. Definitely pop down early if you can.
Having said that, the fire station building itself is pretty later in the day, light-wise (also, prioritise a sunny day if you can – it was a bit cloudy on one of our visits which was a pity).
Architecture | the stairs at the back of the building could be pretty cool, potentially, for some slightly abstract photography, but only if the sun is shining strongly and creating shadows (it wasn’t when we were there).
OUR CAMERA GEAR
We do exclusively travel and street photography (often these merge into the same thing), so we choose lightweight, flexible, high-quality equipment from Fujifilm.
The pictures are crisp, the lenses are small and perfect for travel, having survived some seriously questionable weather conditions. Our cameras are favourites with old-school photographers – the ergonomics are perfect.
We use two Fujifilm XT5 camera bodies combined with:
Fujinon XF 70-300mm f4-5.6 R LM OIS WR lens
Fujinon XF 16-55mm f2.8 R LM WR lens
Fujinon XF 18mm f1.4 R LM WR lens
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RELATED POST | BEING A MORE RESPONSIBLE PHOTOGRAPHER
3. Floating Mosque
Around ten kilometres to the north of George Town, in Tanjung Bungah, is the very distinctive Floating Mosque. It’s called a floating mosque because the building sits on stilts right above the ocean on a north-facing beach – when the tide comes in, it looks like its floating. It was opened in 2005 and can accommodate 1500 people at a time.
It’s the prettiest mosque that we visited in Penang and worth the journey north.
The mosque is easy to reach by rental car, motorbike, or taxi (we went by bike). Parking is free, right in front of the building.
Floating Mosque Photo Tips
Beach | the further up the beach you walk, the wider the shots you can take. There is a gap in the fence and some sketchy ‘stairs’ to the right as you enter the car park. These lead down to the beach, where there live a few very friendly guys in wooden houses. This provides lovely views of the mosque and adjacent anchored boats from here.
Clothing | remember to dress appropriately if you want to go inside the grounds (full skin coverage and headscarf for women, covering the knees and shoulders for men). The one family we met in the car park there were very welcoming and did not seem bothered by our cameras.
Best time to visit | the best time to visit the Floating Mosque is either during early evening or early/mid-morning. We visited around 9.30-10am and it was empty and quiet both at the Floating Mosque and on the beach.
4. Chaiya Mangalaram Thai Buddhist Temple
This is one of the prettier Buddhist temples we’ve visited across our extended time in southeast Asia. It’s the oldest Thai temple in Penang, located a little north of George Town’s old town, near the Gurney Mall area.
It has all the typical Buddhist temple features, but with a mix of Thai, Burmese and Chinese art styles. What’s particularly striking is the giant reclining Buddha (the third longest in the world apparently), surrounded by thousands of tiny Buddhas on the walls. Adjacent to the hall is the incredible golden circular stupa, which towers over its surroundings.
This particular temple is also wonderful for photography because it’s relatively uncrowded, with only a few worshippers milling about (and very few tourists).
Across from the Chaiya Mangalaram Temple is the Dhammikarama Burmese Temple. It’s one of few Burmese style temples outside Myanmar and features numerous murals, carvings and statues. Particularly impressive for photography is the standing Buddha located withing a central building guarded by two white and gold dragons.
The site has free parking.
Opening times | Chaiya Mangalaram Temple is open daily from 8am-4pm, Dhammikarama Temple is open daily from 9am-5pm.
Chaiya Mangalaram Photo Tips
Be respectful | both temples are active religious sites, so be quiet, dress appropriately and don’t photograph worshippers.
Lenses | both wide and zoom excel here. Inside the Thai temple is very bright, so no need for excessively high ISO or fast shutter speeds.
Note | there’s not really many challenges to photographing this location because it’s uncrowded, bright, and photogenic! We generally always recommend earlier or later in the day for lighting; however, we visited around 11am and the light was okay.
Composition | there are loads of possibilities for reflections, shadows, sunlight through windows and narrow depth of field shots here (as is common with Buddhist temples). Be creative!
5. Kek Lok Si Temple
Kek Lok Si is the highlight of many a visitor’s trip to Penang. It is Malaysia’s largest Buddhist temple, situated in an imposing position on a hill in Air Itam to the west of George Town, providing vast views of the city.
This expansive temple is superb, but with its reputation comes crowds, especially around Chinese New Year. However, it’s definitely worth visiting, no matter the season.
Set on multiple levels, it’s huge and even has two cable cars and buggies to help people reach the top!
During Chinese New Year, Kek Lok Si is famous for its light and lantern display, which is honestly kind of outrageous! We’d highly recommend visiting in the month following the beginning of the new year (in 2026, Chinese New Year is the 17th February). Be aware that parking can be busy in the evenings during the Chinese New Year light show.
There are two paid-access areas within the temple grounds – these cost 2 Malaysian ringgit each per person.
Opening times | Kek Lok Si is open every day from 8.30am-5.30pm. During the Chinese New Year celebrations it is open until 11.30pm.
Kek Lok Si Photo Tips
Best time to visit | photography is best at Kek Lok Si in the earlyish morning around opening. There are very few visitors and the light is lovely during this time. The alternative is visiting during the evening at Chinese New Year, which provides more challenging conditions, but the extensive light display is worth seeing (and photographing).
Length | the temple is large and feels a bit like a maze. As a photographer, it’s worth dedicating several hours, at least, to get the most from your trip.
Day or night | Kek Lok Si is so impressive, we would recommend visiting twice if you can – both day and night (if you visit during Chinese New Year). It’s such a photogenic spot!
If you’re visiting during Chinese New Year and are short on time, then go in the evening for the lantern lighting (which occurs around 7.30pm).
Lenses | every type of lens will excel here. We took long and wide, and both got used extensively.
6. Penang Botanical Gardens
There’s nothing overtly special about the Penang Botanical Gardens, photographically, at least. That is, until you see the massive troupes of monkeys. There are hundreds and hundreds of them, just hanging out, everywhere. Lizards roam the specialist gardens and a river, with its small waterfalls, flows lazily beside the tranquil jungle walks and hill views.
So, if you want photos of large lizards roaming through the grass, playful gangs of monkeys, orchids or tropical green leaves, definitely pop by, we really liked it.
If you love plant photography, there are specialist sectioned-off areas that open only on specific days at certain times. The greenhouses are only open on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday mornings between 9.30am-12.30pm. They open again in the afternoon at 2pm-4pm, and on Saturday and Sunday they are open for two hours longer, until 6pm.
It’s free entry, easy to access and was totally empty when we were there (apart from the monkeys). Take a rental car, motorbike or grab a taxi.
Penang Botanical Garden Photo Tips
Monkeys | keep your distance – a zoom lens is best here. Use a high shutter speed because they rarely stay still for long.
Shade | there’s not a lot of shade so bring a hat and your lens hood, if you have one (I never use mine, to my perpetual regret). It can get a bit sun-glary out there.
Ethics | please don’t feel the wildlife, ever.
Heat | it’s hot in Penang! Visiting early will avoid the midday heat (unlike us, who went at lunch and were *warm*).
WANT TO TAKE A BETTER PHOTO?
There are three parts to travel photography –
◊ Planning your trip
◊ Taking the photo
◊ Editing the end result
To get the highest quality, most sophisticated photos from your travels, you’ll need to perfect all three (plus a tiny bit of luck).
So, we’ve written a lot of country-specific guides about planning trips to various destinations, and also collated our absolute top tips for taking photos on location. We’ve also written a dedicated post on how to take the best black and white travel photography. Check them out if you’re interested!
We also write about typical editing mistakes to avoid. To complement that, we’ve collated a more intermediate user’s guide to editing travel photography. This covers more elegant, advanced and refined skills, ones that will promote your photos to the centerpiece of anybody’s wall.
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7. Avatar Trees at the Municipal Fountain Park
This is a bit of a quirky one that we just ran into while escaping a very loud, very smoky Chinese New Year parade!
There’s a small park, just up and around the corner from St. George’s Anglican Church in George Town, where the trees are all lit up – a bit like in Avatar!
It’s surprisingly photogenic, and there were very few people there, too. The park is also located by the yellow and white walls of Penang’s oldest municipal building, the Penang Town Hall.
There is no entry fee.
Avatar Trees Photo Tips
Tripod | everyone says to bring a tripod (for the night shots), but we managed just fine with handheld settings (the lights don’t move unless there’s a breeze, so you can get away with a longer shutter speed).
Best time to visit | night time!
8. The Clan Jetties
A major component of the UNESCO designated area of George Town comprises the clan jetties.
These wooden jetties are where Chinese immigrants arrived and settled in Penang around the 1880s. Each of the overwater, stilted settlements were established by different clan (hence the name).
Several of the narrow, wooden jetties have limited (daytime) visiting hours (they are functioning communities, after all). Some have small shops and cafes, while others have street art, charming lit up sections or smoke-filled Chinese temples. They’re worth exploring with your camera (without being disruptive or disrespectful, of course).
The two most well-known are the Chew and Lee jetties (Lee Jetty is open 24 hours. Chew Jetty is open from 9am-9pm daily).
Clan Jetties Photo Tips
Visit early | as soon as these narrow alleys get filled with tourists, photography becomes crazy difficult without a zoom lens.
Ethics | this UNESCO area is home to a lot of people so people live all along these jetties. Don’t point your camera into people’s houses.
Temple | particularly if you visit in the evening, look for views of Hean Boo Thean Kuan Yin Temple – an intricate, bright yellow temple to the south of Lee Jetty.
Views | there are expansive views of Butterworth from across the sea at the ends of the jetties. I imagine this would be best at sunrise, but we never managed to get over there early enough!
Street art | watch for street art – one of the more famous murals, called ‘Folklore by the Sea’, is found on Chew Jetty.
9. Kapitan Keling Mosque
You can’t miss this enormous mosque in central George Town – it’s right between Little India, Chulia Street and Armenian Street.
The Kapitan Keling Mosque is the biggest and oldest mosque in George Town’s historic city centre. It was originally built in 1801 and used to be Penang’s state mosque until the 1970s. The traditional Arabic architecture is beautiful and, wonderfully, any faith is welcome to visit as long as they dress respectfully (this appears to be the norm across Malaysia, which we love).
Kapitan Keling Mosque Photo Tips
Best time to visit | the domes of the building are pretty at sunrise and sunset (as per most buildings!). Take a walk around and have a look for the best light angles – mosques are often really lovely to photograph as they look beautiful from all sides.
Sun | honestly, this building looks far, far prettier in the sunshine. If you have a particularly bright day, head on over asap.
10. Colonial Architecture in George Town
This is a little vague, I know, but when you take a walk around George Town’s historic quarter, you’ll understand. We couldn’t not mention the unique architectural style of this city!
The architecture in George Town is a combination of British, Chinese, Malaysian, Burmese, Indian and Islamic elements. This celebrated, UNESCO designated city has oodles of character and is outrageously photogenic, in every direction. There are colourful, dated buildings, dilapidated signs, plant-filled windows and furtive doors absolutely everywhere. It’s so visually appealing.
A few specific places to look out for include: Penang City Hall, St. George’s Church, Penang State Assembly Building and Queen Victoria Clock Tower.
Architecture Photo Tips
Look around | shutters on windows, classical designs and colours are dotted all around George Town. There’s no particular spot – it’s a whole vibe.
Best time | take a walk around at different times of day. We found that the light and atmosphere changed entirely throughout the day.
Traffic | the city can be quite busy and pedestrian paths/pavements are a bit non-existent in parts. Be really careful taking photos on corners, especially if you’re not highly visible to motorbikes.
Street | George Town is a street photographer’s dream. There are food vendors, cyclists, art and signs – all of which combine with the architecture to make for some of the most unique shots (if you’re creative and lucky).
Lens | so, I’m fan of the long lens in George Town, and Nick is a fan of the wide! Both have their place depending on your style, but I’m guessing most photographers will favour a wide lens for architecture. I’d implore you to bring a long lens if you have one though – there are so many details and subtleties that would be missed with an 18mm or equivalent.
11. The Hindu Temples of Jalan Kebun Bunga and Utama
Outside of George town, near the Botanical Gardens, there is a stretch of streets with many Hindu temples – often dedicated to Lord Murugan, the Tamil Hindu God of War.
The most prominent of these is the Waterfall Hilltop Temple (Arulmigu Balathandayuthapani Temple), which is a major locus for Penang’s magnificent yearly Thaipusam festival.
We didn’t spend much time in the area this year as the streets outside the temples were all being set up in preparation for Thaipusam, but the Hindu temples looked beautiful and there were so many!
For more information on the Thaipusam celebrations, we’ve written about the festival when we visited at the Batu Caves, in Kuala Lumpur. For more information on photography, we’ve also written a Thaipusam Photography guide.
Hindu Temples Photo Tips
Alternative | if you aren’t able to get out to this area of Penang, the Sri Mahamariamman Temple is a much more accessible Hindu temple within central George Town.
Thaipusam | during Thaipusam, this area will be buzzing and full of vibrant tributes to Lord Murugan. I’d heavily encourage a visit if you are in Penang during the celebrations.
Botanical Gardens | this makes for a great stop on the way to or from the gardens.
Lens | long lenses are fantastic for capturing the superbly intricate, colourful detail of Hindu temples (this goes for any of them, anywhere in the world!).
12. Archways of George Town
This could probably fit in with the colonial architecture section above, but something we loved specifically about George Town’s historic district were all the archways. These, in addition to providing much needed shade, were incredibly photogenic.
Most main streets in the historic old town have long, arched sections where the roadside pathways have various different colours and intricate tiling, all hiding lines of red-themed Chinese shops and Malay food establishments. It’s really quite pretty if you get lucky with the light!
Archways Photo Tips
Light | this matters – if you’re unlucky and never see the sun, you might not get ideal conditions (think stripey sunbeams and shadows).
Lens | wide works best, but I can always make some magic with a zoom lens in the right environment.
Where | all the main streets have archways, actually! There are loads – you won’t be able to miss them.
13. Armenian Street
Armenian Street is one of the busiest tourist areas in the centre of George Town. It’s where you’ll find the ubiquitous umbrella street, a multitude of touristy (but tasty) ice cream spots (try the milk tea flavour), buskers and pedal rickshaw riders.
This area also has an abundance of street art and quirky businesses, along with a small mosque, Chinese Temple and, nearby, a grassy square called Armenian Park.
It’s quite a small street, but is traffic free, fun and photogenic (at least when there are no crowds!).
Armenian Street Photo Tips
Street art | just follow the crowds, you can’t miss it – the art along this street is some of the most popular in town.
Best time | for photography, the best time to visit Armenian Street is early morning before the majority of tourists arrive. For vibes, evening is lovely with the buskers and vendors.
14. Goddess of Mercy Temple
Built in 1728 in George Town’s Pitt Street, this is the oldest Buddhist temple in the state.
Mazu, a sea goddess, was originally the chief deity worshipped at the temple, but in the 1800s this changed to Kuan Yin (who is known as the Goddess of Mercy and features prominently at Kek Lok Si Temple).
The sweeping red-tiled temple roof is adorned with numerous figurines and there are stalls adjacent to the road which sell prayer provisions. The doors of the temple are adorned with paintings of Taoist and Buddhist gods while dragons feature prominently on the pillars. At night, while we were there for Chinese New Year, red lanterns were strung up in the forecourt and led up to the roof.
Goddess of Mercy Temple Photo Tips
Night | somehow we visited this temple about 20 times (it’s in central George Town). During Chinese New Year, it was very pretty at night and there were fires and joss sticks everywhere. I’m not sure how exciting it would be outside of the celebrations, though.
Detail | the roof of this temple was cool – always be on the look out for details above you, not just before you.
Ethics | don’t take photos of worshippers.
15. Penang Hill
So, we didn’t visit Penang Hill, but it does come highly recommended!
There is a funicular that provides access to the six peaks at the top, the highest of which is 833 metres above sea-level. It is also possible to walk up instead, taking the steep 3.2 mile out and back Heritage Trail. Some people take the funicular up and walk back down.
We chose not to visit due to the price, queues (which we were told were particularly large during Chinese New Year) and also because photos from the top didn’t seem all that magical.
Having said that, we’d recommend you have a look for yourself and see if you fancy it.
Penang Hill Photo Tips
The only tip I have, since we did not go, is to check the weather.
The plethora of distinctly average, sub-par photos from Penang Hill are almost all due to hazy, grey weather. We read that visiting at sunset is nice, but as the sun sets in the west and the hill faces to the east, I think it’d be more luck than anything to get a great photo.
Sunrise might be quite nice though.
PENANG PHOTOGRAPHY SPOTS – MAP
Below is a savable Google Map which includes all of the Penang photography spots we’ve mentioned above.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the best time of year for photography in Penang?
Penang’s dry season, between December and March, is an ideal time to visit as the temperatures are a little lower and the days are, somewhat, more cloud-free.
What is the best way to get around Penang?
The best way to get around Penang is by foot, as many of the best Penang photography spots are in George Town. If you have a license to drive, a scooter or car is a great way to explore the rest of the island. We get all our rental cars across the world (including ones in Malaysia), through Discover Cars.
Is street photography allowed in Penang?
Personal photography is permitted in public spaces in Malaysia. Some areas such as museums, temples and private properties may have their own rules regarding photography. Always be respectful, no matter the laws.
How long to stay in Penang as a Photographer?
Three-four days should be long enough to see most of the main photography spots in Penang. If pressed for time, George Town could be explored in just one day. Ideally, though, you’d want a week to get the most of what all of Penang has to offer.
What should I bring to photograph Penang?
Depending on your photography style you may want a variety of lenses – a wide-angle is great for capturing an area, while a zoom lens is ideal for highlighting intricate details. A hat is also essential if you’ll be out in the midday sun and waterproofs will be needed in the rainy season.
Where is best to stay in Penang?
For our two week trip, we stayed for about half our time in George Town, in the Hotel Mokozoyo, a beautiful modern boutique hotel right in the centre of the historic district. We absolutely loved our stay and would highly recommend it. The other half of our stay was in the north of Penang, in a modern business-style hotel call the Jazz Hotel Penang – this was incredible value for money, with lovely staff and large, modern rooms with excellent views. We’d absolutely stay in both these hotels again.
Final Thoughts – Penang Photo Spots
I was told that Penang was photogenic, but even with all the forewarning, the island surprised me!
If I’m honest, the entire of George Town is picturesque and it’s not like there is one particular point that you absolutely have to visit. The best way to get to know the city is just to walk around, as much as you can (also don’t forget to eat as much as you can, too – it’s a foodie dream).
This list includes the most stand out moments of our two weeks in Penang with a camera – there are so many more, depending on how much exploring you’re willing to do, and how much time you have.
If you’re interested in more, have a peek at our dedicated photography post about Kek Lok Si Temple during Chinese New Year.
We hope you have an incredible trip!
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