Here's some useful tips for budget travellers to Penang. As a travel destination, Penang is neither very expensive nor is it very cheap. It is somewhere in between. Having said that, I am often asked, "How much do I need for an enjoyable trip to Penang?"
Well, to a certain extend, it depends on what you intend to do, where you intend to stay, and so on. To help you get a general idea, I have put together the following daily budget. I am assuming here that you are a budget traveller on a shoestring budget.
Penang Travel Budget
The items are priced in US Dollars.
Accommodation: US$10.00 approximate. Scroll down to see a list of budget hotels and guesthouses where you can stay within that budget.
Dinner - Put aside approximately $2.00 to try the miscellaneous Penang hawker food and drinks.
Total Budget: $16.60.
Finding Budget Accommodation in Penang
If you're coming to Penang on a budget, you'd be pleased to know that there's quite a number of places in George Town as well as in Batu Ferringhi that offers good clean accommodation without costing you an arm and a let. If I am allowed to be biased, I would recommend Hotel Mingood, which happens to belong to a friend of mine. If it is occupied, there are plenty of other places that cost less than US$12.00 per night. Here are some suggestions:
Don't take taxi. I think the same is true anywhere in the world, but if you want to keep to a low budget, get other forms of transportation. For the trip between the airport and the city, take the Rapid Penang Bus no. 401E
When in George Town, make use of the Free Shuttle Bus. It passes through some of the most important sights in the city, and you don't have to pay to use it. Avoid taking the trishaw.
Explore on foot. There are over three hundred sights documented in Penang Travel Tips, the majority of which includes location maps. You are free to print out and bring along any of the travel articles in Penang Travel Tips for your own personal, non-commercial use. If you're pressed for time, Penang Travel Tips provides its own recommended Top 10 Attractions
Avoid sights that require entrance fees, or put aside a small amount and prioritize on the must-see sights.
Beer and cigarettes are expensive in Penang (and in Malaysia).
Get the best rates when booking Penang hotels
Before booking a hotel room, make sure you are getting the lowest price for it. Different hotel booking websites offers the same room at different prices. If you stick with one site all the time, you could be paying more for the same room. Now why pay more?
The form below is a Research Engine. It doesn't take bookings. Instead it lets you find the hotel booking website that offers the room you want at the lowest price. You can see and compare what different sites are offering, and then click to choose the one with the best price. Do this, and you're guaranteed to save a whole lot of money on your room reservations!
Our Flight Checker helps travelers compare flights and get the lowest fare for their trips. If you're flying somewhere, use our Flight Checker to compare the rates from different airlines. To use it, enter where you will be flying from, where you will be flying to, your departure date and return date. Select the number of passengers, and then click search.
Our engine will return you a list of possible flights that you can take. You can compare the fare of different airlines for your trip. Click on your selected airline, and we transfer you to the airline website.
Penang Travel Tips is researched and written by Timothy Tye, universally known as Tim. The text is the copyright of Timothy Tye, and may not be copied for commercial use or re-published in another website without the author's permission. Information provided is in goodwill and is believed to be correct and up-to-date at time of writing. Photographs on this website are the copyright of the author and may not be reused without prior permission. For commercial licensing of photographs, read the licensing terms.
