Sightseeing with Bus 11: George Town-Gelugor

Rapid Penang Bus 11 is ideal for sightseeing George Town. The route covers sights within the city right down to Gelugor, which is the southern boundary of the city. Places covered includes Chulia Street, Penang Road, Dato Kramat Road, Perak Road and Green Lane.

Rapid Penang Route 11 Map

Rapid Penang Route 11 Sightseeing Itinerary

Your sightseeing tour with the Rapid Penang Route 11 starts at the Weld Quay Ferry & Bus Terminal.

As the bus starts to move, look to your left. You will see the clan jetties.

The first junction is at Chulia Street Ghaut (Gat Lebuh Chulia). The bus turns right and go up Chulia Street Ghaut. Along the way, look out for Yeoh Kongsi, a small clan temple, on your right.

The next junction is the intersection with Beach Street (Lebuh Pantai). On your left is the Beach Street Fire Station, a heritage building. The bus goes straight down Chulia Street (Lebuh Chulia).

Between the intersection of Chulia Street with Beach Street and the intersection with Pitt Street (Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling), look out for the Nagore Durgha Sheriff on the right, and the Teochew Ancestral Temple on the left. There are other historical buildings along the way, so you may want to consider getting off the bus to explore.

Beyond the intersection of Pitt Street, look out for the Noordin Family Tomb and Kapitan Keling Mosque on the right side of Chulia Street. Further down the road look out for Masjid Alimsah Waley, Ng Fook Thong and Nam Hooi Wooi Koon Cantonese district associations.

At the end of Chulia Street, the bus turns left to Penang Road (Jalan Penang). This is the main shopping street in the 1970's. See the Sri Kunj Bihari Temple on the right. Look out for Central Police Headquarters complex to your right. If you want to taste the best cendol in Penang, get off the bus here, and walk up to Keng Kwee Street.

The bus turns left and go down Prangin Road (Jalan Prangin). Look to your right to see Komtar. The bus now turns right to Jalan Ria and enters Komtar. Here the bus makes a stop at the Komtar Bus Terminal. It then emerges on the other side of the mammoth complex at Magazine Road (Jalan Magazine).

The bus passes through Magazine Circus (Simpang Enam) (which is not a roundabout anymore) and enters Dato Kramat Road (Jalan Dato Keramat). There are two Hindu temples at this part of the road, the Sri Kamatchi Amman Temple on the left and the Nagarathar Sivan Temple on the right. Next comes Penang Times Square, a mixed development that includes a big shopping mall.

The bus goes along Data Kramat Road, leaving the city centre behind. It turns left at the intersection with Perak Road (Jalan Perak). You can see the City Stadium on your right.

The bus goes through an old Muslim kampung. You can still see some of the old Malay and Indian Muslim mosques along Perak Road, including Masjid Jamek Rawana, Masjid Jamek Hashim Yahaya and Masjid Wan Chik Ariffin.

Beyond the junction with Perak Lane (Lorong Perak), the character of Perak Road becomes more Chinese. In place of mosque, you now see Tua Pek Kong Temples. The road becomes congested due to the market that takes place along this stretch of Perak Road. Have a good look at this densely populated part of George Town.

The bus turns left down Solok Perak, a short road that leads to Jelutong Main Road (Jalan Jelutong). At the junction with Jalan Jelutong, notice the temple-like bungalow on your right. It used to be the Sheikh Al-Hadi House.

The bus turns right into Jalan Jelutong. Now it passes through the ever-congested Jalan Jelutong. Traffic is slowest near the Jelutong Market, at Jalan Penaga. If you are feeling hungry, you should get down here. There are a few traditional Nasi Kandar stalls in Jelutong that are quite good.

Leaving Jelutong behind, the bus starts going uphill. The hill on the left side of the road is Bukit Dumbar. On its slopes is the Penang International Squash Centre, where Nicol David trained.

At the Gelugor Roundabout, the bus makes a 3 o'clock turn and enters Green Lane (Jalan Masjid Negeri). On the left is Island Glades, a residential estate developed in the 1970's. Further down the road, you see Lam Wah Ee Hospital on your right.

The bus takes the flyover and enters Batu Lanchang Road (Jalan Tan Sri Teh Ewe Lim). At the end of Batu Lanchang Road, it turns left and returns to Perak Road. It goes back the same way, turning right at Dato Kramat Road.

At the Magazine Circus, the bus enters Penang Road (Jalan Penang). You can see Komtar on your right. On the left side of Penang Road is Ong Kongsi, one of the many clan temples in George Town.

At the next junction, the bus turns left to enter Burmah Road (Jalan Burmah). There's the old Masjid Titi Papan on the right. The bus turns left to enter Transfer Road (Jalan Transfer). Look out for the Dato Koyah Shrine on your right.

The bus turns right and enters Sri Bahari Road (Jalan Sri Bahari). At the end of the road, it turns right again to re-enter Penang Road, then quickly make a left turn to re-enter Chulia Street. It goes the whole length of Chulia Street, passes through Chulia Street Ghaut, and turns left to re-enter Weld Quay (Pengkalan Weld).

The bus turns back at the Light Street roundabout, in front of the Queen Victoria Clocktower, and ends its journey at the Weld Quay Ferry & Bus Terminal.

Rapid Penang Fare

First 7 km: RM1.40
Next 7 km (up to 14 km): RM2.00
Next 7 km (up to 21 km): RM2.70
Next 7 km (up to 28 km): RM3.40
Over 28 km: RM4.00

Disclaimer

The information provided here is accurate at time of writing, and may have been updated by the bus service provider without the author's knowledge. Please use the information as guidance and check with Rapid Penang at their information kiosks for the latest route details. The author endeavours to update the information on this page from time to time, but regrets any inaccuracies if there be any.

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