• Private Tour
• Instantly Confirmed
• Carbon Neutral

Want to see the best of George Town Penang? We got you covered. But as you can expect from a Withlocals experience, the real excitement is its hidden gems. Join your favorite local and get a feeling of the city's real vibe on a tour that has it all, so you can say: I experienced the real George Town, Penang!

Destination

Penang, Malaysia

Category

City Highlight Tours

Duration

3 hours

Transport mode

Walking tour

Available languages

English, Melayu, ไทย

Included

• Private Guide
• Local Drink or Snack
• All Withlocals Tours are Carbon Neutral

Excluded

• Entrance to Attractions

What you can expect

This is the plan

Check out the plan below to see what you'll get up to with your local host. Feel free to personalize this offer with the host of your choice.

1. Meeting point

   Meet at In front of the Pinang Peranakan Mansion - Penang to start your journey

   View on Maps

2. Itinerary

   This is what our experience could look like, but it’s not set in stone! Once you book, you can chat directly with your host to make small tweaks to suit your preferences.

3. City Highlights

   See from Pinang Peranakan Mansion, St. George Anglican Church, Queen Victoria Memorial Clock Tower, and other landmarks and must-sees of the city. Your local host will take you to the main spots in town so you can get the perfect overview of what makes Penang so unique

4. Hidden Gems

   Along the way, your local host will show you treasures hidden in plain sight that only the locals know about. Get to know the city through a different perspective, the local way, and discover places and stories that not many tourists experience

5. Magical Storytelling

   Behind every landmark and every stop, there’s a story, and your local host is ready to tell it all. Get ready to listen to incredible stories, one-of-a-kind insights, and fun facts only a knowledgeable local would know!

6. Special Treat

   Follow your host to one of their favorite eateries for a snack or a drink beloved by the locals. Take a break and catch up with your new local friend and get the answers to all your travel questions

7. Make it yours

   Want to tweak the itinerary? Book directly & chat afterwards with your host to adjust highlights, skip stops, or make small changes to fit your preferences.

   Book risk-free: Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund.

   Need something special? Personalize your experience for more time, alternative locations or a completely tailored plan.

Flexible cancellation policy

• Feel confident booking

  Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund. Even up to 7 days before your experience, you’ll receive a refund, minus the service fee.

• Change of plans?

  Reschedule your experience to a date and time that works best for you.

• Loved by travelers worldwide

  Simple and flexible – your plans, your way.

Reviews from guests

Esther

(About local Joo Bee)

26 February 2025

Joo Bee was a great tour guide. She was understanding and flexible with our group’s needs, and adapted to our detours along the way. She had great hidden photo spots and food recommendations which our group loved! Would not have know about these places without her. Thanks Joo Bee, for being our tour guide :) Great tour guide

Marcus

(About local Joo Bee)

10 February 2025

Joo Bee was able to tailor the tour to take account of our interests. A lot of the route and stops were to places that we wouldn’t have found by ourselves. The snack / lunch venue was particularly memorable. Overall we had a great time 😊Great introduction to historic Georgetown

Ian

(About local Joo Bee)

4 February 2025

Joo Bee was great. Friendly, knowledgeable, flexible. We saw the street art, learnt loads about the history and culture, had tips on food, and what else to do during our stay. We saw places we would never have found, and had a cooling drink along the way. Excellent- highly recommended. Many thanks, Joo Bee!Wonderful tour

Pete 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

(About local Joo Bee)

3 February 2025

Great tour with Joo Bee. Met on time. Explained the tour. Was flexible when she understood we weren't just interested in temples. Saw some great street art and some interesting places. Also had excellent snack/lunch at local restaurant (I went back the next day!). Thank you Joo Bee.Very enjoyable walking tour

Takashi🇯🇵 Japan

(About local Joo Bee)

16 January 2025

We thoroughly enjoyed a guided walk tour by Joo Bee. She listened to our wish very well and was flexible about the meeting time and place. We wanted to have a good orientation about the old town Georgetown without putting too much in a walking plan. We had stops for local snacks and cold drinks. She was very knowledgeable and caring. Relaxed and enjoyable walk

Kirsti🇦🇺 Australia

(About local Joo Bee)

15 January 2025

Overall we enjoyed our tour and Joo Bee was friendly. However, it ended 30mins early as the first usual planned stop was closed (as we started early) and the rest of the tour wasn't adjusted to accommodate this. We also were hoping there would be more street art and local handicrafts shown to is us as asked.

Fiona🇳🇿 New Zealand

(About local Joo Bee)

3 January 2025

Joo Bee was the perfect tour guide. She was very knowledgeable of the area. We saw gorgeous historic buildings, walked through many vibrant streets and had the best food experience. Highly recommend a tour with JB!Amazing guided experience!

Samy🇪🇸 Spain

(About local Mohd Remyzan)

21 August 2024

Combinamos varios tours en uno, y gracias a Remy pedimos conocer toda la ciudad en un solo día. Al mismo tiempo, durante el tour pudimos probar los principales platos de su gastronomia. Remy fue muy amable e incluyo en el tour un plato que tenía muchas ganas de probar. Durante todo el tour nos fue comprando bebidas, agua y fruta para que estuviesemos bien hidratados en todo momento. Ha sido una gran experiencia y Remy es un nuevo amigo en Penang.Gran conocimiento de Penang y muy amable

Denice 🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Mohd Remyzan)

12 August 2024

We booked the Hidden Gems Tour with Remy because we wanted to get an overview of the historical sights of George Town. We were not disappointed. Remy explained the city's historical buildings to us in a very friendly and open manner. He has a lot of knowledge and a great passion for talking about his country and its history. Remy is easy to listen to. He also always has a joke at the ready. The time flew by and I felt like finding out more about the country's history. Thank you for the great tour. Relaxed inspiring tour through George Town

Natascha🇨🇭 Switzerland

(About local Mohd Remyzan)

1 August 2024

Remy is very knowledgeable and passionate about everything in Penang. He knows all the stories and has insider information about every building, person and even the plants in Penang. He is well connected and helped us arrange experiences for the next day. After our tour we went to his wife’s and his restaurant. The food is amazing and freshly cooked. We even tried durian and met local artists. We highly recommend a tour with Remy. Passionate and knowlagable Remy

Rekha 🇺🇸 United States

(About local Mohd Remyzan)

28 July 2024

Remy, our Penang tour guide, provided interesting insights into the city's colonial history. His local perspective, relaxed approach, and offer to assist during our stay were appreciated. Recommended for a unique and informative experience in Penang! Insightful Penang tour

Isabelle🇺🇸 United States

(About local Mohd Remyzan)

22 July 2024

This was a very different tour than we expected in many ways. We met Remy, who is friendly and outgoing, at the Penang Peranakan Mansion (which is gorgeous and well worth a visit). Walking around several different areas and stoping to listen about different buildings, history and culture- something we expected. However, he also spoke about several different topics stating that he would be telling us “The real history of Malaysia, which is not taught in the history classes”. History is always told in a biased way and we were very open to the idea that he could tell us some of the less known aspects. There always some facts though that are objective or at least well known to be true and that is where Remy lost our confidence. Several times he told us inaccurate information. He said Malaysia was 60% ethnic Chinese, 10% ethnic Indian and roughly 30% ethnic Malay. A quick google search will tell you Malaysia has a roughy 22% ethnic Chinese population, 6.7% ethnic Indian and roughly 57% ethnic Malay population (source: Demographic Statistics Malaysia, First Quarter 2023, Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM). He also claimed that ethnic Chinese had majority power/influence in the federal government- a deeper google search proved this false (they had 24 out of 222 seats in 2018). Easy to research stats that were false cast everything else he said in doubt. Further more, he said that “the British sent first the Portuguese and then the Dutch to penetrate Malaysia for them because they had the power, so they didn’t have to do it themselves.”. The British never told the Dutch or the Portuguese to colonize Malaysia for them. He also said Japan only “Penetrated Malaysia to chase the British out—who were already on their way out because they were afraid since some of their generals were killed—and did so as a kindness to support a fellow asian country.” Lastly, something else that stood out to us (especially as German-Americans) was when we understood him to explain that Hitler is admired by many asians for his ability to gain power and that the Second World War partially broke out because England was ‘jealous’ of him. Stating that Hitler did not kill that many jewish people in Germany (“Mostly only in Poland”). How any of this came up in his explanation of Malay history was unclear as we did not ask any questions relating to this at all. While we did not learn a lot about what we expected to, we did gain an insight into his point of view, as he was very firm in explaining throughout the tour to us that the Chinese are “buying all the property, have more political influence than any other group, generally only support others within their community and that Malay culture is being erased”. It was a very interesting take and we appreciated hearing from a local, who was friendly and did show us others parts of the city we had not previously had the chance to visit. Just be cautious and take his facts with a grain of salt. Fact Check

Maria🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Mohd Remyzan)

16 June 2024

We ( 2 people) booked the Tour „Highlights & Hidden Gems of Penang: George Town“. Our Local Guide was Remyzan (Remy). As he was born and lived all his life in Georgetwon, he knows a lot about his native city. We met punctually at the Pinang Peranakan Mansion, where we started a very nice walking along the historical buildings, temples, fort and monuments of the UNESCO city. Remmy adapted very well to our pace and also to the weather ! At some time started raining a lot, and there was a very strong shower for some time, that we could not walk any more… But Remy looked for a good, local Coffee Shop where we could order something to drink and kept on talking quitely about Georgetown… After the heavy rain it was very hot, very sunny and very humid,… and here again Remy took care of us, looking for some shadow and cooler spots for us. I was also looking for a Letter-Box to put some postcards I had already written,… so Remmy just adapted the route a bit , so that we could walk past the post office It has been a very nice, informative Tour.. Thank you Remy! GREAT ! .. Georgetown Tour with Remy!

Duncan🇦🇺 Australia

(About local Mohd Remyzan)

5 May 2024

A passionate Malay man who loves the history of George Town. The walk is adapted to your pace, and a lovely samosa keeps your energy levels up. Remy gives an excellent overview of various elements in the town. A very friendly, and helpful man.Reminiscing with Remy

Giulia

(About local Mohd Remyzan)

3 May 2024

I recently had the pleasure of embarking on a walking tour through George Town, Penang, guided by Remy. It was an enriching experience that seamlessly intertwined the city's rich cultural heritage, storied history, and vibrant street art scene. Our journey began amidst the charming colonial-era architecture that lines the streets of George Town. Our guide expertly narrated the city's history, from its humble beginnings as a British trading post to its evolution into a melting pot of cultures. I was captivated by tales of its diverse influences, from Malay to Chinese, Indian, and European, each leaving an indelible mark on the cityscape. As we meandered through the labyrinthine alleyways, I was struck by the kaleidoscope of street art adorning the walls. Each mural seemed to tell a story, reflecting the city's eclectic character and serving as a canvas for social commentary and cultural expression. From whimsical caricatures to poignant portraits, every artwork added depth to our exploration, offering insights into local legends, traditions, and contemporary issues. Our guide's passion for George Town was infectious, and their intimate knowledge of hidden gems and lesser-known anecdotes added a layer of intrigue to our journey. We visited temples alive with incense and devotion, sampled delectable street food at bustling markets, and stumbled upon quaint shops brimming with artisanal crafts. In conclusion, my walking tour of George Town was a cultural odyssey that left an indelible impression on me. From its fascinating history to its vibrant street art and warm hospitality, the city embodies the essence of Malaysia's cultural tapestry. I would highly recommend this experience to anyone seeking to delve deeper into the heart and soul of George Town.Perfect for the history and the culture

Susan🇺🇸 United States

(About local Mohd Remyzan)

28 April 2024

Remy really cares about his city, his people and his country. During our tour of George Town, he added a personal touch by sharing that passion with us. We toured on a very sunny, hot day. Remy was careful to locate shady spots from which we could listen to his commentary & view the sights. We appreciated this very much. Informative, Passionate Guide

Gisela

(About local Mohd Remyzan)

23 April 2024

Hele leuke tour! Het was een hete dag en dan kan ik het me voorstellen dat het een flinke uitdaging is om een gezin met 2 kleine kids rond te leiden, maar Remy heeft het super gedaan. Mooi om te horen hoe gepassioneerd hij kan vertellen over de geschiedenis en architectuur, met hier en daar een leuk verhaal over ervaringen of tradities. En onze dochter genoot heerlijk van haar ijsjes. Very nice tour. It was a hot day, so I can imagine it to be challenging to guide a family with two little kids. But Remy did a great job. It’s nice to hear how passionate he could tell about history and architecture, and also here and there some great stories about his experiences and familytraditions. And our daughter liked the ice cream very much! Great tour!!

Marian🇮🇩 Indonesia

(About local Mohd Remyzan)

31 March 2024

Touring with Remy around Penang is a beautiful memory that I will always bring with me. He not only took me to stunning corners of the city but also took his time to explain everything I wanted to know about the culture and day-to-day life there! He is a man with a big heart and lots of knowledge about life. I am very thankful I booked him! Thank you Remy! Memorable tour with incredible insights

h9tbrbrrg2

(About local Mohd Remyzan)

26 March 2024

Had an amazing tour with Remy! Gave us a great insight of the history of Georgetown and Penang island. Learnt about the local culture, local cuisine and answered all of our questions. Ended up at Remys restaurant and his wife cooked us all a delicious meal, and listened to some live music played by Remy himself! 10/10 and would recommend highly, thank you! XTour with Remy

Peter🇦🇺 Australia

(About local Mohd Remyzan)

9 March 2024

Did not go. Cancelled with Mohd the day befoteI cancelled the day before

Henry🇺🇸 United States

(About local Mohd Remyzan)

9 March 2024

We always find city tour and or food tour to add value to our trips. Remy was very good with his choices in both areas and really provided an added value to our trip. Remy is a local friend we wish we had at every place we went. What’s that? becomes try it, it’s good. Carpe diem make the most of your trip. Added joy.

Lilah

(About local Mohd Remyzan)

2 March 2024

Rémy was an excellent tour guide He had very good knowledge of the town and made the tour interesting He was concerned about our safety and health in the hot sunWalking tour of Penang

Karen🇦🇺 Australia

(About local Mohd Remyzan)

5 March 2025

Excellent tour with Remy. He customised an Off The Beaten Track (street art) x food tour for us. Great mix, saw things we may not have come across on our own as well as ate things we wouldn’t have ordinarily tried. Enjoyed some of the food that we went back for more the next day! Remy also owns a café. Although he doesn’t take you there on the tour, we were intrigued and had a small meal there on our own which we also enjoyed.

Grace

(About local Mohd Remyzan)

1 March 2025

We had a fun night out with Remy, who was genuinely passionate about his hometown and its food scene and who was eager to show us as much as possible the diverse gastronomic culture of Penang. We eventually visited the other eateries recommended by Remy in the following days and were not disappointed. Highly recommend! Great evening out

S

(About local Mohd Remyzan)

1 March 2025

We enjoyed our time with remy we loved seeing the murals and listening to remy talk about them. Thanks remy for a lovely morning Review

Martin🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Joo Bee)

28 February 2025

On our todays stop by cruiseship in Georgetown, Penang we had an excellent tour with Joo Bee. She showed us all the Street Art in the City and many more highlights including temples and mosques. She knows everything about the history of Penang and the art and artist and could answer every question we had. I addition she gave us lots of opportunities for what to do and were to eat after the tour and adjusted the tour to our wishes. We had a great time and highly recommend her. We will see us again next time!Great Street Art Tour with Joo Bee

Theo

(About local Mohd Remyzan)

24 February 2025

Absolutely fantastic few hours with Remy as he took us through the food heaven that is George Town. I can’t recommend the tour enough. He is an incredibly kind and funny guy with so much to talk about. It’s a food tour, it’s a history and culture lesson, it’s an amazing insight into life in Penang. Book this tour! Personal, laugh out loud funny, delicious

Daniela🇦🇹 Austria

(About local Mohd Remyzan)

19 February 2025

Remy really takes care of individual preferences. His is a very unique and funny guy with good connections - we skip the lines with him easily. The tastings were all well chosen!!!! Strongly recommended!!!!Nice guy, very good tastings

Susan

(About local Mohd Remyzan)

18 February 2025

Remy is an excellent tour guide, very knowledgeable and had some very interesting stories to tell. He gave us good tips on where to eat on our last days in Penang. All the food we ate on the tour was delicious! Highly recommend!Fantastic food tour!

Alice🇺🇸 United States

(About local Mohd Remyzan)

17 February 2025

Remy is simply a cool guy to hang out with, and if my travel companions and I have to pay for the privilege, it's worth it. That's because he's incredibly steeped in the local food culture. We learned a ton about Penang from our three hours with him and really got an insider's look. Thank you, Remy!Remy Rocks!

Danica

(About local Mohd Remyzan)

16 February 2025

Best food tour! They were flexible and kind. I learned about the local culture while having amazing food! So much food! It really felt like a personalized experience. Take this tour!

Vincent

(About local Joo Bee)

14 February 2025

Very enjoyable tours with Joo Bee. Her local knowledge of places - background, history, customs, etc added so much depth to the tours. Two days of casual walking seeing talking, just like old friends! Like old friends

Heather

(About local Mohd Remyzan)

12 February 2025

Thomas

(About local Mohd Remyzan)

10 February 2025

Me and my Dad went on a food tour with Remy. He really went the extra mile to make sure we had a good time. He also shared a lot about the history of Georgetown and some local tips. Amazing guy who deserves every success in life Top experience!

Graeme,

(About local Joo Bee)

9 February 2025

Having Joo Bee guide us around George Town has been pure Joy! We learnt so much and enjoyed the bite size pieces of information about the rich cultures and history that makes this UNESCO heritage site very special. Joo Bee treated us to some delicious food and made us feel like we had spent our days living in this incredible and unique place for which we are very privileged. Thank you so very much Joo Bee, for looking after Randhula, Arj and myself so well. You have certainly inspired us to return! Warm wishes GraemePure Joy

Unknown

(About local Joo Bee)

9 February 2025

We hadden een leuke middag met Joo. We hebben veel gezien en genoten van de uitleg van de street art. Ze is flexibel en gaf ons tips waar we later in de avond of de volgende dag naar toe konden gaan. We hebben heerlijk gegeten in het Nonya restaurant waar ze op ons verzoek ons naar toe heeft gebracht. Aanrader!Go with the flow with Joo!!

Joshua

(About local Mohd Remyzan)

9 February 2025

Brilliant and would definitely recommend 👍Great time

Oei🇲🇾 Malaysia

(About local Joo Bee)

7 February 2025

I was truly captivated by Joo Bee’s enthusiasm for Penang, it made the whole experience even more special. Her deep knowledge of the area’s history and her detailed insights into the street art were remarkable. Joo Bee went above and beyond to ensure every moment was enjoyable and interesting. I would love to stroll around other part of Penang with her during my next visit.Awesome experience with Joo Bee !

Edwin

(About local Mohd Remyzan)

5 February 2025

Me and my brother did a streetart tour with Remy. It was a great experience. Remy told us a lot about the history and local artists. Would highly recommend Remy!Great streetart tour

Nzirv🇺🇸 United States

(About local Mohd Remyzan)

4 February 2025

Remy is a seasoned guide who knows all the best hidden gems of the city. Friendly and good vibes - he will make sure you get the most out of your experience. Authentic Experience

Bill

(About local Mohd Remyzan)

3 February 2025

Remy met us on a delightful evening in January. It was our first trip to Penang, and Malaysia, and we were excited to get to grips with one of the street food capitals of the world. Remy is friendly, approachable, and incredibly entrenched in Penang's food scene. Everywhere we walked, he knew exactly what was available, and stallholders and restaurateurs greeted him with familiarity. He was able to treat us to some specific delights that, even though we hail from Melbourne, a city that has a huge food scene, we'd never encountered. We finished the evening at one of the many street food markets in Georgetown, and Remy was kind enough to walk us around the corner to a cocktail bar for some after tour tipple at a place owned by a friend of his. That's what stood out for me, from this tour. Everywhere we went, we were being introduced to Remy's friends, and they were making sure that we got the very best food on offer. Next time we head to Penang, we're going to know exactly where to find the best laksa, char kway teow and chicken satay. If you want to know, give Remy a buzz and he'll take you!Fascinating walk with a friendly guide.

Suzy

(About local Sam Kok)

25 January 2025

Jeff kindly stepped in when Sam was unavailable but my husband and I were left in his very capable hands! We requested a vegetarian street food tour and were blown away by all the samples we tried. Jeff was flexible and helped us discover some amazing local food while sharing facts and personal insights about George Town and its history. Communication was easy and Jeff took lots of great photos at each stop. We came away very satisfied! Thanks Jeff and Sam for a great day :) Perfect slice of Penang

Tim

(About local Sam Kok)

25 January 2025

Despite some very heavy rain, Sam was able to deliver a diverse tour of some of the prominent foods available in Penang. Sam was fun, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic about the food and the culture of Malaysia. Wet and wonderful

Neelam

(About local Joo Bee)

24 January 2025

Joo was on time , very friendly and felt like talking to someone Familiar. She explained everything and was flexible in terms of stopping and seeing shops. She also suggested a very nice place to eat. Strongly recommend booking time with her. Half day tour recommended

Noby

(About local Sam Kok)

22 January 2025

Excellent morning spent with Sam touring Penang's food scene. Firstly, Sam was great in the lead up to the tour. I had been to Penang before and was looking for new food experiences, so Sam was able to personalise the tour. On the tour, I tried new foods, chatted to hawkers and overall, got a really in depth look into Penang's food culture. Sam is very charismatic and shared many personal stories about growing up in Penang, which enriched the experience. Additionally, one of our group had broken their toe recently and struggled to walk. But this wasn't a problem and Sam adjusted the tour to meet their needs. Definitely recommend going with Sam! What a day!

Edward🇺🇸 United States

(About local Mohd Remyzan)

22 January 2025

Our guide Remy was amazing. He was passionate about Penang and street art. We saw many parts of Georgetown we would not have seen otherwise. He had great recommendations for the remainder of our trip. I wish we had time to take his food tour. Amazing street art tour

David

(About local Sam Kok)

21 January 2025

Between us myself and my wife have a number of food allergies and intolerances including chicken, pork and tomato...all staples of Penang cuisine. Despite this Sam gave us a wonderful tour, we tasted some amazing food and had a really funny afternoon. Apologies Sam for any trauma we caused you, but it was well worth it (for us anyway)Brilliant tour, brilliant guide

Mike🇬🇧 United Kingdom

(About local Mohd Remyzan)

20 January 2025

We originally booked this tour with another guy who’s a guide on withlocals and then booked our hotel so that we were staying close to the tour start location. Then the guide contacted us to say that the start location was changed and that someone else would be our guide… then 2-3 days before the tour he cancelled on us saying that his team was sick… it made us really mistrust withlocals but then Remy accepted to take over our booking and we wish we’d just booked him to start with - he’s an honest, and highly personable guide who made the effort to make a close connection with us from the outset. He shares all his own experiences of living and working in Georgetown and everywhere we went people knew him so it was easy to trust him quickly. He asked if we wanted to try something in particular but we gave him a blank canvas with no dietary restrictuons which definitely made for the best range of food to try. We tried some amazing food and drinks in places we’ll definitely be going back to visit, and he answered all our questions, providing a highly engaging commentary and fun experience. When we come back to Penang, we’ll definitely be booking a tour with Remy… if you’re thinking about which guide to book, don’t! Book Remy, bring a broad palette, and be open to trying things you might bot be familiar with, and you won’t be disappointed!Trust Remy!… he’s amazing

doug🇦🇺 Australia

(About local Mohd Remyzan)

18 January 2025

Remy was an excellent guide with true local knowledge and connections. He immediately brought us into his world with stories about the area and surrounds. We tasted incredible food and Remy even coaxed us into our first Durian experience. Which was positive FWIW. We did this on our first night in Penang which set us up for repeat visits and gave us a good understanding of the area. Remy is rad, can’t recommend highly enough Way more than a food tour

Ruth

(About local Joo Bee)

15 January 2025

My mom and I so enjoyed our time with Joo Bee as our energetic, passionate and knowledgeable guide. She was very attentive to our needs and tailored the experience to exactly what we were looking for. She created space for us to enjoy the sights, sprinkling in interesting history and facts and sharing her own personal experiences. Joo Bee has such a fun energy, and we enjoyed laughing and playing with her during our street art exploration. She is someone that feels like a longtime best friend. She made lots of recommendations based on our interests, such as local food and coffee places for lunch, and took pictures for us as we wanted them. Street art is one of my deep passions, and it was very special to have her guide us! Thank you, Joo Bee. So grateful to have met you and enjoyed your company. 5 out of 5 would highly recommend her!5 out of 5 would highly recommend her!