Ipoh 2023 - Penang to Ipoh via Ferry and Train Ride

 

Ah, beautiful Penang. Will be going back soon, and will be making a short trip to Ipoh again with my friend and hubby, to meet another family of my hubby's friends there. When my friend asked me what is there to do and eat in Ipoh, I wanted to share with him my previous trip to Ipoh 2 years back, but when I checked this blog, I realised I haven't wrote about it yet! So here I am, scrambling to write everything up before I leave for Penang tomorrow. Yes, I could have started a few days ago, but it has not been a great week for me so far..... I've been addicted to my phone, games, and British talkshow...... But I am writing now! I need to complete 18 post before I leave! Hahahahahaha. The madness.....

So 2 years back, for our anniversary, I decided to bring my husband on a trip to Ipoh to show him around. I also wanted to explore more of that sleepy old town. We decided to spend 4 days and 3 nights there, and booked our trip to Ipoh via train. So on that faithful morning, as usual, it was a slow bus ride down to Georgetown area. We stopped around one stop from the jetty, so that we could admire the old heritage buildings in town while walking to the jetty itself.

The facade of the old colonial buildings were majestic, but seriously in need of some maintenance. But it was a beautiful day as we made our way to the ferry jetty.

Look at that sky and water! Plus the lovely colourful ferry. A great day for travel! The ferry ride from Penang Island to Butterworth cost 2rm per person per trip, and you could just buy the ticket online on the day itself. It's just a 15minutes ride, but do cater to some wait time for the ferry, especially if you are travelling on non-peak period.

It was a clear day, so we could see some lovely sight on our ride. Above the view of Penang as a boat sail by. The tall buildings in front of the hills as the background always made Penang looked so much bigger than it truly is.

We could also see Penang Bridge in the distance. This is the first bridge. The second bridge is further south and can't be seen from the ferry. But if you take a flight in or out of Penang, you could usually see one or both bridge on a clear day, or night.

The contrast between Penang Island and Penang Mainland is pretty stark, even when you compare it to the ferry, jetty and sights. When you see this blue ferry parked near the mainland jetty, you know you've reached the mainland. (It might not be there anymore when this post published as these photos were taken 2 years back).

Walking from the Jetty to the Train Station took around 10 to 15minutes. Everything is connected now, and sheltered. We saw some cute poster along the way. There is also Penang Sentral where you could stop by for a bite or some shopping. That's where you'll find the bus terminal as well. I read that an upgrade has been scheduled for the bus terminal as well as train station. Penang Train Station is quite a sorry sight as compared to KL or JB Train Station. So I'm looking forward to the upgrade, especially once they finally connect Penang with Singapore via the ETS trains. 

For this 2023 trip, I decided to try the Komuter Utara train to Ipoh. It cost 60% cheaper than an ETS train, and you have to book the ticket only on the day itself. Meaning no advance booking, and no assigned seats. But there are more frequent trains, and if you travel during non-peak period, there are always seats. But during period, you may be stuck with standing for 2 hours.....Or wait for a few trains before you could actually get into one!

So basically, it's like an MRT metro service.  There are no cafe or toilet on the train. It's basically a long distance public transport train.

And the seats also reflect it. For our trip in 2025, we have booked the ETS train both ways to ensure we got seats and travel in comfort, cause end of November is holiday season, and we didn't want to take any chances since we will be meeting up with friends in Ipoh itself.