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Ipoh
Malaysia / Penang, Langkawi & Perak / Ipoh

Ipoh

Cave Temples, Old Town Murals and White Coffee

Plan this trip
1 dayIdeal stay₹2,330From / night₹810Food / dayFreeEntry

Perak's tin-mining capital, two hours from KL on the ETS: Buddhist cave temples in the limestone hills (Kek Lok Tong, Sam Poh Tong, Perak Tong), the colonial railway station and old-town lanes with murals, and the food Malaysians drive here for: white coffee, bean sprout chicken and salted chicken. A good stop between KL and Penang, and the gateway to Cameron Highlands. Ipoh has a large Indian community and the Kallumalai Arulmigu Subramaniar temple, a Thaipusam centre.

Highlights

  • Kek Lok Tong cave temple and gardens
  • Sam Poh Tong and Perak Tong
  • Concubine Lane and the old-town murals
  • Ipoh Railway Station
  • White coffee in the old kopitiams
  • Kellie's Castle ruin
  • Bean sprout chicken dinner

Things to do

  • Cave temples: Kek Lok Tong & Sam Poh TongMorning · 3h
  • Old Town walk: Concubine Lane & muralsAfternoon · 2h
  • White coffee and dim sum breakfastMorning · 1h 30m
  • Kellie's CastleAfternoon · 2h

Tours & tickets

Tours & tickets in Ipohvia GetYourGuideTours & tickets in Ipohvia Klook

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When to go

Best time: December – February, June – August

Heads up

Haze Season

Smoke from forest and peat fires in Sumatra and Borneo can blanket the west coast between June and September, worst in dry years: hazy skies, poor views from the towers and an unhealthy air index on bad days. Check the API/AQI before outdoor days and carry N95 masks for children, the elderly and anyone with asthma.

  • Thaipusam at Batu Caves — The biggest Thaipusam outside India: hundreds of thousands walk overnight from KL's Sri Mahamariamman temple to Batu Caves, many carrying kavadi and with pierced skin, and climb the 272 steps to the Murugan shrine. Penang (Waterfall Hill temple, with a silver chariot procession) and Ipoh celebrate too. Extraordinary to see; go before dawn, expect huge crowds, road closures and packed trains, and leave shoes and bags at the hotel.
  • Chinese New Year — Two public holidays and a week of lion dances, lanterns and open houses, finest in Penang (Kek Lok Si lit up) and Melaka's Jonker Street. Many Chinese-run shops, hawker stalls and kopitiams close for 3-5 days, and buses and flights out of KL sell out the weekend before as people go home.
  • Ramadan and Hari Raya Aidilfitri — During Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn to dusk: Malay restaurants are quiet by day and the evening Ramadan bazaars, with food stalls at every mosque and market, are the best street food of the year. Don't eat or drink in the street in Kelantan and Terengganu. At its end, Hari Raya Aidilfitri brings the "balik kampung" exodus: buses, trains and flights sell out weeks ahead and KL empties for a week. Dates move about 11 days earlier each year; they are set by the new moon.
  • Deepavali — A national holiday for Malaysia's Indian community: Brickfields in KL and Little India in Penang fill with lights, kolam and stalls of sweets and saris in the week before. Homes hold open houses on the day.