By Minivan
Minivan service is more expensive than bus service and is available between Georgetown and cities in Thailand such as Ko Phi Phi, Phuket, Trang, Surat Thani, Krabi, Ko Samui, Ko Pha Ngan, Bangkok and Hat Yai RM30 on daily basis. Service is available to the Perhentian Islands for 130-150 RM, boat included.
By plane
Recently refurbished Penang Bayan Lepas International Airport IATA: PEN is one of Malaysia's larger and better-equipped airports, operated by Malaysia Airports (http://www.malaysiaairpor...).
The airport is on the southeastern coast of the island, some 30 min from Georgetown. Take Rapid Penang bus no. 401E from the terminal building to KOMTAR first bus 5:30AM last bus 11:35PM, every 30 min; fare 2.70 RM, exact change necessary, â +60 4 6434411
The airport is serviced by AirAsia (http://www.airasia.com.my), Firefly (http://www.fireflyz.com.my), Cathay Pacific Airways (http://www.cathaypacific.com), SilkAir (http://www.silkair.com), Jetstar Airways (http://www.jetstar.com/my...), Tiger Airways (http://www.tigerairways.com/), Thai Airways (http://www.thaiair.com/) and Malaysia Airlines (http://www.malaysiaairlin...).
Direct domestic flights are available to Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, and Langkawi. Direct international flights are available to Jakarta, Ko Samui, Surabaya, Macau, Taipei, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Medan, Singapore, Phuket, Perth and Banda Aceh.
By train
KTMB (http://www.ktmb.com.my) operates train service to the Butterworth train station, within walking distance to the ferry to Penang Island. Tickets can be booked at the train station, the ferry terminal, or online (http://www.ktmb.com.my). The journey to/from Kuala Lumpur takes 6 hours.
An overnight train departs Bangkok daily at 2:45PM Thai time, scheduled to arrive in Butterworth at 1:45PM Malaysian time. Trains are air conditioned, are all sleeper cars, and cost THB1,210, with a THB104 surcharge for bicycles.
By bus
Buses in Georgetown arrive/depart at the new bus terminal at Sungai Nibong, a fifteen-minute ride from the centre, and about ten minutes from the airport. A taxi to the centre costs RM20. Rapid Penang bus 301 and 401E goes to KOMTAR and Pengkalan Weld Weld Quay. Major coach operators include Fivestars (http://www.busonlineticket.com) with online booking (http://www.busonlineticket.com) ,Konsortium (http://www.kbes.com.my), Plusliner / Nice (http://www.plusliner.com), Transnasional (http://www.transnasional....), and Mutiara.
The trip from Kuala Lumpur's Pudu Raya bus station or Kota Bharu, Perhentian Islands each cost around RM35 and take around 5-6 hours. Buses to/from Johor Bahru and Singapore take 10 hr and cost RM 60 or SGD$45.
It's possible to travel by bus to and from Thailand. Tickets are available from travel shops in and around Penang Road. Some prices and journey times are:
Krabi - RM59, 8 hr
Phuket - RM76, 12-14 hr
Bangkok - RM125, 18 hr.
By ship
Penang Port (http://www.penangport.com...) operates ferries to/from Butterworth daily from 5:30AM till 1:00AM. Ferry rates are RM1.20 for adults, RM0.60 for children, RM1.40 for bicycles, RM2.00 for motorbikes, RM7.70 for cars, and additional fees for larger vehicles (http://www.penangport.com...)
Langkawi Ferry Services (http://www.langkawi-ferry.com) operates ferry service from Langkawi to Penang at 2:30PM and 5:15PM daily. â +60 4 2642088 in Penang; â +60 4 9663779 in Langkawi. One-way trip costs RM60 for adult, RM45 for child 3-11 years old and RM25 for infant below 2 years old. Return trip costs RM115, RM85 and RM50 respectively. Trip takes 2 hr and 30 min. Advance booking can be made via the web site - note you have to use Internet Explorer for the transaction Chrome and Mozilla will not work. Credit cards are not accepted at the terminal, although there are numerous ATMs in the attached shopping mall. The ferry in service is very old and offers no facilities other than simple air-conditioned seating. There is no access to the top, meaning thereby that no sight-seeing on the way is available. There is proper locked storage for luggage at the rear of the ship upon boarding. There is no restaurant. Check-in is at least 30 minutes before scheduled departure time.
Langkawi Ferry Services (http://www.langkawi-ferry.com) operates ferries from the Belwan port in Medan to Penang on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, returning to Penang on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. The boat leaves at 9:00am at the journey takes 6 hours. Tel: +604264-2088 in Penang; +62614521666 / +62614527555 in Medan. Adult: RM110 one-way, RM180 return; child: RM60 one-way, RM100 return.
NOTE: As of sometime mid 2010 this ferry and all other companies ferrying to Medan have stopped. There are ferries to other places such as Dumai in Sumatra.
By car
Penang is connected to the mainland and the North-South Expressway by the Penang Bridge, one of the longest bridges in Asia. There is no toll for vehicles heading to the mainland, but vehicles headed to the island must pay a toll as follows:motorcycles: RM1.40, cars: RM7, vans and buses with two axles and four wheels: RM12, (http://www.penangbridge.c...).