7 Fun Things to Do in Ipoh, Malaysia

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Malaysia isn’t exactly a destination in Asia where most people have a great long list of places they want to visit. Beyond a few obvious candidates like Kuala Lumpur and Penang, many would be hard pressed to come up with other names. That being said, one of the best up-and-coming Malaysian destinations is the curious city of Ipoh. Found inland from the northwest coast of the Malay Peninsula in the state of Perak, there are plenty of things to do in Ipoh, because of just how different it is to other Malaysian destinations.

In recent years, Ipoh has become an increasingly popular stop for travellers journeying through the country. This is because it sits neatly at a crossroads between Penang in the north, Kuala Lumpur to the south and the Cameron Highlands a little ways inland. Throw in its sights and attractions and it clearly becomes a natural inclusion in a good Malaysia itinerary. For an idea of what to do in Ipoh, here’s a look at the sights I saw during my visit there.

Brief Background on Ipoh

Chances are you’d like to know a little more about the city of Ipoh before we get to all that sightseeing stuff, right? That’s probably a good idea too, since Ipoh is a little different to many of the other major Malaysian destinations. Rather than having some grand long history spanning centuries, Ipoh’s origins are much more humble and recent. A little over 100 years ago, Ipoh was nothing more than a small village and not the third largest city of Malaysia as it is today.

It wasn’t until a mining boom in the 1880s that Ipoh began to grow rapidly. The town kept expanding, but the collapse of the mining industry hit it hard in the 1970s. Even with an economic downtown, Ipoh has stayed a large city and has begun turning to tourism of late.

The city has even been referred to as the “hipster capital of Malaysia” given its outsider status, and I kind of get it given its growing popularity among bloggers and backpackers. It’ll be interesting to see how the city goes in the future given all that.

Explore Kek Lok Tong Temple

Looking through this list of things to do in Ipoh, a couple of common themes should become obvious – caves and temples. The first of the temples I took time to visit was also one of the furthest out, the Kek Lok Tong Temple. On the outskirts of the city, this Buddhist temple is situated inside a great huge limestone cave. Even though it’s a temple, it’s hard not to be distracted by the rock formations and stalactites.

Pass through this cave temple built in the 1920s and you can you emerge out the other side into a wonderful little garden that unfortunately borders a huge mining site. Even though you can see the quarry and stuff in the distance, it doesn’t break the tranquillity of the gardens. It’s funny how the entrance to this cave temple looks quite ordinary in comparison to the temple and gardens it protects.

Find the Sam Poh Tong Temple

Of the attractions I visited in Ipoh, the Sam Poh Tong Temple is surely my favourite. On arrival at this Buddhist temple, you’re greeted with beautiful ponds full of carp and vivid pagodas. This garden area is simply beautiful, but it only gets better once you head into the temple’s cave. Walking through, I wasn’t sure what I was going to find and then bam, there it was.

Whereas the cave at the Kek Lok Tong Temple opens out to a large outdoor garden, it’s quite the opposite here. The cave at the Sam Poh Tong Temple brings you to an open air space, completely surrounded by steep cliff walls, with a great big pagoda in the middle of it all.

Completely hidden away from the world, it’s as if the temple gently floated down into the space. Nearby is a rather murky pool full of turtles which people can choose to feed with lettuce or simply watch. For me though, it was the sight of that unlikely temple that held my attention the whole time. I only wish my photos did it justice.

Visit the Lin Sen Tong Temple

Even though this is yet another temple, the Lin Sen Tong Temple still has its own interesting quirks to it. A Taoist temple not far from the Sam Poh Tong Temple, this has to be the most vibrant and colourful of the three mentioned here.

Everywhere you look are golden statues of different sorts, colourful dragons and the actual temple itself is the focus rather than its surroundings. It may not quite match the spectacle of the other temples but as something different, but it’s beautiful nonetheless and touches on different aspects of Chinese spirituality.

Walk Down Concubine Lane

Sometimes there are places where you just have to go because of their name. That intrigue is what draws many visitors to Concubine Lane, also known as Panglima Lane. Far from being anything like a modern red light district, this narrow pedestrian street in the heart of the city is one of Ipoh’s prettier spots.

The name comes from the fact that once a lane full of opium dens and brothels for miners, it later became a place for wealthy Chinese merchants to keep their concubines. Basically left in its original state, some buildings of Concubine Lane are a little worse for wear but lends some it some real character.

Admire the Chinese Architecture

Walking around the city centre of Ipoh, it can become pretty clear how much effect the city’s Chinese population has had. Much like in Malacca, quite a bit of Ipoh’s appearance has been shaped by homes and stores designed in the style of Chinese architecture. Sure these buildings don’t have the lengthy heritage of Malacca, but they lend Ipoh’s centre some real character. I particularly liked the series of stores seen above with their rainbow of different colours.

Eat all the Dim Sum You Can

Simply one of the best things to do in Ipoh is to stuff your face. Food in Ipoh is strongly influenced by Chinese cuisine, which gives it a different flavour to other cities. It also means you can dig into some dim sum while you’re there. Hell, there’s even a Dim Sum Street!

Both for breakfast and dinner, I was taking my pick of awesome places to go eat. Mornings it was different dim sum places like Restaurant Foh San and in the evening it was on little plastic chairs eating whatever they were serving. In both cases, I was basically the only obvious foreigner as far as the eye could see. Simply put, Ipoh is exactly the kind of place to dive headfirst into the amazing melting pot that is Malaysian cuisine.

See the Ipoh Mural Art’s Lane

When it comes to street art in Malaysia, George Town on the island of Penang is rightly pretty famous. But I do think Mural Art’s Lane in Ipoh earns the city a worthy second place. Along this single lane you’ll find heaps of murals filling every empty space along its walls. Little surprise that you find people taking plenty of photos with the clever street art.

In an effort to draw visitors to some different parts of the city, the city of Ipoh and some of the local schools transformed this street with all sorts of murals and street art. What could be a pretty dingy backstreet in Ipoh is now bursting with colour and life. The art manages to be both really professional and creative, but also strongly reflects the community and region.

Other Sights of Ipoh

While I’ve mentioned most of the major landmarks and attractions found in Ipoh, that’s really only the start of things. The list of things to do in Ipoh could easily keep going, if you have more time in the city. For starters there’s all the British colonial architecture found in the city, from the Birch Memorial Clock Tower to the bright, white City Hall.

Not far from Mural Art’s Lane you’ll find the Panglima Kinta Mosque with its standout colour design. There are also plenty more temples in and around Ipoh, including the Nam Thean Tong Temple, right next to the Lin Sen Tong Temple.

Visiting Ipoh, Malaysia

An emerging destination and crossroads, you shouldn’t find it too hard to get to Ipoh. Although it lies on the train line adjoining KL and Penang, trains can sellout days in advance, so you really have to be on the ball. Otherwise like me, it’s going to be a bus journey. Whether it’s KL, Penang or the Cameron Highlands, it’s only a few hours in either direction and buses are frequent. The only catch is that while the train station is in the city centre, the Amanjaya Bus Station is way out of the way.

To get into town, you can jump on local bus number T30a that brings you into the city centre for next to nothing. As for getting about the rest of the time, I decided to go with Uber (now Grab in this part of the world) which worked really well and was a comfortable, affordable way to get about.

For places to stay in Ipoh, I was pretty content with my choice in Hotel Cheqinn. It’s actually right on Dim Sum Street so the location is ideal, plus I thought it was good value for money. As for other places to stay, Ipoh has way more accommodation options than you might expect, suiting all types of traveller.

Have you heard of Ipoh before? What other things to do in Ipoh would you recommend? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

This article is now available as a mobile app. Go to GPSmyCity to download the app for GPS-assisted travel directions to the attractions featured in this article.