Sightseeing with Bus 201: George Town-Paya Terubong

Rapid Penang Bus 201 is ideal for Sightseeing the length of George Town. The route (which is similar to Route 202 with small variation) starts in the heart of George Town and ends in Paya Terubong. Taking this bus, you navigate through the streets of George Town, and follow it to Air Itam, the main town at the centre of the island. From there, the bus continues south till Paya Terubong, at the very heart of the island.

Route 201 provides a cross section of urban and semi-urban Penang. Although the whole area is today part of metropolitan George Town, there is a gradual change in the character of the streets. Within George Town itself, you are right in the city centre. As you move out, you see the skyscrapers replaced by shophouses and then by residential houses and highrise apartments.

Rapid Penang Route 201 Map

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Rapid Penang Route 201 Sightseeing Itinerary

Your sightseeing tour with the Rapid Penang 201 starts at the Weld Quay Ferry & Bus Terminal.

The first junction is at Chulia Street Ghaut (Gat Lebuh Chulia). The bus turns right and go up Chulia Street Ghaut. Along the way, look out for Yeoh Kongsi, a small clan temple, on your right.

The next junction is the intersection with Beach Street (Lebuh Pantai). On your left is the Beach Street Fire Station, a heritage building. The bus goes straight down Chulia Street (Lebuh Chulia).

Between the intersection of Chulia Street with Beach Street and the intersection with Pitt Street (Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling), look out for the Nagore Durgha Sheriff on the right, and the Teochew Ancestral Temple on the left. There are other historical buildings along the way, so you may want to consider getting off the bus to explore.

Beyond the intersection of Pitt Street, look out for the Noordin Family Tomb and Kapitan Keling Mosque on the right side of Chulia Street. Further down the road look out for Masjid Alimsah Waley, Ng Fook Thong and Nam Hooi Wooi Koon Cantonese district associations.

At the end of Chulia Street, the bus turns left to Penang Road (Jalan Penang). This is the main shopping street in the 1970's. See the Sri Kunj Bihari Temple on the right. Look out for Central Police Headquarters complex to your right. If you want to taste the best cendol in Penang, get off the bus here, and walk up to Keng Kwee Street.

The bus turns left and go down Prangin Road (Jalan Prangin). Look to your right to see Komtar. The bus now turns right to Jalan Ria and enters Komtar. Here the bus makes a stop at the Komtar Bus Terminal. It then emerges on the other side of the mammoth complex at Magazine Road (Jalan Magazine).

The bus passes through Magazine Circus (Simpang Enam) (which is not a roundabout anymore) and enters Dato Kramat Road (Jalan Dato Keramat). There are two Hindu temples at this part of the road, the Sri Kamatchi Amman Temple on the left and the Nagarathar Sivan Temple on the right. Next comes Penang Times Square, a mixed development that includes a big shopping mall.

The bus goes along Data Kramat Road, leaving the city centre behind. You will see a big open field on your right. That is Padang Brown with the Penang Buddhist Association at the far end.

The bus crosses the intersection with Perak Road, one of the longest roads in town, and continues along Dato Kramat Road. The City Stadium is on your left followed by the Penang Prison on your right. If you are looking for second-hand items, then you should get off the bus here, at the bus stop opposite the Penang Prison, and walk a short distance down Lorong Kulit to the biggest flea market in George Town.

Dato Kramat Road ends and Jalan Air Itam begins at the junction with York Road. A change of character that you might be able to notice is that the city becomes less dense. This is especially so once you approach Sri Mutiara school on your left and Methodist Boys School on your right. The road bends right. Look to your left to see Han Chiang Secondary School. Then it arrives at the only intersection along this route with a flyover. The bus goes under the flyover and emerging on the other side, you see the Penang State Mosque on your left.

You can now see the central hills of Penang, also called Penang Hill, right in front of you (but we are not going there). The bus passes through the Kampung Baru Market, then makes a sharp right turn around the market, seemingly making a U-turn to reach the junction to Jalan Padang Tembak on there left, where it turn in.

Jalan Padang Tembak takes us to the Rifle Range Flats, one of the earliest city council flats, now one of the working class neighbourhoods of George Town. On the right side of the road are the massive cemetery of Batu Gantong.

The bus turns left to enter Jalan Boundary, one of the many past demarcations of George Town's limits. It passes through an area of nondescript houses to emerge at the intersection with Jalan Air Itam once more.

Turning right, it continues west along Jalan Air Itam. It then arrives at a small roundabout. Look right across the road to see the Chinese Anti-War Memorial, put up to remember the local Chinese who perished under Japanese atrocities during World War II.

You can now see the awesome view of Kek Lok Si taking up much of the hill in front of you. Just before the Air Itam Village, take note of a lovely Ayer Itam Maha Mariamman Temple, on your right.

Ayer Itam Village is a bustling place and the bus inches through the narrow street with shophouses huddled close on both sides. Getting out of the village, the bus continues south. The road now appears distinctly outskirts, although development is never far away. On your left you see the high rise apartments of Farlim. As the bus passes a junction, look right to see the Permata Sports Complex.

Our journey reaches its end as the high-density Paya Terubong flats loom into view. On the right side of the road is the Paya Terubong cemetery.

The bus turns left to enter Tingkat Paya Terubong. It reaches its terminus at Tingkat Paya Terubong 1, near Goldhill Complex. From there it retraces its route back to town. Except for some minor changes (see the map) where the road is one way, the route back is quite faithful to the outgoing route.

Rapid Penang Fare

First 7 km: RM1.40
Next 7 km (up to 14 km): RM2.00
Next 7 km (up to 21 km): RM2.70
Next 7 km (up to 28 km): RM3.40
Over 28 km: RM4.00

Disclaimer

The information provided here is accurate at time of writing, and may have been updated by the bus service provider without the author's knowledge. Please use the information as guidance and check with Rapid Penang at their information kiosks for the latest route details. The author endeavours to update the information on this page from time to time, but regrets any inaccuracies if there be any.

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