Penang is easily accessible by air with international as well as local, regional and budget airlines or chartered flights. There are also regular ferries the nearby island of Langkawi and via Penang Bridge and ferry from Butterworth on the mainland of peninsular Malaysia. Another option is to reach the island by a chartered or private yacht from all over South East Asia. 

By Air

Airlines flying to Penang include Air Asia (from Langkawi, Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, Singapore, Kuching, Kota Kinabalu, Surabaya, Jakarta, Medan, Bangkok and Hong Kong), Malaysia Airlines (from Kuala Lumpur); Firefly (from Banda Aceh, Kota Bharu, Kuantan, Langkawi, Medan, Phuket, Subang); Silk Air (from Singapore) Cathay Pacific (from Hong Kong), China Airlines (from Taipei-Taoyuan), China Southern Airlines (from Guangzhou), Sriwijaya Air (from Batam, Medan), Thai Airways International (from Bangkok), Tiger Airways (from Singapore) Lion Air (from Medan).

By Ferry 

• From Butterworth (15 minutes) ferries leave from 06:00am to 1:00am to George Town approximately every 30 minutes and return to the mainland with the same frequency.
• From Penang (2 hours 45 minutes) there are two ferries leaving in the afternoon to Langkawi; return ferries leave in the morning from Langkawi. These ferries make a stop at Pulau Payar on the way.

By Road

Penang can be accessed via the Penang Bridge. The speed limit in Malaysia is 110km/h and roads are well lit and in good condition. 

Coaches run from all over Malaysia and from Singapore to Butterworth and George Town. Coaches are very comfortable, but remember to bring a sweater as the air conditioning can be a bit extreme. 

From Kuala Lumpur

• By car: It is a 4-5 hour drive from Kuala Lumpur to Penang. (Check http://maps.live.com or http://maps.google.com for maps and directions)
• By bus: Regular coaches leave between 07:00 and 24:00 daily to Georg Town (5 hours).

From Singapore

• By car: It is a 9-10 hour drive from Singapore to Penang. (Check http://maps.live.com or http://maps.google.com for maps and directions)
• By bus: There are several daily luxury coachs between 9:00am and 10pm to Sungai Nibong Bus Terminal, Penang Island (SGD$ 45-55). Alternatively, take a public bus from Queen St terminal or Kranji MRT to Johor Bahru’s Larkin bus terminal from where various coach companies have bus services to Penang.