Straddling the Kinta river is the capital of Perak, Ipoh, a sleepy city where crumbling shophouses with fading calligraphy stand next to grand colonial edifices and hipster cafes share space with old-school kopitiams and hawker stalls; a city where the present seems to meld into the past in art-filled lanes, in temples pocketed in limestone karsts, in the emptiness of abandoned shophouses. Check out the top 15 things to do in Ipoh.


IPOH / MALAYSIA


A city on the banks of the Kinta River, Ipoh (pronounced: ee-poh) isn’t a stop for most travellers to Malaysia. And that is a mistake because Ipoh is the kind of city that inspires, a city that can overnight become your muse. The past and present collide in the streets of Ipoh to create an artist’s canvas. Ipoh’s heydays as the bustling heart of Malaysia’s tin mining industry is long gone but the city is coming to life again, in a completely new avatar. The city council is restoring colonial-era shophouses and buildings; they are being transformed into boutiques, cafes, restaurants, art galleries, and event spaces. Walk along one of Ipoh’s streets and the abundance of photo opportunities will baffle you: Dilapidated buildings showcasing a hotch-potch of European, Brutalist, and Chinese architecture, countless kopitiams where you can sip white coffee from porcelain cups painted with Chinese motifs, colourful street art gracing every nook and cranny, hawker stalls dishing out noodle soups in the most beautiful ceramic bowls…there’s so much happening on the streets of this city and so many things to do in Ipoh.

Start your day at a Kopitiam

Breakfast at a kopitiam is undoubtedly the top thing to do in Ipoh! Some kaya toast and creamy egg tarts with a cup of white coffee one morning and I hooked to the one meal I had skipped forever. Ipoh is full of old-school kopitiams (coffee shops) like Nam Heong, Sin Yoon Loong, Sin Yoon Fong, Lim Kopi, Thean Chun, Ah Chow, and Yee Fatt where you can enjoy a traditional Ipoh style breakfast. If you want something more filling, order a bowl of spicy Curry Mee or a plate of Char Kuay Teow with shrimps and fried duck eggs.

Also read: Pondering over your Malaysia itinerary? Here’s how we did it: 2 Weeks in Malaysia.

Tour the Concubine Lanes

Ipoh’s Concubine Lanes— there are three of them namely Lorong Hale (Wife Lane), Lorong Panglima (Concubine Lane), and Market Lane— have an interesting history. According to local oral history, a Chinese tycoon named Yao Tet Shen bought houses for his wife and his concubines on these lanes when Ipoh was being rebuilt after a fire that razed the town in 1892. In other accounts, the pre-war houses along the lane housed the concubines of Chinese tycoons and British officers. Most of the buildings had fallen into disrepair till the city council decided to renovate the heritage structures that line these narrow lanes. Today, the lanes with their murals and Chinese lamps are amongst Ipoh’s most visited attractions. Cute cafes, stores selling souvenirs and mini cacti, pop-up stalls serving a host of snacks from ice balls to roasted chestnuts, eateries, and artists’ galleries all cater to the numerous tourists who flock to these lanes daily.

Also read: Our 3 days in Ipoh itinerary is designed to show you the best of Ipoh in 3 days. It covers all the amazing things to do in Ipoh, some of Ipoh’s most delicious food, and useful advice to help you explore Ipoh.

Marvel at Murals

Going on a mural walk is one of the top things to do in Ipoh. Most tourists visiting Ipoh religiously track down Ernest Zacharevic’s murals. Originally there were seven of them– the hummingbird, kopi-O, old uncle with coffee cup, paper plane, evolution, trishaw, girl with stool and birdcage, small kopi-O — of which the last two no longer exist. But Zacharevic’s murals are not all; local artists have filled the town with some amazing street art. In Ipoh’s new town, there’s a street named Mural Lane where you can see some amazing artwork depicting local life, cultures, festivals, and tradition.

Stroll along the Kinta River

No matter which part of Ipoh you are staying at, you will end up walking across the bridge over the Kinta River a couple of times for the river is the dividing line between Ipoh old and new towns. A few kilometres north of the Concubine Lanes is the Kinta River Walk, a stretch along the Kinta River that has been spruced up with lights and pop-up stalls to draw tourists. Bicycles and tricycles are available for rent and you can also watch the locals fishing in the river. The colourfully lit bridges offer a lovely frame for the craggy limestone cliffs and pockets of jungles that adorns the horizon. On the weekend we were visiting, there was a food and music festival and we ended up spending a few hours by the river sampling a variety of dumplings, oyster omelettes, and more. There were shops selling local artwork and handicrafts.

Also read: Use our Malaysia Quick Guide for First Time Visitors to plan a trip to Malaysia.

Visit the Han Chin Pet Soo

The Han Chin Pet Soo or the Hakka Miners’ Club is an important landmark in Ipoh’s history. The museum has an impeccably preserved collection of artefacts from when the building served as a club for Chinese tycoons from the mining industry. The guided tour is one of top things to do in Ipoh and will take you through Ipoh’s history, Hakka Chinese immigration to Malaysia and Singapore, tales of Ipoh’s affluent pre-war inhabitants, and the history of the building. You can learn about the life of the mine owners, their opium and gambling addictions and about the many Chinese women who migrated to Ipoh to become mistresses to these tycoons. Beautifully restored furniture including Belgian mirrors and hardwood artefacts adorn the rooms. The original tile work and the curved windows on the first floor have been painstakingly restored. Entry is free; there is a donation box where you can donate towards the upkeep of the building.

Fill up on Dim Sum

The best things to do in Ipoh revolve around food! In Ipoh, locals love to go for a long, lingering breakfast at dim sum restaurants. Foh San, a two-storey restaurant, is famous for its delicious dim sum. Try the century eggs, black pepper sui mai, duck dumplings, salted egg custard, meat floss roll, supreme prawn dumplings with some Chinese tea on the side. If you still aren’t full, cross the road and drop in at Restoran Chef Fatt for the pork bao and fried sui kow or the tourist-friendly Ming Court for more dumplings. Ordering can be somewhat complicated especially if you don’t speak the local language at all. Watch closely how the locals order and try to follow. You can pick up your dim sum of choice at the counter or choose from the selection that the servers bring on trolleys.

Also read: We love our dim sums in Kolkata too! Read Breakfast Stories: Kolkata to find out!

Explore Kong Heng Square

Kong Heng Square is Ipoh’s hipster heart. Choc-a-bloc with boutiques, hip cafes and eateries, and artists’ stalls, the industrial-chic complex draws crowds of millennials, both locals and tourists, daily. You can browse books at Book Xcess, a bookstore built within an abandoned bank vault, or stop for an ice ball at Bits and Bobs. Book Xcess also has a museum where you can check out some of the works of a local filmmaker, Yasmin Ahmed. Housed in a colonial-era shophouse, the very Instagrammable Burps & Giggles serves excellent coffee, desserts, and sandwiches. Or, you can stop by at Plan B for some Melbourne-style lattes. The square also has a barbershop, a tribute to Ipoh’s many Indian barbers, and a lot of independent stalls selling souvenirs and handicrafts. Artworks by local artists are all around the place. And if you love staying in the middle of all this action, consider booking a room at Sekeping Kong Heng which is housed in what was once the Ipoh dramatists’ hostel. On the ground floor is Kedai Kopi Kong Heng, another of Ipoh’s gems.

But first, stop to eat the kaya toast at the Dong Café @Hale Street. Unlike the kaya toast at every other place, here they cut the butter into columns and arrange them, in between two slices of perfectly toasted bread, like Jenga blocks. In the gallery upstairs, you can catch a glimpse into the lives of Ipoh’s affluent Chinese population in the pre-war days. Exquisite hardwood furniture with lacquer and mother-of-pearl detailing, porcelain kitchenware, artwork, silk fabrics and dresses, and various other artefacts are arranged neatly in “rooms” inside resembling an opulent Chinese “house.” They also hold events, so check out their calendar.

Go on a Food Walk

Food walks are some of the best things to do in Ipoh! Ipoh regularly ranks as one of Malaysia’s top destinations for foodies and it will take you only a few hours in the city to understand why. There’s so much deliciousness in Ipoh, you’ll start wishing you had space, a lot more space, in your stomach! Start your day with some of those amazing egg tarts at Hong Kee Egg Tart. Or, if you are in the old town, drop in at Nam Heong for a piping hot bowl of Curry Mee or order the Dan Zhi at Sin Yoon Loong. Then walk to Foh San in new town Ipoh for their excellent dim sum. And onwards to Big Foot restaurant to try their Yong Tau Fu and Ipoh-style Laksa. Cool down with a bottled of “snow beer,” an Ipoh speciality particularly popular at Kafe Sun Yoon Wah and Restoran Frens Corner or buy an ais kepal (flavoured ice ball) from Bits and Bobs. For lunch, there’s Ipoh’s famous salted chicken and the beansprouts chicken. Later in the evening, settle down on a stool at Tong Sui hawker stalls and order a plate of Wantan Hor, some Chee Cheong Fun, and Chicken Rice. End on a sweet note with a gigantic bowl of Ais Kacang. Or, if you still aren’t full, get yourself a plate of rojak.

Ipoh can be somewhat difficult for vegetarians. Try the thosai and banana leaf curries at Sri Anand Bhavan. Plan B, though a tad expensive, has an array of salads. Most kopitiams and hawker stalls will make you a vegetarian char kuey teow or mee goreng but enquire ahead if they cook with pork lard. The hipster cafes in Kong Heng Square all have vegetarian and vegan options. Sadly, we found no vegan options at all at any of the three dim sum places we tried. For vegetarians, there’s the salted egg custard at Foh San.

Also read: Malaysia charms with its food. Find out about the Malaysia Food Tour: Best Things to Eat in Malaysia.

Tour the Cave Temples

There are some 30 Buddhist and Taoist shrines in Ipoh, some hidden in caves and others clinging to limestone karsts in the mountains surrounding the city. The Sam Poh Tong Temple is the largest such cave temple in Malaysia and also the most visited. Climb the 240 steps to the entrance and you’ll be rewarded with mesmerizing views of Gunung Rapat. Nearby, there’s the Ling Sen Tong Temple with a gigantic statue of the Buddha and the Nam Thean Tong Temple. All three can be reached on bus T34 and T37 that run from Medan Kidd. The Kek Lok Tong Temple is located in one of the most majestic caves in the region; it is located further to the east and you’ll have to book a Grab to get there. To the south is the Guanyin Cave where there is a temple dedicated to the Goddess of Mercy, Kwan Yin Tong. A visit to the cave temples is a must on any things to do in Ipoh list.

Go on a Photo Walk

Ipoh is a photographer’s delight! Straits-style shop-houses are everywhere in Ipoh; some of these have been restored, others stand witness to the passage of time. Pastel walls, louvred windows, colourful doors, and hand-painted shop signs make for interesting photos. The dilapidated ones have a charm of their own; walking through the streets of Ipoh reminded us of the forgotten alleys of North Calcutta where many a mansion stands gathering dust today. Besides oriental architecture, Ipoh has a number of colonial buildings that were commissioned by the British government. Most of these buildings are located in the old town and are a part of the Ipoh Heritage Trail. Ipoh’s new town presents an eclectic blend of the past and the present. Check out the 1950s theatres, dilapidated office buildings and hotels, terrazzo floor mosaics, and arched five-foot ways. If architecture isn’t your jam, visit one of the many coffee shops or tour the Concubine Lanes where you can find countless opportunities for street photography. At night, head over to the night market, camera in tow!

Visit the Night Market

Ipoh’s vibrant night market is the best place to try some of Ipoh’s unique dishes and also indulge in some shopping. There are a host of shops selling clothes, counterfeit designer watches, bags, shoes, and much more. We highly recommend popping into the Purple Cane Tea Shop for one of their seasonal jellies; we tried the matcha and caramel flavours and both were heavenly! They also serve a variety of teas and stock everything that you might need for a tea ceremony. There are also a number of biscuit shops where you can buy baked goodies, mooncakes, and buns. For dinner, order a plate of beansprout chicken at Restoran Tauge Ayam Ong Kee or the blanched baby octopus at Tuck Kee then get some Tau Fu Fah for dessert.

Shop at the Sunday Flea Market on Memory Lane

One of the more unique things to do in Ipoh is visiting the Sunday flea market on Memory Lane. The market is choc-a-bloc with sellers selling vintage Malay memorabilia including hand-painted tiffin boxes and Chinese porcelain, British-era goods, second-hand clothes, and food and drinks. At one of the stalls, we spotted a lovely gramophone and boxes of old records. At another, there was a pair of hand-painted Hungarian clogs. Laid out on tarpaulin on the sidewalks were melamine plates, cutlery, and numerous knick-knacks.

Walk the Ipoh Heritage Trail

The Ipoh Heritage Trail takes you past Ipoh’s magnificent colonial buildings. There are 30 buildings, almost all in the old town, marked on the Ipoh Heritage Trail map that you can pick up at your hotel. Some of the most remarkable ones are the Arlene Building (Chung Thye Building), Hong Kong & Shanghai Building, Dramatists’ Hostel, Birch Memorial, Perak Hydro Building, Han Chin Pet Soo, Perak Koo Kong Chow Association, and the S.P.H. De Silva Building.

Dine at Tong Sui Kai

What better way to end a list of the best things to do in Ipoh than with more food! Post sundown, the strip of hawker stalls at Tong Sui Kai becomes Ipoh’s most happening attraction. Tong Sui Kai literally translates to “Dessert street” but you get a lot here besides desserts. Locals flock to the stall for the mixed fruit ABC, a dish of cut fruits topped with a scoop of ice cream and other toppings, but you can also try some of Ipoh’s iconic dishes like the Ipoh-style Laksa, Wantan Hor, Hokkien Mee, Rojak, Curry Mee, Blood Cockles, and Char Kuey Teow. Grab a stool and order from different stalls and set up a spread!

Ipoh is poised to become one of Southeast Asia’s hippiest cities but if you want a taste of the old city with its crumbling, moss-ridden buildings, go now. It’s a one-of-a-kind experience to watch a city being resurrected, lovingly, one broken patch at a time by individuals and organizations who are head over heels in love with it. There are so many things to do in Ipoh! We spent three days in Ipoh– barely enough to scratch the surface– so, give yourself at least a week and walk, walk a lot through its streets and lanes for there’s no better way to explore a city than on foot.

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What are your top things to do in Ipoh?


Mohana & Aninda

Mohana and Aninda are travellers and advocates for car-free travel. Two-together is their travel blog where they document their travels to encourage and inspire readers to seek solace in new places, savour local cuisines, and relish both unique and everyday experiences. When they are not travelling, they are actively researching trip ideas and itineraries, obsessing over public transport timetables, reviewing travel budgets, and developing content for their blog. They are currently based in Edinburgh and exploring Scotland and beyond by public transport.

16 responses to “Top Things To Do In Ipoh”

  1. Sam Sees World Avatar
    Sam Sees World

    This looks like such an interesting place to visit! I would definitely be heading to the Concubine Lanes to explore them to the fullest. Plus I love seeing local wall art and the murals here look stunning!

  2. pappasw Avatar
    pappasw

    The photo walk sounds like fun. I would love to see the mansions in North Calcutta it sounds like a great place to explore,

  3. Mei and Kerstin Avatar
    Mei and Kerstin

    We’ve never heard of Ipoh, but have seen pictures of this city’s mural paintings on the web. And now after reading your post, we’re really considering visiting Malaysia, including Ipoh, next year! It’s nice to learn that the city council is restoring colonial-era shophouses and building in Ipoh, and that there are so many awesome food to try. Just thinking about the many fresh fruits, especially durian, we already want to pack our luggage and fly to Malaysia right away!

  4. MY RIG Adventures Avatar
    MY RIG Adventures

    What an interesting history behind the Concubine Lanes. They’d be worth checking out. The Miners Club also intrigues me, I love taking a step back in time when you visit a place. I’d also love to visit the Cave Temples, even if there are 240 steps involved!

  5. Susanne Avatar
    Susanne

    I like traveling in markets, because you always learn so much about the country and people. Yes, and food in the countries says a lot more about a region. I think after each trip I’m 3 kg heavier. That would be me too!

  6. trimmtravels Avatar
    trimmtravels

    I love the colorful bridges lit up at night along the Kinta River. Also I’m a huge fan of street art so I would want to see the murals. And dim sum? That’s all you had to say. I LOVE it!! I also do photo walks when I travel so there’s a lot to do in Ipoh for me. Those Concubine Lanes are all kinds of interesting!

  7. Alison Avatar
    Alison

    I’m wondering if I drove through Ipoh when travelling from Penang to the Cameron Highlands… possibly. It looks like a wonderful Malaysian city. The photos of the buildings, street art and market food brings back fabulous memories of my Malaysian adventures!

  8. Annick Avatar
    Annick

    I love learning about undiscovered places and Ipoh in Malaysia fits the bill. I’m a fan of all the food places already. Plus this is an extensive list of things to do.

  9. The Travel Bunny Avatar
    The Travel Bunny

    I love the moodiness in your photos! As for the destination, I must say Ipoh is attractive. i haven’t been that far in Asia and it’s always fascinating to discover it through articles. Looking forward to visiting, too

  10. Erica Avatar
    Erica

    I wish I´d known about Ipoh when I was in Malaysia this summer! It looks like a destination right up my alley, especially with so many incredible murals. The street art in Malaysia is some of the best I´ve seen, but I´d always known it to be more centered around the Georgetown area of Penang. Definitely adding this city to my itinerary for my next SE Asia trip!

  11. Shishira and Navneeth Avatar
    Shishira and Navneeth

    Lovely photographs – they are really tempting us to go visit Ipoh! We haven’t been to this part of Malaysia, but surely will visit it next time!

    1. Mohana and Aninda Avatar
      Mohana and Aninda

      Thanks, you guys! Ipoh is lovely, really…we loved the food, we loved the architecture! We walked hours everyday and exhausted ourselves but don’t regret it a bit… it’s a city full of stories, a city waiting to be explored.

  12. The Spicy Travel Girl Avatar
    The Spicy Travel Girl

    Beautiful! I visited Ipoh last year for a few days and took a stroll through the Concubine Lane but I feel like there’s soooo much more to do! A fascinating city.

  13. Shelley Marmor Avatar
    Shelley Marmor

    I had never heard of Ipoh, but am 100% adding it to my Malaysia itinerary… from the beautiful street art murals to the food, I learned so much from your blog & now I can’t wait to see this amazing “hipster” destination in person!

  14. World of Lina Avatar
    World of Lina

    Ipoh looks like such an interesting city to explore! I would love to visit the night market and do a photo walk. Your photos are beautiful 🙂

  15. Alex Avatar
    Alex

    What an incredible looking place! I’d never heard of it before but your photos are absolutely stunning and definitely make me want to check it out 😍

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