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Ipoh

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Overview

Colonial architecture stands side by side with rickety kedai kopi (coffee shops) in chameleonic Ipoh. The capital of Perak is flanked by towering white cliffs, some with magnificent cave temples pocketed in the limestone. Sliced into old and new towns by the Kinta River, Ipoh charms with its street art and street food – rather like a languid version of George Town.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Sam Poh Tong

    Sam Poh Tong

    Ipoh

    First discovered by a monk in 1890, this cavern, 5km south of Ipoh, is now a riot of religious statuary and pagoda tiles. The entrance pavilion is grand…

  • Kek Look Tong

    Kek Look Tong

    Ipoh

    With a craggy cave mouth beneath a towering cliff, Kek Look Tong (1920) has the most impressive approach of all Ipoh's temples. Three Sages dominate the…

  • Perak Tong

    Perak Tong

    Ipoh

    Developed in 1926 by Chinese Buddhists Chong Sen Yee and his wife, this temple (7km north of Ipoh) is popular for its mesmerising murals and panoramic…

  • Birch Memorial Clock Tower

    Birch Memorial Clock Tower

    Ipoh

    The clock tower, with a 1.95m-diameter bell, was erected in 1909 in memory of James WW Birch, Perak’s first British Resident. Birch was murdered in 1875…

  • Muzium Darul Ridzuan

    Muzium Darul Ridzuan

    Ipoh

    North of the padang (field), this museum is housed in a 1926 villa built for a wealthy Chinese tin miner. The museum features displays on the history of…

  • Train Station

    Train Station

    Ipoh

    It's no wonder that locals compare it to the Taj Mahal: Ipoh's train station is a harmonious Moorish and Victorian architectural masterpiece, framed by…

  • Han Chin Pet Soo

    Han Chin Pet Soo

    Ipoh

    This charming small museum charts the history of Han Chin Villa, a 1929 clubhouse for Hakka tin miners that became a hotbed of prostitution, opium trading…

  • Masjid Panglima Kinta

    Masjid Panglima Kinta

    Ipoh

    This late-19th-century mosque, attractively painted white and sky blue, is tucked away in Ipoh's new town, on the east bank of the Kinta River.

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