Mural Art’s Lane – Where Many Street Murals Are In Ipoh

Murals have come and gone but this tourist attraction remains a must-see for many first-time visitors to Ipoh.

Where is this lane and how many murals can you see here? Is it worth the detour from Ipoh downtown?

Here’s how we feel about Mural Art’s Lane.

Where Is Mural Art’s Lane?

Contrary to the name, this is not one street with murals. Instead, there are several back-alley lanes. And this part of Ipoh New Town is quiet.

But it is still a doable walk from Ipoh Old Town. It takes about 10 minutes to walk here from Concubine Lane. The route will take you over the Jalan Sultan Iskandar Bridge.

You’ll also get to see the blue roofed mosque (Majid Panglima Kinta) on Jalan Masjid on your way to Mural Arts’ Lane.

If you choose to drive here, it should not be hard to find parking close by.

What You Should Know

There are no entrance fees or fixed opening hours to visit Mural Art’s Lane. There are no walking tours for this place either.

Moreover, there are no signs to indicate where the lane is. This is because you can see some of the large murals from the outside.

You can get a map for this attraction from the Tourist Information Centre in Ipoh if you want.

Note: You can enter the back-alley from multiple points.

Mural Art’s Lane is mostly flat, but the alleys have some litter and are not the cleanest. Since there are no roofs, shelters, or benches here, visitors do not hang around after taking photos.

If you’re looking for a place to cool down and have a coffee, here are some nearby cafes:

• August Healing
• Seong Man Teahouse
• Vintage Café No100

Murals

Mural Art’s Lane was started by local artist and teacher, Eric Lai in 2013.

The oldest murals at the back are starting to fade and flake. There are only a handful of murals painted during the pandemic. We saw new murals dated 2023.

You can tell the new paintings from the old ones easily just by looking. Because the colors are a lot more vibrant than the other street murals. They have a youthful energy to them.

A common theme for the cheery paintings is unity, culture, daily life, and festivals. The artist’s name and date of the painting are usually written on the murals. Or part of them.

There are no 3D paintings at Mural Art’s Lane. The paintings are missing that interactive element that the ones in Penang have.

You won’t see any paintings that have distressing meanings behind them either.

Check out all the lanes as there are new ones mixed in with the old paintings. We probably spent less than 30 minutes to see most of them.

Conclusion

Even if it’s your second time at Mural Art’s Lane, there are usually new paintings to see. During our most recent visit, it looks like half of the paintings are old, and the other half are new.

What’s great about this place is that you can take your time posing since there are usually no crowds. Besides taking photos though, there is nothing else to do here.

Nor is there any information about the meanings behind the paintings, or some details about the artist, etc. So, if you’re not keen on selfies or street art, you can skip this place if you don’t have time for it.