Is Ipoh Worth Visiting? 8 Reasons Why You Should Visit

Need more reasons to consider Ipoh as one your stops while visiting the country?

What is unique about Ipoh that you can’t find elsewhere? And is the infrastructure convenient for sightseeing?

Read on and find out!

1. Food

This is the main reason that many locals from outside Ipoh come over on the weekends. The food is good and affordable (to outsiders anyways. Because it’s getting pricey for locals).

There is a big variety to choose from and the chefs are mostly local folk. And this goes for halal food too. Vegetarians also have many eateries to try in Ipoh.

Our most unique dishes are kai see hor fun (shredded chicken with rice noodles and prawn shell broth) and Hainanese chicken rice with beansprouts.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and this cannot be truer in Ipoh. There are many places to get breakfast in Ipoh and local coffee shops are busiest in the morning.

PS: Ipoh is also the birthplace of Ipoh white coffee.

And if it’s in season, you should try pomelos from Tambun. These are so unique that they get exported to Singapore with labels stating that they are from Tambun.

If there’s any other Malaysian dish that you really want to try, there’s usually somewhere in Ipoh where you can get it. For example, curry mee!

Here’s our full list of local food to try in Ipoh!

2. Limestone Hills

Ipoh is a valley city with many limestone ranges. Yes, many of them are victim to quarries – the evidence is painfully clear if you are drive from Kuala Lumpur to Ipoh.

But there are still places to go where you can admire the scenery up close. Such as the famous Mirror Lake (Tasik Cermin). And the cave temples in Ipoh – our personal favorite is Kek Look Tong.

Qing Xin Ling Leisure And Cultural Village and Gunung Lang Recreational Park are also scenic.

If you have time, we highly recommend a caving tour at Gua Tempurung which is 40 minutes out of Ipoh city. The wet tours are especially a lot of fun.

Note: If you like adventurous activities, there’s also white-water rafting in Gopeng not far from Gua Tempurung

3. Affordable Luxury

You don’t need to be super rich to book a nice resort in Ipoh. There are two fabulous choices you can’t go wrong with:

Like the private villas at the child-free Banjaran Hot Springs Resort. This resort also has a restaurant in a limestone cave (Jeff’s Cellar) that is quite the experience.

Or the more family friendly The Haven Resort which has modern suites for families. These two resorts are in Tambun, and both offer great facilities and scenery.

4. Rich History

Before it became a tourist destination, Ipoh was the world’s tin capital. You can see the influence of how tin shaped Ipoh over at TT5 Tin Dredge in Tanjung Tualang.

And at Victoria Bridge over at Kuala Kangsar. There’s also an incomplete mansion with European and Moorish architecture that you can visit (Kellie’s Castle) at Batu Gajah.

For the history buffs, don’t miss a visit to Han Chin Pet Soo Museum. If you have extra time, other insightful museums include Ho Han Hor Museum, Kinta Tin Mining (Gravel Pump) Museum and 22 Hale Street Gallery.

5. Vibrant Café Culture

Got a thing for cafes? Ipoh has plenty of modern cafes. Some repurpose old heritage buildings. Plus, there are always new cafes coming up.

Our personal favorites in Ipoh Old Town and Ipoh New Town include Jln Theatre Coffee, Cold Blue Specialty Coffee, August Healing and Patisserie & Boulangerie Gourmandes.

If you don’t mind going further from town, we really like Little Allegra Bakery and Omni Coffee Roasters too.

6. Sunway Lost World

They didn’t pay us to say this:

But if you have a day to spare in Ipoh, kids will have a blast at Sunway Lost World. Just know that the admission fees are not cheap, and there are no exciting thrill rides for adults here.

Plan to stay there from the afternoon until late evening to try their water park (including a wave pool) and hot springs. There’s also a mini zoo that is livelier at night!

7. Easy To Explore

Lastly, Ipoh is very easy to explore. You can rely on your own two feet for Old Town and New Town.

From town (and the airport), it’s also easy to get an e-hailing service or taxi. Just mind that you need to plan (e.g., pre-book a return trip) if you want to go to places that are further away.

See more options for getting around Ipoh.

Furthermore, you don’t need a whole week to explore Ipoh. We recommend 3 days maximum. But 1 to 2 full days is usually enough for most people to get a feel of Ipoh.

8. It Connects To Other Interesting Places

With a 2-hour drive or less, you can make easy day trips from Ipoh to places like Penang, Taiping, Kuala Sepetang, Cameron Highlands, Kuala Kangsar and more.

The most popular day trips from Ipoh is to Cameron Highlands. If there’s no traffic, you can get there in under 2 hours using the newer road up.

Related: How To Go From Ipoh To Cameron Highlands

Note: Landslides are always a risk if you travel during and after subsequent days of rain.

Through Ipoh’s airport (Sultan Azlan Shah Airport), it only takes 1 hour to fly to Singapore. There used to be direct flights to Langkawi too, but these are no longer in operation.

If you don’t mind taking a ferry, there’s Pangkor Island which is a nice change of pace compared to land-locked Ipoh.

PS: We (Explore Ipoh Tour Service) do provide private tour services such as: Ipoh Tour and Ipoh to Cameron Highlands Tour.

WhatsApp us for a free quote.

Conclusion

And this wraps up our reasons on why Ipoh is worth visiting.

Did we convince you to give Ipoh a shot? Ipoh is not known for its nightlife, but early birds, families, foodies, coffee aficionados, and history enthusiasts will like it here.

Note: If you’re up for some adventure, Ipoh’s Gua Tempurung is a must-visit!