Ipoh Itinerary – How Long Do You Need To See Ipoh?

Ipoh is a small city that is famous for its food, cave temples, history, and limestone hills. But how long does it take to see the best that Ipoh has to offer?

If you’re a foodie, we recommend staying a minimum of 2 days so that you have more opportunities to try the local food.

But it is possible to see Ipoh’s most famous attractions in a single day too. Keep reading and we’ll show you how!

Half Day In Ipoh

Only have a few hours in Ipoh? Then check out Ipoh Old Town. If you’re planning on picking up Ipoh souvenirs, you can get them at Ipoh New Town too.

Attractions to see in Ipoh Old Town include Ipoh Railway Station (just for photos), Concubine Lane and Han Chin Pet Soo Museum.

As for food, we recommend Kedai Makanan Nam Heong (typical local breakfast cuisine, Ipoh white coffee, and great egg tarts). Or Restoran Thean Chun for its authentic kai se hor fun.

One Day In Ipoh

If you have a full day in Ipoh, you can afford to go a bit further than Ipoh Old Town.

Fill up the rest of the day with a trip to one of Ipoh’s recreational parks and many cave temples – we recommend Qing Xin Ling Leisure & Cultural Village (temporarily closed) or Mirror Lake and Kek Look Tong.

A typical Ipoh day itinerary could be:

• 8am – Breakfast at Moon De Moon (kai se hor fun)
• 9am – Take a boat ride at Mirror Lake
• 10am – Explore Concubine Lane, see some historical landmarks, and street murals
• 11am – Early lunch at Ipoh Old Town (Restoran Thean Chun)
• 12pm – Visit a museum (Han Chin Pet Soo) and shop for some souvenirs in Ipoh New Town (e.g., Ayam Garam Aun Kheng Lim, Sin Weng Fai Peanut Candy Shop, Sin Eng Heong biscuit shop)
• 2pm – Grab a white coffee at Kedai Makanan Nam Heong, or try tau fu fah (Woong Kee Beancurd on Taman Jubilee)
• 3pm – Visit Kek Look Tong or Perak Cave Temple.
• 5pm – Try some pomelos at Tambun Pomelo GoChin Agro Farm
• 6pm – Early dinner at Restoran Cowan Street Ayam Tauge & Koitiau

If you want convenience and a local’s insight, you can consider a local tour service.

Two Days In Ipoh

With two days in Ipoh, you can afford to get up early for a filling dim sum breakfast (queues start early for Chooi Yue Dim Sum.

After which, you can break up the above itinerary for a more relaxed pace. Or extend the above itinerary by adding even more cave temples. Or go café hopping in the afternoon as Ipoh has many charming cafes.

You can also go further from Ipoh to see the TT5 tin dredge, Kellie’s Castle, or Gua Tempurung.

And because you are staying in Ipoh for a night, you can check out the local night markets – there is usually one every day of the week.

Or go for snow beer and a late supper at Fei Bo Snow Beer in Ipoh Garden East.

There are also the hot springs over at Lost World Tambun – these open in the evening and they have a mini zoo as well.

If you think you’ve had enough of Ipoh already, you can use your second day to make a day trip from Ipoh to either Taiping or Cameron Highlands.

Three Days In Ipoh

Three days is probably the longest you can stay in Ipoh before you start getting bored. You should have enough time to cover all the places mentioned in this post. And get a good nights’ rest too.

With three days, you can try even more food in Ipoh – there is a lot of good food outside Ipoh Old Town and Ipoh New Town.

Joining a tour and having a local guide show you their favorite spots is a great way of finding these lesser-known foodie jewels in Ipoh.

Some local favorites include the chee cheong fun at Pasir Pinji (Pasir Pinji Chee Cheong Fun) or the cendol at Gunung Rapat (Cendol Mari Gunung Rapat).

Conclusion

Plan your Ipoh itinerary well and you’ll be able to see the top attractions in a day. But as locals, we suggest staying longer than a day.

Because the unique attractions like the TT5 tin dredge are further away from Ipoh Old Town. You might also want to stay longer for the food!

Take a tour with Explore Ipoh and we’ll show you around our hometown. These are private tours with flexible itineraries that can suit groups of different sizes. And we have multilingual guides too!

WhatsApp us for more information or to make a booking!