Kek Lok Si Temple

We visited on 31 March 2025. A public holiday. Very bad traffic jam towards the temple. We parked at the 1st car park at base level. We didn’t know that we could drive up to the different levels and pay parking there too. At base level, you can take the lift (funicular) at RM$3 per person to go up to mid level. RM$3 for the down ride. Total RM$6 person. The 15 minute walk up to the mid level was not nice as there was no proper walking path or signage & the hot weather made it worse. You can drive up and park at mid level. From mid level, same thing applies. Lift (funicular) RM$3 per person to go up top level to view the large Goddess of Mercy. RM$3 to come down. Unfortunately, the Goddess of Mercy area was closed for upgrading works. At the top level, you get a nice view and there’s a temple too. You can also drive up to top level and it’s paid parking. The pagoda area is worth a visit too. RM$2 per person. It’s at the mid level and a short walk only. It is a beautiful temple and a must visit place. We enjoyed ourselves and you can spend up to 2hrs there. Wear slip on walking shoes is best. Enjoy 🥳

A must-visit in Penang Stunning temple complex with beautiful architecture, peaceful gardens, and panoramic views. Don’t miss the pagoda and the huge Guanyin statue. You can walk or take the lift up (RM6 return). It gets hot and busy, so come early. Some parts feel a bit commercial, but overall, it’s an impressive and meaningful place. Definitely worth the visit.

Always a glorious experience visiting here. The calm, the nature, the serene environment, the exquisite architecture - the place is just dripping with culture. You can take the lifts all the way up to the top. Best time is usually 8.30am - 10.00am when it's quiet and not crowded. Bring lots of change as well so you can try out the Wishing Ribbons and purchase lamps for each shrine.

The temple is nice but the maintenance of the walkways up to the temple is sad. I expected much better. Also the man at the lower entrance to the cable car was rude. Told me to go back to the bus...but I didn't come by bus. I came by Grab. He told me I can't ride the cable car in a rude manner. He shouldn't work in this job if he can't be nice to people.

Visited at 4pm about an hour before closing. They provide transport to the top in 3 stages, the tram from the lower level is not working. So they shuttle bus us up to the second stage and then golf carted us to the last tram. View from top is great. At top there are variety of smaller temple to see, and some prayer candles and other items to purchase.

If you are going by walk try to take a tram for 4 stations costs 8rm for adult n foreigners. While coming you can climb down easily. Try to go by evenings to avoid extreme heat. The temple has multiple layers first cover the big statues and temple on the top and lower one while coming you can cover the rest . Old and beautiful temple

One of the coolest temples I have seen. Very big and very beautiful. For those wondering, it is free to go in and you don’t have to pay for anything. You can take a trolley up to the top I guess which cost a few ringgit. Pretty easy to find scooter parking near the bottom for free. By far Most turtles actually seen in one place at once.

A Buddhist temple with stunning architecture, well maintained premises and good views of the city There are three main levels of the temples. The topmost being a gigantic statue of Kuan. Unfortunately it was under renovation and not accessible The other temples within the premises have statues of different versions of the Buddha and information about the same with both the original Sanskrit names alongside Chinese versions The place is calm and serene and well maintained too. However multiple access points are paid entries. There is no single ticket that covers all levels including transport. It gets confusing and expensive too Even the directions to go between multiple levels are not clear and obvious

This seven story pagoda temple sits in the hills overlooking Penang. Built in 1891, Kek Lok Si Temple is one of the largest and finest temples complexes in Southeast Asia. It has millions of images of Buddha and hundreds of intricate carvings, sculptures and murals in the interior and exterior of the temple halls, pagodas and archways. Allow at least an hour and a half to enjoy the "climb" up various stairs and ramps to actually get to the pagoda. I started at the temple market where there are several souvenir stands. Here use the restroom. Next is the Tortoise Liberation Pond, unbelievable how many turtles are here. Make you read why and take in the white Chinese style architecture in the bridges. Now continue up the hill on the stairs to Avalokiteshvara Hall. This vast hall and home to three magnificent Buddhas is decked out in the brightest red and gold. Keep wandering in and out of the various niches on your way to the Garden Pavilion of Lord Buddha. From this garden terrace you have an incredible view of Penang. Wander up a few more stairs and ramps and you are now at the octagonal base of the 30 meter high pagoda. Take a break, grab your breath. Then climb the seven floors to the top for an even better experience. Stairs are narrow and can be quite crowded, take your time. After you have taken in all the views and art work, enjoy the decent back down the hill. Bring a bottle of water and remember any time of year here is very hot and humid. The almost 140 years of art and architecture is worth it. Admission is free.

Beautiful Buddhist temple with so many exploring options, including a live turtle pond (you can feed them local veggies sold there), walking paths and staircases to get cool vantage points of the grand temple structures and statues. Super affordable admission for the two funiculars, and even transport via Grab app from the city is like $3. Spend the day and get cheap souvenirs from their indoor shops too. I scored a sweet solar-nodding Totoro with a hand painted bus stop sign for $4!

Kek Lok Si is one of the treasure in Penang Island. It has close to 190 years of history. It was build to store many Buddha. Not just history that attracts people, it is a great symbol for Buddhist believers. They program such Buddhist reading and vegetarian food for not killing. Teaching people to be nice and fair to each one. I have been Kek Lok Si many time. But never the 15th day after Chinese new year. They have special event. The lantern festival. It is a famous festivals of the world and you need to be there within 15 day after Chinese New Year. They have different lantern and light entire temple. Including the pagoda and the Kuan Yin. The lantern are beautiful. The trick is to park your car at mid section and walk all the way to take the cable car to the Kuan Yin. You can paid $2 ringgit to access the the pagoda. They have thousands Buddha. You also get to see from top down entire lighted compound. The Kuan Yin has a temple roof over it. It is beautiful. Many has come here to ask for peace of body. You can put coin to get completeness of your life below the statue. I would said make plan within 15 day after Chinese New Year is the best time to visit.

I finally found a cab and he agreed to take me here, until I discovered that there weren't any other cabs in the main area. Well, fortunately he agreed to stay for a bit extra, which gave us time to explore this immense place, and I mean that it is immense. Sure, there is the main temple at the front, but honestly, this place sprawls. There is even a biggish type Buddha further up the hill, but the deeper we went into the temple, the more lost we became, until we reach a point which was closed, but a sign pointed to an elevator that I couldn't find. Still, definitely worth checking out, and don't just go into the main temple at the front, they are quite happy for you to wander further around inside.

Kek Lok Si Temple is worth the trip! There are many beautiful places to adore and worship. The craftsmanship throughout can be appreciated throughout the exploration of this amazing place. There is an incline to take to see at a reasonable charge, there are plenty of little pockets of exploration, a small fee to explore some additional areas, but all well worth it! I would recommend coming here and allocating maybe 3 hours of you want to expedite your tour (including walking there and back). This should provide with plenty of time to take in all the beauty and sites of Kek Lok Si Temple.

Wrapping up my series of Penang reviews is Kek Lok Si Temple. This Buddhist temple is considered to be the largest in all of Southeast Asia. Having visited this temple in person, I would agree with that statement. It is definitely one of the biggest temple complexes that I have visited. Comparable in size and location to Chi Nan Temple in Taiwan. Both are on the outskirts of the main city area (Taipei and George Town respectively) and have gorgeous views of the land below. Kek Lok Si Temple is located in Air Itam. It is close by to Air Itam Market which is known for their food stalls and particularly for offering assam laksa. Hence, it would be convenient to have a meal before or after visiting the temple. The temple is also close by to Penang Hill so you could visit both spots on the same trip. Given the heat in Penang, I would recommend doing the temple in the morning, lunch at Air Itam Market and visiting Penang Hill in the afternoon. As you enter the temple complex, you will need to go through a walkway to get up to the main entrance. The walkway is a bit dark so make sure you watch your step. As you head further up, you will come across a number of souvenir shops. And I recall there being a vegetarian restaurant as well. You may also come across a few beggars that sit to the side of the walkway up to the temple. Though you can simply walk past. After walking up the flight of stairs, you will be rewarded by seeing a site full of architectural wonder. The temple has a mix of different influences. For instance, there is a large pagoda here that consists of Chinese, Thai and Burmese architectural styles. Inside the temple buildings, you will find many areas of worship full of beautiful Buddhist statues. Above the temple, you will find a large Kuan Yin statue. To reach it, you need to take a lift up to see it. There is a lift fee of RM 3 each way, so RM 6 roundtrip. After exiting the lift, you will see a park like area here which are full of Chinese zodiac statues (ex. Dog, Pig, Tiger). There is even a large koi pond here with a gazebo above to watch the fish. And as you walk up to the Kuan Yin statue, you will notice the building structure below it has carvings which tell different stories. If you are visiting Penang, going to Kek Lok Si Temple is an absolute must. I though the temple was the best site that I visited while on the island.

Kek Lok Si Temple is a must to be visit if you happened to be at Penang. Kek Lok means "Ultimate Bliss" in Cantonese. If you love to explore the culture of Buddhism, Kek Lok Si are built with magnificent images of Buddha and hundreds of meaningful Chinese carvings, sculptures and murals in the interior and exterior of the temple halls, pagodas and archways. before walking into the entrance of temple, visitors need to walk through this pathway alongside selling all sorts of souvenirs,shirts, trinkets and local products. This pathway is very dark and it was built on step. Be sure to walk carefully. The sellers are quite "scary" they went all out just to get us to stop at their stall. Once we stop at this stall, another stall selling the same thing started to shout a lower price. Eventually the sellers started to argue. So just try to walk faster if you guys don't feel like buying stuff. The pathway then leads to the Tortoise Liberation Pond. There are so many tortoise of all size, some are gigantic! you can buy water convolvulus from vendor nearby to feed to thortoise, it cost around RM 2. Chinese believes feeding animals is a good deed and bring good luck. Cultural building like this is important to preserve and it is quite sad to see Kek Lok Si look dilapidated as a result of age and negligence. I wish the authority can do something about it.

Kek Lok Si is a pretty nice excursion outside of town! I would recommend it, but understand that this Buddhist temple is a more "modern" feel than those in Mainland China. Still partly under construction! GET THERE: Take the bus! 201/203/204 will take you from central part of Georgetown to Kek Lok Si. Just notify the bus driver, "Kek Lok Si", and you'll be dropped off in a matter of 30ish minutes at a crossroad. Go left on the crossroad (there is a sign on the street, no worries) and walk 200-300 meters and you're at the entrance. The giant Guan Yin is pretty amazing when you pay to get to the top (6 Malaysian Ringgit RT) and you get a nice view of Georgetown, which is a nice alternative (and cheaper) than that of Penang Hill. Overall, pretty nice Chinese Buddhist temple, but a LOT of shops inside that detracts from a feeling of a religious site of prayer and holiness.

Stunning, massive temple with great views of the rest of Penang. There is a 30m tall statue of the Goddess of Mercy at the top. The walk up to the temple is long so unless you want to kill your thighs take an uber to the top and a walk back down. We did not see many visitor while we were here making for a nice, quite tour but not sure if that experience is typical.

kek Lok Si is the oldest temple complex in Penang and a famous tourist destination. However for buddhist devotees, it is also a place of prayer or meditation. Since I am not a buddhist, I would be reviewing this place from the eyes of a tourist. The temple complex started out small but more and more buildings were added as the years went by. Due to a time constraint I was unable to visit all the temples in the Kek Lok Si complex, only the Kuan Yin temple that houses a giant 30.2 m statue of Kuan Yin. The temple itself is new and beautiful with many elements of traditional Chinese architecture. The garden is dotted with stone sculptures of animals from the Chinese zodiac as well as many other auspicious animals like the tortoise. A fish pond sit in the middle of the garden and you can purchase some fish food from the souvenir store on the temple grounds to feed them. For those who want to make wishes for themselves or loved ones, there are ribbons you can buy for less than RM5 to tie onto some branches, Otherwise you can spend RM30 and write your wishes on some roof tiles. All proceeds go towards maintaining the temple itself. For Buddhist devotees, you can also climb up to the base of the Kuan Yin statue and perform a religious ceremony whereby gold coins are dropped in bowls around Kuan Yin's feet.

Kek Lok Si Temple is a tourists spot in Penang and i've been here several times already. Im not very impressed by it as I don't see the attraction, I do however enjoy the shopping on the way up. There are many little shops that line the walk up to the temple. These shops sell souvenirs and clothes etc. The temple itself is admittedly gorgeous and i guess its a site you wont find anywhere else in Malaysia, thats what makes it so special. I dont know anything on the history of this temple but it definitely is a must see when in Penang.

Kek Lok Si Temple is my must-visit temple. I never fail to visit them whenever I go to Penang (unless I got no control of the itinerary) because I am a follower of Goddess of Mercy. Though I am not a super religious person, I have my own believe that whenever I go to Penang, I must pay her a visit as a form of respect and thanking her for looking out for my family and I and of course to do some donation for the temple's maintenance. This temple houses the biggest and tallest Goddess of Mercy in Malaysia. If there's a temple that you must visit in Malaysia, this will be it. It is so beautiful you won't regret visiting. To get to the temple, there is actually two way up. You can either walk up (those staircases) all the way from the bottom, or go up by vehicles. I've done both and actually I enjoyed walking one step by step than going up by vehicle. However, I can only do that when I'm traveling with my friends because when traveling with elderly, it is best to drive up by car as walking will be too exhausting for them. Non-Buddhist shall pay this temple a visit for sight seeing purposes. You don't want to miss out the beautiful temple and beautiful view from the top!

One of the reasons why I love visiting Penang Island for holidays other than their local cuisines, is Kek Lok Si Temple. Kek Lok Si Temple is a famous Buddhist Temple located in Air Itam area of Penang which is also on top of a hill that is facing the sea which also has an impressive view of the island. It is definitely one of the best and largest Chinese Buddhist Temple in Malaysia, the pride of the local chinese community. Kek Lok Si Temple is considered one of the more popular tourist attractions in Penang island. I will always pay a visit to this temple every time when I visit Penang Island. This temple is also home to one of the largest statues of the Goddess of Mercy or "Guan Yin" Buddha, and almost without fail, I will pay my respects to "Guan Yin" and pray for good health and prosperity for my family. Just by being here, I feel at peace partly due to the serene environment and high ground level I supposed. If you have yet visited Kek Lok Si Temple, I urge you to pay this temple a visit!

Beautiful, just beautiful. I can see why people everywhere make a trip to Penang to visit this temple throughout the year. It was so peaceful and tranquil walking through the grounds of this place. It is huge! Getting to the temple was no easy trek either. The entire walk is uphill. I rewarded myself with two meals. Also, I took the tram up and down the hill. It was a blistering hot afternoon and I thoroughly enjoyed the tram.

Beautiful temple with stunning views. Holiday lights. Large statues and right by the laksa street food vendor to boot at the bottom of the hill.