Langkawi to Penang
How to get there by Bus, Train, Boat, Car, Flight

To get from Langkawi to Penang you have a number of travel options available, so depending on your budget, you can choose to take a direct flight (35 minutes, costing 100+ RM), a direct boat to Georgetown (3 hours, ticket price 73.60 RM) or take a shorter boat trip to the mainland and continue by bus or train.

The cost of the journey will depend on which way you choose.

Below are the options from the most expensive to the cheapest way to travel:

1) Take a direct flight from LGK to PEN.

2) Take a direct ferry from Langkawi to Georgetown on Penang Island.

3) *Take a much shorter ferry to the mainland, then continue your journey by either bus or train to Butterworth.

*Travelling this way works out at around half the price than taking the direct ferry, so if you want to save money and don't mind a bit of a longer journey, this is the best way to go.

For the best ways to travel in the other direction from Penang to Langkawi click here >

Direct Boat from Kuah Langkawi to Georgetown Penang

Perahu terus dari Kuah Langkawi ke Georgetown Pulau Pinang

The direct ferry leaves Kuah jetty just twice a day and usually takes around three hours to make the trip to Penang Island.

The duration of the ferry journey to Penang from Langkawi can sometimes depend on the weather - when it is rough it can take quite a bit longer and is not the most pleasant way to go if you get seasick.

To see the latest timetables and fares for the direct ferry to Penang click here >

The Cheapest Way to Travel to Penang from Langkawi

Cara Termurah untuk Melancong ke Pulau Pinang dari Langkawi

If you are travelling on a budget and don't mind a much longer journey, you can get to Penang for half the price of the direct ferry if you take the following routes:

To Penang Via Kuala Kedah (Alor Setar)

Ke Pulau Pinang Melalui Kuala Kedah (Alor Setar)

This journey involves taking the much shorter ferry ride to the mainland, to Kuala Kedah Jetty.

Once you arrive at K. Kedah, you can then take a local bus to Alor Setar city centre from the main road in front of the ferry terminal (or taxi for about 15 - 20 RM if you want to get there quickly or there are a few of you to share the cost).

Ask the bus driver to let you off at the nearest stop to the Alor Setar Train Station.

Then it's a 5 to 10 minute walk to the train station.

Cheap KTM Komuter (commuter) trains leave Alor Setar for Butterworth every one or two hours apart, starting in the early morning and running until late in the evening.

From Butterworth train station, you then take the short ferry ride over to Georgetown on Penang Island.

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Further reading for this route:

To see the ferry timetable from Langkawi to Kuala Kedah click here >

To see the KTM Komuter train timetable from Alor Setar to Butterworth click here >

For information on Butterworth Railway Station click here >

For information on the ferry from Butterworth to Georgetown click here >

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To Penang Via Kuala Perlis and Arau

Ke Pulau Pinang Melalui Kuala Perlis dan Arau

Another option is to take the boat to Kuala Perlis, then take a bus from the nearby bus station to Butterworth bus station (Penang Sentral).

This is the shortest ferry journey to the mainland (one hour and 15 minutes) so if you don't like long boat trips this is a good route to take.

This way works our slightly more expensive than going via K. Kedah and the Kuala Perlis to Butterworth / Penang bus is not that frequent and often fully booked.

Another option is to take a taxi or bus from Kuala Perlis jetty to Arau railway station.

From Arau you can take one of the regular and cheap KTM Komuter trains to Butterworth.

For the Komuter train timetable from Arau to Butterworth click here >

If you decide to take the bus to Arau Train Station, this involves taking a "MyBas" bus from Kuala Perlis Bus Terminal to Kangar Bus Terminal.

At Kangar, you will have to change to another MyBas bus to Arau.

For more information about the buses to Arau:

Please visit the MyBas official website here >

Flights from LGK to PEN

Penerbangan dari LGK ke PEN

The quickest way to get to Penang from Langkawi is to take a 40-minute flight from Langkawi Airport to Penang Airport.

If you plan ahead and book in advance, you can often find some good value seats on these planes.

To search for flights deals click here >

Once you arrive at Penang International Airport, you can choose to take a taxi or RapidPenang bus into Georgetown or anywhere else on the island.

To find bus times / fares visit the RapidPenang website here >

Driving from Langkawi to Penang by Car

Memandu dari Langkawi ke Pulau Pinang dengan Kereta

If you have taken your car over to Langkawi Island, you will have to go back to the mainland the same way you came, via the Kuala Perlis car ferry.

For information, timetables and fares for the Langkawi car ferries click here >

Once you arrive in K. Perlis, the best way to travel by road is to head straight for the E1 North-South Highway, then drive all the way to Butterworth.

At Butterworth, you can then decide to take the ferry to Georgetown or go via the first Penang Bridge.

Find the best places to stay in Penang >

Langkawi Ferries main page >

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