Penang State Museum and Art Gallery in Butterworth

Still under construction. Walk around the area and couldnt find any sign about it.

The building looks nice but it is temporarily closed for renovations.

It is better than expected. Interesting for local history and culture ... views of times gone by. Very nostalgic

If it is possible to review with no star, I would definitely do so. Very bad public relations. On October, I emailed them my details as per request for those who are interested to visit this place, they replied saying they have received it and look forward to have us. When we went there on 27th November 2021, it was under renovation. We even went to both at Macalister Road and near Penang High Court, both are under construction! They have no tendency to freaking email us saying that they’re under construction.We contacted the numbers, emailed them and left a comment on ig on SATURDAY for them to reply on TUESDAY NIGHT!

Old site of the museum is under renovation for 3 years now and given the current state, it looks like another 3-10 years will be needed to finish the work (goes to show how little the local authorities care about culture). The website offers little or confusing information (apparently it is closed although it may also be that its open, current location of the exhibition is difficult to discern, almost as if the people who manage the museum are not really interested in people coming to see it). The whole thing reeks of third world neglect. Shameful, for a UNESCO listed city.

Visited back in Jan.This is an interesting museum documenting the history of Penang with an eclectic mix of exhibits. It’s not the most fascinating museum in the world, but the exhibits are good quality and mostly come with descriptions. I especially liked the mock-up of traditional Chinese houses.

Please note, just been today. Place is still closed and with the amount of work going on, doesnt look as though it will be open anytime soon.

went there but sadly it was under renovation. got to come back someday to revisit this place. thus we decided to visit the next door Catholic church museum instead.

Went on mid December 2019 only to see it was closed for restoration work. Then read at Wikipedia that it has been undergoing major renovation since 2017 and is expected to take 3 years to complete. Should have checked beforehand. In the meantime, they have setup a temporary, smaller museum at McAllister Road. Read that at Wikipedia too. Theres no sign mentioning this at the main state museum site.

The lousiest museum in the whole world. You have to pay to enter and they only have rubbish. Go to London if you want to visit real museums. And its free.

Still closed. October 30 2019

Unfortunately the museum was closed ( this info was not displayed on the internet)

The place moved from its advertised spot on Google maps to a place in the other side of town. No information is given in the website besides the address on the bottom of the page. The museum itself is 3 rooms, badly arranged, no information in a lot of items, very poor in the exposition. The only good thing is that it is only 1MYR entrance, but even for that price it was able to disappoint us.

It was closed without any sign. They don’t mention about this closing on their website either. I just waisted my time getting there.

Was dissapointed. Our first trip to Penang.

It is closed and not in good repair. Websites do not clearly reflect that this site isnt open. We went to some trouble to get there. A bit disappointed.

This place is closed and been closed for renovations since 2017. Has moved some stuff to another location circa 30 mins walk away.

Much better than what Ive originally expected. An incredible, informative and lively displays at museum that will lead you through the journey of Penang and its different people. Really showing well how diverse and colourful the island is. Im highly recommend to anyone wanting to understand the history, culture and people.

The museum is closed at the moment because of renovations!

I really enjoyed my trip to the museum, its very thorough in its description of artifacts and conveys well the feelings and culture of the times throughout Penangs past.

Nice place to visit. Interesting to see history and cheap, and very cool to take a break from too hot outside.

Google map!! this place info is wrong!They not open

Currently the museum on Farquhar Rd is temporarily closed for renovation (estimated till 2020). For the time being, it is relocated to another place: 57, Macalister Road (previously an old maternity hospital). There is a small exhibition with a small amount of exhibits there to get a glimpse about the people and history of pulau pinang, but it is definitely not enough, especially for a museum/history enthusiast like myself. Entry is rm 1 for malaysian citizens (not sure how much it costs for our foreign friendsThough, it was a nice break from the mid-day heat.Am waiting patiently for the re-opening of the museum with its restored splendour in the future. Will definitely come back once it is opened!

Its not like I hated it, but I cannot rate it because the place is closed for renovation and I dont know when will it open again

Beautiful building; the art collection is interesting; although not the best I have seen.

Closed for renovation work until reopening 2020, but usually a nice place to visit, with lots of free photo opportunities, good information and early Penang history.

This place actually holds a very valuable potential as the exhibitions are well-kept. However, at some galleries, the atmosphere is eery with poor lighting. It can also be very quiet which creates unsettling feeling when not many people are visiting.

1RM entry fee is an absolute bargain. Even if you have no interest in museums or learning more about Penang come here for the air conditioning. That being said, it is a museum worthy of a visit.

Interesting musuem with lots of historical photographs and maps showcasing the rich heritage of Penang. Would have given 5 star if there were more interactive exhibits. But for the entrance fee it is totally worth the visit if you are keen on learning the rich history of Penang.

Lots of local history, interesting if you like reading. Displays about all the different cultures in penang. Bigger than expected and cheap entry fee.

ticket only 10 RM. Very Cheap. You can see penang history,culture

Surprisingly nice little museum with plenty of information on Penang and George Town. Really cheap admission and the building itself is weathered but impressive. We left the place knowing a lot more about local history and the different cultures and peoples in Penang, which is exactly what we were after.

Great collection of Baba Nyonya reading materials, furniture, clothing, and pictures. Good history lesson for all races and culture that came to Penang island.

Historic place and one can certainly learn a lot about Malay culture and their elegant history. It takes roughly an hour or two to complete depending on persons interest and its a two storied building. Entry fee is very reasonable (RM 1). Recommended for history lovers!

a museum conveniently located in the district. Can find info and historical items during Japanese occupation period

Worth visiting for a good general understanding of Penang and its history. The mannequins had larger than life hands but otherwise a must do.

1 rm and after the tour you may have a better sense of the George Town

We paid one rinngit to get in. Some sweet exhibition a but very poorly maintained. I loved the dilapidated look of the building mostly and a lovely exhibition on perenakan houses

As a state museum in south-east Asia, this is not bad. Things there were well-organised.

RM1 entrance fee all worth it. So much information about Penang history and culture. This one must not be missed and should be the first on the itinerary.

Good but not the greatest of course. Its cheap 1 RM. Anyway, it didnt offer me anything perfect.

This museum show about the history of penang, the culture before world war 2 especially malay, indian and chinese. Overall it is quite worth RM1

This museum shows the culture and tradition of Malay, Indian and chinese people.This museum explains how Malaysia became pan asia. Shows the history of Malaysia.

Beautiful colonial-style building.

Tell about history of Penang.Dont miss when visit Panang.Not expensive

This museum explains how Penang became Pan-Asian. It also provides a brief history of the primary island groups--Malay, Chinese, and Indian. The first floor gives a glimpse into these groups activities of daily living, religion, and culture. The second floor contains a small art gallery and displays about coffee, transportation, and World War II.

If youre not really interested in history and not a big museum fan dont go there. 1 1/2 hours is definitely enough to see everything and a good filler for the day. The entrance fee of 1 ringgit is really good

Museum about the history of Penang. The information is displayed well, and theres a good mix of written information, art, artefacts etc. Im not particularly interested in history but this was a nice museum to wander round, especially for only RM1!

With only rm 1.0 for entry, its worth if you want to know limbit history of Penang. I think it makes traveling around Penang more interesting.

Nice theme artsy space, will opened new space upstair soon. Good luck camera museum, unfortunatelly this is my last day here.