Georgetown is Penang's transportation hub. Ferries to and from Butterworth arrive at the Raja Tun Uda terminal on Weld Quay (Pengkalan Weld) on the east city of the city; the bus station is nearby on Victoria Street. Take a note of where these are located as you will no doubt want to see them again rather shortly in order to depart.
Boats to Langkawi and Pulau Payar depart from Swettenham Pier (close to Victoria Memorial Clock Tower), about 700m north of Weld Quay. During the main season they leave at 8:15 am (via Pulau Payar) and 8:30 am, take about 2 hours until Langkawi and cost RM 60 per person. You can even book tickets online now on the homepage of Langkawi online.
Leaving by boat
The short ferry ride to Butterworth; departing at regular intervals is free. However, note that it costs RM1.20 for foot passengers coming from Butterworth to Penang.
A bus and train station awaits upon arrival in Butterworth - from where you can get transport connections to many of the major destinations in peninsular Malaysia. The ticket counters and waiting area are located under the overpass adjacent to the small market. Train tickets should be purchased in advance.
By air
Air Asia connects Penang Airport with several destinations within Malaysia (Johor Bahru, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur, Kuching and Langkawi) as well as Hong Kong, Indonesia (Jakarta, Medan, Surabaya), Singapore and Thailand (Bangkok).
By bus
The easiest way to get to Georgetown is certainly via Butterworth and the 24h ferry over to the Weld jetty.
However, there are busses that go right onto Penang island. Note that they do end at Sungai Nibong long-distance bus station, slightly south of where the bridge reaches the island, but about 15km south of Georgetown. Local bus services 401 and 102 (rapid penang) go to the centre of Georgetown and end at the ferry terminal (jetty).
