The Quick Verdict
Choose LANGKAWI if… | Choose PENANG if… |
You want extraordinary wildlife experiences | You want a wider range of food options – both choice and accessibility |
Beach / Sea time is a priority | Culture and history excite your family |
You prefer a quieter, more relaxed island pace | You’re doing a longer stay and want an ex-pat / worldschooling community |
Your kids love wildlife parks and cable cars | You and your kids prefer an urban, busy, noisy, high-rise environment |
You’re not fussy on food options | You don’t mind skipping being in the sea |
You don’t mind hiring a car when buses and taxis aren’t easy options | You don’t mind hiring a car or taking local buses |
We’ve been to both Langkawi and Penang as a family. We spent ten days in Langkawi and a month in Penang, as a family of four – two adults, kids aged nine and seven, on a year-long worldschooling trip that took us through parts of Southeast Asia.
So, when someone asks ‘Langkawi or Penang with kids?’, this guide may help them make up their mind.
The honest answer is: it depends entirely on what kind of family holiday you’re after. They both have pros and cons – both utterly brilliant at times but also totally frustrating. Choosing the right one can be tricky.
This is our verdict from our experiences, noting that we were a family travelling long-term on a budget, which may well mean our experience is very different from someone looking for just a holiday.
In This Article:
- Our experience of both – the context
- Getting there – Langkawi vs Penang
- Beaches – which wins?
- Food – which wins?
- Things to do with kids – which wins?
- Getting around – which is easier?
- Where to stay – which has better options?
- Culture and atmosphere – which is more interesting?
- Cost – which is cheaper?
- Worldschooling – which is better?
- The overall verdict
- Frequently asked questions
Our Experience of Both: The Context
We arrived in Langkawi by ferry from Tammalang Pier in southern Thailand – a one-hour crossing that deposits you into Langkawi’s ferry terminal at Kuah with a sense that you’ve crossed a significant cultural border. Which you have. We spent ten days based in Kuah, hired a car, and worked our way methodically around the island.
We arrived in Penang from Langkawi by a 28-minute flight – quite possibly the shortest flight of our lives. We spent a month there, based between Tanjung Bungah and Batu Ferringhi on the north coast.
Between us, our family of four has a combined total of approx. forty days across both islands. This is what we found.
Getting There: Langkawi vs Penang
Langkawi
Langkawi is accessible by ferry from southern Thailand (from Tammalang Pier in Satun – the route we took, and by far the most scenic way to arrive), by ferry from Penang (currently suspended at time of writing), or by air from Kuala Lumpur and other Malaysian cities, or a handful of other international cities.
The Thailand ferry route is genuinely special – arriving by boat, watching the island appear across the Strait of Malacca, is a far better entry than arriving at an airport. If you’re coming from Thailand, take the ferry.
You can book the ferry from Tammalang Pier, Thailand to Langkawi here
Penang
Penang is connected to the mainland by two bridges and has its own international airport. The 28-minute flight from Langkawi is straightforward and cheap. Buses and trains also connect from Kuala Lumpur (4-5 hours) and other mainland cities.
Penang is significantly easier to get to for most visitors with better air connections, more routes, and the bridge means you can drive in from the mainland if you have a hire car.
🏆 WINNER: Penang: for convenience and multiple options.
Beaches: Which Wins?
Langkawi’s beaches are genuinely excellent – white sand, clear water, dramatic jungle backdrops. Pantai Cenang on the west coast is the most famous and is a proper beach destination: long, wide, calm enough for swimming and backed by restaurants and beach clubs.
Sandy Skulls Beach (Pantai Pasir Tengkorak) in the northwest was our personal highlight – a stunning tucked-away bay with beautiful clear water and a backdrop of cliffs and forest.
The west coast beaches are calm and safe for kids during the dry season.
Penang
Penang has beaches – particularly along the north coast at Tanjung Bungah and Batu Ferringhi where we were based. They’re pleasant rather than spectacular.
The honest issue: jellyfish. We were warned off swimming repeatedly by locals throughout our month in Penang. Signs advising against swimming appear along the beach. Our actual beach swimming time during a full month in Penang was zero and thus our time even spent walking on sand was limited to maybe half an hour. The apartment pool saved us to a certain degree, but it wasn’t the same. We find the beach, and the ability to swim, a huge part of our holiday, so not being able to swim was a huge disappointment.
If beaches are a priority for your family, Langkawi wins this category without debate.
🏆 WINNER: Langkawi – no contest. Better beaches, safer swimming, no jellyfish warnings.
Food: Which Wins?
Langkawi
This was our biggest frustration in Langkawi – and it’s worth being honest about because it caught us completely off guard after three months in Thailand.
Langkawi is a predominantly Muslim island. The food scene is more limited than Penang which has Chinese, Indian and British influences. Pantai Cenang, the main tourist part of Langkawi does have some international options but this is the only place. We spent several evenings driving around Kuah looking for somewhere open, finding closed restaurants despite advertised opening hours, so we even attempted t head further afield but again struggled to find anywhere open or that looked appetising, and we eventually settled on self-catering more than we would have liked. With hungry kids in the car, this tested everyone’s patience.
The best meal we had in Langkawi was at Combat Cafe – a local place where I had lamb and rice in a gravy curry for 12RM. Excellent. But finding places like this required effort rather than just wandering out and picking somewhere.
Our conclusion: Langkawi food is perfectly adequate in Pantai Cenang, genuinely challenging elsewhere. If you’re a food-focused family, Pantai Cenang base is essential.
Penang
Penang is well known for its food options. Being such a melting pot of cultures, and not having one predominant religion, the food options vary from Indian, Chinese, Malay and everything in between. Hawker food halls are scattered all over the island, as are cheap restaurants, and street food eats. After our struggles in Langkawi, Penang felt like a different world.
Within days of arriving, we had two regular hawker food courts – JJ Food Garden and Astaka Hillside in Tanjung Bungah – where we ate most evenings for around 40RM for four of us. The variety was awesome: Indian, Chinese, Malaysian, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Burgers, Thai – all located under one roof.
Georgetown too has heaps of options scattered all over the city
Our tip: The hawker food courts are great for families, especially when dealing with fussy kids – we generally always found something for everyone even when no one was on the mood. Great value too.
🏆 WINNER: Penang – comprehensively. Heaps of options all over
Things to Do with Kids - Which Wins?
Langkawi – Wildlife Wins
Langkawi’s three major attractions are genuinely world-class family experiences:
Langkawi Wildlife Park: The 4.5-metre Reticulated Python draped across my shoulders, or my wife cuddling the raccoon, or the kids stroking a caiman were all worth the entrance fee alone.
Crocodile Adventureland: 300 Saltwater Crocodiles, letting the kids feel the power of feeding a small croc, live feeding sessions with a zip-line chicken drop that had the kids completely transfixed, a live show with some crazy guy kissing a massive Saltie. This place had it all and the kids loved it.
Skycab and Sky Bridge: The world’s steepest cable car up to a 125-metre suspension bridge over the jungle canopy. While us adults tip-toed cautiously as the bridge slightly wobbled in the wind, the kids wandered across without a care in the world.
These three attractions alone make Langkawi worth visiting. Whilst Penang has the ethically questionable Capybara café, and its own collection of wild monkeys, it’s wildlife was not a patch on Langkawi.
Book tickets to Langkawi wildlife park here
Book tickets to Langkawi Crocodile Adventure here
Book tickets to Langkawi Skycab here
Penang – More Variety
Penang has more things to do but the highlights don’t hit quite as hard as Langkawi’s big three. Penang Hill and The Habitat are excellent – particularly the brief 10-minute window of jungle peace before the kids remembered they were hungry. The Komtar Tower tech dome and go-karting was a brilliant afternoon. Georgetown’s street art makes sightseeing feel like a treasure hunt.
Penang National Park was our genuine outdoor highlight – a 90-minute jungle hike to Monkey Beach that my son declared the ‘best day ever’ – sweating, complaining, then declaring it brilliant at the end. The kind of day that sticks. Literally.
Penang has more sustained variety for a longer stay. Langkawi has the more spectacular individual attractions, for shorter stays.
🏆 WINNER: Langkawi – for sheer spectacle. The croc park and wildlife park are awesome fun for the kids.
Getting Around - Which is Easier?
Langkawi
Hire a car. This is not really optional in Langkawi, it’s essential if you want to travel around freely. The island is too large and the distances between attractions, beaches and food too significant to manage on taxis alone. You could possibly do tours and if you’re on holiday and willing to spend more, this may still be a good option. But, the good news is that car hire is affordable at around USD$22 per day, roads are good, and it’s very easy driving around as roads are not too busy.
Without a car in Langkawi you’ll be constantly arranging taxis, paying more than you should, and limiting your exploration significantly. We hired on arrival and kept it for ten days. Best decision we made.
Penang
More flexible. Grab (Asian version of Uber) works well around Georgetown and surrounding area. Georgetown’s historic core is walkable. The north coast where we were based has bus connections and Grab availability, but buses can take a long time and Grab costs can mount up. We met a family staying near us who got the bus each day and they found that whilst it worked, and was cheap, it was incredibly tiring.
We hired a car for our month and found it genuinely useful – particularly for the north coast base where facilities within walking distance were practically nil. Some of the distances to travel to places can be quite far so we found having the car very useful. One final point, if driving, the roads can get very busy. Not crazy Bangok, Bali, Hanoi type busy but just busy enough to make sure you’re confident driving in those kinds of conditions. But unlike Langkawi, Penang is manageable without a car, especially if you’re staying in Georgetown.
🏆 WINNER: Langkawi – is more car-dependent but car hire is cheap and straightforward and it’s a joy to drive. Penang was tough going in the traffic
Where to Stay: Which Has Better Options?
Langkawi
The key lesson we learned: stay in Pantai Cenang, not Kuah. We based ourselves in Kuah (in a three-bedroom apartment at USD$50 per night: spacious, clean, well-equipped, five-minute walk from the pool) and only discovered Pantai Cenang on our last day.
Kuah is fine as it’s convenient for the ferry, central for the island, and the apartment was genuinely excellent value. But Pantai Cenang is where the tourist infrastructure is: restaurants, bars, beach clubs, the aquarium. Had we known, we’d probably have stayed there.
Accommodation in Langkawi is generally good value, particularly compared to Western equivalents for the quality of space you get.
Penang
Our accommodation in Penang was memorable to say the least. Mar Vista Resort in Tanjung Bungah had clearly been a premium resort in the 1990s and has not received significant maintenance investment since. The car park appeared to be managed by a troupe of monkeys. Abandoned vehicles. Peeling paint. The atmosphere of a post-apocalyptic holiday camp.
But the apartment itself was enormous. Two floors, two balconies, a 180-degree view over the Malacca Strait that was breath-taking. 40% cheaper than anything comparable nearby. The pool worked. The sunrise and my ‘workspace’ from the balcony were worth every issue we had with the rest of the apartment.
We heard from others, that many apartment blocks can be run down. But if you’re travelling on a budget and don’t mind a little discomfort, there’s some absolute bargains to be had.
Penang’s accommodation options are wider than Langkawi’s – from budget Georgetown guesthouses to comfortable sea view apartments, there’s a vast range of options.
🏆 WINNER: Penang: Whilst our apartment complex was run down, the apartment itself was incredible for the price. Penang has so many options, you will always find what you need
Search and book Langkawi accommodation here
Search and book Penang accommodation here
Culture and Atmosphere: Which is More Interesting?
Langkawi
Langkawi has a quiet, laid-back, slow-paced cultural atmosphere that rewards the patient visitor. The predominantly Muslim island offers a more reserved culture than the full tourist circus that pervades more developed Southeast Asia islands. Our kids made brief friends with a local Muslim girl at a playground who explained her beliefs and culture to them. That kind of worldschooling moment doesn’t happen in a tourist resort.
The ‘spot the Western tourist’ game our kids invented, which proved very difficult outside Pantai Cenang tells you something about how genuinely local Langkawi still feels.
Penang
Georgetown is one of Southeast Asia’s most culturally compelling cities. UNESCO World Heritage Site. Colonial shophouses alongside Chinese temples alongside Hindu temples and mosques alongside everything in between. It’s a melting pot of cultures which makes it a rich experience.
🏆 WINNER: Penang: Culturally rich with such a mix of religions, foods and architecture.
Cost: Which is Cheaper – our experience?
| Expense | Langkawi | Penang |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation (per night) | USD$50 (3-bed apartment) | USD$28 (3-bed duplex in run-down complex) |
| Meal for family of 4 | 40RM (USD$10) | 40RM (USD$10) |
| Car hire | USD$22 per day (essential) | USD$22 per day (optional) |
| Major attraction (family of 4) | 200-300RM per attraction | 90-160RM Penang Hill / Komtar |
| Overall daily budget | USD$115 per day | USD$115 per day |
Both come out at roughly the same daily budget for a family of four. Accommodation was cheaper in Penang as were attractions but we seemed to spend more on general day to day expenses there, maybe as we stayed a month and bought some clothes and other supplies. So, Penang is likely underlying the cheapest.
🏆 WINNER: Draw: both around USD$115 per day for a family of four doing it on a budget
Worldschooling / Meeting people: Which is Better?
This one is clear.
Penang
Penang has an established, active worldschooling community that meets multiple times per week. Within days of arriving we’d found a regular meetup group with the best meet-up being at the Youth Park in Georgetown. For our kids, having that social connection while travelling long term was important and Penang is a very popular home for worldschoolers so it was easy to connect. Most worldschoolers live in the Tanjung Bungah area, close to the meet-ups.
For the adults, having actual conversations with people who understood exactly what we were doing and why was equally precious – being able to share travel stories, tips and invaluable parenting advice whilst on the road.
We hardly met anyone in Langkawi.
🏆 WINNER: Penang: no comparison for worldschooling families. One of Southeast Asia’s worldschooling hubs
The Overall Verdict: Langkawi vs Penang with Kids
Whilst most of the answers above suggest Penang, overall, I would say they both have positive and negative points.
If you’re able to do both, then get to them both and make up your own mind.
If you’re reading this article because you need to make a decision between the two, here’s our final say:
Langkawi is a brilliant for a 7-10 day island stop / holiday that delivers genuinely world-class wildlife experiences and beautiful beaches. The food requires patience and the right base (Pantai Cenang). The car hire is essential. The culture is very reserved. But the vibe is very island laid-back and a great place to really unwind. More than 10 days and I think we would be a bit bored.
Penang was a different experience for us as we stayed a month and really tapped into the awesome worldschool community there. But for such a busy, populous island, we didn’t feel there was a huge amount to do. We found it hard work getting in and out of Georgetown, driving each time. Georgetown is stunning but after a day or two it’s enough. Being unable to swim is a massive disappointment with kids. The food though, is damn good. But 7-10 days would also easily be enough.
Penang is also just that bit easier to get to as it has more international flights and is linked to the mainland via the bridges, buses and trains to KL.
Our suggested order: If you have the time to do both, it doesn’t really matter which order you do them, but it may depend where you’re coming from. If from KL, it would make sense to overland to Penang and then fly to Langkawi and fly back to KL, but if you’re coming from or to Thailand overland (as we did), then Langkawi first makes sense. If you only have two weeks in our of KL, we suggest: 2 days KL, 6 Langkawi, 6 Penang. Split it down the middle.
Ready to Book?
- ⛴️ Ferry from Thailand to Langkawi: Here
- 🏨 Accommodation in Langkawi: Here
- 🐊 Langkawi Crocodile Adventureland tickets: Here
- 🐍 Langkawi Wildlife Park tickets: Here
- 🚠 Langkawi Skycab and Sky Bridge tickets: Here
- 🚗 Car hire in Langkawi: Here
- 🚗 Car hire in Penang: Here
- ✈️ Flight Langkawi to Penang: Here
- 🏨 Accommodation in Penang: Here
This post contains affiliate links. If you book through these links we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you – which helps keep Roaming Wild running. Thank you!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Langkawi or Penang better for families with young children?
Both are good for different reasons. Langkawi wins for beaches and wildlife – the Wildlife Park and Crocodile Adventureland are awesome experience. Penang wins for food variety and cultural depth. For families with very young children who need easy, reliable food options, Penang is less stressful. For families who want memorable wildlife experiences, Langkawi is perfect for that.
Can you do both Langkawi and Penang in one trip?
Yes, and we’d recommend it. The 28-minute flight between them is one of the shortest commercial flights you’ll ever take so combing the two is easy.
Which has better beaches - Langkawi or Penang?
Langkawi, clearly. Penang’s beaches suffer from jellyfish warnings all year round they and don’t compare to Langkawi’s west coast beaches. Langkawi’s Sandy Skulls Beach (Pantai Pasir Tengkorak) and Pantai Cenang are both great spots to kick back and enjoy the sand and sea. If beaches are your priority, Langkawi is the answer.
Which is cheaper: Langkawi or Penang?
Roughly the same – both around USD$115 per day for a family of four was our budget. Penang probably just about worked out cheaper. Neither is significantly more expensive than the other but we found accommodation slightly more on Langkawi and as a car was essential in Langkawi, that cost needs factoring in too.
How long should you spend in Langkawi vs Penang?
Langkawi: 7-10 days is enough to see everything properly. Penang: 7-10 days also. Penang feels more manageable for longer stays; Langkawi doesn’t.
Is Penang good for worldschooling families?
Excellent: one of the best worldschooling hubs in Southeast Asia. An established community meets multiple times per week and is welcoming to newcomers. Langkawi has no equivalent. If worldschooling community is a factor in your decision, Penang wins decisively.
Which should you visit first - Langkawi or Penang?
If coming from Thailand, Langkawi first makes geographic sense as you arrive by ferry, spend time on the island, then fly to Penang. This is the order we did it and it works well. If flying in from elsewhere, either works as a starting point.
Have you been to both? Which did your family prefer? Drop a comment below — we’d genuinely love to know.
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Langkawi with Kids Guide: Ultimate family guide to Malaysia’s island gem
Penang with Kids Guide: An Honest Family Guide to Malaysia’s Bustling Island
Thailand Tammalang Pier to Langkawi Ferry: Everything You Need to Know
Read our Langkawi blog: Travelling Langkawi with kids: Cultural differences, a stomach churning cable car & feeding crocs
Read our 1st Penang Blog: Finding Family Accommodation in Penang: The Apocalyptic Apartment
Read our 2nd Penang Blog: Worldschooling in Penang with kids: meetups, views and the “best day ever”
