ipoh – tourist

TOURIST ATTRACTIONS AND PLACES

Kellie’s Castle, famous historic building

The place that usually pops up at the top of any visit Ipoh list is Kellie’s Castle. It is along a road named after the current ruler of Perak, Jalan Raja Nazrin Shah (It is a road named after the current Ruler of Perak, Raja Nazrin Shah. Now a popular, though reputed to be haunted, tourist attraction, it was the setting for the 1999 film, Anna and the King, and the 2001 film, Skyline Cruisers).

The ‘castle’ takes its name from an English rubber planter William Kellie Smith. The intricately designed mansion was built in 1915 but never completed.

Another famous mansion is the Han Chin Pet Soo dwelling which has been turned into a free museum. Gua Tempurung is the largest limestone cave in the country and is popular with spelunkers. Its stalactite and stalagmite chambers can be accessed through lit walkways on guided tours.

Ipoh is renowned for its temple caves constructed in the limestone outcrops, the most notable of which is Sam Poh Tong dating back to 1890. The highlight of this temple complex – expanded in 1950 – are its three Buddha statues and tortoise pond.

A go-to location during the nighttime for nature lovers is Kuala Sepetang to see the fireflies. Among Ipoh’s landmark buildings are its railway station dubbed ‘the Taj Mahal of Ipoh’ sporting a similar type of architecture to the famous KL Railway station, Ipoh town hall, court house, the mock-Tudor styled Ipoh Club, FMS Bar and other colonial era buildings.

Some of the old Chinese shophouses have been converted into chic cafes.

Street art with wall murals painted by Lithuanian Ernest Zacharevic (known for his work in the heritage quarter of Penang) can also be seen in Ipoh.