Lifestyle

8 Best Heritage Sites & Street Art Spots in Ipoh (2026)

From Ernest Zacharevic's famous murals to Moorish-domed colonial landmarks and cave temples carved into limestone hills, here's how to spend a day exploring Ipoh's Old Town on foot.

Marcus Wong2 August 20267 min read

Ipoh's Old Town has become one of Peninsular Malaysia's most photographed heritage districts, and it's easy to see why: within a compact grid of pre-war shophouses you get Ernest Zacharevic-style street murals, Moorish-domed colonial landmarks, and centuries-old cave temples carved into the limestone hills that ring the city. It's flat, walkable, and small enough to cover most of it in half a day.

Everyone already knows about Concubine Lane's snack stalls and Han Chin Pet Soo's tin-tycoon history — they're worth a stop, but they're just two alleys in a much bigger heritage trail. This list focuses on the landmarks around them: the murals scattered across Old Town's back lanes, the "Taj Mahal of Ipoh" railway station, the Birch Memorial Clock Tower, the colonial civic buildings ringing the Padang, and two very different cave temples on the edge of town.

Most of these sites sit within a 20-30 minute walk of each other in Old Town, with the two cave temples requiring a short Grab ride out to Gunung Rapat and Kawasan Perindustrian Tasek. Wear comfortable shoes, start early to beat the heat and the crowds, and bring cash for donation boxes at the temples.

*Cover image: Slleong, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons*

Ipoh heritage & street art sites at a glance

Site	Area	Known For
Ipoh Mural Art Trail	Old Town	Ernest Zacharevic street murals
Ipoh Railway Station	Jalan Panglima	"Taj Mahal of Ipoh" Moorish-domed station
Birch Memorial Clock Tower	Jalan Dato Sagor	Colonial clock tower & ceramic murals
Ipoh Padang & Royal Ipoh Club	Jalan Dato Seri Ahmad Said	Colonial civic green & clubhouse
Ipoh City Hall	Jalan Maharajalela	A.B. Hubback-designed town hall
St. Michael's Institution	Jalan Raja Musa Aziz	1923 Gothic heritage school building
Perak Tong Cave Temple	Jalan Kuala Kangsar	Giant golden Buddha & cave murals
Sam Poh Tong Cave Temple	Gunung Rapat	Oldest cave temple, pond & hilltop views

Ipoh Mural Art Trail (Art of Old Town) — Old Town

In 2014, Lithuanian street artist Ernest Zacharevic was commissioned (with OldTown White Coffee and Ipoh City Council) to paint a series of murals across Old Town's back lanes, kicking off Ipoh's now-famous street art scene. Look for pieces like "Old Uncle Drinking Coffee" near Jalan Tun Sambanthan and the ink-painting-style "Evolution" mural depicting Ipoh's tin-mining boom; note that a few of the original works have faded or been touched up over the years due to Malaysia's humid climate. Grab a mural map at an Old Town White Coffee outlet and walk the loop around Market Street, Jalan Bijeh Timah and Jalan Panglima — it takes about 30 minutes on foot.

Ipoh Railway Station ("Taj Mahal of Ipoh") — Jalan Panglima

Built between 1914 and 1917 by government architect A.B. Hubback, this white Moorish-domed station is nicknamed the "Taj Mahal of Ipoh" for its onion domes, turrets and arcaded corridors — it shares the same architectural family as KL's old railway station, designed by the same architect. It still functions as a working KTM station and houses the historic Majestic Hotel, so you can wander the platform-side facade and colonnades even without a train ticket.

Birch Memorial Clock Tower — Jalan Dato Sagor

Completed in 1909, this white clock tower commemorates James W.W. Birch, Perak's first British Resident, who was assassinated in 1875 — making it one of the more historically loaded landmarks on this list. Four statues around its base represent the colonial virtues of patience, justice, loyalty and fortitude, while ceramic murals near the top depict figures from Moses to Shakespeare to Charles Darwin. It stands directly opposite the Ipoh State Mosque, a five-minute walk from the railway station.

Ipoh Padang & the Royal Ipoh Club — Jalan Dato Seri Ahmad Said

This open padang (field), first laid out in 1898, is ringed by some of Ipoh's grandest colonial buildings, including the black-and-white Royal Ipoh Club (built in 1892 as a British officers' recreation club) and the neo-classical Ipoh High Court, completed in 1928. It's still used for community sports, markets and events today, and makes a good open-air pause between the railway station and the clock tower — the surrounding buildings are best appreciated from the outside, as the club itself is members-only.

Ipoh City Hall (Dewan Bandaran Ipoh) — Jalan Maharajalela

Also designed by A.B. Hubback and completed around 1916-1917, this white town hall blends Neo-Renaissance, Moorish and Victorian details and sits directly across from the railway station, making it a natural add-on to that stop. Historically significant as the site of the Malay Nationalist Party's inaugural 1945 congress, it now functions as a venue for public events and weddings — you're viewing the exterior rather than touring inside, but the facade alone is worth the photo stop.

St. Michael's Institution — Jalan Raja Musa Aziz

Founded in 1912 by La Sallian brothers and rebuilt in Gothic style in 1923, this working boys' school is recognised by the Ipoh City Council as a heritage building and sits on the official Ipoh Heritage Trail. It served as the Japanese Administration's headquarters in Perak during World War II. As an active school, access to the grounds is limited during school hours, but the Gothic facade is visible and worth a look from the road.

Perak Tong Cave Temple — Jalan Kuala Kangsar

Not to be confused with Kek Lok Tong on the other side of town, Perak Tong was founded in 1926 by Chinese Buddhist devotees and is built into a limestone cave dominated by a seated golden Buddha statue reportedly around 40 feet tall. Inside, painted cave walls depict scenes from Chinese mythology, and a steep staircase of several hundred steps climbs to an opening near the hilltop with panoramic views over Ipoh. It's typically open daily from around 8am to 5-6pm with no entrance fee, though donations are welcomed — worth checking current hours before visiting, as they vary slightly by source.

Sam Poh Tong Cave Temple — Gunung Rapat

Established in 1950 and regarded as one of the oldest and largest cave temples in the country, Sam Poh Tong is set into a limestone cliff about 6km south of the city centre near Gunung Rapat. A landscaped pond stocked with fish and turtles sits out front, a cave passage leads through to a hillside garden at the back, and a stiff climb of roughly 246 steps rewards visitors with a lookout over the surrounding tin-mining valley. It's generally open daily from around 9am to 6pm, with free admission and donations accepted.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I see Ipoh's famous street murals?

Most of the well-known murals from the 2014 "Art of Old Town" project by Ernest Zacharevic are clustered around Old Town's back lanes — Market Street, Jalan Bijeh Timah, Jalan Panglima and Jalan Tun Sambanthan. Pick up a mural map at an Old Town White Coffee outlet before you start; a few original pieces have faded or been touched up over the years due to humidity, so not every mural on old maps still looks the same.

Is Ipoh Old Town walkable, and how long does the heritage walk take?

Yes — Old Town is flat and compact, and most of the mural, colonial and civic building sites in this list sit within a 20-30 minute walk of each other, so you can cover the core loop in about half a day. The two cave temples, Perak Tong and Sam Poh Tong, are outside walking distance and are best reached by a short Grab ride or car.

Are Perak Tong and Sam Poh Tong the same as Kek Lok Tong?

No — these are three separate cave temples. Perak Tong (founded 1926) and Sam Poh Tong (established 1950) are both covered in this guide, while Kek Lok Tong is a different cave temple on the other side of the city, often visited as part of family-oriented itineraries. Each has its own architecture, statues and hill-climb, so it's worth visiting more than one if you have time.

Is there an entrance fee for Ipoh's heritage sites?

Most of the sites on this list — the street murals, Birch Memorial Clock Tower, Ipoh Padang, City Hall's exterior and the Ipoh Railway Station facade — are free to view from the outside. Perak Tong and Sam Poh Tong cave temples are also free to enter, though both welcome donations to support upkeep.

#Lifestyle#Ipoh#Heritage#Street Art#Perak#Things To Do

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