Planning for Alor Setar
Alor Setar Travel Guide provides you essential details for planning your trip to Alor Setar, the capital of Kedah. It is a spacious city but most of the tourist attractions are well concentrated in the town core. This is where you find most of the historical buildings of Alor Setar. On this page, I deal with the nitty gritty of planning your trip.
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Alor Setar Travel Topics
Before looking at the list of tourist attractions, here's a list of main topics on Alor Setar.
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Masjid Zahir, Alor Setar (8 January 2006)
© Timothy Tye
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Getting there
By Road
Alor Setar is 126km from Penang Island (via Penang Bridge) and 45km from the Malaysian-Thai border. There are buses to Alor Star from Puduraya in Kuala Lumpur and Sungai Nibong Express Bus Terminal in Penang, as well as from most major cities in Malaysia.
The most practical way to visit Alor Setar is by self-drive. Alor Setar is located to the west of the North South Expressway that runs from Bukit Kayu Hitam to Johor Bahru. To reach Alor Setar, exit the expressway at either Exit 178 (Alor Setar South) or Exit 180 (Alor Setar North).
By Plane
There are daily flights between Alor Setar's Sultan Abdul Halim Airport and Kuala Lumpur, operated by Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia. Journey takes 55 minutes. Firefly flies between Alor Setar and Singapore from October 2009.
By Ferry
Some people arrive in Alor Setar by way of ferry from Langkawi. Take the ferry to Kuala Kedah, and from there, take a taxi to Alor Setar. The ferry operates from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm every day. You can buy your tickets at Kuah Jetty. The trip takes approximately 1 hour 45 minutes. The fare is RM23 one way and RM46 return.
Ticket Counter Contacts:
Kuala Kedah: 04 762 6295, 04 762 6296
Langkawi: 04 966 1125, 04 966 1126
Accommodation in Alor Setar
Here's a list of hotels in Alor Setar. You can also click here to book hotels in Alor Setar online.
- Comfort Hotel, tel: 04 734 4866
- Flora Inn, tel: 04 732 2376
- Grand Jubilee Hotel, tel: 04 733 0055
- Holiday Villa, tel: 04 734 9999, www.holidayvilla.com.my
- Hotel Grand Continental, tel: 04 733 5917, www.ghihotels.com.my
- Hotel Grand Crystal, tel: 04 731 3333
- Wangsa Inn, tel: 04 735 1688
Do's and Don'ts in Alor Setar
Be mindful that you are visiting a predominantly Muslim city, therefore dress conservatively. Of course that does not mean covering yourself in the entirety. However, you should wear no revealing clothing.
Also, if you are visiting Muslim places of worship, remember to wear long pants for men, no skirt that reveal the knees for women. At the mosques, non-Muslims are often provided with robes so that they can still enter the building. However this is not always available, and may result in your not being granted access if not properly dressed.
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