KOMTAR

Standing at 232 metres, KOMTAR towers over all the city's other buildings, affording visitors unrivalled views of the city skyline and the hills and oceans beyond. Telescopes in the observation deck on the 60th floor offer a closer view of the distant hills while clear windows make it easy to capture panoramic Penang on your camera.

Short for Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak, KOMTAR is a 12-sided geometric building named after Malaysia's second prime minister, the late Tun Abdul Razak Hussein. Once heralded as the tallest building in Southeast Asia when it was completed in 1986, KOMTAR was also Penang's most popular retail destination in the 90s.

While its glory days are behind it, the iconic landmark's 65 floors are still filled with an assortment of shops, restaurants, entertainment venues and government offices, with its ground floor serving as the main transport hub of the city.

Attached to KOMTAR is Penang's largest IT department store, the ICT Digital Mall, a four-storey podium where you can find any technology from the latest laptops and mobile phones, to a myriad of interesting gadgets. Explore other floors for cheap fashion finds, or pick up some souvenirs.

Grab a bite to eat after an afternoon of shopping at the KOMTAR walk, a 155-metre open-air passageway laden with sushi bars, Chinese noodle shops, and food outlets dishing up local favourites such as laksa and nasi kandar, Penang's famed rice dish.

KOMTAR is located in the centre of Georgetown and open daily. Serving also as Penang's transportation hub, KOMTAR is easily accessible as most buses end up here. The observation deck is open Monday to Friday, and charges a small fee for entry. Tickets can be purchased from the information desk on the ground floor.