How to get from Penang to Singapore

Why visit Singapore?

For a small island city-state, Singapore is a huge tourist hub in Southeast Asia. In 2017, the number of tourists visiting Singapore was actually 3x more than its population!

This is for good reason. Head to downtown Singapore and you’ll find a number of tourist attractions, all connected by efficient and high-quality transportation.

To revisit your childhood, there’s Universal Studios and the resort island of Sentosa. For shopping, head to Orchard Road. For art, visit the Kampong Glam area. For an amazing night and light show, you have to visit Marina Bay Sands.

There are 2 ways to travel the 710 kilometre (441 miles) distance from Penang to Singapore. You can choose between the bus and flight. The journey takes 2 hours 25 minutes to 10 hours and the quickest way is by flight. If you're on a budget, the cheapest option is by bus with tickets starting at 97 MYR ($24).

New Asian Express offers two bus trips from Penang to Singapore every day. A ticket costs 97 MYR ($24) when you book via BookAway. Travel time is 9 hours 30 minutes to 10 hours.

The flight from Singapore to Penang takes only 2 hours 25 minutes, but you’ll need transfers to and from the airports.

TIP: If you decide to travel by plane, please consider including a carbon compensation fee to reduce your impact on the environment.

From George Town, you’ll first have to take a taxi or a bus to Penang Airport, which is located 18 km south.

The taxi is more expensive with fares from 30 MYR ($7.40), but you’ll have the assurance of reaching the airport in around 2 hours 25 minutes.

The bus, on the other hand, only costs 3 MYR ($0.70). However, they also make a lot of stops. Travel time could take an hour or more and you don’t want to be stuck in traffic when trying to catch a flight!

Air Asia, Jetstar, Silk Air and Singapore Airlines offer several flights daily from Penang to Singapore. If you’re looking for the cheapest rates, you’ll most probably find it with Air Asia. You can get a ticket for only 70 MYR ($17.20) if you book really early!

The flights depart from Penang International Airport and arrive at Singapore Changi Airport. Travel time is about 1h 25m.

From Singapore Airport, you’ll have to travel west for 20 km to reach your hotel in the city centre.

You have several choices to get to downtown Singapore: a city shuttle that costs 9 SGD ($7), a taxi from 25 SGD ($19.40), the train for 2.70 SGD ($2.10), or the public bus for 2 SGD ($1.60). For more details, you can visit our page on travelling to and from Singapore Airport.

We prefer the city shuttle because it provides a good mix of speed, comfort and budget. Also, they offer free drop-off to almost all hotels in the city. You can buy a ticket at the airport arrivals hall but if you want to skip the queues, you can also book your ride online beforehand on Klook. Either way, it costs 9 SGD ($7).