Historical highlights of George Town in a walking private tour

The Esplanade is a waterfront location in the heart of George Town, Penang, Malaysia. It covers the field adjacent to Fort Cornwallis, known locally as the Padang, and the seaside promenade along the edge of the field. The Penang City Hall faces the Padang and the Cenotaph of Penang is also located along the promenade.

Fort Cornwallis is a bastion fort in George Town, Penang, Malaysia, built by the British East India Company in the late 18th century. Fort Cornwallis is the largest standing fort in Malaysia. The fort never engaged in combat during its operational history. It was named after the then Lieutenant-General The 2nd Earl Cornwallis (1738-1805), the Governor-General of Bengal at the time of the fort's construction, who had also been involved in the American War of Independence. Lord Cornwallis was later created, in 1792, The 1st Marquess Cornwallis, and he was promoted to being a full-ranking General in the British Army in 1793. Lord Cornwallis later served, from 1798 to 1801, as the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, where he overseen the implementation of the Act of Union.

George Town is the capital city of the Malaysian state of Penang. George Town is Malaysia's third most populous city with 708,127 inhabitants as of 2010, while Greater Penang is the nation's second largest conurbation with a population of 2,412,616. The historical core of George Town has been inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2008. Established as an entrepôt by Francis Light of the British East India Company in 1786, George Town was the first British settlement in Southeast Asia. Together with Singapore and Malacca, George Town formed part of the Straits Settlements, which became a British crown colony in 1867. It was subjugated by Japan during World War II, before being recaptured by the British at war's end. Shortly before Malaya attained independence from the British in 1957, George Town was declared a city by Queen Elizabeth II, making it the first city in the country's modern history.

The Goddess of Mercy Temple is a Chinese temple in the city of George Town in Penang, Malaysia. Situated at Pitt Street, it was first built in 1728, making it Penang's oldest Taoist temple. The temple is dedicated to the Taoist Goddess of Mercy, Guan Yin. However, the temple had been originally established for the worship of Mazu, a sea deity. Following an influx of ethnic Chinese into George Town after the founding of the settlement in 1786, the temple transitioned into one dedicated to Guan Yin in 1824; by then, it also began to function as a neutral mediator between the rival Cantonese and Hokkien communities.

The Kapitan Keling Mosque is a mosque built in the 19th century by Indian Muslim traders in George Town, Penang, Malaysia. It is situated on the corner of Buckingham Street (Lebuh Buckingham) and Pitt Street (Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling). Being a prominent Islamic historic centre, it is part of the World Heritage Site of George Town and lies at the centre of the city's Tamil Muslim neighbourhood, the chulias. It is the first permanent Muslim institution to have been established in the area, dating from the early 1800s. Cauder Mohuddeen Merican is known as the founder of the mosque and leader of the Chulias. In 1801 Sir George Leith, who was then Lieutenant Governor of Penang, appointed a prominent Indian Muslim leader, Cauder Mohudeen, as Captain of the South Indian “Keling” community. He granted a piece of land to build a mosque on the south side of Malabar Street (Chulia Street). Cauder Mohudeen (born c. 1759) was a ship mandoor or foreman from Porto Novo, which the Tamils called Paringgipettai and the Muslims Mahmudbandar, about 50 kilometres south of Pondicherry in India. He was referred to as 'Kapitan Kling'.

The Penang High Court, founded in 1808, is the birthplace of Malaysia's judiciary system. It is housed inside a Palladian-style building at Light Street, George Town, Penang. To this day, the High Court sits at the top of Penang's hierarchy of courts. The current courthouse was built in the 1900s to replace the original structure that was built at the same site in 1809. The Penang High Court, then known as the Supreme Court, had been established in 1808 within Fort Cornwallis nearby, the first such court to be set up in the Malay Peninsula. Its establishment also marked the introduction of a modern legal system in Malaya, which would evolve to become the current judiciary of Malaysia.

The Sri Mahamariamman Temple is the oldest Hindu temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Founded in 1873, it is situated at the edge of Chinatown in Jalan Bandar (formerly High Street). In 1968, a new structure was built, featuring the ornate ‘Raja Gopuram’ tower in the style of South Indian temples. From its inception, the temple provided an important place of worship for early Indian immigrants and is now an important cultural and national heritage.

St. George's Church is a 19th-century Anglican church in the city of George Town in Penang, Malaysia. It is the oldest purpose built Anglican church in Southeast Asia. The church lies within the jurisdiction of the Upper North Archedeaconry of the Anglican Diocese of West Malaysia.

Swettenham Pier is a pier within the city of George Town in Penang, Malaysia. Established in 1904, it is the busiest port-of-call in Malaysia for cruise shipping. The pier plays a vital role as a major entry point for tourists into Penang, aside from the Penang International Airport and land connections. Other than cruise shipping, Swettenham Pier, located at Weld Quay, has hosted warships as well. Navy ships from several nations, including Singapore, Thailand and the United States, have berthed at the pier in the past.