What has opened, what is coming and what has closed or changed, with the source for every item.
The openings, closures and changes since mid-2025 that affect a trip to Penang. Planned items carry the target date their official source gives. Targets like these often slip, so none of them is open until it says so here.
Last checked 5 October 2026.
New or reopened since mid-2025, newest first. Each was open as of the source cited; check hours before you go.
The 1786 star fort is open again after a decade of conservation under the North Seafront masterplan, with its moat restored and new gallery spaces of historical photographs and documentary projections.
Post-reopening opening hours and fees are not yet on an official page. Check before you go.
Closed since April 2017, the state museum reopened after an RM18 million restoration with 15 galleries and nearly 1,200 artefacts. Open 9am–5pm daily except Fridays.
From 1 September 2026, entry is RM 25 for a non-Malaysian adult and RM 5 for a Malaysian adult (Penang tourism exco, via The Star, 31 Aug 2026).
An offshore leisure platform on an aquaculture farm, with sea-based activities and water sports. Its operator was licensed by the tourism ministry in March 2026.
A new RM6.1 million gallery of the state’s historic vehicles, from rickshaws and trishaws to a Rolls-Royce and the governor’s Cadillac, with two old Penang Hill funicular cars outside.
A gallery on the site of a Neolithic shell-midden dig, home to the "Penang Woman", the first complete Neolithic skeleton found in Malaysia. The Prime Minister opened it.
An eight-storey private art gallery at The Light Waterfront, unveiled on 14 December 2025 and open to the public from 16 December. It holds more than 1,000 works, with 400-plus on show in rotation.
Northern Malaysia’s largest convention and exhibition centre, run by Korea’s KINTEX. It matters to visitors because big expos and congresses now come here.
A two-hour, 15km boat trip along Sungai Juru past fishing villages, shellfish farms and mangroves, departing from Autocity Juru.
The retired ferry "Pulau Pinang", now a floating museum beside the Raja Tun Uda ferry terminal, telling the story of the cross-channel ferries.
Announced, not open. The date is the target its official source gives. Targets like these often slip, so treat them as estimates.
A 1.76km climate-adaptation upgrade with new footpaths, pocket parks and trees along one of the heritage core’s main streets. Expect works until then.
A 2.73km gondola line, a second way up the hill alongside the funicular, with three stations and a ride of under 10 minutes. It was 32% complete in August 2026.
Penang’s first light-rail line, 29.67km between the island and the mainland. Construction was 8.99% complete in June 2026, so it does not affect a trip before the 2030s.
Closures, new fees and changed schedules that affect a visit.
The funicular stops for its first scheduled maintenance of 2027. Plan a hill visit outside those dates.
Entopia’s after-dark biofluorescent garden opened in January 2025 on Friday and Saturday nights only. It now runs Thursday to Sunday, 7pm–10pm (last admission 9pm), and is an outdoor-only visit.
The free reopening period ended on 31 August 2026. Since 1 September, entry costs RM 25 for a non-Malaysian adult and RM 10 for a child (5–12), and RM 5 / RM 3 for Malaysians.
The hilltop food court is being rebuilt with new dining spaces. Penang Hill Corporation has not published a reopening date, so plan to eat elsewhere at the top.
No. It is under construction: Penang’s chief minister put it at 32% complete in August 2026, with works due to finish in August 2027 and operations targeted for the fourth quarter of 2027. Until then the funicular from Air Itam is the only rail route up the hill.
The transport ministry’s target is December 2031. Works were 8.99% complete in June 2026, so the line will not help a visitor get around before the 2030s. Use Rapid Penang buses and Grab for now.
Yes. Both reopened in July 2026 after long restorations. The state museum on Lebuh Farquhar opens 9am–5pm and closes on Fridays; Fort Cornwallis has not yet published its post-reopening hours and fees on an official page, so check before you go.
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