Alor Setar travel guide
Royal halls, Kedah laksa and the last big stop before Thailand
Alor Setar is the capital of Kedah, a flat rice-country town with royal halls, a big mosque and a tall telecoms tower. It works best as a one-night stop between Penang and the Thai border or before the Langkawi ferry, ideally from December to March when it is driest.
Kedah's capital lies on the old road and rail line to Thailand, 79 km north of George Town and about 100 km short of Hat Yai. Established by Sultan Muhammad Jiwa in 1735, it has long been the seat of Kedah's sultans. Its royal halls by the old town square are the reason to stop. Expect a flat, hot town ringed by rice fields.
Start at the Balai Besar. This audience hall dates from 1735; Bugis raiders wrecked it in 1770 and it was restored in 1896. Next door, the Balai Nobat keeps the drums of the royal orchestra, which play only at coronations, weddings and funerals. The Zahir Mosque is a few minutes' walk away. For a change of mood, Wat Nikrodharam is a gilded Thai-style Buddhist temple right in the centre.
Food leans on the coast and the paddies. Laksa here comes as rice noodles in a fish gravy; a well-known shop at Teluk Kechai on the Kuala Kedah road only opens in the evening. Kuala Kedah itself, at the river mouth, has an old fort and seafood dinners, and the Langkawi ferries leave from there.
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A small royal quarter, a Thai temple and coastal food on the edge of town.
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Best time to visit Alor Setar
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Dry and sunny, good for walking the royal quarter and for clear views from the tower.
Frequent afternoon storms, heaviest late in the year.
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Getting there
Rail, expressway and a small airport
Sultan Abdul Halim Airport (AOR) has flights mainly from Kuala Lumpur, so many travellers fly into Penang instead and cover the 80 km north by road or rail. Alor Setar station sits on the west coast line between Butterworth and Padang Besar, coaches from Kuala Lumpur take 6 to 7 hours, and Hat Yai is about 106 km away.
- Flights
- AOR, mainly from Kuala Lumpur
- Via Penang
- Fly to PEN, then about 80 km north by road or rail
- Train
- West coast line, between Butterworth and Padang Besar
- Bus from Kuala Lumpur
- About 6 to 7 hours
- From Thailand
- Buses via Bukit Kayu Hitam; Hat Yai about 106 km
- Langkawi ferries leave from Kuala Kedah at the river mouth west of town, not from Alor Setar itself, so allow for the ride to the jetty.
Where to stay
Jalan Putra hotels, Taman Uda homestays or Kuala Kedah
Choose a base in Alor Setar by your onward plans. Jalan Putra has the most comfortable mid-range hotels, a short ride from the royal quarter, homestays in residential areas such as Taman Uda suit longer and cheaper stays, and Kuala Kedah, near the jetty and the seafood, suits an early Langkawi ferry.
- Jalan Putra
- Mid-range hotels such as the Sentosa Regency, with in-house restaurants
- Taman Uda
- Homestay houses in a quiet residential area; Grab needed for everything
- Near the railway station
- Walking distance of the centre; handy for trains to Padang Besar
- Kuala Kedah
- Close to the Langkawi ferry and the fort; little else after dinner
Getting around
On foot, by Grab, or a coast drive
Walk the compact royal quarter, where the Balai Besar, Balai Nobat and Zahir Mosque are minutes apart, early or late in the day. Grab reaches the station, the airport, Kuala Kedah and Teluk Kechai. With a car, the coast to the south makes a six-hour day via the Merbok archaeology museum, Tanjung Dawai, Yan and Kuala Kedah fort.
- On foot
- Balai Besar, Balai Nobat and the Zahir Mosque are a short walk apart
- Grab or taxi
- Station, airport, Kuala Kedah and the laksa shops
- Car
- For the coast loop via Merbok, Tanjung Dawai and Yan
Know before you go
What makes Alor Setar worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- The Balai Nobat, home of the royal drums that sound only at the great ceremonies of the Kedah court.
- Wat Nikrodharam, a gilded Thai temple with mosaic walls in the middle of a Malay royal town.
- An evening bowl of Kedah laksa on the road out to Kuala Kedah.
- The Alor Setar Tower, Malaysia's third-tallest, for a view across the paddy plain.
Good to know
- Some of the best stalls keep narrow hours: the noted laksa shop opens only in the evening, and a fishermen's lunch spot near the Yan turn-off serves for a couple of hours around midday.
- Dress modestly at the Zahir Mosque, with arms and legs covered.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Alor Setar, month by month
Alor Setar has a real dry season: February averages about 52 mm of rain, while October brings about 305 mm. Highs peak near 34°C from February to April.
Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for Alor Setar (IEM, via Wikipedia).
The Balai Besar, the nobat drums and Wat Nikrodharam
Spend a day in Alor Setar's royal quarter. Begin at the Balai Besar, the wooden audience hall dating from 1735, while the morning is cool, then see the Balai Nobat next door, home of the royal drums. After lunch, visit the State Art Gallery and Wat Nikrodharam, and take a Grab towards Kuala Kedah for laksa at dinner.
The wooden audience hall dates from 1735, was wrecked by Bugis raiders in 1770 and by the Siamese in 1821, and was restored in 1896 for a royal wedding. Step next door to the Balai Nobat, where the drums, gong and flute of the royal orchestra are kept, played only at installations, weddings and funerals. The Zahir Mosque is a few minutes away; cover arms and legs before going in.
After lunch, look in at the State Art Gallery for paintings, old photographs and musical instruments, then cross the centre to Wat Nikrodharam, a Thai temple with gilded roofs and mosaic walls that serves the town's Chinese and Thai Buddhists. Go up the Alor Setar Tower in the late afternoon to watch the light drop across the rice fields.
The laksa shop at Teluk Kechai opens in the evening, or carry on to the river mouth for grilled fish near the old fort. If you are bound for Langkawi, the ferries leave from Kuala Kedah the next morning.
Teluk Kechai laksa and the Kuala Kedah fish road
Kedah food is coastal and plain-spoken. The local laksa is rice noodles in a sour fish gravy, and the best-known bowl comes from an unmarked shop at Teluk Kechai on the Kuala Kedah road, open 7pm to midnight. Eat fish for lunch near the Yan turn-off, and Thai-Chinese dishes at Haddyai Seafoods on Jalan Stadium.
Lunch is better on the same road. Near the turn-off for Yan, a fishermen's warung serves ikan kembong (mackerel) cooked the way the boat crews like it, for two hours around midday only, and it fills with townsfolk. At Kuala Kedah itself, seafood restaurants by the fort grill the day's catch. Further south, Tanjung Dawai is where to buy belacan, the fermented shrimp paste that goes into half the sambals in Malaysia.
Back in town, Haddyai Seafoods on Jalan Stadium cooks Thai and Chinese dishes, a reminder of how close the border is. Non-halal Chinese food clusters around Jalan Putra and the street locals call Second Road. Wash it all down with jus jambu, fresh guava juice, sold from stalls all over town.
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How we research our Alor Setar travel guide
Alor Setar's royal-quarter opening hours and the rail and road links from Penang are checked against the city's official website and Tourism Malaysia, with the MDAC page for entry and Wikipedia's Alor Setar entry for the history of the Balai Besar.
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Checked against trusted sources:
Official website of Alor SetarMalaysia Digital Arrival CardTourism Malaysia
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Alor Setar.
General
It is about 80 km north of George Town on the North-South Expressway, or take a train up the west coast line. Penang's airport also has far more flights than Alor Setar's.
Yes. A single day covers the Balai Besar, the Balai Nobat, the Zahir Mosque, Wat Nikrodharam and the tower; the night is for laksa or a seafood dinner at Kuala Kedah.
Rice noodles in a sour fish gravy. The best-known bowl comes from a shop at Teluk Kechai on the Kuala Kedah road, open only in the evening.
Yes. The ferries leave from Kuala Kedah at the river mouth west of town, not from Alor Setar itself; take a Grab or taxi to the jetty.
Yes. The station opened in 1915 and sits between Butterworth and Padang Besar on the Thai border, with trains from further south.
December to March. February averages only about 50 mm of rain, while October is the wettest month at about 300 mm.
The building that keeps the instruments of the Kedah royal orchestra, three drums, a gong and a flute, which are played only at royal ceremonies.
Wat Nikrodharam in the centre is the city's largest Buddhist temple, built in Thai style with gilded roofs and colourful mosaic walls.
Walk the compact royal quarter, where the Balai Besar, Balai Nobat and Zahir Mosque are minutes apart, early or late in the day. Grab reaches the station, the airport, Kuala Kedah and Teluk Kechai. With a car, the coast to the south makes a six-hour day via the Merbok archaeology museum, Tanjung Dawai, Yan and Kuala Kedah fort.
Getting there
About 106 km. Buses for travellers from Thailand cross at Bukit Kayu Hitam and run down to Alor Setar.
Stay & facilities
The better hotels are a short ride away on Jalan Putra, away from the Balai Besar, so plan on a Grab or a morning walk in.
Timing & weather
The best time to visit Alor Setar is Dec to Mar. The driest stretch in Kedah, before the rains build again from April.
- Best overall: December - March (Dry and sunny, good for walking the royal quarter and for clear views from the tower)
- Wet months: April - November (Frequent afternoon storms, heaviest late in the year)
February is the warmest month in Alor Setar, with average highs of 34°C, and January the coolest, with lows of 24°C. October is the wettest month, at about 305 mm of rain; February is the driest. Alor Setar has a real dry season: February averages about 52 mm of rain, while October brings about 305 mm.
Visa & documents
Citizens of the UK, the EU, the US, Canada, Australia and many other countries can visit Malaysia visa-free, usually for up to 90 days. All foreign visitors must complete the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC) online before arrival. Sabah and Sarawak have their own immigration controls.
Health & safety
Malaysia is generally safe. Bag snatching occurs in cities, and governments advise against non-essential travel to islands off eastern Sabah.
