The Ipoh Heritage Trail (or Ipoh Heritage Walk) consists of more than 20 stopping points. If you want to see each of these points, expect to spend a few hours doing so.
For most visitors, an hour in the heat is more than enough.
If that’s you, keep on reading so you can get tips from our experience waking the Ipoh Heritage Trail.
How Long Is The Trail?
The full trail might take most people 2 hours to cover. The length of the trail is about 6km in total.
If you don’t want to walk the full way, you can drive (but then you’ll have to find parking several times).
Or you can pick up one of the purple scooters that are beside the Tourist Information Center close to Ipoh Padang.
How Do You Recognise A Heritage Stop?
All stops on the Ipoh Heritage Trail are marked with a stone slab that is grey with gold writing. Each slab has Ipoh Heritage Trail or Jejak Warisan on the base.
The slabs offer information about their respective stops – in both English and Malay.
How Many Stops Are In The Full Trail (What Order Should You Follow)
Here are the 30 stops of The Ipoh Heritage Trail in the order suggested on the official trail map:
- Ipoh Railway Station
- Ipoh War Memorial (in front of the train station)
- Ipoh Town Hall (opposite the train station)
- The Court House (Ipoh High Court)
- Royal Ipoh Club
- Church of St. John The Divine (St. John’s Anglican Church, Location)
- St. Michael Institution
- India Muslim Mosque – Moghul inspired (Location)
- FMS Bar & Restaurant (Durbar at FMS)
- HongKong And Shanghai Building (HSBC Ipoh: the branch beside Ipoh Padang, Location)
- S.P.H. De Silva Building
- Chung Thye Phin Building (Arlene House, Location)
- Straits Trading Building (OCBC)
- The Chartered Bank
- Mercantile Bank
- Residence & Law Office Of The Seenivasagam Brothers
- Perak Hydro Building (Perak River Hydro-Electric Power Company used to be a main power supplier in Malaysia, Location)
- Birch Memorial Clock Tower
- Jan Sahid’s Office (detour from Chung Thye Phin Building)
- Mikasa Photo Shop – Japanese Spy
- Dramatist’s Hostel (Ipoh Kong Heng Restaurant)
- Perak Ku Kong Chow Association
- Han Chin Pet Soo Building Museum (the tours are great too)
- Panglima Lane (Concubine Lane) (plus Market Lane and Hale Lane)
- Old Federal Building
- Darul Ridzuan Museum (Temporarily closed, Location)
- Anglo-Chinese School (ACS Ipoh) (Location)
- Dato’ Panglima Kinta’s Mosque (Location)
- The ‘Bulan Bintang’ Building
- The Army Reserved Force
Main Highlights Of The Trail (Shortened Trail)
Of the full trail with 27 stops, here are 19 stops that you can see (in this order) if you have limited time in Ipoh:
- Ipoh Railway Station
- Ipoh Town Hall (opposite the train station)
- Ipoh High Court
- Ipoh Padang
- F.M.S. Bar And Restaurant (across Ipoh Padang)
- HSBC Ipoh (the branch beside Ipoh Padang)
- Perak Hydro Building
- Ipoh Municipal Car Park
- Mercantile Bank
- Straits Trading Company (OCBC Bank)
- Standard Chartered Ipoh Branch
- Arlene House (or Chung Thye Phin Building)
- SPH de Silva Building
- Perak Ku Kong Chow Association
- Han Chin Pet Soo Museum (the tours are great too)
- Concubine Lane (plus Market Lane and Hale Lane)
- Ipoh Kong Heng Coffee shop (Next to Thean Chun and across Concubine Lane)
- Mikasa Photo Studio | Japanese Spy
- Birch Memorial Clock Tower
PS: We tried to keep the ones that are very close to each other, and that have unique architecture.
If you really don’t want to spend more than an hour on the walk, then go for these few stops instead:
- Ipoh Railway Station
- Ipoh Town Hall (opposite the train station)
- Ipoh High Court
- Ipoh Padang
- Han Chin Pet Soo Museum (the tours are great too)
- Concubine Lane (plus Market Lane and Hale Lane)
- Birch Memorial Clock Tower
You may want to try spotting mural art in Ipoh Old Town too while you’re checking out these landmarks.
Where Should You Start The Trail?
The official starting point of the Ipoh Heritage Trail is the Ipoh Railway Station. The trail ends at the Birch Memorial Clock Tower.
So, you could essentially do the official trail backwards too.
Where Can You Get A Map Of The Ipoh Heritage Trail
Either get a map from the Tourist Information Center (closed on weekends) or at the tourist information counter at the Ipoh Railway Station.
Or you can download a map here.
When Is The Best Time To Do This Trail?
Early mornings are the best time to walk this trail without the sun beating down on you. Evenings (after 6pm) are usually cooler too. But evening downpours are common as well.
You can attempt this trail in the middle of the day, but we advise bringing along an umbrella and a small water bottle.
Ipoh Heritage Trail – How To See Many Historical Landmarks
Do You Need A Guide For The Trail?
If you don’t mind stopping to read the information boards that are at the front of the buildings, then you will not need a guide.
For those that prefer having the history of the buildings and Ipoh told to them in person, we recommend a private tour service. Like RayTheTour – you can contact them on WhatsApp to inquire or make a booking.
Conclusion
Even if you don’t have time (or energy) to see the whole Ipoh Heritage Trail, it’s worthwhile to find some of the landmarks.
The old buildings are still beautiful. And there is ready information to read about them too.
Scooters and a physical map will help ease your exploration.
