Lonely Planet has ranked Ipoh at number 6 on its ‘Best in Asia‘ list of destinations to visit in the next 12 months. Describing Ipoh as Malaysia’s renaissance city whose ‘coffeehouses and heritage houses are staging a long overdue comeback’, Lonely Planet sings praises for Ipoh’s old and new charm and cuisine.
One of the draws of Ipoh, according to the Lonely Planet article, is the ‘colonial golden triangle’ which covers several of Ipoh’s colonial buildings that are still standing proudly west of the Kinta River. The Ipoh train station, described as the ‘Taj Mahal’ of commuter hubs for its white domes, as well as the 100 year old Town Hall, white Court House, and Birch Memorial Clock Tower were all built in colonial times.
Lonely Planet also highlighted Ipoh’s growing number of hipster cafés, renewed love of Ipoh coffee (locals would approve of this, for sure), street art, temples and the racy history of Concubine Lane.
To an Ipoh native, the beauty of this old town is obvious and precious, and word has been spreading steadily to other parts of the country for a while now. Ipoh is already groaning under the weight of local day-trippers who head up there for the small town charm and delicious food. Ipoh is so popular among the locals that on weekends, you will have to queue up for quite a while if you want to enjoy some of Ipoh’s best meals.
With Lonely Planet’s highlight on Ipoh, those queues just got a little longer. Go soon and beat the crowds.
Lonely Planet’s Best Places to visit in Asia
- Hokkaido, Japan
- Shanghai, China
- Jeonju, South Korea
- Con Dao Islands, Vietnam
- Hong Kong, China
- Ipoh, Malaysia
- Pemuteran, Indonesia
- Trang Islands, Thailand
- Meghalaya, India
- Taitung, Taiwan
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