Travel Kota Bharu to Penang

There are two ways to travel from Kota Bharu to Penang: by bus or by plane. There are 4 direct flights a day from Kota Bharu to Penang operated by Malaysia Airlines and budget carrier Firefly. The cheapest flights, however, cost 5 times as much as travelling by bus, although flying from Kota Bharu to Penang is 6 hours quicker than travelling by bus. To travel by train from Kota Bharu you would need to travel a long way south to Gemas train station to connect to Malaysia’s west coast train line to then travel north again to Butterworth train station near Penang.

Bus Times from Kota Bharu to Penang

There are two bus services a day from Kota Bharu to Penang which are available to book online.

• The journey by bus from Kota Bharu to Butterworth bus station near Penang Island takes 7 hours 10 minutes.
• Transnasional passengers from Kota Bharu to Penang travel on VIP bus which features reclining seats and includes a drink and a snack.

Buy Tickets from Kota Bharu to Penang

Use the Search Box to buy your bus tickets or flights from Kota Bharu to Penang.

Kota Bharu Bus Station

Bus services from Kota Bharu to Penang depart from the city centre Kota Bharu Bus Station on Jalan Pendek.

Butterworth Bus Station

Bus services from Kota Bharu terminate at Penang Sentral Bus Station on the mainland, which is very close to Butterworth Train Station.

Travel from Butterworth to Penang Island

There are two ways to travel from Butterworth Bus Station to Penang Island. The easiest way to travel from Butterworth Bus Station to Penang is to take the ferry which departs from Pangkalan Sultan Abdul Halim Ferry Terminal and then travels direct to Pangkalan Raja Tun Uda Ferry Terminal in Georgetown on Penang Island. The ferry terminal is 1.3 km walk away from Butterworth bus station, a route which is mostly along a purpose built pedestrian walkway. The route from the bus station to the ferry terminal is also well sign posted so it is easy to find your way.

• The ferry service from Butterworth to Penang is called the Rapid Ferry.
• It costs 1.2 MYR per adult one way and 0.6 MYR for children.
• The ferry runs every 20 to 30 minutes from 05:40 until 00:45 every day of the year.
• The journey by ferry from Butterworth to Penang takes 20 minutes.

The other way to travel from Butterworth to Penang is to travel by road over one of the two bridges from connecting Penang to the mainland.

• By road the journey from Butterworth Bus Station to Penang Times Square in Georgetown is 26.5 km and should take around 29 minutes. Taxi fares are not fixed but are likely to cost around 30 MYR.
• The journey from Butterworth Bus Station to Batu Feringghi in Penang is 41 km and should take 47 minutes. The taxi fare from Butterworth Bus Station to Batu Feringghi should be around 44 MYR.