Georgetown is an important destination due to its crucial location in the west coast of the Malaysian peninsula and in 2008 its importance was further enhanced by UNESCO, listing Georgetown as a World Heritage Site. The credit of discovering the town goes to a British trader named Francis Light in the year 1786. At present Georgetown shelters 600,000 people making it one of the largest cities in Malaysia.

Among some of the important historical attractions in Georgetown, the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion is an outstanding piece of architecture converted into a hotel from a Chinese courtyard house. This conversion won the UNESCO's Asia-Pacific Heritage Award for Conservation in 2000. Similarly, the Penang City Hall is a building talked of, for its remarkable architecture which is used as the Penang Municipal Council Chambers, in the present day.

Transportation in Georgetown is possible through several means, since it is the transportation hub of Penang, but most of the visitors prefer taxi services in comparison to public transport.

The Kapitan Keling Mosque down Pitt Street is a popular Mosuqe in the city, while the Dharmikara Burmese Buddhist Temple and the Wat Chaiya Mangkalaram temple are two religiously significant temples. At the same time the St. George's Church, is a densely populated church in Georgetown.

Other places of attraction include; KOMTAR which is a skyscraper that provides assistance as a navigation signpost and the Chew Thean Yeang, which is the Southeast Asia's largest live fish shop. In addition to these, there are a number of other landmark buildings and locations that catch the eye of a visitor to Georgetown.

Little Penang Street Market, Penang Plaza, Queensbay Mall are a few of the famous shopping destinations around Georgetown that gives a wide range of options for the shoppers to select from. However, Little India is a different experience as it portrays the Indian culture, Indian dishes and the clothing.

Among the hotels in Penang, the Copthorne Orchid Hotel Penang is ideally located in the heart of the city to provide guests easy access to the many shopping, dining and tourist destinations in Georgetown.