By air. Penang International Airport (PEN) is on the south of the island, about 30 minutes by Grab from the centre of Georgetown (around RM 30-40). It has direct flights from major Southeast Asian hubs (Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong) and some intercontinental destinations including Doha, Istanbul and Jeddah. The bus into the centre is cheap but slow.
By land. The Penang Bridge and the Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge (the second Penang bridge) connect the island to the mainland; buses and cars cross freely. Long-distance buses arrive at Sungai Nibong terminal on the southern edge of Georgetown, with regular services from Kuala Lumpur (5 hours), Singapore (10-12 hours including the ferry), Thailand and across northern Malaysia.
By train. Penang has no railway station of its own. The closest is Butterworth on the mainland opposite Georgetown. Trains from Kuala Lumpur on the ETS high-speed line take 4 hours. From Butterworth, take the ferry across to Pengkalan Weld in central Georgetown (operating during daylight hours) or a Grab via the bridge.
Ferry. A long-running passenger ferry crosses between Butterworth and Pengkalan Weld during the day. As of recent years the service has been reduced and somewhat unreliable; check the current schedule before relying on it.