Ipoh is halfway between Kuala Lumpur and Penang, 200 km north of the former and 160 km south of the latter, on the country's main north–south transport corridor.
The fastest route in is the ETS (Electric Train Service) from KL Sentral or Butterworth (Penang) — about two hours and ten minutes from KL, very comfortable, several departures a day. The train arrives at the Mughal-Moorish Ipoh Railway Station, a five-minute walk from the Old Town.
Express buses are cheaper and only marginally slower: three hours from KL, a little more from Penang, half-hourly all day. They arrive at the Aman Jaya bus terminal 10 km north of the city.
Sultan Azlan Shah Airport has a few daily flights from KL with Firefly and a handful of seasonal connections — useful only for international travellers in a hurry. Most visitors fly to KL or Penang and take the train.