Taiping is located at the northern region of Peninsular Malaysia in the state of Perak between Ipoh and Penang Island along the North-South Expressway that skirts the country's western hemisphere. The only routes of access are by roads and railway tracks; there are no commercial airports (only a small air strip suitable for turboprop planes).
Flights to the nearest airports are at Ipoh and Penang, which connect domestic routes from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). Once in town, there are taxis but an electric bus service (rapidKamunting) provies a convenient way to explore major attractions along the heritage trail, managed by the local municipal council.
Directions
Taiping town can be reached by using the North-South Expressway that connects major cities along the western coastline including Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, Ipoh, Georgetown and Alor Setar. Located 70km north of Ipoh and 90km south of Penang, the highway incurs tol charges at the Taiping exit.
From Kuala Lumpur, it is a distance of 280km away - about three to four hours by car. Alternatively, visitors can also use trunks roads that pass through townships skirting the coast or highway that are free of tol charges with the aid of a map. Major bus stations at Kuala Lumpur (including KL Sentral), Ipoh and Penang also provide coach rides that arrive or pass through Taiping.
From northern bus terminals, buses arrive at Kamunting about 6km away from the main town. Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM), the national railway, operates the Electric Train Service (ETS) that connects the western coastline from Gemas to Padang Besar at the Thai-Malaysian border, allowing high-speed travel to Taiping.
Operating in three phases, visitors taking this high-speed train from KL Sentral in Kuala Lumpur will hop on the main line to Ipoh, then transit to the Padang Besar ETS route that makes a stop at Taiping Train Station. Conversely, visitors from northern destinations such as Butterworth (mainland section of Penang), Alor Setar and Kuala Kangsar will take the same line from Padang Besar to reach Taiping.
