Experience the best of Ipoh

Ipoh grew rich on the tin of the Kinta Valley, and the money left a cluster of colonial-era buildings in the old town, among them the Moorish-style railway station, the town hall and the High Court. The town lies on the Kinta River under steep limestone hills. Narrow lanes of shophouses are now cafés and galleries, with street murals on many walls.

Cave temples are cut into the limestone hills around the town, including Perak Tong, with a large seated Buddha, and Sam Poh Tong, which has a turtle pond in its garden. Kellie's Castle, an unfinished mansion built by a Scottish planter, stands at Batu Gajah, and hot springs are at Tambun. The cool tea country of the Cameron Highlands lies to the east, and the royal town of Kuala Kangsar to the north-west.

Ipoh white coffee, roasted with margarine and served with condensed milk, is the city's drink, and its dishes include chicken with bean sprouts, sar hor fun, flat rice noodles in prawn broth, and dim sum. Pomelo grows in nearby orchards. The weather is hot and humid, with showers in any month.