Perak Museum (Muzium Perak)
Jalan Taming Sari, Taiping, Perak, 34000
Housed in an art deco building in Taiping, the Perak Museum (Muzium Perak) is Peninsular Malaysia’s oldest museum, established in 1883. The retro collection includes history displays, taxidermied critters, and handicrafts. Kids will also be pleased by a selection of cars once owned by the royal family, a 3D trick art section, trains, canoes, and fighter planes.
The basics
Entrance to the Perak Museum is affordable, and under-12s go free. Buy tickets in cash on arrival. The collection spans more than 5,000 items related to the state (and kingdom) of Perak. Masks, models, pottery, and musical instruments from Perak’s indigenous groups are a highlight, as is the collection of black-on-silver niello engraving. Kids will gravitate to the vehicle selection.
Many travelers visit independently while exploring Taiping, but you can see on a Taiping day trip from Kuala Lumpur or Ipoh.
Things to know before you go
The Perak Museum is a good rainy-day choice for families and people interested in indigenous cultures.
Most travelers can walk through the museum in 30 minutes, but some stay for up to two hours.
The Perak Museum is accessible, with ramps and wheelchair-friendly bathrooms. All exhibitions are on the first floor.
How to get there
The Perak Museum is in central Taiping, about 1.25 miles (2 kilometers) from the train and bus stations. If you’re not driving, taking a taxi is easiest. Rideshares don’t operate in Taiping.
When to get there
The museum is open daily, from morning to evening. It closes on the first Monday of the month, the first two days of Eid al-Fitr, and the first day of Eid al-Adha. Apart from the odd school trip, it’s never busy, so stop by when it suits you.
On the trail of colonial architecture in Taiping
Many travelers visit Taiping for its treasure trove of 19th-century architecture, a legacy of its days as a tin-mining boom town. All Saints Church is a striking wooden church built in 1887 with an atmospheric graveyard; the Taiping Central Market, due to finish renovations by August 2024, is one of Malaysia’s largest wood and cast iron structures. Even the Taiping Lake Gardens public park, with its retro rowboats, dates back to 1880.
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