Bukit Mertajam

 

Overview

Encompassing a vast area, Bukit Mertajam is located in Seberang Perai Tengah on the mainland of Penang. Literally translated, the town is called Mertajam Hill and standing at some 547m tall, the hill is named after a tree which bears white flowers.

Just 20km to Butterworth in the northwest, Bukit Mertajam is central with the quaint Simpang Ampat to the south and Kulim in the northern state of Kedah in the east. The Bukit Mertajam town is some 8km from Autocity, in Juru – a direct exit on the North South Expressway – and the town is 9.8km from the Penang Bridge.

In its time, the town has seen rapid development ranging from shopping complexes which are now defunct to even a shift in the Bukit Mertajam railway station which opened in July 2015.

The town is most famous for hosting the annual St. Anne's feast at the end of July which thousands of pilgrims – Catholics and non-Christians alike – throng to. Most will put up at the many budget hotels available around the Bukit Mertajam town and even home-stays.

Accessibility and Transportation

Bukit Mertajam is directly accessible via the KTM train service but one will have to hop on and hop off Penang Rapid bus services to get to the town if the express bus is the chosen mode of transport. Taxis are also viable from Penang Sentral in Butterworth at which express buses stop but the journey may prove to be expensive.

To travel in and around Bukit Mertajam and take in sights like the Cherok Tok Kun recreational forest, the Mengkuang Dam, and enjoy the many food attractions of the town, one can opt for the local bus services found at Summit which also houses a hotel in the town centre.

Amenities and Facilities

Bukit Mertajam town centre obviously has its fair share of amenities of banks, a wet market, restaurants and fast food outlets, a post office and these can also sometimes more often than not, be found in the smaller townships near many residential developments.

There also many shopping centres in Bukit Mertajam including the AEON Mall in Alma, Perda City Mall in Bandar Perda, and the newly opened Mydin Mall which is located on Jalan Baru en route to Prai.