Things to Do at Fort Cornwallis

A star-shaped stone fort on the tip of Penang Island where Captain Francis Light planted the British flag in 1786 - the starting point of Britain's expansion into Malaya. The original wooden stockade is long gone; what survives is the early-1800s stone replacement with walls thick enough to stop cannonballs, and a ring of Dutch and British cannons pointed at the Strait of Malacca. The largest, Seri Rambai, is a 17th-century Dutch cannon that women touch for fertility - it is the most rubbed bronze in Penang. The fort never saw serious combat, which is why it survives intact. Today it is a park with open lawns, a small museum in the old barracks, and an amphitheater that hosts performances. Walk the ramparts for views across the strait to the mainland, then read the plaques that trace how Francis Light convinced the Sultan of Kedah to cede Penang by reportedly firing silver dollars from his cannons into the jungle to motivate clearance crews. The story may be apocryphal, but it captures the mercantile audacity that built the Straits Settlements.

On the Esplanade at the northeastern tip of George Town - walk along the waterfront from the ferry terminal (10 minutes) or from Lebuh Chulia (8 minutes). The free CAT bus stops nearby. Grab from anywhere in George Town costs RM 5-10. The fort sits at the junction of Jalan Tun Syed Sheh Barakbah and Light Street, with the sea on two sides. Combine with a walk along the Esplanade waterfront toward Padang Kota Lama, where the colonial cricket field still has weekly matches.