Cheap Flights To Alor Setar

Alor Setar lies on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia in Malaysia and is famous for its beautiful views over the rice fields with vibrant shades of green and yellow. The city is known as the "rice bowl" of Malaysia, which is certainly true as visitors to the rice paddy museum will find out. As a modern city, there are many new buildings and shopping centres like the Star Parade and the City Plaza. However, small picturesque local markets are still plentiful -- notably the Pekan Rabu or "Wednesday Market", which actually takes place all week.

Many use the Alor Setar as a handy stop-over on their way to visit southern Malaysia, but there's enough to see and do to entertain visitors for days. The city is a typically Malay place with a fairly strict interpretation of Islam and other religions as well as a deep respect for the local monarchy. However, many of the religious buildings are really spectacular such as the Zahir Mosque, which is among the oldest in Malaysia and one of the most beautiful mosques in the world. Malaysians celebrate numerous annual religious festivals during the course of the year and witnessing and/or taking part in these is an exciting experience for everyone. For example, there are the Chinese New Year and the Buddhist Wesak Day festivals. Also, Alor Setar holds an International Academic and Culture Festival, which is designed to strengthen international relations.

Things To Do

With museums, mosques, temples, markets and modern shopping areas, Alor Setar is a diverse and interesting city where visitors can easily spend several days (or more) exploring.

• A spectacular mosque
  Masjid Zahir Mosque is the state mosque in the city centre. Built in 1912, it's one of Malaysia's oldest and grandest mosques. Every year, there's a Quran reading competition in this magical place.

• Pekan Rabu, a fascinating market
  This market is near the government offices and features many stalls selling a variety of items from delicious foods to beautiful arts and crafts.

• The interesting Kedah Paddy Museum
  Learn about the rice that people eat every day at this educational museum, which includes a 360-degree portrait display of a paddy field and information about all the rice-related activities.

Calendar Of Events

As a city with multiple religious faiths, many annual festivals in Alor Setar mark events in the religious calendar, but there are one or two interesting annual cultural festivals.

• International Academic and Culture Festival. This festival involves visits to some of the city's most important landmarks, including its museums and mosques. It's designed to foster closer relations between Thailand and Kedah.

• Chinese New Year. As perhaps the biggest and most important annual Chinese festival, Chinese New Year is a colourful event, involving food and various celebrations and gatherings where all are welcome.

• Wesak Day. Buddhists in the city celebrate Wesak to commemorate the birth, enlightenment and death of Buddha. Thousands gather at temples in the city to pray, liberate their souls and forsake past sins.