Alor Setar destination guide
Alor Setar is the state capital of Kedah, which the state tourism board describes as "The Rice Bowl of Malaysia". The city is run by the Alor Setar City Council (Majlis Bandaraya Alor Setar). This guide covers the Kedah state museums, Masjid Zahir, Menara Alor Setar, Rumah Merdeka and the Wan Mat Saman Canal, then when to go, flights from Sultan Abdul Halim Airport (AOR), getting around and side trips to Lembah Bujang and Langkawi.
The Kedah state museums
Lembaga Muzium Negeri Kedah (the Kedah State Museums Board), based at Bakar Bata in Alor Setar, runs Muzium Padi (the Paddy Museum), Muzium Negeri Kedah (the Kedah State Museum), Muzium Diraja (the Royal Museum), Balai Seni Negeri (the State Art Gallery) and Rumah Warisan (the Heritage House). Its website gives 9am to 5pm daily as the opening hours, with closures on the first day of Hari Raya Aidilfitri and the first day of Hari Raya Aidiladha (September 2026).
The Kedah State Museum was founded on 3 February 1957 as Muzium Sejarah Kedah. The Royal Museum is a historic palace that several Sultans of Kedah once lived in, and the board calls the State Art Gallery "one of the earliest modern government buildings" in Alor Setar. The Heritage House is made up of two traditional Malay houses, Rumah Tok Su and Rumah Seri Banai.
Muzium Padi, the Paddy Museum
Muzium Padi stands at Lot 798, Jalan Gunung Keriang, Mukim Gunung Keriang, 06570 Alor Setar, against the backdrop of Gunung Keriang. The then Sultan of Kedah, Sultan Halim Mu'adzam Shah, opened it on 12 October 2004. Its main building is designed to look like a sheaf of rice and stands with six auxiliary buildings, and the museum covers the history of rice cultivation: its culture, research, development and technology.
Masjid Zahir, Menara Alor Setar and other landmarks
Masjid Zahir
Masjid Zahir, the Zahir Mosque, is on Jalan Kampung Perak in Alor Setar. Kedah's state Islamic affairs department dates its building to Monday 11 March 1912, on the initiative of Tunku Mahmud, and says it replaced an earlier mosque on the same site dating from 1735. The name Zahir was adopted in 1915, and the department lists the mosque's telephone as 04-7333288.
Menara Alor Setar
Menara Alor Setar, the Alor Setar Tower, is 165.5 metres tall, and its operator describes it as Malaysia's second-tallest telecommunications tower. Its shape draws on Kedah's rice farming: the structure represents "Serumpun Padi", a tied cluster of rice stalks, and the main pillar represents "Tiang Seri". Opening times are best confirmed with the tower before you go.
The observation deck, with automated binoculars, is at 88 metres, and the revolving restaurant, which the operator calls the highest restaurant in Kedah, is at 94 metres. The Megaview Banquet Hall is at 100 metres, and Star View, at 105 metres, is a pair of glass viewing boxes in Kedah's official colours.
Rumah Merdeka
Rumah Merdeka, the Tunku Abdul Rahman memorial house, stands behind Hotel Royale on Jalan Putera and is managed by Arkib Negara, the National Archives, which keeps it in its original condition. A 2014 report on the news site mStar says Tunku Abdul Rahman conducted independence-era affairs here, including receiving a goodwill mission from Jakarta in 1966, led by Rear Admiral O.B. Sjaaf, which ended Konfrontasi (the Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation). Check visiting days with the National Archives before going.
The Wan Mat Saman Canal
The Wan Mat Saman Canal (Terusan Wan Mat Saman) was built between 13 August 1885 and 12 July 1896 to irrigate Kedah's rice fields. It runs from the Kedah River at Alor Setar to the foot of Gunung Jerai at Gurun, with 17.5 km of it in Kota Setar District and 15.0 km in Yan District, according to the Muda Agricultural Development Authority (MADA), the federal statutory body responsible for it.
Since the Muda Irrigation Scheme of 1970, the canal has mainly carried drainage from federal roads, villages and farmland rather than irrigating fields directly. In 2017 the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage recognised it as a World Heritage Irrigation Structure.
When to go to Alor Setar
The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) gives the northeast monsoon, from November to March, as the country's main rainy season, bringing heavy rain to the Peninsula's east coast, and the southwest monsoon, from late May to September, as relatively drier across most of the country. In the transition periods between the two monsoons, MetMalaysia says the west coast states of Peninsular Malaysia see their highest average monthly rainfall, with clear mornings giving way to afternoon thunderstorms.
Kedah's holidays and museum closures
Kedah keeps state public holidays of its own. In 2026 the Prime Minister's Department's official schedule gave Kedah four state holidays: Israk dan Mikraj (17 January), Awal Ramadan (19 February), the second day of Hari Raya Qurban (28 May) and the Sultan of Kedah's birthday (21 June), a holiday no other state or federal territory observed. For 2027 dates, check the department's 2027 schedule.
The state museums close on the first day of each Hari Raya. The official 2027 schedule gives Hari Raya Puasa (Aidilfitri) on 10 and 11 March and Hari Raya Qurban (Aidiladha) on 17 May, both marked as subject to change because they depend on the sighting of the moon.
Flights to and from Alor Setar
Flights use Sultan Abdul Halim Airport (AOR), which the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) places 8.5 km north-east of the Telekom Tower in Alor Setar, in a straight line. Malaysia Airports runs it, CAAM classes it as a domestic airport, and its single runway is shared with military aviation.
That runway has closed several times since late 2024: floodwater shut it from 29 November until flights resumed on 9 December 2024, air force aircraft incidents closed it on 6 May and 19 August 2025, and a tyre burst on an aborted take-off closed it for part of 30 December 2025. If your flight is disrupted, check with the airline.
Direct domestic flights recorded from Alor Setar go to:
| Destination | Airlines recorded |
|---|---|
| Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL) | AirAsia, Malaysia Airlines |
| Kuala Lumpur, Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport (SZB) at Subang | Firefly |
| Johor Bahru, Senai International Airport (JHB) | AirAsia |
Airlines change their schedules, so check the route page before booking. The Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru destination guides cover those cities, and the Malaysia travel guide covers the country as a whole.
Getting around by bus and train
Local buses run under BAS.MY Kota Setar, a stage-bus network in the federal Stage Bus Services Transformation programme, operated by Gopi Travel Tours Sdn Bhd for the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD). It began phased operation on 1 June 2025, with low-floor, disabled-friendly buses and cashless payment. Route K20, Shahab Perdana to Jitra, passes the airport, and its timetable runs Monday to Sunday.
For rail, the nearest station to the airport is Anak Bukit, which is on the timetable of KTMB's electric ETS service. ETS runs on the West Coast Line between Gemas and Padang Besar, calling at KL Sentral, Ipoh and Butterworth among other stations.
Side trips from Alor Setar
Lembah Bujang Archaeological Museum, Merbok
The Lembah Bujang Archaeological Museum at Merbok, in Kedah, is run by the federal Department of Museums Malaysia, which describes it as the only museum in Malaysia showing archaeological collections from a trade and Hindu-Buddhist centre in Southeast Asia dating from the 3rd to the 12th century AD. Its collection includes gold, gems, ceramics and stone statues, and its centrepiece is Candi Bukit Batu Pahat, a reconstructed Hindu temple.
The department gives the hours as 9am to 5pm daily, closed on the first two days of Hari Raya Aidilfitri and the first day of Hari Raya Aidiladha (September 2026). In 2027 the official schedule puts the Hari Raya Aidilfitri closure on 10 and 11 March, subject to change. Its published directions start from the bus terminal in Sungai Petani, not from Alor Setar.
Langkawi by ferry from Kuala Kedah
Langkawi Ferry Line Ventures runs ferries between Kuala Kedah and Langkawi in both directions, alongside a separate route between Kuala Perlis and Langkawi. The operator's website gives fixed sailing times for online bookings and says the schedule is usually updated every three months (September 2026). It flags weekends, school and public holidays and major events as busier periods, so book ahead then.
The Langkawi destination guide covers the island itself.
Questions about Alor Setar
Which airport serves Alor Setar?
Sultan Abdul Halim Airport (AOR), run by Malaysia Airports. CAAM places it 8.5 km north-east of the Telekom Tower in Alor Setar, in a straight line.
What are the opening hours of the Kedah state museums in Alor Setar?
The Kedah State Museums Board gives 9am to 5pm daily, with closures on the first day of Hari Raya Aidilfitri and the first day of Hari Raya Aidiladha (September 2026).
When was Masjid Zahir in Alor Setar built?
Kedah's state Islamic affairs department dates its building to 11 March 1912. It replaced an earlier mosque on the same site dating from 1735, and took the name Zahir in 1915.
How tall is Menara Alor Setar?
165.5 metres. Its observation deck is at 88 metres and its revolving restaurant at 94 metres.
When is the wettest time of year in Alor Setar?
MetMalaysia says the Peninsula's west coast states see their highest average monthly rainfall in the transition periods between the northeast monsoon (November to March) and the southwest monsoon (late May to September).
Is there a ferry from Kuala Kedah to Langkawi?
Yes. Langkawi Ferry Line Ventures runs the Kuala Kedah to Langkawi route in both directions, and it names weekends and school and public holidays as busier periods.