Ipoh Street Art: Old Town & New Town Mural Walk
Where to find Ipoh street art in Old Town and New Town, with a walking order, time needed, who should skip it and how to pair it with other stops.
On this page
Last updated November 2026: ipoh street art is mostly in the Old Town lanes, with one denser cluster at Mural Art's Lane in New Town. Budget about 3 hours for the full Old Town trail, photo stops included. Murals are painted on outdoor walls, so no ticket is needed, and Ipoh Old Town: Walking Route, Sights & Time Needed is the natural place to start.
Featured image: Michael, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Ipoh Street Art at a Glance
Old Town has the most murals, spread across several lanes. New Town packs its work into one area. Use the table below to choose. Times are our approximate estimates, based on the roughly 3-hour benchmark for the Old Town trail.
| Area | Vibe | Best for | Time needed (approx.) | Effort and shade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Town lane cluster | Realist, mostly monochrome scenes of local life plus newer colorful pieces | First visits and photo walks | About 3 hours with breaks; 1 hour for a quick look | Moderate effort. Narrow lanes, patchy shade |
| New Town, Mural Art's Lane | Brighter, outlined murals mixed old and new | Many murals in one place | About 1 hour | Low effort. Short walk, limited shade |
| Both in one half-day | Old Town first, then New Town | Visitors with a free morning or afternoon | About 4 hours including a coffee stop | Moderate effort. Plan a ride between areas |
Old Town: A Walking Order for Ipoh Murals
Start near the Tourist Information Centre. A large mural of kids in a paper airplane sits high on a dilapidated building nearby. A mural of an elderly man sipping coffee is also close. Both are credited to Ernest Zacharevic.
Old Town's trail needs about 3 hours with photo stops, so an early start keeps the walk clear of midday heat.
Head toward Ipoh Padang next. Behind the Old Town White Coffee branch that faces the Padang, you will find two tin-mining murals. From there, work through the lanes around Panglima Lane, where the trail is based.
Concubine Lane comes next. Murals line the lane, and the side alleys hide more. A 3D mural of 3 men having a beer sits at the far end.
Market Lane is close by. Look for the mural of 3 children jumping. At its end, a 3D mural shows a man loading or unloading trash bags from a trishaw. Hale Lane follows, with a man handing kids a bag from his blue scooter.
Finish beside the Ho Yan Hor Museum, where the black-and-white Evolution mural shows tin dredges. It is faded, but the dredges are still readable.
Lanes here are narrow and shared with traffic, scooters, shops and residents. Pair the walk with a white coffee stop and a heritage building or two. Then use our guide to 10 Best Things to Do in Ipoh: Caves, Old Town and Food for the next stop.
New Town: Mural Art's Lane
Mural Art's Lane suits you if you would rather see many murals in one place. None of the works here are by Zacharevic. A couple are by Eric Lai, and many are by his students.
Murals are generally signed and dated with the artist's name. That makes it easy to see which pieces are newer. More than one street is involved, so look at every wall. New work is mixed in with older pieces.
Getting between the two areas is a trade-off. Walking saves money but costs time and shade. Ride-hailing or a taxi is quicker in the midday heat. Agree on or check the fare before you set off.
Artists and Styles Worth Knowing
Zacharevic is a Lithuanian artist. Ipoh City Council reportedly commissioned him in 2014 to paint murals around the old town. His work leans realist, with scenes of everyday life and coffee culture. Several pieces are in black and white.
Eric Lai works in a different register. Expect brighter colors and clear outlines. He started Mural Art's Lane, and you will see his work in both Old Town and New Town.
To spot the difference, look for a signature and date near the base of the wall. Large, realist pieces on prominent walls tend to be the older commissions. Smaller, brighter pieces in New Town are often newer or by students.
How to Plan Ipoh Street Art: Time, Heat and Crowds
Go early in the morning or late in the afternoon. You get softer light, more shade in the lanes and less traffic. Midday is hot, and most walls are in direct sun. Carry water, a hat and sunscreen.
Concubine and Market Lanes fit a quick look of about 1 hour, but Mural Art's Lane alone also needs about 1 hour, so pick one area per visit.
The 3-hour benchmark includes photo stops and breaks. Choose a plan that fits your day:
- Quick look, about 1 hour: Concubine Lane and Market Lane only. - Half-day, about 4 hours: the full Old Town route, then coffee. - Full day: Old Town in the morning, lunch, then Mural Art's Lane in the late afternoon.
Lanes have little cover, so rain ends the walk quickly. Move to a coffee shop or museum and try again later. For current trail updates and events, see Perak Tourism.
Who Should Skip It, and Mistakes to Avoid
Skip this on a very short stay. Murals are an add-on, not a must-do. Some pieces are faded, and others may have been repainted or removed. Set your expectations for a lane walk, not a gallery.
Avoid these common mistakes:
- Walking at midday, when heat and glare are worst. - Standing in the lane for photos while scooters and cars pass. - Assuming every mural you read about still exists. - Leaving no time for food, since the best breaks are at the coffee shops on the route.
Combine Street Art with Other Ipoh Plans
Murals pair well with an evening out. After sunset, head to the options in our Ipoh after-dark ideas. Families can treat the walk as a free, low-effort activity. Keep children close because lanes carry traffic, and see Ipoh with kids for more ideas.
Useful notes for your Southeast Asia trip
Optional updates to our guides.
You might also like
Continue reading
More guides you'll find useful
