When Kedah was known under the name of Langkasuka, traders always travelled between Merbok Valley and Pattani, and the eastern parts of Peninsular Malaysia through land routes.

Besides being a bus terminal, this multi-purpose building also houses the Urban Transformation Centre or UTC that provides the community a centralised location for main government agencies, public amenities and services of private sectors.

[7][8] While the local bus services are situated at Jalan Petri, the main operators including Tanjung Mewah Holiday Sdn Bhd (inner city), Red Omnibus (Route 2 from Alor Setar) and MARA Liner (to Sik and Kuala Ketil).

[citation needed] Sungai Petani is also served by the North-South Expressway, which connects the town to major cities along Malaysia's West Coast.

Additionally, the town is accessible via the KTM ETS railway network, enhancing connectivity to other parts of the country.

The Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital was handed over by the Public Works Department to the Ministry of Health on July 23, 2006.

[21] Another government institution with campuses in Sungai Petani include Institusi Kemahiran Malaysia (IKM),[22][23] Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Sultan Abdul Halim (IPG KSAH), an institution set up by the government to provide teaching courses for trainee teachers,[24] and Kolej Komuniti Sungai Petani, a community college that provides Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) courses.

One of them is the Open University Malaysia (OUM) that operates as the Regional Learning Center for the state of Kedah and Perlis.

[36][37] Sungai Petani Clock Tower is located on the main street, Jalan Ibrahim and was built in 1936.

This archaeological area was the site of an ancient Hindu-Buddhist kingdom that ruled the region from the 4th century AD.

[41] This museum displays more than 2,500 artifacts from Malaysia's earliest civilization that have been unearthed from the surrounding excavation sites.