The capital of the state of Perak used to be Taiping from 1876 to 1937. However, it was changed to Bandar Baru after Datok Maharaja Lela, a Malay nationalist from Perak assassinated the first British Resident, James Birch at Pasir Salak in 1875.  The capital of Perak then changed to Ipoh in 1937.

Taiping is well-known for being the wettest town in Peninsular Malaysia. It receives the most rainfall with 4,000mm compared to the average 2,000 – 2,500mm on the other states of Malaysia. The unusually high rainfall contributes to the fertile collection of flora and century-old raintrees especially in the Taiping Lake Gardens.

Taiping was awarded the 3rd ranking in the 2019 Sustainable Destinations Top 100 Awards for displaying leadership in sustainability and its avoidance of disruptive over-tourism.  The award is devoted to recognising innovation and good practices in tourism management of destinations and tour operators towards achieving quality, attractiveness and sustainability in tourism.