Sights in Kuching
- Sort by:
- Popular
-
A
Harmony Arch
An ornate arch that marks the official entrance to the district.
reviewed
-
B
Brooke Memorial
While you're strolling on the waterfront, be sure to have a look at the Brooke Memorial.
reviewed
-
C
Sang Ti Miao
Take some time to enter the spotless main hall of this temple to soak up the gaudy brilliance (across the way you'll find a good Chinese hawker centre in case you need to fuel up).
reviewed
-
D
Tua Pek Kong
Be sure to have a look at Tua Pek Kong, the temple on the red wedding-layer-cake structure on Jln Padungan at the end of Main Bazaar. It's the most popular temple in town for local Chinese residents.
reviewed
-
Cat Museum
Kuching’s kitsch one-of-a-kind Cat Museum pays homage to the origins of the city’s name. It’s all pretty light-hearted, with plenty of trivia, photos, children’s art and movie posters featuring cats.
reviewed
-
E
Sarawak Museum
Established in 1891 the Sarawak Museum has a fascinating collection of cultural artefacts and is a must-visit for anyone who wants to learn more about the region’s indigenous peoples and natural environment. It consists of two wings connected by an ornate footbridge.
reviewed
-
F
Islamic Museum
Over the hill from the Sarawak Museum, the Islamic Museum is well worth the walk. It’s divided into seven thematically based rooms: weapons; decorative arts and domestic utensils; Qurans; Islamic architecture; science, technology, economy and literature; music and costumes; and the coming of Islam to the Malay Archipelago. Of particular note are the fantastic wooden and metal boxes in the decorative arts section and the fine carved panels in the architecture section.
reviewed
-
G
Hong San Temple
Hong San Temple is easily Kuching's finest Chinese temple. Thought to date back to around 1840, this Hokkien Chinese temple was fully restored in 2003. The new stone carvings, done by stonemasons brought in from mainland China, are superb, as is the Buddhist altar.
There is a big celebration at this temple in April, with a long procession of floats, lion and dragon dancers and other groups winding their way through town following the altar of Kong Teck Choon Ong (the diety at the temple).
reviewed
-
H
Fort Margherita
Built by Charles Brooke in 1879 and named after his wife, Rani Margaret, Fort Margherita guarded Kuching against pirates. Sitting on a knoll opposite the waterfront, this little white fort, complete with battlements, offers fine views along the river. Now, the impressive whitewashed building has been left to rot under the Borneo sun. It seems that the city fathers have decided that there's no point in maintaining the place, which is a shame, considering its historical significance.
Now, all you can do is wander the weed-strewn grounds and look at the building from the outside. To get there, take a tambang from the pier on the waterfront, opposite the Hilton, walk up…
reviewed
-
Weekend Market
The Weekend Market, locally known in Malay as 'Pasar Minggu', is a Kuching institution that dates back several decades. Every weekend, traders and farmers from around the city and the surrounding villages and longhouses converge on a compact area in the Satok neighbourhood, setting up wooden stalls and colourful tarpaulin rain covers, and sell their products, ranging from fresh fish to wild jungle ferns, power tools to herbal cure-alls.
It's a garrulous gathering and a large proportion of the neighbourhood's residents, and some from farther away, show up to do their grocery shopping for the week. It is also a boon for self-catering travellers.
To get to the market from…
reviewed
Advertisement