It may be the capital of Malaysia's largest state, but Kuching still feels like a rather small town. The city was founded in the nineteenth century, and under the White Rajahs became an important trading center for antimony, gold and timber. It's the buildings and institutions the Rajahs left behind that constitute most of the sights of Kuching today.
The ultra-modern Sarawak legislative assembly building
This is a remarkably friendly and easy-going city, where you could easily find yourself spending an afternoon by the river, watching the world glide by. Kuching is an excellent base for exploring some of the cultural and natural wonders of Sarawak, from Iban villages to the world's largest flower. Use the links at left to help you plan your trip, decide what to see, where to stay and what to eat.
As in most destinations, location is an important consideration when selecting your hotel. Most of the main sights of Kuching are within easy walking distance of each other, so the best place to stay is near them. The Hilton is right on the waterfront and an old favorite, but the new Pullman, opened in 2010, on the hill behind the Hilton probably has the best views. If something smaller and more distinctive is what you're looking for, then the Batik Boutique Hotel is an award winning small hotel in a good location.
Kuching has several museums, many of them fascinating world class places, housed in classic historic buildings. Here's a list of the main places you might want to visit during your stay in the city.
Chinese History Housed in a century old building originally built to house the Chinese courts, the museum recounts the history of the Chinese community in Sarawak. Chinese History Museum Sarawak Museum The Sarawak Museum is one of the premier sights of Kuching, and has grown to a whole collection of museums: Natural History Museum This small building displays some examples of the rich flora and fauna of Sarawak.
The old courthouse complex was originally built in 1874 to serve various administrative functions for the Sarawak state, including sittings of the state legislature up to 1973. The squat clock tower was added in 1883 and several other additions and alterations have been made over time. The complex consists of several buildings linked by covered colonnades. Each of the rooms has its own plaque describing when it was built and what it was used for.
The main building of Fort Margherita from one of the guard towers Fort Margherita was built by James Brooke to guard the entrance to the port. It was completed in 1879, although the numbers over the main gate say 1880. Although the fort was meant to protect Kuching from invasion, the fort was never fired on until World War II, when the Japanese attempted to bomb it, and missed.
The redeveloped waterfront area of Kuching Kuching's waterfront was once lined with run-down warehouses and other remnants of the city's past as a port city. In the early 1990s the Sarawak state economic development corporation undertook a complete renewal of the area, tearing down most of the dilapidated old buildings and replacing them with a pleasant park and promenade. While retaining such historic buildings as the Chinese courthouse, the new development has created a popular urban space where people come to relax and dine in the evening.
Most of the sights of Kuching have to do with its colonial past as a major industrial trading port. With that in mind, the place to start is probably the waterfront area. Across the river is the rather fantastical structure of the Sarawak Legislative Complex. The building stands between the old Fort Margherita and the Astana. The waterfront development included a restoration of the old Chinese courthouse, turning it into the Chinese History Museum.
Most tourists will get to Kuching by plane. The Kuching International Airport has direct flights from all of the major cities of Malaysia, as well as other cities in Sarawak such as Sibu and Miri. There are also flights from Singapore and some Indonesian cities. The main domestic air carriers are listed below.
Malaysia Air System As the largest domestic air carrier, MAS also connects Kuching to Kuala Lumpur and other cities around Sarawak.
Most of the major sights of Kuching are within easy walking distance of each other, so picking a hotel in an area nearby such as the waterfront will allow you to walk to all of the major attractions. Many of the hotels do provide shuttle services to and from the major tourist sights, so check with your hotel about their services.
If you'd like to get further afield, with less effort, then you might want to rent a bicycle.
Wild Borneo Laksa Kuching has a bit of a reputation as a popular foodie destination. It's nothing like Penang, but there are a number of good restaurants around town. The Waterfront park is full of food kiosks that are only open at night, but the consensus is that most of them are pretty awful. Try them at your own risk. If you want to dine by the riverside, then the best option is the James Brooke Bistro near the Chinese Museum.
Some of the scenery along the river on a cruise. While you can see most of the sights of Kuching on your own, on foot, there are still some things you might need a tour to do. One worthwhile thing to try is a river cruise. You can book a one hour trip on a traditional tambang all day at one of the docks along the waterfront, or you can try the full blown sunset dinner cruise that departs each day around 5:30 pm, also from the waterfront area.
Having a little background information can be very useful when planning your trip. Here are links to information pages on the background of Kuching.
History Kuching was supposedly founded by a representative of the Sultan of Brunei in 1827, although there was almost certainly a trading village on the site long before that. At the time, all of Sarawak was under the rule of the Sultan, although there was a lot of unrest among some of the tribes.
Planning a visit to Kuching is relatively easy, at least until it comes to deciding what to see and do. The infrastructure for travel and tourism is quite good, with a nice selection of choices.
First off, getting there is quite easy, with domestic flights from several other cities in Malaysia as well as some neighboring countries. There are also lots of choices for places to stay in the center city, with some rather posh places available for under US$100 a night.
Kuching is probably the best place in Sarawak to shop for souvenirs. The main concentration of shops is along the Main Bazaar Road. Unfortunately, a lot of the souvenirs appear to be mass manufactured items that you can just as easily buy in Thailand or Indonesia, but there are some interesting things to be found. In addition to the bazaar, you'll also find a good selection of real local handicrafts in the Sarawak Museum shop housed in the Tun Adbul Razak Hall.
James Brooke, the first “White Rajah” Kuching was supposedly founded by a representative of the Sultan of Brunei in 1827, although there was almost certainly a trading village on the site long before that. At the time, all of Sarawak was under the rule of the Sultan, although there was a lot of unrest among some of the tribes. It was during one of these uprisings that the Sultan turned to James Brooke for assistance.
Within less than two degrees of the equator, Kuching's tropical location subjects it to annual monsoons, but there is no really dry time of year. The heaviest rains are from December to February. Because it is so close to the equator, there's no real dry season.
Historical Weather Patterns for Kuching Average Monthly Highs & Lows (°C) Average Monthly Rainfall (cm)
A souvenir stall on Kuching's main bazaar. The shophouses along Kuching's Main Bazaar Road were once the center of commerce for the old port city, where commodoties were traded between easy and west. The Bazaar Road runs from the Tua Pek Kong temple up to the old courthouse.
Nowadays the Bazaar is mostly home to souvenir stalls, tour agencies and a few art galleries. Most of the souvenirs are stuff you can get anywhere, from Thailand to Bali.
The gateway to Kuching's Chinatown - Carpenter Street Kuching's Chinatown is Carpenter Street, marked on its western end by the large Chinese gate officially called the “Harmony Arch”. While there are a few guest houses and lots of restaurants along the road, the area is not very 'touristy' at all. Somewhat surprisingly, Carpenter Street still has a few carpenter shops, along with bicycle shops, printers and other small businesses.
The India Street pedestrian mall Kuching's India Street has been transformed into a pedestrian mall lined with shops. Unlike Carpenter Street, this area is given over to businesses mostly catering to tourists. There are a lot of clothing and jewelry shops as well as many street stalls, especially along the smaller side streets.
Personally, I find the food market stalls along the riverside near India Street much more interesting. You'll find lots of spices on sale, as well as fresh fruit, nuts, dates and lots of other interesting things.
The fantastical Sarawak Legislature Complex in Kuching. The glittering golden roof of the Sarawak Legislature Complex can't be missed. It makes a great landmark to use as a reference point when you're making your way around Kuching. The building was officially opened in 2009, and is used as the meeting place for the state legislative assembly. It doesn't appear to be open to the public.
The building sits on the north shore of the Sarawak River, between Fort Margherita and the Astana.
The old Square Tower of Kuching The Square Tower sits on the Kuching waterfront in front of the old courthouse complex. It was built at the same time as Fort Margherita. The fortress-like structure served not only a defensive purpose, but also as the state's prison. At one point in its history it was even a dance hall. These days it's used as a special presentation space for tourism events.
The Astana, or palace, of Kuching The Astana ('palace') was built in 1870 by Charles Brooke for his wife Margaret as her bridal gift. The well-maintained structure is now used by the Governor of Sarawak state as his official residence.
The palace is generally not open to the public, although the extensively landscaped gardens can be visited. There's a small orchid garden next to the palace, between it and the legislative complex.
Kuching's Tua Pek Kong Temple Kuching's oldest Chinese temple doesn't look its age. Tua Pek Kong, or Siew San Teng as its officially known, may have been founded as long ago as 1770. The basic design and orientation of the temple follows classic Chinese feng sui principles. It faces the water - in fact a stream used to run right in front of it, and climbs the hill (the “;dragon's back”) away from the water.
