Kuching Sights and POI

When its location as a busy city set right amidst the jungle is considered, Kuching itself becomes a great place to explore with many scenic views available that show that meeting between jungle and city. A great place to see this is at the city’s Civic Centre, where you can get a great aerial view. It’s well known for beautiful sunsets so be sure to head down to the waterfront to take in at least one while you’re in the area.

Markets in Kuching

The main attractions in Kuching itself include gardens, parks, museums, temples and markets. Starting with markets, for all important souvenir shopping, one great area to check out is the main bazaar, where you can shop at a long stretch of traditional style shophouses and buy a huge range of local handicrafts and typical souvenirs and gifts.

The Sunday Market is less designed for tourists and is an experience in itself, the hub of action in the city every Sunday. You can buy everything from food – including fruit, vegetables, meat and fish – to clothing, plants, toys and even pets! If you want to see how a traditional Malaysian market works this is a great place to come and find out more.

Gardens and parks

Temples in Kuching

With its reputation as a cultural melting point, there are many temples and places of worship to admire and appreciate in Kuching, from all different faiths.

The most ancient Chinese temple in the city is Tua Pek Kong Temple, which is in the centre of the city and conveniently just across from the Museum of Chinese History.

The site of Kuching City Mosque has been used as an Islamic holy place all the way back to the nineteenth century and the current mosque features a beautiful design that combines Italian architecture with mid-Western. Jamek mosque is probably the biggest in the city, near to the state library.

Museums in Kuching

The Sarawak Museum is probably the most popular and offers a great way to get to know and understand more about the local culture and customs in Sarawak – with many items on display and plenty of information about how they feature in Sarawak communities. Similarly, the Sarawak Islamic Museum gives a good insight into Islamic culture in the area.

For a slightly different cultural experience, the Chinese History Museum is also worth visiting to learn more about the Chinese history and influences in Kuching and the surrounding areas. There are many different Chinese groups in the area and this is a good way to understand them in more detail.

Another popular ‘museum’ is Fort Margherita which, as the name suggests, began as a defensive structure and is located right on the Sarawak riverside. It now hosts displays of cannonballs, guns, swords and all sorts of other weaponry associated with the fort’s history.

A final couple of museums that you might want to check out if you have time are the Textile and Timber museums, both smaller but still fairly interesting in their respective areas.