Kuching
Kuching, officially the City of Kuching, is the capital and the most populous city in the state of Sarawak in Malaysia.
Kuching, officially the City of Kuching, is the capital and the most populous city in the state of Sarawak in Malaysia. It is also the capital of Kuching Division. The city is on the Sarawak River at the southwestern tip of Sarawak on the island of Borneo and covers an area of 431 km2 (166 sq mi) with a population of about 162,843 in the Kuching North administrative region and 351,815 in the Kuching South administrative region—a total of 514,658 people.
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Worth seeing in and around Kuching
10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.
- 01Sarawak State Museum
The Sarawak State Museum is the oldest museum in Borneo. It was founded in 1888 and opened in 1891 in a purpose-built building in Kuching, Sarawak.
300 m · ethnology museum in Sarawak, Malaysia · Wikipedia - 02Sarawak Stadium
Sarawak Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Kuching, Malaysia. It is currently used mostly for football matches, athletics, live concert events, conferences, and formal events.
3.9 km · stadium in Malaysia · Wikipedia - 03Kuching Cat Museum
The Kuching Cat Museum is a cat museum in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. It was founded in 1993 and it is owned by the Kuching North City Hall, and housed in their headquarters.
3.4 km · art museum in Sarawak, Malaysia · Wikipedia - 04Petra Jaya State Mosque
Petra Jaya State Mosque, officially known as Masjid Jamek Negeri Sarawak is the state mosque of Sarawak, located in Petra Jaya, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. It is also known as Jamek Mosque.
2.7 km · State mosque of Sarawak, Malaysia · Wikipedia - 05Fort Margherita
Fort Margherita is a fort constructed in 1879 by Charles Brooke, the second Rajah of Sarawak, situated in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. The fort is an important landmark and monument in Sarawak's history which goes back to the century-old Brooke dynasty of Sarawak.
700 m · fort in Sarawak, Malaysia · Wikipedia - 06St. Joseph's Cathedral, Kuching
The St. Joseph's Cathedral also called Cathedral of Kuching is a religious building that is affiliated with the Catholic Church and is located in the city of Kuching, a Malaysian city situated in the island of Borneo and the state capital of Sarawak.
800 m · church in Kuching, Malaysia · Wikipedia - 07Borneo Cultures Museum
The Borneo Cultures Museum is a museum located in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. It is the largest museum in Malaysia and the second largest in Southeast Asia.
200 m · cultural museum in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia · Wikipedia - 08Islamic Heritage Museum
The Islamic Heritage Museum is a museum in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. It is part of the Kuching Heritage Trail.
400 m · museum in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia · Wikipedia - 09Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus
Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus is the foreign branch campus of Swinburne University and is located in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. Established in 2000, Swinburne Sarawak operates as a partnership between the Sarawak State Government and Swinburne Australia.
3.2 km · university · Wikipedia - 10New Sarawak State Legislative Assembly Building
The New Sarawak Legislative Assembly Building is the current state legislative complex of Sarawak, in Kuching, Malaysia. It houses the Sarawak Legislative Assembly, where state assemblymen from all over Sarawak meet and preside over debates and passing of laws.
600 m · parliament building in Malaysia · Wikipedia
Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What Wikivoyage says to see
In Kuching, you can enjoy various sightseeing activities. What is unique of Kuching city in sightseers' eyes is how the skycrapers were built in the vicinity of lush green jungles. Kuching is quite the sunset spot, often regarded as "one of the most memorable". Take your shots, and enjoy the sunsets from the Waterfront, Santubong Peninsula or Bako Peninsula.
- 01Kuching City Mosque
Formerly the Sarawak State Mosque, Kuching's main mosque.
- 02Orchid Garden
A sampan deck, which is named Pengkalan Sapi is also situated within the Astana vicinity.
- 03Tua Pek Kong Temple
This temple is the oldest Chinese temple in Kuching and at the heart of the city.
- 04Sarawak Museum
The Sarawak State Museum is the oldest museum in Borneo.
- 05Kampung Budaya Sarawak
- 06Fort Margherita
Completed in 1879, Fort Margherita resides at a breathtaking and strategic position at the riverside of Sarawak.
From Wikivoyage: Kuching, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Things to do
Kuching is a great home-base for jungle trekking and exploring Borneo. Bidayuh Longhouse Adventure (at Annah Rais village near Borneo Highland Resort). They offer overnight packages for you to experience the traditional Bidayuh longhouse communal life.
From Wikivoyage: Kuching, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Where to eat
Eating out is the major pastime, with a huge variety of eateries and food available. Most places are pretty cheap with excellent service but the more "local", the less English spoken. Be sure to sample some Sarawak laksa, but beware - it's considered a breakfast dish here and the popular places sell out fast. For the local Chinese, kolo mee, a noodle dish served with slices of roasted pork, is also a daily staple.
From Wikivoyage: Kuching, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Getting to Kuching
- Airports
- Kuching (KCH), 8 km · Supadio (PNK), 217 km
- Stations
- Kuching International Airport, 8.1 km
- Johor Bahru → Kuching731 km · quickest by air, 6h 30m · RM520–810
- Kota Kinabalu → Kuching805 km · quickest by air, 4h 23m · RM320–500
- Pontianak → Kuching209 km · quickest by road, 5h 5m · Rp185,000–247,000
- Plan a tripFrom anywhereThe planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.
No local-transport research exists yet for Kuching
Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Kuching. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.
- Get inFor Tanjung Datu National Park, catch a connecting Sarawak Transport Company bus to Sematan where you will have to charter a boat to the park.
- Get inFor those who can afford it, private helicopters and aircraft are available for charter from Hornbill Skyways.
- Get aroundSpeedboats are available for people who wish to go to Taman Negara Bako (National Park), Satang Island and Talang-Talang Island from Santubong.
- Go nextBeaches and jungle trekking easily reached by bus from downtown Kuching.
From Wikivoyage: Kuching, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-09.
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If you know how people move in Kuching – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.
Next door to Kuching
- Batu Kawahuman settlement in Malaysia5.8 km
- Kuching North City HallCity council in Malaysia2.4 km
- Padawan municipalityhuman settlement in Malaysia1.3 km
- Petra Jayatown in Malaysia in Sarawak4.8 km
- Chinatownneighborhood of Kuching, Malaysia400 m