Kuching Travel Essentials

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Ideal duration: 2 - 3 Days

Best Time: June to October Read More

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"City of Cats and City of Unity"

Kuching Tourism

The state capital of Sarawak and the largest city on the island of Borneo, Kuching is a diverse city which has incorporated multiple cultures and has evolved as a city with a unique cultural identity. Located on the banks of the Sarawak River, it is serviced by its own international airport and is a major gateway for tourists visiting Sawarak and Borneo. Kuching is also known as the City of Unity by One Malaysia Foundation due to the existence of racial harmony, which prevails in the city because of cross-racial marriages, multi-racial schools, fair scholarship distribution, and a balanced workforce.

Food is an integral part of Kuching. The experience that the local cuisine and eateries provide here is highly revered among Malaysians, making this city an important destination for food lovers. Traditional dishes such as Laksa Sarawak and Kueh Lapis are highly sought after. Trendy cafes and restaurants too have fast emerged, offering a global cuisine experience to both tourists and locals alike.

Kuching annually holds numerous cultural events like telecom expo, wildlife conference, start-up festivals and fests like cartoon gallery and street art festival, and food fairs. In addition, Kuching, for the past several years, has been hosting the renowned Rainforest Music Festival and also inaugurated the Kuching Waterfront Jazz Festival.

Kuching’s diverse culture, therefore, is worth experiencing, and there is always some sort of exhibition or fest or gallery open throughout the year. In addition, one can also visit Sarawak Cultural Village in Kuching, where the visitors can experience the lifestyle, activities and artefacts of the various communities prevalent in Kuching through dance performances, plays, art, and handicrafts, among others.

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Food in Kuching

Kuching is touted as the food heaven of East Malaysia as it provides several food choices to visitors. It also has some food items which are exclusive to Kuching, including dishes like Kolo Mee, Cake Batik (a Malaysian cake desert) and Teng C Special (a three-layered drink made of tea).

  • Laksa Sarawak (a noodle dish cooked in prawn curry) is a dish which is not only famous in Malaysia but globally.
  • Those who love seafood should for sure visit Bukit Mata Seafood which is located in Top Spot Food court. Visitors can even visit other food stalls which serve seafood and other various dishes.
  • People who have a penchant for cars and motorbikes should visit Feast and Furious Café Food and RJ Ayam Bakar Chicken. There is amazing décor with cars and motorbikes on the walls and the restaurant also serves mouth-watering food.
  • Abee Traditional Bun is must visit food shop for all bun lovers. One when visits this confectionary store, should have the buttery bun stuffed with coconut. The shop also serves savoury buns for those who do not have a sweet tooth.

Nightlife in Kuching

Sarawak has great nightlife and Kuching tops the list as it is known as one of the best places for clubbing. Kuching has a lively night scene and most, pubs, clubs and bars are open till the morning. Beers and cocktails are affordable.

  • Some of the famous nightclubs are Monkeebar, Drunk Monkey Old Street Bar, and The Walk Star Bistro amongst others.
  • The visitors can also visit Siniawan Night Market as it is one stop for everything – food, drinks, locals, souvenirs and sightseeing! Located 21 km away from the main city, Siniawan Market is a good place to spend one night by shopping from the street and small shops, eating food from street vendors or small cafes and bistros and has some amazing pubs and bars which not only provides cheap ad refreshing beers and drinks but also a promising night filled with music and fun.

Shopping in Kuching

In Kuching, shopping is a lot more about the handicrafts produced by the locals. There are several shops in front of Waterfront Promenade which sell something for everyone. Some are set up in form of art galleries while some of them are more like garage sale. Some of the local handicraft items include – cat souvenirs, hand woven textiles and baskets, masks, brass gongs, statues, painted swords and shields and even canons from Brunei!

The visitors can also visit Jalan Main Bazar or Kuching Main bazaar (according to the locals) as it sells local antiques, handicrafts and souvenirs. This market is the perfect blend of culture, cuisine, craft, nature, tradition and shopping and is a must visit place to have some fun after the trip to museums and tourist attractions.

Some of the famous malls in Kuching are – The Spring Mall, Hills Shopping Mall and Boulevard Shopping Mall. These malls have not only recently opened their gates for the local handicrafts produces but also houses international brands.

History of Kuching

Founded in 1872 by the representative of the Sultan of Brunei, Kuching was the capital of the Bruneian Empire since the rule of first Brunei sultanate, Sultan Muhammad Shah. Initially, it was ruled by the Pengiran Raja Muda Hashimit who later ceded the territory to British adventurer James Brooke as a reward for helping the Raja to counter rebellion.

James got the title of Raja and Kuching officially became the seat of Brooke government. Charles Brooke, James’s nephew who took over the title played an important role in modernising Kuching by constructing hospital, prison, Fort Margherita and many other buildings.

In Charles’s biography titled 'My Life in Kuching' written by his wife, she has described Kuching as a neat, fresh and prosperous town with a flourishing local bazars along the banks of the river. She talks about how the town is inhabited by Chinese traders and Hindu traders selling exotics vegetables and spices.

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Kuching Photos

Kuching
Panoramic View of River and Cityscape in Kuching City
Darul Hana Golden Bridge - Sunset View
View of Wind Cave in Kuching City

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FAQs on Kuching

What is famous about Kuching?

Apart from the beautiful rainforests with rich wildlife flora and fauna, it is a great destination with a mixture of diverse cultures. Kuching has a good cuisine and is the best destination for buying local Malaysian handicrafts.

What is not so good about Kuching?

Kuching has a tropical climate, and hence, is prone to lot of rainfall. It also has a humid climate.

What is the best time to visit Kuching?

Kuching has a tropical rainforest climate. It is considered one of the wettest places in Malaysia and receives at least 247 days of rainfall each year. Therefore, the ideal time to visit Kuching is during the hottest and driest months of April to October.

One can also visit during Kuching in July when the annual Rainforest Festival is held or in the first week of June when Gawai Dayak Festival is celebrated in Kuching.
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What are the things to do in Kuching?

The top things to do in Kuching are Kuching Waterfront, Sarawak Cultural Village, Bako National Park, Kuching Cat Museum, Kuching Wetlands National Park, Orchid Park Kuching. You can see all the places to visit in Kuching here

What are the places near Kuching?

The top places near to Kuching are Sarawak which is 0 km from Kuching, Kuala lumpur which is located 979 km from Kuching, Georgetown which is located 1196 km from Kuching, Kota kinabalu which is located 802 km from Kuching, Melaka which is located 904 km from Kuching

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