Kuching itinerary — How to spend & what to do in Kuching for 2 days perfectly?

In recent years, Kuching is becoming an attractive destination for those who love to explore the diverse culture of eastern Malaysia. And what do you think if Living Nomads affirms that 2 days is enough for you and your family to have interesting experiences at the most impressive attractions in Kuching, Malaysia? Yes, you definitely don’t “hear” wrong, only 48 hours is fit. Today, we will help you plan the most thorough and complete to explore Kuching within 48 hours! So, is Kuching worth visiting, what to do in Kuching in 2 days (48 hours in Kuching)? Let’s check out our suggested Kuching itinerary Kuching travel itinerary for 2 days 1 night to find best things to do in Kuching as follows!

Kuching itinerary: Overview of Kuching

Located in the southwest of the island of Borneo, Kuching is the capital of the state of Sarawak and also the largest city here. There are many controversial theories surrounding the name “Kuching”. “Kuching” can be derived from “kucing” which means cat in Malay or “Cochin” – the name of a trading port in India, or even “mata kucing” – which means longan as it is called by some Malaysian people. And up to now, the first theory is still accepted by many people and is also the famous theory associated with Kuching – the city of Cats.

In recent years, Kuching has emerged as one of the top tourist destinations in Southeast Asia, especially for tourists who love to explore the wildlife and cultural diversity of East Malaysia.

Kuching travel itinerary: When to come to Kuching?

Kuching has an equatorial climate (also known as a tropical rainforest climate), which is relatively hotter when compared to Vietnam, but the air has higher humidity and significantly more rainfall. The average daily temperature in Kuching ranges from about 24 to 27 degrees Celsius and there is not much difference between seasons if it is not affected by heavy, prolonged rains. However, in the summer months, there are times when the daily temperature will reach 35 to 38 degrees Celsius.

Because of the relatively specific weather, the best time to visit and visit Kuching is usually before and after the summer, around October, November and February to April. You can also choose the time of famous festivals like: Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Hari Raya Aidiladha, Maulud Nabi and Awal Muharram to discover the diverse culture the land.

Kuching itinerary: How to get to Kuching?

Currently, there are many ways to get to Kuching. You can take a flight to Kuala Lumpur provided by many airlines such as Vietnam Airlines, Jetstar, Malaysia Airlines… and from there continue to travel to Kuching by air or bus.

Or you can also catch a direct flight to Kuching from Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City with stops in Kuala Lumpur with airlines such as AirAsia, Malaysia Airlines. The cost of an one way ticket to Kuching ranges from $153.81 to $239.27 depending on the airline and different travel time.

Kuching International Airport is about 8km from the center. In Kuching, there are no popular public transports such as buses, subways, etc. The only public transport here is taxi and the good news is that the cost is quite cheap so you are completely can rest assured.

To find the best flight routes as well as cheap airfares based on your departure point or the city where you are, you can access Google Flights, Skyscanner, ok Kayak to find.

Kuching trip itinerary: Where to stay?

To facilitate travel, getting to famous tourist attractions in Kuching, you should choose for yourself hotels and hostels, guesthouses in the south of the Sarawak riverbank. The crowded and bustling of Kuching is mostly concentrated here and this is also home to important and outstanding architectural works as well as main tourist spots. For details of the best hotels in Kuching, please see the article: TOP 10 best hotels in Kuching.

The following will be suggestions for hotels in Kuching with good location, good price with nice and comfortable rooms that you should choose.

• Pullman Kuching (Agoda, Booking)
• The LimeTree Hotel (Agoda, Booking)
• The Ranee Boutique Suites (Agoda, Booking)
• Citadines Uplands Kuching (Agoda, Booking)
• The Waterfront Hotel (Agoda, Booking)
• The Culvert Hotel Resort Kuching (Agoda, Booking)
• Hilton Kuching (Agoda, Booking)

Check out more top & best hotels in Kuching on Agoda.com or Booking.com

Kuching itinerary: How to spend 2 days in Kuching and what to do in Kuching for 2 days?

Kuching itinerary: The first day (Day 1)

The first thing to have the most perfect experience within 48 hours in Kuching is to choose for yourself and your family a hotel closest to the Kuching riverside, because this is the central location, very suitable to going to other attractions inside and outside the city.

Morning: Visit the museums

Your morning will start at 7:30 am or 8 am with a light breakfast at a beautiful cafe along the Kuching River or at the restaurant of your hotel.

A great destination in the morning of the first day after having fully recharged are the most famous museums in Kuching such as the Natural History Museum, the Art Museum, the Cat Museum and the pink mosque of Kuching City…

Let’s start with the Sarawak museum, where you can have the most complete discovery of the history and culture of Kuching in particular and Sarawak in general. Currently, Sarawak museum is closing some galleries for renovation and upgrading, so you can contact us for more information about this museum.

After visiting the Sarawak museum, you can go south for about 5 minutes to take a few photos of the Heroes’ Monument Park (Address: Taman Budaya, 93000 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia) to hornor the heroes who fought and defended Malaysia. You can also choose to visit the Islamic museum located opposite the Sarawak museum, which displays Islamic artifacts and history.

Next is the Cat museum, one of the most famous places to come in Kuching. It displays more than 2000 artifacts and pictures related to cats, from local cat breeds to famous cat breeds in the world.

Some notes when visiting the museum and mosque are:

• You should dress properly before visiting museums, especially mosques. Women must cover themselves completely. Wear long pants to cover your knees and a long–sleeved shirt or scarf to cover your shoulders. A headscarf is also recommended when entering places that require you to cover your hair.
• Men are not allowed to wear shorts.
• You should wear comfortable walking shoes.
• Non-Muslims cannot enter the mosque during prayer time.

Kuching Natural History Museum

Built in 1908 with the original purpose of being an administrative office, the Kuching Museum of Natural History displays a lot of artifacts and collections of rare plants and animals on the island of Borneo in particular and Malaysia in general.

Address: Taman Budaya, 93000 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
Hours: Monday – Friday: 9:00 am – 4:45 pm/Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Sarawak Museum

Visiting Kuching without visiting the Sarawak Museum would always be a big mistake. Sarawak Museum was officially opened to visitors in 1891 and is one of the oldest museums in Asia. Located right in the city center, Sarawak Museum displays a lot of pictures and artifacts about history, nature, typical items of different cultures in Sarawak and rare species of flora and fauna here. Coming to Sarawak Museum, you will understand more about the diverse culture here.

Address: Jalan Tun Abang Haji Openg, Kuching 93590, Malaysia
Opening hours: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm. All days of the week

Art Museum

Address: Jalan Tun Abang Haji Openg, Taman Budaya, 93400 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
Hours: Monday – Friday: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm/Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays: 10:00 – 16:00

Cat Museum

Attached to the city’s name, the Cat museum is one of the top tourist attractions in Kuching. It displays more than 2,000 artifacts, statues, pictures,… related to cats around the world. It can be said that this is a paradise for cat lovers and a symbol of the city.

Address: Bangunan DBKU, Jalan Semariang, Petra Jaya, 93050 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
Opening hours: 09:00 am – 5:00 pm

Kuching Mosque

Address: Jalan Tun Datuk Patinggi Haji Abdul Rahman Yaakub, Petra Jaya, 93050 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia

Afternoon

After eating and resting, your afternoon will start at 2:30 pm or 3:00 pm depending on the weather. You can visit Tua Pek Kong temple, the oldest Taoist temple in Kuching. Continue towards to the east and turn into Jalan Borneo to visit the Upside Down House, a very interesting and fun attraction in Kuching.

Finally visit Kuching Square. An interesting thing is that many international tourists show interest in counting cat statues in the squares and streets of Kuching during their visit, what do you think about this? With us, this is also very good and worth the experience.

And now, let’s go back to the hotel to shower and rest a bit. Get ready for a memorable evening!

Tua Pek Kong Temple

Tua Pek Kong is a Chinese temple in Kuching. The temple is located at a corner of the street from which you can look out directly the Sarawak river. The pillars are intricately carved with colorful dragon motifs. Small lanterns are also lit at night, making the temple even more outstanding.

Address: Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, 93100 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
Opening hours: 06:00 am – 6:00 pm

Upside Down House Kuching

Address: Ground Floor, No.281-1-1, Lot 281, Section 48, KTLD, Block H, Taman Sri Sarawak Jalan Tun Abdul Rahman, Off, Jalan Borneo, 93100 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
Opening hours: 09:30 am – 6:00 pm

Night

As mentioned in previous posts, a night walk along the Kuching River is always an enjoyable and relaxing experience. You can take pictures of Astana Palace, the residence of the Governor of Sarawak, and the Legislative Building – a structure with an impressive 9–wing roof architecture.

The cuisine in Kuching is also very rich from traditional local dishes to Western cuisine and even vegetarian cuisine. The entertainment places here are also open very late and the prices are not too high, so you can completely relax but don’t leave too late because our 2nd day will start relatively soon.

Astana Palace

Located on the northern bank of the Sarawak River, Astana is the official residence of the governor of Sarawak state. It was built in 1870 by the second White Rajah, Charles Brooke, as a wedding gift for his wife. It is not usually open to the public, although the scenery is beautiful and is easily accessible by boat.

Address: Jalan Astana Lot, Kampung Istana, 93050 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia

The New State Legislative Assembly Building (Bangunan Dewan Undangan Negeri Sarawak Baru)

Address: New Sarawak State Legislative Assembly Building, Petra Jaya, 93050 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
Height: 114 m
Floors: 9
Opened: July 27, 2009
Hours: 8AM–5PM/Sunday: Closed

Note: Astana and the Legislative Assembly Building are not open to visitors, so you should not consider these 2 spots as 2 main attractions. You can enjoy the panoramic view of these two places when walking along the river.

Kuching itinerary: Day 2

Starting your second day with Sarawak Laksa Rice Vermicelli, a traditional dish dating back over 1000 years of Sarawak people. The noodle dish is somewhat similar to our Hue beef noodle soup, with the broth being a mixture of greasy coconut milk and fish broth to create a light sweet taste, especially completely without using curry powder, so the broth is usually clearer and not yellow.

After filling your stomach, start your journey to visit Bako National Park. Located about 27 km northeast of the city, Bako National Park is one of the smallest and oldest national parks in Sarawak. Here, you can choose to walk along one of 16 trails to visit the islands and wildlife here. Especially if you are lucky, you can completely meet the proboscis monkey, a strange long-nosed primate with an endemic shape that lives in Borneo.

You can also ask the staff or guide here to know where the proboscis monkeys usually gather before starting the journey. It is expected that visiting Bako will take about 4 to 6 hours if you do not intend to camp here.

Address: Jalan Bako, Kuching 93050, Malaysia

Some tips before visiting Bako National Park:

• You can pair up with other tourists if you intend to take a boat to visit Bako. This reduces the cost and time of visiting.
• If you know English, you should hire a guide at local tour agencies to better understand this wonderful tourist destination.
• There are several restaurants serving local dishes here, if you forget to have breakfast or choose to walk, you should eat first and buy some food because the journey is relatively long.

After visiting Bako, you can return to the hotel to rest and have dinner at restaurants specializing in local cuisine in Carpenter Street.

If you still have time, let stop by some souvenir shops to find some gifts for your loved ones home at Main Bazaar.

Kuching itinerary: Some notes when coming to Kuching

In addition to the notes that we mentioned above, there are still some things you need to prepare to have the most perfect Kuching tour and discovery:

• Sunglasses
• Sunscreen, insects repellent.
• Umbrella
• Hats, sun protection clothes
• Scarf
• Although some places in Kuching do not have photography, you should still bring your camera to get the best shots.

A few things to know:

• Most attractions in Kuching are free for children under 1 year old.
• Children 2 to 11 have a separate ticket for children.
• Most of the places on this list require children to be accompanied by an adult, so you need to pay attention to this point.
• Local guides can speak English, Chinese and most are provided by local tour companies.

The above is the choice of many tourists when they have the opportunity to visit Kuching, Malaysia. Depending on your preferences and itinerary, you can change some places to visit or contact Living Nomads immediately so we can help you plan the most reasonable schedule.

Some best day tours, trips, activities and transfer services, tickets in, from and to Kuching you can refer to

• Private Kuching International Airport Transfers (KCH) for Kuching City
• Semenggoh Wildlife Centre Half Day Trip from Kuching
• Sarawak Cultural Village Half Day Tour from Kuching
• Bako National Park with Sea Stack Formation Day Tour in Kuching
• Kuching City and Sarawak River Half Day Tour
• Kidzooona Ticket in Sarawak
• Sarawak Santubong Wetland Wildlife Cruise with Fireflies Watching
• Cycling Tour in Kuching
• Kuching Chinese Heritage Trail Day Tour
• Gunung Gading National Park Day Tour in Sarawak
• Signature Sunset Cruise Experience in Kuching
• [SALE] 4G Prepaid SIM Card (MY Airports Pick Up) for Malaysia
• 4G WiFi (MY Airport Pick Up) for Malaysia

Read more Malaysia guide here.