Kuching in 36 hours: Good food, chill vibes and budget-friendly

The Star

7 days ago

There are a few cities with laid back vibes in Malaysia but none more so than Kuching, Sarawak.
The city looks a little bit like Penang's George Town but with a river running through the middle. It also has a bit of an Ipoh Old Town (in Perak) atmosphere, minus the colourful umbrellas and fancy laneways.
And just like the two heritage cities, Kuching too has numerous large-scale murals strategically located for maximum visibility.
However, unlike George Town and Ipoh, the murals in Kuching don't define the city, they merely act as helpful landmarks for tourists. 'Didn't I walk past this artwork 20 minutes ago?', you might find yourself asking when exploring Kuching on foot.
One of the famous cat statues in Kuching. — Photos: MELODY L. GOH/The Star
The heart of the city is pedestrian-friendly; even on bigger roads like Padungan, Ban Hock and Tabuan, it's still pretty safe to walk on either side.
However, there is a lot of ground to cover, if you wish to go beyond the tourist areas, that is. Kuching may only feel like a small city at first, possibly because it doesn't have as many skyscrapers as most other state capitals in Malaysia (which is a good thing!), but in reality it is double the size of Kuala Lumpur.
For first-time visitors, two to three nights is enough to cover main attractions like the Borneo Cultures Museum, Kuching Waterfront, Semenggoh Wildlife Centre, Fort Margherita, DBKU Cat Museum, Sarawak Museum, Carpenter Street and the newly reopened St Peter's Catholic Church.
If you want to include Bako National Park, Kubah National Park, Gunung Santubong or Kampung Budaya Sarawak in your itinerary, add an extra day or two to your trip.
Mee kolok is a favourite with locals and visitors in Sarawak.
For foodies, Kuching is definitely a must-visit as a good variety of local and native cuisines can be easily found here. Start with Carpenter Street, a touristy area but with lots of coffee shops and a food court selling mostly Chinese fare. Think mee kolok, Sarawak laksa, kueh chap, mee tomato and the like.
On Padungan Road you will find more variety, as well as few Western-style cafes. Look for the restaurants selling Bidayuh food (there are couple here), and a coffee shop that sells 'traditional buns'. These are fluffy buns with either sweet or savoury fillings that are baked daily.
The Kuching Waterfront is where you should go to look for Sarawak's popular kek lapis. There's a famous shop selling the cakes in many, many flavours – and colours – but if you want one with the 'original' flavour and colour, check with the sidewalk vendors instead.
There are tons of shops selling souvenirs here too. Even though this is typically a tourist-heavy spot, the souvenirs sold in this area are actually pretty cheap. We recommend getting some woven bags, traditional beaded jewellery and cloths with traditional Sarawak motifs.
If you skip this area, you can still get your souvenirs at the airport, albeit at a much higher price.
One of the murals covering the facade of a building.
While exploring Kuching, you can also play 'cat statue bingo'. The city is famous for its cat statues – officially there are three, but some businesses have erected smaller ones outside their shops – located in different areas but close enough for one to find all of them on foot.
One section on Padungan Road is also decorated with street lights shaped like cats.
Recently, digital travel platform Agoda released a list of the most 'budget-friendly summer destinations in Asia', and Kuching is ranked sixth out of nine. It is the only Malaysian spot on the list.
According to the survey, Surabaya in Indonesia is the most affordable destination this season with an average room rate of RM150.30 per night. Known for its rich history and culture, Sura-baya is the gateway to Indonesia's other attractions, Gunung Bromo and Madura Island.
This is followed by Tirupati in India (RM158.90), Hat Yai in Thailand (RM167.50), Dalat in Vietnam (RM193.30) and Iloilo in the Philippines (RM201.90).
Kuching's average room rate per night sits at RM227.65, which is a great price for a city with so much to offer.
The last three destinations on the list are Nagoya in Japan and Kaohsiung in Taiwan (both at RM386.55), and Daejeon in South Korea (RM399.45).
The survey was based on bookings made for the period of June to August 2025, typically known in the travel industry as the 'summer' period, even if some of us don't actually experience the four seasons ...
To create the list, Agoda analysed the average room rates of the top destinations across nine markets in Asia based on accommodation bookings. Bookings made between March and May for the stay period of between June 1 and Aug 31 were included in the survey.
The newly renovated St Peter's Catholic Church was officially reopened on June 29.