If you haven’t been to Kuching, you should seriously consider a vacation there.
Kuching has a wide variety of activities for families with kids, from nature to playgrounds, from supermarkets to night markets, from beaches to caves.
Kuching is also just an hour’s flight away from Singapore, hence this destination is suitable for families who are flying with children for the first time or who prefer a quick, manageable flight.
We flew by MAS as the airline was having a sale, with 30kg of check in luggage per person, reasonable flight timings during the day and prices which were not too different from budget airlines.
In-flight meal on MAS flight to Kuching
Driving in Kuching
You can easily rent a car in Kuching that costs around RM100 or so a day.
Parking rates in Kuching city centre
The roads are relatively wide and traffic is pretty smooth (except for peak hours in the city area).
Accommodation in Kuching
You can stay in the city area, or find an apartment or home in the suburbs.
We chose to stay in an apartment next to Moyan Square Mall as the mall has a supermarket and an indoor playground.
There are also coffee shops next to the supermarket and convenience stores if we needed any food or water late at night.
There are multiple coffee shops like Old Yien Court scattered over Kuching where you can try their local food.
Chicken rice at Old Yien CourtNoodles at Old Yien CourtEggs and toast at Old Yien Court
Moyan Square was also in the middle of attractions such as:
You can cross the Sarawak River via the Golden Anniversary Bridge. The State Legislative Building is on the right. You can also hire a boat for RM5 to row you to the other side of the river.The Golden Anniversary Bridge is a 330-metre pedestrian bridge. It has two 48-degree outward angled steel towers, such as the one you see in this photo, decorated with stylised hornbills.Everytime we visit East or West Malaysia, we always keep a lookout for their hot plate cuisine, often found in food courts.
Check out the Orang Utan murals in a quiet alley near Kuching waterfront.
Jalan Padungan (for steamed buns, cat statues and murals)
Abee Traditional Buns is one famous bun shop among several others along Jalan Padungan.Spot various cat statues within Kuching city.Take photos with murals between rows of shophouses at Jalan Padungan
We first visited Mira Cake House in 2009. It has increased the size of its shop and range of flavours over the years.Mira Cake House’s kueh lapis comes in colourful flavours. You can sample the flavours and choose your favourite ones to buy home for family. Mira staff will pack your cakes in a carton box and seal it tightly with tape.
Semenggoh Nature Reserve has specific feeding times for orang utans (9-10am and 3-4pm). Plan your visit for either of the feeding times as you may not see orang utans in between.The wildlife centre located at Semenggoh Nature Reserve keeps records of different orang utans. Learn more at http://semenggoh.my/
Endangered animals are rehabilitated at Matang Wildlife Centre before being released back into the wild. Young orangutans who were either orphaned or rescued from captivity are taught how to survive in the wild. You can also see sambar deer, crocodiles, sun bears, hornbills, eagles, kites, storks and other animals at the centre.
Siniawan Night Market opens on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. You can have your dinner at any of the restaurants in the old wooden shophouses. The drive to Siniawan entails navigating narrow one lane roads in the dark without street lamps, so be careful on your way there.Try the local food at Siniawan Night Market such as stir fried fern fronds (photo) and pitcher plant rice. Enjoy the karaoke performances at the main street.
MJC night market opens on Thursday and Friday around 2pm to night.You can buy local produce, plants, meat, street food and household items.Muah chee at MJC Night Market
Our favourite part of Vivacity is the affordable Kidzoona indoor playground.Kids can pretend-play at Kidzoona’s ‘restaurants’.Kidzoona prices are RM12 on weekdays and RM14 on weekends and public holidays, with unlimited play time.Another one of our favourite places is Kaison, where lots of soft toys, pretty household items and gift items are sold.Soft toy heaven at Kaison.
Our apartment was a short 20 minute drive from Kuching International Airport.
What else can my kids and I do in Kuching?
If you have time to explore further outskirts, you can consider the following attractions :
Fairy Cave
Wind Cave
Bau
Damai Beach (where several resorts are located)
Santubong National Park
Bako National Park
Kubah National Park
Jong’s Crocodile Farm
Kampong Panchor Hot Spring
If you only have time for Kuching city, you can visit:
Cat Museum
Malaysia-China Friendship Park
Fort Margherita and Brooke Gallery
Chinese History Museum
Textile Museum of Sarawak
Petanak Central Market
Taman Arnab Abadi (to feed rabbits)
Astana Negeri Sarawak
Kuching’s main attractions are located in all directions (North, South, East, West) from the city centre.
We used a combination of googling blogs, TripAdvisor and Google maps to plan our itinerary for our Kuching trip.
Kuching is a good place for you and your kids to reconnect with nature and experience East Malaysia.
For more information on Sarawak tourism, places to visit and events to explore, visit https://sarawaktourism.com/
