Start at the Borneo Cultures Museum beside Padang Merdeka, allow anything from 30 minutes to a whole morning, and go early, because the doors close at 4:45pm on weekdays. The older Sarawak Museum building and a few smaller galleries sit around it, and the new Sarawak Science Centre is across town on Jalan Stadium. This page sorts out which building is which, what each costs at your price tier and what to pair with it.
TL;DR
- Go first to the Borneo Cultures Museum. It explains Sarawak’s peoples and history, which gives the other stops some context.
- Adult ticket by tier: RM10 for Sarawakians, RM20 for other Malaysians, RM50 for non-Malaysians, as in the table below.
- Hours: 9am to 4:45pm Monday to Friday, 9:30am to 4:30pm at weekends and public holidays, last entry 4pm.
- Time needed: as little as 30 minutes or as long as a whole morning. About two hours covers the five levels at a steady pace.
- Worth adding: the Sarawak Science Centre Interactive Experience for families, or the Cat Museum for a short, odd hour.
- The catch: foreign adults pay five times the Sarawakian price, and the museums all close by 4:45pm, so this is a morning plan.
Which Kuching Museum Should You Visit First?
The Borneo Cultures Museum, and the reason is order. It covers Sarawak’s ethnic groups, rivers, rainforest and political history across five levels, so when you later reach a longhouse or a Brooke-era fort, you know what you are looking at. Going early in a trip gives you that context, though a resident with a free weekend could reasonably go in any order.
The table sorts the options by what they cover, what an adult pays and who they suit. Prices are the adult rate for a non-Malaysian and a non-Sarawakian Malaysian.
| Museum | What it covers | Adult (foreigner / Malaysian) | Time needed | Best for | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Borneo Cultures Museum | Sarawak’s peoples, rivers, history and crafts over five levels | RM50 / RM20 (Sarawakian RM10) | 30 minutes to a morning | First visit, history, rainy morning | Beside Padang Merdeka |
| Old Sarawak Museum building | The 1891 original, across the road from the new museum | Closed to the public since 2017 | Not applicable | Not an option for now, see the note below | Jalan P Ramlee |
| Sarawak Islamic Heritage Museum | Islamic art, architecture and heritage in seven galleries | Free | A short stop | A second indoor stop | Jalan P Ramlee |
| Sarawak Science Centre Interactive Experience | Physics, biology, technology, animatronic dinosaurs, water play | Free until 31 Dec 2026 | 1.5 to 2 hours | Families, hot or wet days | Jalan Stadium |
| Cat Museum | Cats in ceramics, taxidermy and advertising | RM10 / RM3 | 30 to 45 minutes | A wet hour, cat people | Bukit Siol, Petra Jaya |
Is the Borneo Cultures Museum the Same as the Sarawak Museum?
No, though people use the names interchangeably. The Borneo Cultures Museum is the new building, which opened in March 2022. The older Sarawak Museum building, dating from 1891, is a separate one nearby, and a pedestrian bridge links the two sides of the road. Both belong to the same campus and the same state department. The old building has been temporarily closed to the public since 23 October 2017, with no reopening date, so plan around the new one.
| Name | What it means |
|---|---|
| Borneo Cultures Museum | The new five-storey building that most visitors now mean |
| Old Sarawak Museum building | The 1891 original, still part of the complex and temporarily closed |
| Sarawak Museum Complex | The campus as a whole, with the Borneo Cultures Museum as its centrepiece |
| Sarawak Museum Department | The state body that runs the museums and sets their ticket prices |
It is the largest museum in Malaysia and the second largest in Southeast Asia, with about 31,000 square metres of floor space across five levels.
If you only have time for one, make it the new museum near Plaza Merdeka, because that is the one you can walk into.
How Much Does the Borneo Cultures Museum Cost, and When Is It Open?
An adult pays RM10 if Sarawakian, RM20 if from elsewhere in Malaysia and RM50 if not Malaysian. The tiers below match the Service Sarawak admission listing.
| Ticket | Sarawakian | Other Malaysian | Non-Malaysian |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult (18 to 60) | RM10 | RM20 | RM50 |
| Student (13 to 17, with ID) | RM5 | RM5 | RM25 |
| Senior (61 and over) | RM5 | RM10 | RM25 |
| Child 12 and under | Free | Free | RM20 |
| Registered OKU | Free | Free | Free |
Registered OKU visitors should buy at the ticket counter, not online, to get the concession.
Hours. Monday to Friday 9am to 4:45pm. Saturday, Sunday and public holidays 9:30am to 4:30pm. Last entry is 4pm. Individual visitors do not need to book, because the museum accepts walk-ins. The FAQ below lists the public holidays when the museum is closed.
Foreigners pay a noticeably higher rate, and Sarawakians pay much less. I’m not sure whether living here on a work pass, student pass or MM2H gets you anything cheaper, so bring your pass along and ask at the counter.
What Is on Each Floor of the Borneo Cultures Museum?
The museum has five levels, and each has one theme.
- Ground floor. Security and the souvenir shop.
- Level 2, Love Our Rivers. The children’s gallery, with hands-on play about Sarawak’s rivers.
- Level 3, In Harmony with Nature. Rainforest, rivers and coast, and how the Iban, Bidayuh, Orang Ulu, Melanau and Malay communities lived with them.
- Level 4, Time Changes. Sarawak’s history from prehistory and the Niah Caves through trade, the Brooke Rajah era, the Crown Colony period and the Second World War.
- Level 5, Objects of Desire. The top floor holds what the museum treats as its masterworks: ritual objects, beadwork, brassware and pua kumbu, the woven cloth the Iban make for ceremonies and keep as heirlooms.
I’ve been through it myself, all the way up to the top floor, and the structure is the point: each floor covers a different culture and a different period of Sarawak’s history, so going up the building is a bit like moving through the state’s story. If time is short, I would skip the ground floor and go straight to Level 4. Time Changes is the gallery that covers the history behind the city. The displays are interactive rather than rows of glass cases.
How Long Do You Need at the Borneo Cultures Museum?
You can spend as little as 30 minutes or as long as a whole morning in there. Thirty minutes gets you a quick walk up through the floors; a morning lets you read. Two to four hours is enough to explore it thoroughly. For a middle path, this two-hour split works:
| Level | Rough time |
|---|---|
| Ground floor | 10 minutes |
| Level 2 | 20 minutes (45 with young children) |
| Level 3 | 25 minutes |
| Level 4 | 30 minutes |
| Level 5 | 25 minutes |
Work backwards from last entry. Arrive at 9am on a weekday and you are out by about 11:15am, ready for lunch. Arrive at 2:30pm and you have two hours and fifteen minutes before the 4:45pm close, which is enough. A 3:30pm arrival means skipping a floor or two.
What Should You Wear and Know Before Visiting the Borneo Cultures Museum?
The museum encourages modest clothing. The thing I’d actually pack for is the cold: it can get a bit chilly inside, so bring a poncho or a light outer layer.
- No food or drink inside the permanent galleries.
- Wheelchairs can be requested at the inquiry counter.
Which Other Museums in Kuching Are Worth Adding?
Four are worth a line.
Sarawak Islamic Heritage Museum. The Sarawak Museum Department page lists free admission and seven galleries on Islamic art, architecture and heritage. It is open 9am to 4:45pm Monday to Friday and 10am to 4pm at weekends and public holidays, and the address is Jalan P Ramlee.
Sarawak Science Centre Interactive Experience. The Sarawak Science Centre opened on 29 July 2026 on Jalan Stadium, with galleries on physics, biology and technology, animatronic dinosaurs and water play. It is open 9am to 4:30pm, closed on Mondays, and free until 31 December 2026. Petrosains PlaySmart Kuching is temporarily closed, so this is the hands-on science stop for now.Other places to take children have their own page.
Cat Museum. It is short and a bit dated, and it fits a wet hour, but it sits across the river and Grab costs about RM15 to RM20 each way. Its own guide settles whether it is worth that fare.
Sarawak Cultural Village. If you want longhouses outdoors rather than behind glass, this open-air site is about 35 to 45 minutes north in Santubong. A foreign adult pays RM135 as of June 2026. That is a lot for a city where a bowl of kolo mee at a hawker stall usually runs RM6 to RM14. The Cultural Village guide covers show times and whether the ticket pays off. For a short visit, I would put the museum first and the village second.
For a small family, I’d pair the Borneo Cultures Museum with the Sarawak Science Centre: both work, one for the story of Sarawak and one for hands-on play.
How Do You Get to the Borneo Cultures Museum and Plan a Museum Morning?
The museum is on Jalan Tun Abang Haji Openg, next to Padang Merdeka in the middle of the city. It is an easy walk if you are already in the centre, including from the Waterfront. From the airport or another neighbourhood, Grab is simplest, and typical fares across Kuching are easy to look up.
A museum morning I would plan is simple: be at the Borneo Cultures Museum for opening, spend about two hours, then walk to lunch and out to the Waterfront once you are done.The Waterfront and Old Town are the natural place to end, and what else fills a Kuching afternoon covers the rest of the day.
Rain changes less than you would hope. The museums are the city’s main indoor option, but they close by 4:45pm at the latest, so a wet evening needs another plan, such as a mall or a long dinner.
Is the Borneo Cultures Museum Worth the Foreigner Price?
Here is the downside. A non-Malaysian adult pays RM50 and a Sarawakian pays RM10, so the foreigner pays five times as much. Two foreign adults and two foreign children aged 12 or under pay RM140 before lunch. The museum also shuts by 4:45pm, with last entry at 4pm, so it cannot fill a rainy evening.
For someone who lives here, I think it’s still worth going, because of the breadth of what it covers: you come out understanding more of the state you live in. A first-time visitor who wants context on Sarawak’s peoples gets the same benefit, and a family with young children also gets the children’s gallery on Level 2. Someone who strongly prefers the outdoors, or who has already seen Sarawak’s longhouses, could skip it and spend the money at the Cultural Village instead.
FAQ
What Should I Wear to the Borneo Cultures Museum?
Modest clothing is encouraged. It can get chilly inside, so bring a poncho or a light outer layer. The before-you-go section above has the rest of the checklist.
Is the Borneo Cultures Museum the Biggest Museum in Malaysia?
Yes. It is the largest museum in Malaysia and the second largest in Southeast Asia, with about 31,000 square metres of floor space.
How Much Does It Cost to Enter Muzium Sarawak?
The Sarawak Museum Department sets tickets per museum and per tier. At the Borneo Cultures Museum an adult pays RM10, RM20 or RM50 depending on whether they are Sarawakian, Malaysian or foreign. The Service Sarawak admission listing has current prices.
Is Sarawak Cultural Village Worth Visiting?
It suits people who want an outdoor, hands-on look at Sarawak’s longhouse styles. It is 35 to 45 minutes from the city and costs more than the museum, so I would visit the museum first. The Cultural Village guide has prices and show times.
When Is the Borneo Cultures Museum Closed?
The museum is closed on seven public holidays. In 2026 those are the first day of Chinese New Year (17 February), the first day of Eid al-Fitr (21 March), Labour Day (1 May), the first day of Gawai Day (1 June), Independence Day (31 August), the Sarawak Governor’s Birthday (10 October, a Saturday) and Christmas Day (25 December). It is open on other public holidays, from 9:30am to 4:30pm. Last entry is 4pm every open day.
Plan the Rest of Your Weekend
Fit the museum morning into two days with the Kuching weekend plan, or go back to everything to explore in Kuching. If the galleries leave you curious about the people behind them, Kuching’s culture and language and which languages people speak here are the next two pages to read.
Note: I haven’t been to the Cat Museum myself, so some of this information may be out of date. Please check while planning your visit.