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Kuching Waterfront

Sunset over the Sarawak River, the Darul Hana bridge and the old town's riverside promenade.

By · Editor, I Love Sarawak

Facts checked

The Darul Hana bridge silhouetted against sunset on the Sarawak River
Photo: Clayborneoguy (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The place

Kuching's waterfront promenade runs along the Sarawak River past the Old Courthouse and a run of colonial-era shophouses standing since the Brooke era. Completed in 2017, the golden Darul Hana Bridge — its two steel pylons topped with stylised hornbills — now links the old town directly to the government precinct on the far bank, a crossing that once needed a boat and now takes a ten-minute walk.

Across the water sit the Astana, the former residence of Sarawak's White Rajahs and today the Governor's official residence, and Fort Margherita, an 19th-century fortress now open as a museum, both visible from the promenade even without crossing over.

Sunset cruise on the Sarawak River, Kuching
Photo: Marufish (CC BY-SA 2.0)
A traditional perahu tambang water taxi at the Kuching Waterfront
Photo: Tnunong (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Highlights

  1. The Darul Hana Bridge, its pylons topped with stylised hornbills
  2. The Astana, the Governor of Sarawak's official residence
  3. Fort Margherita, a 19th-century fort turned museum
  4. The Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (DUN) building across the river
  5. Riverside food stalls and cafés along the promenade

Getting there

Ways to reach Kuching Waterfront, compared
HowFromTakesCosts
Walkmost hotels in the old townthe waterfront runs right through central Kuching

The waterfront runs right through central Kuching and is entirely walkable from most hotels in the old town. It's free and open around the clock, though evenings between about 5:30pm and 9pm are the best time to go, when the day's heat has passed and the bridge's lighting comes on.

Where it is

Map of Sarawak showing the location of Kuching Waterfront
Kuching Waterfront1.558, 110.345OpenStreetMap ↗Google Maps ↗

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