Medan Niaga Satok

Kuching


Kuching’s biggest and liveliest market is 9km west of the city centre. It's open every day, but the main event is the larger weekend market that begins around midday on Saturday, when folk, some from rural longhouses, arrive with fruit, vegetables, fish and spices.

The air is heady with the aromas of fresh coriander, ginger, herbs and jungle ferns, which are displayed among piles of bananas, mangoes, custard apples and obscure jungle fruit. If you smell something overpoweringly sickly-sweet and pungent, chances are it’s a durian. Vendors are friendly and many are happy to tell you about their wares, which are often divided into quantities worth RM1 or RM2.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Kuching attractions

1. Kuching Mosque

1.3 MILES

Built in 1968, Kuching Mosque was the state mosque until a larger one was built in 1990 at Petra Jaya. The mosque's gold domes are particularly beautiful…

2. Islamic Heritage Museum

1.33 MILES

Offers a pretty good introduction to Malay-Muslim culture and its long ties with the Muslim heartland far to the west. Displays range from Bornean-Malay…

3. Gurdwara Sahib Kuching

1.38 MILES

An imposing white building with gilded domes, this is one of three Sikh temples in Sarawak (the others are in Sibu and Miri).

4. Sarawak Museum Campus

1.41 MILES

Scheduled to open in mid-2020, the modern and innovative Sarawak Museum Campus incorporates several floors of interactive and hands-on exhibitions…

5. Robo-Cats

1.45 MILES

The sculpture consists of sinister-looking metal cats that glare down at you with menacing hollow eyes.

6. St Joseph's Cathedral

1.47 MILES

Built as a church in 1969 and granted cathedral status in 1976, this Roman Catholic cathedral is notable for its impressive belian (ironwood) roof.

7. Sarawak Museum

1.47 MILES

Closed at the time of writing and scheduled to reopen in mid-2020 after extensive conservation work, the Sarawak Museum was established in 1891 by Charles…

8. Natural History Museum

1.5 MILES

This building, built in 1908 and adorned with Rajah Brooke's birdwing butterfly, so named by famous naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, is currently being…