Malaysia · state · 7 museums in 2 cities
The best museums in Sarawak are Borneo Cultures Museum, Sarawak Islamic Heritage Museum and Brooke Gallery at Fort Margherita. World Museum Guide covers 7 museums in Kuching and Miri, with verified admission prices, opening hours and how long to allow for each. 4 are free for everyone.
Visitor information last reviewed 25 September 2026. Check the official museum site for current details.
| # | Museum | City | Admission | Time needed | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Borneo Cultures Museum | Kuching | RM10 for Sarawakian adults | 2–3 hours | on the first day of Chinese New Year, Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Gawai, and on Labour Day, National Day, the Sarawak Governor's birthday and Christmas Day |
| 2 | Sarawak Islamic Heritage Museum | Kuching | Free | 1 hour | on the first day of Chinese New Year, Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Gawai, and on Labour Day, National Day, the Sarawak Governor's birthday and Christmas Day |
| 3 | Brooke Gallery at Fort Margherita | Kuching | RM10 for local visitors | 1 hour | Open daily |
| 4 | Chinese History Museum | Kuching | Free | 45 minutes | on the first day of Chinese New Year, Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Gawai, and on Labour Day, National Day, the Sarawak Governor's birthday and Christmas Day |
| 5 | Miri Petroleum Museum | Miri | Free | 1 hour | on the first day of Chinese New Year, Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Gawai, and on Labour Day, National Day, the Sarawak Governor's birthday and Christmas Day |
| 6 | Niah Archaeology Museum | Miri | Free | 45 minutes | on the first day of Chinese New Year, Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Gawai, and on Labour Day, National Day, the Sarawak Governor's birthday and Christmas Day |
| 7 | Ranee Museum | Kuching | RM10 for local visitors | 45 minutes | Open daily |
Standard adult prices, checked from 2026-09-25. Confirm on each museum's official website before you go.
Kuching, Malaysia
Ethnography Museum · Best for history enthusiasts & families
The Borneo Cultures Museum in Kuching, opened in 2022, is described as Malaysia's largest museum: a five-storey building beside Padang Merdeka whose galleries trace the peoples, crafts and history of Sarawak and Borneo from Niah Cave prehistory to the present.
RM10 for Sarawakian adults · ⏱ 2–3 hours
Kuching, Malaysia
History Museum · Best for history enthusiasts & architecture enthusiasts
The Sarawak Islamic Heritage Museum fills the 1930 Madrasah Melayu, a former Malay teacher-training college on Jalan P. Ramlee in central Kuching. Free to enter, its seven galleries around a courtyard garden cover the coming of Islam to the Malay Archipelago, architecture, science, costume, weapons, decorative arts and the Quran.
Free entry · ⏱ 1 hour
Kuching, Malaysia
History Museum · Best for history enthusiasts & architecture enthusiasts
The Brooke Gallery tells the century-long story of Sarawak's White Rajahs inside Fort Margherita, the castle-like 1879 fort on the north bank of the Sarawak River opposite Kuching's Main Bazaar. Opened in 2016 with the Brooke Heritage Trust, it pairs Brooke family belongings and documents with the fort's tower, courtyard and river views.
RM10 for local visitors · ⏱ 1 hour
Kuching, Malaysia
History Museum · Best for history enthusiasts & budget travellers
The Chinese History Museum occupies the 1912 Chinese court building on the Kuching Waterfront, opposite the Tua Pek Kong Temple. Run free of charge by the Sarawak Museum Department, it traces how Sarawak's Chinese dialect groups arrived, settled, traded and organised, with ceramics, jade, musical instruments and old photographs.
Free entry · ⏱ 45 minutes
Miri, Malaysia
Specialist Museum · Best for families & science enthusiasts
The Miri Petroleum Museum stands on Canada Hill (Bukit Tenaga) beside the Grand Old Lady, Sarawak's first oil well, which struck oil in 1910 and produced until 1972. Free to enter and run by the Sarawak Museum Department, it explains Malaysia's oil and gas industry with interactive displays, rig models and hilltop views of Miri.
Free entry · ⏱ 1 hour
Miri, Malaysia
Archaeology Museum · Best for archaeology lovers & history enthusiasts
The Niah Archaeology Museum is the Sarawak Museum Department's free site museum in Niah National Park, about 1.5 hours' drive from Miri, close to the UNESCO-listed Niah Caves. It introduces more than 40,000 years of human life in and around the caves before you walk to the Great Cave, where the 'Deep Skull' was found, and the Painted Cave.
Free entry · ⏱ 45 minutes
Kuching, Malaysia
History Museum · Best for history enthusiasts & art lovers
The Ranee Museum, in Kuching's 19th-century Old Court House, is a permanent exhibition on Margaret Brooke, the first Ranee of Sarawak, who married Rajah Charles Brooke in 1869. Run by the Brooke Heritage Trust, it shows her life, causes and art alongside her personal collection of Sarawak songket and keringkam embroidery.
RM10 for local visitors · ⏱ 45 minutes
The best museums in Sarawak are Borneo Cultures Museum, Sarawak Islamic Heritage Museum and Brooke Gallery at Fort Margherita. World Museum Guide ranks 7 museums across 2 cities in the state by visitor numbers and the depth of each collection.
Kuching (5 museums) and Miri (2 museums). Each city page compares prices, opening hours and closing days so you can plan a route between them.
Free for everyone: Sarawak Islamic Heritage Museum, Chinese History Museum, Miri Petroleum Museum and Niah Archaeology Museum. Free or reduced for some visitors: Borneo Cultures Museum (Malaysian children 12 and under free), Brooke Gallery at Fort Margherita (Children under 7 free) and Ranee Museum (Children under 7 free).
