Discover 20 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Kota Kinabalu (Malaysia). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Sabah Museum, The Green Connection, and Kota Kinabalu City Mosque. Also, be sure to include Jesselton Point in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Kota Kinabalu (Sabah).
Table of Contents
Sabah Museum
Also known as: Muzium Sabah
Museum in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. The Sabah Museum is the state museum of Sabah, Malaysia. It is sited on 17 hectares of land at Bukit Istana Lama in Kota Kinabalu, the state capital.[1]
Address: Jalan Muzium, 88300 Kota Kinabalu
The Green Connection
Aquarium. The Green Connection is an aquarium and science discovery centre in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. The Green Connection opened in May 2010 and is located just outside down-town Kota Kinabalu in the North west corner of the island of Borneo.[2]
Kota Kinabalu City Mosque
Also known as: Masjid Bandaraya Kota Kinabalu
Renowned domed mosque with tours. The Kota Kinabalu City Mosque is the second main mosque in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia, after State Mosque in Sembulan. The head imam is Ustaz Suhaidi Kuanting.[3]
Address: Jalan Teluk Likas, 88400 Kota Kinabalu
Jesselton Point
Also known as: Jesselton Residences
Shopping mall in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. The Jesselton Residences is a 28-storey triplet tower comprising shopping malls and condominium. The shopping mall is known as Jesselton Mall which was also the first and only upscale duty free mall in Borneo.[4]
Address: 3, Jalan Haji Saman, 88000 Kota Kinabalu
Sutera Harbour
Resort in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. Sutera Harbour is a resort located in the city of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. It comprised two 5-star hotels, a 27-hole Graham Marsh-designed golf course, a 104-berth marina and an exclusive golf and country club with extensive recreational facilities facing the South China Sea with a background of Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park. In 2014, Singapore-based GSH Corporation has acquired the resort.
There are 956 rooms in total by combining the two 5-star hotel together, which make it the largest resort in Kota Kinabalu as well as Borneo.[5]
Address: Kota Kinabalu, 1 Sutera Harbour Boulevard, 88100
Sabah Islamic Civilisation Museum
Sabah Islamic Civilisation Museum is a 2-storey museum building located at Menteri Street in Kota Kinabalu District of Sabah, Malaysia.[6]
Address: Jalan Menteri, 88300 Kota Kinabalu
Peak Nam Toong Temple
Peak Nam Toong Temple is a Chinese temple located among housing estate beside Lorong Bunga Bakawali 3 in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.[7]
Sabah State Mosque
Also known as: Masjid Negeri Sabah
Iconic site incorporating modern design. Sabah State Mosque or Masjid Negeri Sabah is the state mosque of Sabah, located at Sembulan roundabout between Jalan Mat Salleh and Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.[8]
Address: Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, 88100 Kota Kinabalu
Petagas War Memorial
Also known as: Taman Peringatan Perang Petagas
Historical landmark in Putatan, Malaysia. The Petagas War Memorial or Petagas War Memorial Garden is a memorial park dedicated to the Second World War victims in Sabah particularly to 324 resistance movement members, who were executed on 21 January 1944 at the site by the Japanese occupying forces of North Borneo for their involvement in the Jesselton Revolt. The park memorial plate lists the names of men of various ethnic groups in North Borneo and from various islands in the Sulu Archipelago including the main resistance leader Albert Kwok and those who assisted or died in Labuan Military Prison. The park was built exactly on the site where the massacre took place and where the victims were initially buried. It is located in Kampung Peringatan Petagas in the district of Putatan in Sabah, Malaysia.[9]
Address: No.1, Jalan Bandaran, Kota Kinabalu
Sacred Heart Cathedral
Cathedral in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. Sacred Heart Cathedral is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu, and the seat of its current archbishop, John Wong Soo Kau. The current cathedral was built from 1979 to 1981, with its dedication held on 21 November 1981.[10]
Address: 14B, Jalan Menteri, 88000 Kota Kinabalu
Atkinson Clock Tower
Also known as: Menara Jam Atkinson
Sabah's oldest building, dating to 1905. The Atkinson Clock Tower is the oldest standing structure in Kota Kinabalu. It was originally known as the Atkinson Memorial Clock Tower and sits in solitary on the bluff along Signal Hill Road overlooking this seaside city and capital of Sabah, Malaysia.[11]
Address: Jalan Bukit Bendera, 88400 Kota Kinabalu
Sabah State Library
Sabah State Library is a state department under the State Ministry of Education and Innovation Sabah which managing every of the public library branches in Sabah of Malaysia. The headquarters is located in Tasik Road, Off Maktab Gaya Road in Luyang of Kota Kinabalu.[12]
Jesselton Freemason Hall
Jesselton Freemason Hall in present-day Kota Kinabalu, Sabah Malaysia is the meeting place for the Masonic lodges in the former Jesselton area. It was opened since 1951 during British Crown rule.[13]
Sabah Art Gallery
Art gallery in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. The Sabah Art Gallery is an art gallery in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.[14]
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Malaysia
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Malaysia refers to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Malaysia. In 2019 membership was nine times what it was in 1999 and number of congregations more than doubled during the same time period.[15]
Double Six Monument
Also known as: Tugu Peringatan Double Six
Commemorates a fatal 1976 plane crash. The Double Six Monument is a memorial located at Sembulan area in Grace Garden housing complex in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia which marks the site of 6 June 1976 fatal plane crash known as the Double Six Tragedy bearing the first Chief Minister of Sabah, Tun Fuad Stephens, as well as six other State ministers.[16]
Address: Grace Point, Sembulan, Kota Kinabalu
St. Michael's Church
Catholic church in Donggongon, Malaysia. St. Michael’s Church is a Roman Catholic church in Donggongon, a town in the district of Penampang in the Malaysian state of Sabah. It is the oldest church in the district of Penampang and the second oldest stone church in Sabah, after St. Michael’s and All Angels Church in Sandakan.[17]
Address: Jalan St. Michael, Kota Kinabalu
Mari Mari Cultural Village
Classes and workshops, Cultural tours, Nature and wildlife tours, Tours, Outdoor activities, Food and drink, Historical place, Performing arts
Address: Jalan Kionsom, Kota Kinabalu
Perdana Park
Tourist attraction in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. Perdana Park is a recreational park in Tanjung Aru, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.[18]
Address: Tanjung Aru, 88100 Kota Kinabalu
Monsopiad Cultural Village
Museum, Historical place, History museum, Performing arts
Address: Jalan Putatan Ramayah, 89507 Kota Kinabalu