The Enduring Landmarks of War and Memory
Stand where only three buildings survived the Allied bombardment of 1945. The Atkinson Tower, built in 1902 on a hill beside Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, rises near the city centre as a memorial to Francis George Atkinson, the first district officer of what was then called Jesselton. Walk through City Park opposite the court complex to see the British North Borneo Memorial, erected in 1923, which honours soldiers who died defending the British Empire during World War I. These structures carry the weight of Kota Kinabalu's transformation from a destroyed colonial port to a rebuilt capital.
For a deeper reckoning with history, visit the Petagas War Memorial, about 15 minutes outside the city centre, which commemorates the 176 members of the Kinabalu Guerrillas who attacked Japanese forces during the Double Tenth Revolt of 1943 and were subsequently executed. The memorial can be viewed in around 30 minutes and connects you to the local resistance that shaped the city's modern identity.
Museums and the Story of Sabah
The Sabah State Museum on Jalan Kebajikan spans three storeys and guides you through the history of Kota Kinabalu and Sabah's transformation. The museum complex includes the Science and Technology Museum, Sabah Art Gallery featuring work by local artists, a railway gallery, and a heritage village that together paint a picture of the region's past and present. Entry costs RM15. Note that the main museum building was closed as of January 2025 with no announced reopening date, so check ahead before visiting.
The Islamic Civilization Museum, located on Jalan Menteri behind Sacred Heart Cathedral, traces the history of Islamic civilization in Sabah and uses the same ticket as the State Museum. For spiritual architecture, visit the Sacred Heart Cathedral on Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman—the seat of the Archdiocese and one of the largest churches in Sabah—and the Sabah State Mosque, also on Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman in Sembulan, whose dome and minaret are decorated with real gold and can hold up to 5,000 worshippers. The Gurdwara Sahib Sikh Temple on Jalan Mat Salleh near Sembulan is the only Sikh Gurdwara in the city; remember to cover your head before entering.
Waterfront Walks and Beaches
The Likas Bay promenade stretches for several kilometres along Jalan Tun Fuad Stephens, starting about 1 km north of Jesselton Point and running to the Malaysia Sabah University building. This pathway is used by joggers and cyclists and offers food courts and several small beaches along the way. Likas Bay Beach itself sits surrounded by the city, with views of anchored ships off Sepanggar Port. The promenade has been extended back into the city as far as Imago Mall, making it easy to walk or cycle the waterfront for an hour or several hours depending on your pace.
For the city's most popular public beach, Tanjung Aru Beach (also called Pertama Pantai, meaning "First Beach") lies 20 minutes from the city centre. On weekdays it is often quiet; weekends fill with locals picnicking, watching the sunset, or playing sports like tug of war, handball, and kite flying. Behind the beach are grassed areas with palms and BBQ stations. The waters are shallow, typically 5 feet deep or less, and the beach extends in a long curve toward Terminal 2 of the airport. Nearby, Perdana Park in Tanjung Aru offers an 18-acre space with a light and musical water fountain (fountain show starts at 7PM), greenery, children's playground, and jogging tracks—all free to enter.
Gaya Street and the Heart of Trade
Gaya Street in the city centre (officially known as Chinatown to tourists, though locals call it by the street name) is surrounded by Chinese shops and restaurants and sits near Australia Place, which together have the highest concentration of budget hostels in Kota Kinabalu. A Sunday market runs early from 6:30AM to 1PM—arrive late and you will miss it. The same area hosts a night market every Friday and Saturday from 6PM to 2AM. This is where the rhythms of the city are most visible: haggling vendors, families shopping, workers grabbing breakfast before the heat builds.
The Stilt Villages Along the Water
Along the southern coasts of Kota Kinabalu, stilt villages house ethnic Bajau, Suluk, Iranun, Malay, and Ubian people, many of whom trace their ancestry to the Sulu Archipelago and have inhabited the region since the 15th to 18th centuries. Traditional villages can be found in Kampung Tanjung Aru, Kampung Sembulan, and on Pulau Gaya at Kampung Kasuapan and Kampung Pondo. Be aware that while traditional stilt villages exist, many areas now contain slums occupied by migrants without proper documentation, making some neighbourhoods unsafe and unsuitable for independent visitors. If interested in seeing how waterside communities live, speedboat drivers at Jesselton Point Jetty who live in Pulau Gaya villages may offer guided tours for a small fee. Safer, cleaner stilt villages exist further out, such as in Mengkabong.
Kota Kinabalu is a city built on layers of history—from Api-Api fishing village to Jesselton trading post to wartime rubble to modern capital. The beaches, memorials, and markets are all places where that story is still being written. Arrive early at Gaya Street's Sunday market, walk the Likas promenade as the sun sets, and stand in the shadow of the Atkinson Tower to understand how a city rises from ash and becomes home.