Our Travel Guide to Paddy Gallery
The Paddy Gallery is one of the top museums in Malaysia not just because of its attractions but for its immersive experience as well.
Nestled among the vast paddy fields in Sekinchan, this museum will teach you everything you need to know about rice and how it’s produced. To give you an idea of what an ideal trip to this museum would look like, check out our guide here:
Best Time to Go
The best time to visit the Paddy Gallery is purely subjective. For instance, if you want to enjoy a less crowded experience, you may want to avoid weekends and public holidays, as the museum place tends to be packed during these days.
If you don’t have a choice but to visit during these days, however, we recommend stopping by early in the morning or in the evening. During these times, the crowd will be far thinner and you’ll get to enjoy more pleasant weather—win-win!
Meanwhile, if you want a livelier experience during your trip to the gallery, we recommend visiting during the harvest seasons. These months will fully immerse you in the culture of Sekinchan as you witness the local produce that the humble fishing village exports.
The season of your visit can also affect the overall look and vibe of Sekinchan itself. For example, if you visit from mid-March to mid-May, you’ll get to enjoy the sights of lush green paddy fields.
On the other hand, visiting from November to December will let you admire golden yellow paddy fields.
Things to Know
Currency: Malaysian Ringgit
(Check the current exchange rate)
Language: Malay, English
Calling Code: +60
Contact details:
- General: +6 016-205 6558
- Tourism: +6 016-215 7028
Address: Lot No, Ban 2, 9990, Jalan Tali Air 5, 45400 Sekinchan, Selangor, Malaysia
Entrance fee: RM5 (comes with 250g pack of rice)
Parking: Parking shouldn’t pose a problem when visiting Paddy Gallery thanks to the main parking lot located opposite the entrance. This space is free for all visitors but be sure to arrive early if you want to secure a spot.
If the main lot is out of spots, you can park along Jalan Padi Indah Street. However, do keep in mind that this street doesn’t have any shade at all so you may want to equip your car with some kind of heat protection.
How to Get There
Trains: Riding the train is a fast and relatively cheap way of getting to Sekinchan from Kuala Lumpur. To do this, all you have to do is hop on the KTM Intercity train to Tanjung Karang station.
From there, you can simply hail a taxi or book a ride through the Grab app to get to the Paddy Museum.
Buses: The cheapest way to get to the Paddy Gallery is by riding the local Sekinchan bus. The journey wouldn’t be too long, as the gallery is located just around 10 minutes away from the city centre.
Taxis: If you want a more comfortable and convenient way of getting to and around Sekinchan, we recommend hailing a taxi. Considering that it’s only around 100 kilometres north of Kuala Lumpur, you won’t have to worry about drastically high fares when getting there from the capital.
Car rental: Renting a car poses various benefits when travelling both solo and in groups. Not only will it give the best comfort and privacy, but it will also treat you to a scenic ride, which is more evident once you reach the paddy fields.
If you’re coming from Kuala Lumpur, the best route to take is the North-South Expressway. You can ride along this expressway until it takes you to Exit 117 where you’ll be led to Jalan Padi Indah, which is the road that leads to the Paddy Gallery.
Bicycle rental: You can rent a bike if you want a more eco-friendly way of getting around the Paddy Gallery or Sekinchan as a whole. This is also one of the most scenic ways of riding along the lush paddy fields!
Where to Stay
Padi Box Homes & Cafe
Address: Jalan Tali Air 4, Kampung Parit Empat, 45400 Sekinchan, Selangor, Malaysia
Phone: +60 19-320 5688
Pricing: $
Padi Box Homes & Cafe gives you the best of both worlds when it comes to affordability and quality. It features a unique look that makes use of revamped shipping containers that are fitted with amenities to provide guests with comfortable stays.
It’s also one of the most Instaworthy lodgings in the area, as it’s surrounded by lush paddy fields that span as far as the eye can see. Not only does this provide you with beautiful views from your room, but it will also let you breathe in some of the freshest air in Sekinchan.
Farm Ville Cafe & Homestay
— Media from saysdotcom
Address: 11304, Jalan Tepi Sawah, Pekan Sekinchan, 45400 Sekinchan, Selangor, Malaysia
Phone: +60 17-206 8666
Pricing: $
Farm Ville Cafe & Homestay is another container-style lodging option in Sekinchan that’s located in the middle of vast rice paddy fields. However, what elevates this palace from other options in the city is its selection of amazing facilities, one of which is the outdoor pool.
Aside from that, it features a bunch of entertainment equipment like karaoke machines and ping pong tables—perfect for those long nights with your friends and families. Speaking of nights, you can also hold a barbeque dinner thanks to the provided grill by the resort.
Villa Chee
Address: Lot 3919, Jalan Sawah Ban Site B, Pekan Sekinchan, 45400 Sekinchan, Selangor, Malaysia
Phone: +60 12-505 0328
Pricing: $$
Villa Chee is what you’ll get if you take container-style living to the next level. We say this because they go the extra mile and make the containers look like world-class hotel rooms, featuring amenities like TVs, air conditioners and more.
Their facilities aren’t too shabby either, as they have an outdoor swimming pool and a rooftop BBQ area, where families can gather around at night. It also helps that the place itself features a charming look and vibe to it, which makes the overall stay feel more special.
Where to Eat
N16 Bus Cafe
— Media from muimui_tan
Address: Jalan Tali Air 4 Tanjung Karang, Tanjong Karang, Malaysia
Phone: +60 12-809 2216
Pricing: $-$$
N16 Bus Cafe is famous for many things, but one reason that stands out the most is its unique look. This cafe takes the form of an old bus and it does make for a cosy ambience, which is perfect for a place like this where you can chill and pass the time.
Aside from that, it’s also famous for its delicious offerings, consisting of Western grub such as fried chicken, pasta, salad and more. Also, since this is indeed a cafe, you can order various coffee and non-coffee drinks as well as refreshing juices!
Kim Kee Restaurant
— Media from madeline8558
Address: Bagan, No 115, Lorong 4, 45400 Sekinchan, Selangor, Malaysia
Phone: +60 12-312 5725
Pricing: $
Seeing that Sekinchan is a fishing village, it would be a shame to leave it without trying out some of its best seafood. For this need, we recommend checking out Kim Kee Restaurant, which serves some of the freshest seafood in the village.
Tons of enticing dishes can be found on their menu, but if you want to play it safe, we recommend getting either the crab or squid—or both! Meanwhile, if you aren’t too big of a fan of seafood, you can order their sweet and sour pork, which is just as good!
Mango King
— Media from lye.joanne
Address: 248, Lorong Empat, 45400 Sekinchan, Selangor, Malaysia
Phone: +60 19-303 9406
Pricing: $
The heat in Sekinchan can be a bit too much, especially in the afternoon, but you know what this calls for? A trip to Mango King!
Mango King is a famous stall in the small fishing village that serves a bunch of mango-based refreshments like juices and shakes. If you want to stay natural, you can even feast on the fruit itself!
Trust us, nothing beats sipping on these fresh juices and shakes after long hours of walking under the heat.
What to Expect in Paddy Gallery
Videos and documentaries
— Media from glexis_daycare_tuition
Something we love about Paddy Gallery is that it’s impossible to leave its doors without learning something new. One of the ways they do this is by showing videos and documentaries that essentially explain how rice is harvested, from the ploughing of the fields and so on.
The introductory video is about 10 minutes long and it’s shown by the guide as soon as the guests enter the gallery. You can think of it as the appetizer of what’s to come once you do see what the museum holds inside.
Traditional Tools
— Media from fongkenneth
One of the main highlights of this gallery is the selection of traditional tools that were used in the early days to harvest rice from paddy fields. These tools are accompanied by visual aids to help visitors distinguish them and learn they’re use.
Seeing the different equipment that various generations of farmers used before landing on the ones being used today is quite impressive. It will make you appreciate and respect the farmer’s job, as harvesting rice is certainly not an easy feat, especially with antique tools.
Heavy-Duty Machinery
— Media from soitsok
The gallery also features a bunch of heavy-duty machinery outside that plays important roles in turning crops into rice. The sheer scale of these machines will make you look small but they need to be this big, considering how much rice Sekinchan can produce every day.
What’s great about this is that there’s a deck dedicated to guests so that they can observe the pieces of machinery at work. This way they can learn more about the extensive part of rice cultivation and not just the pretty parts.
Souvenirs
— Media from ain.mis
You can’t leave Paddy Gallery without grabbing some souvenirs to remember your trip! Fortunately, there’s a store in the attraction itself where you can buy rice-themed products for your loved ones.
Out of all the gifts you can buy here, however, we recommend getting Pearl Rice the most, as it’s the gallery’s premier product. Aside from that, we also recommend grabbing some rice-based desserts to cool off after several hours of walking inside the gallery!
Apps to Download for a Trip to Paddy Gallery
Travel Malaysia: A pocket travel guide to Malaysia
Maps.me: Offline map of the world
Parkopedia: Parking space finder for resorts
XE Currency App: Real-time currency exchange rate app
Grab: Ride-hailing app of Southeast Asia
Google Translate: word translation with offline capabilities
CatchThatBus: Bus ticket booking app