diff --git a/packages/sdk/src/cosmwasmclient.ts b/packages/sdk/src/cosmwasmclient.ts
index 4aa21619..8ad2ff11 100644
--- a/packages/sdk/src/cosmwasmclient.ts
+++ b/packages/sdk/src/cosmwasmclient.ts
@@ -220,8 +220,12 @@ export class CosmWasmClient {
     }));
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Throws an error if no contract was found at the address
+   */
   public async getContract(address: string): Promise<ContractDetails> {
     const result = await this.restClient.getContractInfo(address);
+    if (!result) throw new Error(`No contract found at address "${address}"`);
     return {
       address: result.address,
       codeId: result.code_id,
@@ -238,7 +242,7 @@ export class CosmWasmClient {
    */
   public async queryContractRaw(address: string, key: Uint8Array): Promise<Uint8Array | null> {
     // just test contract existence
-    const _info = await this.restClient.getContractInfo(address);
+    const _info = await this.getContract(address);
 
     return this.restClient.queryContractRaw(address, key);
   }
@@ -254,7 +258,7 @@ export class CosmWasmClient {
       return await this.restClient.queryContractSmart(address, queryMsg);
     } catch (error) {
       if (error instanceof Error) {
-        if (error.message === "not found: contract") {
+        if (error.message.startsWith("not found: contract")) {
           throw new Error(`No contract found at address "${address}"`);
         } else {
           throw error;
diff --git a/packages/sdk/src/restclient.spec.ts b/packages/sdk/src/restclient.spec.ts
index 5aa6884a..db3b5471 100644
--- a/packages/sdk/src/restclient.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/sdk/src/restclient.spec.ts
@@ -684,16 +684,14 @@ describe("RestClient", () => {
 
       // check out info
       const myInfo = await client.getContractInfo(myAddress);
+      assert(myInfo);
       expect(myInfo.code_id).toEqual(codeId);
       expect(myInfo.creator).toEqual(faucet.address);
       expect((myInfo.init_msg as any).beneficiary).toEqual(beneficiaryAddress);
 
       // make sure random addresses don't give useful info
       const nonExistentAddress = makeRandomAddress();
-      await client
-        .getContractInfo(nonExistentAddress)
-        .then(() => fail("this shouldn't succeed"))
-        .catch(error => expect(error).toMatch(`No contract found at address "${nonExistentAddress}"`));
+      expect(await client.getContractInfo(nonExistentAddress)).toBeNull();
     });
 
     describe("contract state", () => {
diff --git a/packages/sdk/src/restclient.ts b/packages/sdk/src/restclient.ts
index d04c3ade..15d3aa3e 100644
--- a/packages/sdk/src/restclient.ts
+++ b/packages/sdk/src/restclient.ts
@@ -198,18 +198,20 @@ function unwrapWasmResponse<T>(response: WasmResponse<T>): T {
 // We want to get message data from 500 errors
 // https://stackoverflow.com/questions/56577124/how-to-handle-500-error-message-with-axios
 // this should be chained to catch one error and throw a more informative one
-function parseAxios500error(err: AxiosError): never {
+function parseAxiosError(err: AxiosError): never {
   // use the error message sent from server, not default 500 msg
   if (err.response?.data) {
+    let errorText: string;
     const data = err.response.data;
     // expect { error: string }, but otherwise dump
-    if (data.error) {
-      throw new Error(data.error);
+    if (data.error && typeof data.error === "string") {
+      errorText = data.error;
     } else if (typeof data === "string") {
-      throw new Error(data);
+      errorText = data;
     } else {
-      throw new Error(JSON.stringify(data));
+      errorText = JSON.stringify(data);
     }
+    throw new Error(`${errorText} (HTTP ${err.response.status})`);
   } else {
     throw err;
   }
@@ -231,7 +233,7 @@ export class RestClient {
   }
 
   public async get(path: string): Promise<RestClientResponse> {
-    const { data } = await this.client.get(path).catch(parseAxios500error);
+    const { data } = await this.client.get(path).catch(parseAxiosError);
     if (data === null) {
       throw new Error("Received null response from server");
     }
@@ -239,7 +241,7 @@ export class RestClient {
   }
 
   public async post(path: string, params: PostTxsParams): Promise<RestClientResponse> {
-    const { data } = await this.client.post(path, params).catch(parseAxios500error);
+    const { data } = await this.client.post(path, params).catch(parseAxiosError);
     if (data === null) {
       throw new Error("Received null response from server");
     }
@@ -355,11 +357,26 @@ export class RestClient {
     return unwrapWasmResponse(responseData) || [];
   }
 
-  // throws error if no contract at this address
-  public async getContractInfo(address: string): Promise<ContractDetails> {
+  /**
+   * Returns null when contract was not found at this address.
+   */
+  public async getContractInfo(address: string): Promise<ContractDetails | null> {
     const path = `/wasm/contract/${address}`;
-    const responseData = (await this.get(path)) as WasmResponse<ContractDetails>;
-    return unwrapWasmResponse(responseData);
+
+    try {
+      const response = (await this.get(path)) as WasmResponse<ContractDetails>;
+      return unwrapWasmResponse(response);
+    } catch (error) {
+      if (error instanceof Error) {
+        if (error.message.startsWith("unknown address:")) {
+          return null;
+        } else {
+          throw error;
+        }
+      } else {
+        throw error;
+      }
+    }
   }
 
   // Returns all contract state.
diff --git a/packages/sdk/types/cosmwasmclient.d.ts b/packages/sdk/types/cosmwasmclient.d.ts
index 6ff632dc..37d21d10 100644
--- a/packages/sdk/types/cosmwasmclient.d.ts
+++ b/packages/sdk/types/cosmwasmclient.d.ts
@@ -76,6 +76,9 @@ export declare class CosmWasmClient {
   getCodes(): Promise<readonly Code[]>;
   getCodeDetails(codeId: number): Promise<CodeDetails>;
   getContracts(codeId: number): Promise<readonly Contract[]>;
+  /**
+   * Throws an error if no contract was found at the address
+   */
   getContract(address: string): Promise<ContractDetails>;
   /**
    * Returns the data at the key if present (raw contract dependent storage data)
diff --git a/packages/sdk/types/restclient.d.ts b/packages/sdk/types/restclient.d.ts
index d38a44fa..f3a7ad7b 100644
--- a/packages/sdk/types/restclient.d.ts
+++ b/packages/sdk/types/restclient.d.ts
@@ -165,7 +165,10 @@ export declare class RestClient {
   listCodeInfo(): Promise<readonly CodeInfo[]>;
   getCode(id: number): Promise<Uint8Array>;
   listContractsByCodeId(id: number): Promise<readonly ContractInfo[]>;
-  getContractInfo(address: string): Promise<ContractDetails>;
+  /**
+   * Returns null when contract was not found at this address.
+   */
+  getContractInfo(address: string): Promise<ContractDetails | null>;
   getAllContractState(address: string): Promise<readonly Model[]>;
   queryContractRaw(address: string, key: Uint8Array): Promise<Uint8Array | null>;
   queryContractSmart(address: string, query: object): Promise<Uint8Array>;