Jakarta

Kota Tua: the square Batavia left behind

Kota Tua, in the north, is the old town where the Dutch built a fort, canals and government offices across about 1.3 km². In 1621 they set up a colonial administration here and named the town Stad Batavia. Its heart is Fatahillah Square (Taman Fatahillah). The white building facing it went up between 1707 and 1712 as Batavia's city hall and has been the Jakarta History Museum (Museum Sejarah Jakarta) since 1974. On the west side, the Wayang Museum (Museum Wayang) sits on the site of a church built in 1640; its current building dates from 1912 and holds wayang puppets. On the east, the Fine Art and Ceramics Museum (Museum Seni Rupa dan Keramik) is housed in a building from 1866–1870. Walk once around the square and you pass Batavia's buildings from the early 18th century to the early 20th, one after another.

Sunda Kelapa: where the city began

A little further north is Sunda Kelapa harbor, in use since the 12th century as the main port of the Sunda kingdom. On June 22, 1527, Fatahillah attacked the port, then a center of Portuguese trade, and renamed it Jayakarta. Jakarta still celebrates that date as its birthday. The harbor is still where traditional boats come and go between the islands. Walk along the boats moored side by side, then cross the road to the Maritime Museum (Museum Bahari). Its building went up between 1652 and 1771 and has served as a museum since 1977.

Merdeka Square: a golden flame and two houses of worship

In the middle of Merdeka Square (Lapangan Merdeka) stands Monas, the National Monument: a 132m obelisk clad in Italian marble that symbolizes Indonesia's struggle for independence. The flame on top is 14m tall, made of 14.5 tonnes of copper coated in 50kg of pure gold. To the northeast is Istiqlal Mosque, whose name means independence. Silaban, the architect who won its design competition, also worked on the design of Monas. Opened in 1978, the mosque holds up to 200,000 worshippers. Across the road stands Jakarta Cathedral (Gereja Katedral Jakarta), a neo-Gothic church consecrated in 1901, and an underground passage links the two. It's called the Silaturahmi Tunnel, and silaturahmi is Indonesian for a bond of friendship.

Glodok: the Chinatown outside the walls

South of Kota Tua, Glodok is known as Indonesia's biggest Chinatown, and its story starts with a painful chapter. After the Geger Pacinan of 1740, the Dutch colonial government made the Chinese community live outside Batavia's city walls, and that settlement grew into today's Glodok. At Vihara Dharma Bhakti, the oldest Chinese temple in Jakarta, incense smoke drifts slowly upward. From the temple, walk from Gang Gloria to Pantjoran Tea House past one food spot after another.

Betawi flavors and night streets

Jakarta's local cuisine is called Betawi food, and if you only try one dish, make it kerak telor. Sticky rice is cooked with duck or chicken egg, fried coconut (serundeng) and dried shrimp, and kerak means a dried, crusted layer stuck to something. Take one fresh from a street vendor and start at the edge. Asinan Betawi, pickled mustard greens, cucumber and bean sprouts in a sour, sweet and spicy peanut sauce, goes well on the side. In the evening, head to Jalan Sabang, lined with restaurants and street stalls, or to Pecenongan, where stalls and restaurants fill the street from 6pm to 3am. For more Betawi culture, the Setu Babakan Betawi cultural village in Jagakarsa, to the south, is a good choice. Walk along the lake and you can see traditional Betawi houses, and Betawi performances are held there regularly.

Getting around: above and below the traffic

Jakarta's roads jam often, but the trains, and the buses in their own lanes, are less affected. The MRT runs north–south from Lebak Bulus to Bundaran HI in the center, and Transjakarta, the largest bus rapid transit network in Southeast Asia, reaches almost every part of the city, built around its dedicated busway. Transjakarta also runs tourist bus routes such as BW1 Sejarah Jakarta (Jakarta history) and BW2 Monas Explorer. Come up from Bundaran HI MRT station and the Selamat Datang (Welcome) Monument stands in the middle of the roundabout. It went up in 1962 to greet state guests.

Suggested 3-day itinerary

Day 1 — Sunda Kelapa harbor and the Maritime Museum → Kota Tua (Fatahillah Square, Jakarta History Museum, Wayang Museum) → Gang Gloria in Glodok Day 2 — Monas on Merdeka Square → Istiqlal Mosque and Jakarta Cathedral → Selamat Datang Monument at Bundaran HI → dinner on Pecenongan Day 3 — Setu Babakan Betawi cultural village in the south → a last dinner on Jalan Sabang

What to eat

• Kerak telor (Betawi sticky rice and duck egg)
• Soto Betawi (beef soup with coconut milk)
• Asinan Betawi (pickled vegetables, peanut sauce)
• Nasi uduk (rice cooked in coconut milk)

Handy tips

• Ride Transjakarta, the MRT and the LRT with a JakLingko-supported bank e-money card or a QR ticket from the JakLingko app. Keep to one card, tap in and out on every leg and transfer within three hours (180 minutes), and a trip costs at most Rp10,000; anything the gates charge above that comes back as cashback you claim in the JakLingko app.
• Every Sunday from 6 to 11am, Jalan Sudirman–Thamrin (Bundaran HI to Bundaran Senayan) becomes car-free. If you're staying along it, walking or the MRT will serve you better than a taxi.
• Restaurant and café bills add a 10% food and beverage tax. Small businesses with monthly sales of Rp42,000,000 or less are exempt, so at street stalls and warungs you usually pay the price as listed.