Jakarta may not offer the amount of sights and activities we're used to from other big cities in Southeast Asia like Bangkok, Singapore or Kuala Lumpur, but you'll still have a lot of fun during the stopover between your arrival in Indonesia and your onward journey to the islands.
Architecture and sights
If you're a fan of classic sights and interesting architecture, you'll certainly be impressed by the old town of Kota Tua, which is one of the few places in Jakarta that's suitable for beautiful walking tours.
Kota Tua offers several colonial buildings from the 17th and 18th centuries, when Jakarta was called Batavia and ruled by the Dutch.
Another area to visit then is the area around the national monument called Monas, at the top of which you can look out over Jakarta and enjoy the view from more than a hundred meters high.
Around Monas you will then find a number of interesting and important administrative and government buildings.
Even more important for the locals are 2 religious buildings that can easily stand not far from each other - the Istiqlal Mosque and the neo-Gothic Roman Catholic Jakarta Cathedral.
Nearby is another religious building - the Protestant Immanuel Church, which is one of the oldest in Indonesia.
Sightseeing bus tour
Jakarta is one of the few cities in the world to offer sightseeing bus rides to tourists completely free of charge. The so-called "mpok siti" sightseeing tours operate on four routes: modern (red line), historical (green line), art and culinary (blue line) and skyscraper (yellow line).
Detailed information can be found in the Transport chapter.
Amusement parks
Jakarta has two large amusement parks, each of which you can spend a whole day or even a weekend in.
If you're particularly interested in the rich Indonesian culture, head to the Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII) cultural and recreational park, where you'll see displays of more than 200 different Indonesian cultures.
As well as miniatures depicting architecture typical of each of Indonesia's provinces, you'll also find aquariums, aviaries, themed museums, a water park and much more.
The more action-packed Ancol Theme Park is located by the sea and offers a roller coaster theme park, one of the largest aquariums in Southeast Asia, a water park and the only sea swimming available in all of Jakarta.
Culinary Jakarta
Perhaps the most welcoming of all the faces of this city is culinary Jakarta. Here you'll find restaurants and stalls serving food from all over Indonesia.
Satay kambing (pieces of skewered mutton usually in a local sauce called kecap) or satay ayam (pieces of skewered chicken in a peanut sauce) are sure to please carnivores, while nasi goreng (fried rice with vegetables) is also worth a try, seafood or meat, with egg omelette and typical Indonesian crackers) or soups sop iga sapi (typical Indonesian beef soup with vegetables) and soto betawi (coconut milk broth with beef tripe).
Different regions of Indonesia feature different culinary specialties, almost all of which can be found under one roof in Jakarta, where it's not uncommon to see a restaurant serving food from Aceh province right next to a Balinese restaurant.
Put your fears of local food behind you and go exploring culinary Jakarta, it will be worth it!
Where is the biggest concentration of popular restaurants?
- Pasar Baru - the neighbourhood north of Istiqlal Mosque and Juanda train station (see map)
- Jalan Jaksa - the street between Monas Monument and the modern Thamrin district (see map)
Excursions outside the city
If Jakarta starts to feel too busy and the air too dirty, head out of town!
Bogor
A great place for a day trip is Bogor, which is technically part of the Jakarta metropolitan region, but offers much more tranquillity, cleaner air and, most importantly, a beautiful botanical garden.
It covers an impressive 87 hectares, which includes all sorts of plants, lakes, rivers, an orchid garden and, most importantly, the Presidential Palace, which is adjacent to the botanical garden and houses photogenic lounging and grazing deer.
Bogor is very easily reached by the B line suburban train, see the Transport chapter for more information.
Kepulauan Seribu
Another option for a shorter trip outside the city are the islands adjacent to Jakarta. They're called Kepulauan Seribu (Thousand Islands), and although you certainly can't count a thousand of them together, they offer a beach retreat just a short distance from the city.
Due to the quality of the water, however, it is recommended to reach for more remote islands, which may be Pulau Putri or Pulau Macan.
You can get here either by a cheaper wooden boat from Muara Angke marina, or by a fast boat from Marina Ancol Bay.
Depending on the type of transport you choose and the distance of the island in question, the journey can take between 1-4 hours, so for a day trip, it's best to leave early in the morning and pay extra for a fast boat.
