Jakarta

Things to see and do

Monumen Nasional (Monas)

The National Monument, known locally as Monumen Nasional, is an obelisk-like spire that protrudes out of the concrete centre of Merdeka Square in central Jakarta to a height of 132 metres. The monument was built to provide Indonesians with a symbol of their struggle for independence from Dutch ... read more
National Museum

The National Museum is a fascinating place to learn about Indonesia and if Jakarta is your first port of call in the archipelago, it is a must. Established in its current form in the middle of the 19th century, the museum displays exhibits from right across nation and includes items from ... read more
Finance Ministry

A couple of bright white colonial buildings sit at the eastern end of the field called Lapangan Banteng about a kilometre east of Gereja Katedral and Masjid Istiqlal. These buildings today house the Finance Ministry but were originally commissioned by the Governor-General in 1809 for purposes ... read more
Museum Wayang

If you're into art, this is a great place to see one of Indonesia's premiere forms of it. Wayang is a type of puppet which has played an important role in Indonesia's history with the artform primarily being used to pass stories from generation to generation. Displayed in Museum Wayang are two ... read more
Gereja Katedral and Masjid Istiqlal

This pair of unlikely places of worship sit across the road from one another in grand style on Jalan Katedral. Completed in 1901, Gereja Katedral is a spectacular Catholic cathedral which is open to the public for prayer and meditation throughout the day. Inside, the vast interior opens up to ... read more
Fine Art and Ceramic Museum

Jakarta's Fine Art and Ceramic Museum is an odd place which mixes Western-style fine art with pieces of antique ceramic and houses them in an old colonial building constructed in the late 1800s. The building itself is a fine example of Dutch colonial architecture and is worth more than just a ... read more
Gedung Kesenian

Gedung Kesenian is a majestic performing arts theatre that hosts performers from right across the world. Of most interest to foreign visitors will be the occasional Indonesian cultural performance such as gamelan from Solo or puppetry from Yogyakarta. Performances aside, the building is a ... read more
Museum Bahari

This fascinating Maritime Museum, a short 10-minute walk north of Taman Fatahillah, is probably the highlight of all museums in Kota Tua. It's a simple museum housed in three old buildings built in the 1600s originally to hold spices, coffee and textiles; they still retain much of their original ... read more
Kota Tua

Kota Tua, or simply Kota, is a dirty, grimy and frankly ugly part of town which still houses a range of old buildings from the Dutch colonial era. Old City, as the Indonesian translation goes, is the location of the original Batavia which was developed during the 1600s. The main attraction in ... read more
Jakarta History Museum

Located in a building constructed in 1707 and which once served as the Batavia city hall, the Jakarta History Museum which is also known as Fatahillah Museum has a few items of some interest inside. Most of the items are in the form of old furniture and some of it is truly stunning, such as old ... read more
Sunda Kelapa

Sunda Kelapa is the old port of Jakarta which served Java for centuries during colonial times until it was replaced by the industrial Tanjung Priok several kilometres further along the coast in the late 1800s. Sunda Kelapa is the original name given to the port by the Sunda kingdom, which primarily ... read more
Gereja Sion

Gereja Sion is an old church a short walk from Taman Fatahillah which was built in 1695 and is today the oldest church in Jakarta. It was established by the Dutch as a place to preach to predominantly Catholic slaves of former Portuguese colonies who were brought from other parts of Asia upon the ... read more