Jakarta (the capital and largest city of Indonesia — 10.6 million in the DKI Jakarta province, 32+ million in the Greater Jakarta (Jabodetabek) metropolitan area, the largest urban area in the Southern Hemisphere and the 2nd largest in Asia after Tokyo) is the political, economic, and cultural center of the world's 4th most populous country and the largest Muslim-majority nation on Earth (Indonesia: 277 million people, 87% Muslim). Jakarta was established as the Dutch colonial trading post of Batavia (Batavia was founded by Jan Pieterszoon Coen of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in 1619 on the site of the Sundanese port of Jayakarta — the Dutch name of "Batavia" gave way to "Batavia" for 300 years until the Japanese occupation renamed it "Djakarta" in 1942 and Indonesian independence confirmed the name). The city is a fascinating contradiction: the old Kota Tua (old Dutch colonial city) with its 17th-century VOC warehouses and the Fatahillah Square (the former Stadhuis, or city hall of Batavia), beside one of the most intense modern megacity landscapes in Southeast Asia — the Semanggi interchange cloverleaf, the Jakarta BRT (TransJakarta — the longest Bus Rapid Transit network in the world: 241 km of dedicated bus lanes), and the vast shopping malls of the new CBD around Sudirman and Kuningan.
Kota Tua (the Old City — the 1.3 sq km remnant of the VOC Batavia, 1619–1942: the Fatahillah Square (originally the Stadhuisplein — City Hall Square) is surrounded by the three most important Dutch colonial buildings: the Stadhuis (City Hall, 1710, now the Jakarta History Museum (Museum Sejarah Jakarta)), the Fine Arts Museum (Museum Seni Rupa dan Keramik, in the former Hall of Justice, 1870) and the Wayang Museum (puppetry museum, in the former Dutch Reformed Church, 1640). The Sunda Kelapa harbor (500m north — the original Javanese harbor active since the 4th century, still operating with the pinisi schooners (the traditional two-masted Bugis sailing vessels from Sulawesi): the most atmospheric port in Southeast Asia where wooden sailing ships are loaded by hand.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideThe National Museum of Indonesia (Museum Nasional — Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat, Central Jakarta: the largest museum in Southeast Asia (140,000+ objects): the prehistoric Java Man (Homo erectus) fossils (found by Eugène Dubois in 1891–1892 on the banks of the Solo River — the first Homo erectus fossil discovered anywhere in the world, named "Java Man" and originally classified as "Pithecanthropus erectus," now understood as Homo erectus erectus, 700,000–1 million years old), the Hindu-Buddhist bronze gallery (the magnificent collection of gold and silver Hindu-Buddhist jewelry and ritual objects from the kingdoms of Java and Sumatra, 7th–15th century AD), the Dutch VOC artifacts, and the Javanese royal regalia.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideThe Istiqlal Mosque (Masjid Istiqlal — "independence mosque": built 1961–1978 across the road from the Jakarta Cathedral in a deliberate expression of religious harmony (the Catholic cathedral and the largest mosque in Southeast Asia face each other across the same square, sharing the same parking lot on Fridays and Sundays): the mosque holds 120,000 worshippers simultaneously and is famous for the Friday prayer (Jumaat — the noon prayer draws thousands of worshippers into the surrounding streets). Non-Muslim visitors are welcome during non-prayer times (dress modestly, remove shoes, women need a headscarf — free loan at the entrance).
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideGlodok (the Jakarta Chinatown — the largest Chinese-Indonesian community in the world: the neighborhood immediately south of Kota Tua where Chinese traders settled in the 17th century (the 1740 Batavia massacre killed 5,000 Chinese residents here — the bloodiest event in VOC history). Today the street food of Glodok is a unique Chinese-Indonesian fusion: bakmi (Hokkien-style Chinese egg noodles in chicken broth with Chinese barbecue pork), kwetiau goreng (flat rice noodles stir-fried with dark soy, egg, Chinese sausage and shrimp), and the Glodok specialty of babi guling (Balinese-style suckling pig, available in Glodok due to the pork-cooking tradition of the Chinese community). The satay carts of Jalan Perniagaan operate until 2am.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideKepulauan Seribu (the "Thousand Islands" — actually 342 islands in Jakarta Bay, 45 km north of the city: the speedboat from Marina Ancol (Dermaga 17) takes 40–70 min to the nearest resort islands (Bidadari Island, Pulau Pari, Pulau Tidung) and the most-visited snorkeling islands (the coral reefs around Pulau Harapan and Pulau Kelapa, 3–4 hrs by regular ferry). The closer islands (Bidadari, Onrust) have the ruins of Dutch VOC forts and colonial buildings being reclaimed by vegetation — the most atmospheric heritage sites in the Jakarta region. The sea around Tidung Island has the most visited tidal flat in Jakarta Bay (the glass-clear shallow water between Tidung Besar and Tidung Kecil at low tide).
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideSeafood lunch on the Thousand Islands: the freshly caught snapper (kakap), grouper (kerapu) and squid (cumi-cumi) grilled over charcoal and served with sambal matah (the raw Balinese shallot-and-lemongrass sambal: sliced shallots (bawang merah), thinly sliced lemongrass, sliced bird's-eye chilli, kaffir lime leaf and coconut oil — the most aromatic sambal in Indonesia, eaten raw without cooking). Also: the plecing kangkung (the water spinach with chilli-tomato-shrimp paste sauce that is the most common vegetable accompaniment in eastern Indonesia), eaten at a simple warung (the informal Indonesian restaurant, a bamboo structure with plastic chairs) on the beach.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideMonas (the National Monument — Monumen Nasional: the 132m marble-clad obelisk in the center of Merdeka Square (Lapangan Merdeka — "Freedom Square," the largest city square in the world by area), topped with a 14.5kg flame coated in 35kg of gold. Built 1959–1975 by Sukarno (Indonesia's founding president). The observation deck (at 115m) gives a 360° view of Jakarta — the most comprehensive view of the city, from the Java Sea in the north to the southern mountains (Gunung Salak, 2,211m, visible on clear days). The history museum in the basement (the 48 dioramas of Indonesian history from prehistoric Java to independence).
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideNasi goreng (the Indonesian national dish — literally "fried rice": the ubiquitous Indonesian wok-fried rice, made from day-old rice fried with kecap manis (the thick, sweet soy sauce of Java, made by fermenting soybeans with palm sugar), shallots, garlic, chilli, shrimp paste (terasi) and egg (the fried egg placed on top, yolk still runny). The best nasi goreng in Jakarta is from a kaki lima (literally "five legs" — the three-wheeled pushcart with two legs of the vendor = the Indonesian mobile food cart: the carts park at street corners from 9pm to 3am, the wok heated by a gas flame, each plate made to order in 3 minutes). Order with extra sambal and the Indonesian prawn crackers (krupuk).
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideMenteng (the colonial residential neighborhood of Central Jakarta — built by the Dutch in the 1910s–1920s as the residential suburb for Dutch colonial administrators (the street plan of Menteng was designed by the architect P.A.J. Moojen in 1909 in the Amsterdam School style): the wide tree-lined boulevards with Dutch colonial villas (still largely intact, now used as embassies, government offices and the homes of Jakarta's elite), the Situ Lembang lake (a small colonial-era lake at the center of the neighborhood with paddle boats), and the Taman Menteng park. The breakfast cafes on Jalan Teuku Umar serve Indonesian breakfast: bubur ayam (the rice porridge with shredded chicken, fried shallots and krupuk that is the most common Indonesian breakfast).
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuidePasar Santa (Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta — the former wet market (pasar basah) converted in 2014 into a multi-story independent market: the ground floor still has the original vegetable and meat market vendors alongside craft coffee shops; the upper floors have been colonized by independent vinyl record shops, vintage clothing, artisan food stalls (the best artisan bakeries in Jakarta), tattoo studios and small-batch cosmetics. The signature of Pasar Santa: the combination of the traditional wet market smell (fresh fish, tropical vegetables) with specialty coffee and vintage Japanese denim directly beside it.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideJalan Sabang (Menteng, Central Jakarta — the most popular street food road in Jakarta, lined with open-front restaurants and food carts from lunch through midnight: the most important dishes available here are the soto Betawi (the Betawi (native Jakarta) beef soup — thick coconut milk broth with fried potato, tomato, fried shallots and sliced beef, the most characteristic dish of the original Jakarta (Betawi) community), the gado-gado (the Javanese peanut sauce salad with blanched vegetables, tofu, tempeh and boiled egg — the most internationally recognized Indonesian dish after nasi goreng), and the bakso (the Indonesian meatball soup: the pork-free fish or beef meatball in a clear broth with noodles and fried shallots).
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideThe Sudirman CBD (SCBD — Sudirman Central Business District: the financial heart of modern Jakarta, the cluster of glass towers around the Semanggi interchange and the Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) sports complex (the 1962 Asian Games stadium — still the largest stadium in Southeast Asia, capacity 77,193 — now used for Jakarta Liga 1 football). The Senayan area at golden hour, with the GBK stadium and the Jakarta skyline, gives the most visually dramatic urban panorama in Indonesia. The rooftop bar at the Grand Hyatt Jakarta (SCBD) or the Skye Bar at the BCA Tower are the best elevated vantage points.
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