Medan — 3-Day Guide | ThreeDayGuides

Medan is North Sumatra's diverse, chaotic capital — the launch pad for orangutan treks in Gunung Leuser's UNESCO rainforest and day trips to the world's largest volcanic lake.

Also explore Medan for:

📋 General guide ⭐ Highlights

Maimun Palace, Great Mosque & Tjong A Fie Mansion

Bukit Lawang: Orangutan Trek & River Tubing

Lake Toba Supervolcano & Batak Samosir Island

📋 General 3-day guide ⭐ Highlights

Book tours, tickets and experiences via GetYourGuide — free cancellation on most activities.

Browse all activities →

Language	Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia); Batak, Malay and Hokkien Chinese spoken locally; English in hotels and tour operators
Currency	Indonesian Rupiah (IDR); ATMs widespread; cash preferred for small purchases; 1 USD ≈ 15,500 IDR
Transport	Gojek/Grab motorbike and car taxis within Medan; shared minibuses (elf) to Bukit Lawang and Berastagi; charter car for Lake Toba strongly recommended
Best time	May–Sep dry season for Bukit Lawang treks; Lake Toba pleasant year-round; avoid Jan–Feb rainy season for jungle treks
Getting in	Kualanamu International Airport (KNO) 40 km from city — one of Indonesia's busiest; direct flights from Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Jakarta; airport train to city 30 min
Tipping	Rp 20,000–50,000 for guides; 10% at tourist restaurants; not expected at warungs
Safety	Medan is generally safe in tourist areas; use Grab rather than street taxis; Bukit Lawang river flooding risk in rainy season — check conditions before rafting
Budget tips	Street food under Rp 20,000; Grab taxi cross-city under Rp 50,000; Lake Toba day trip including transport and Samosir ferry under Rp 500,000 ($30) from guesthouses