Jakarta
Discover Jakarta
Jakarta is Indonesia's capital and largest city, with about 10 million inhabitants, and a total 41.9 million in Greater Jakarta on the Java island, making it the largest city in Southeast Asia and, by some measures, the largest city in the world. Dubbed The Big Durian, an equivalent to New York's Big Apple, its concrete jungle, traffic frenzy, and hot polluted air may tempt you to skip the city as fast as possible, but what awaits inside will change your perspective! One of the most bustling and cosmopolitan cities in Asia, the J-Town has cheerful nightlife, vibrant shopping malls, a variety of foods, refreshing greenery, cultural diversity and a rich history, that caters to all levels of budget and how much fun you want to have. Administratively, Jakarta is a province called the Jakarta Special Capital Region (Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta). It is administratively divided into 5 municipalities and 1 regency (the Thousand Islands in the Jakarta Bay):
What to Experience in Jakarta
Taste of Jakarta...
Jakarta has a vast range of food available at hundreds of eating complexes located all over the huge city. In addition to selections from all over the country, you can also find excellent Chinese, Japanese, Western, and many other international foods thanks to the cosmopolitan population. If you want to go local Jakarta, the indigenous Betawi has its own dishes to offer: Food at malls and brick-and-mortar restaurants are by and large of hygiene standards. Street vendors (kaki lima) or carts can be questionable, though it is still wise to use discretion as some of the best or well-known food can actually be from them. The online ride-hailing apps Gojek and Grab also offer food delivery service (such as Gojek's GO-FOOD) to virtually all restaurants, for a small fee. Furthermore, it can increase your convenience when you only want to rest at your hotel. Though tipping is not customary in restaurants, it has become more common. In fact, a few automatically charge a service fee (typically 5%), which may surprise some patrons. Eating at restaurants are almost always subject to a 10% general tax. Food courts at just about every shopping mall in Jakarta offer cheap but filling meals. Prices range from Rp35,000 to Rp60,000. While street vendors (kaki lima) are cheap with questionable hygiene standards, some items are unfortunately offered only by street vendors, so use good judgment when shopping around.
A Rich Past
Explore the historical roots that shaped Jakarta into what it is today.
The port of -6.117944106.8088011 Sunda Kelapa dates to the 12th century, when it served the Sundanese kingdom of Pajajaran near present-day Bogor. The first Europeans to arrive were the Portuguese, who were given permission by the Hindu Kingdom of Pakuan Pajajaran to erect a godown (warehouse) in 1522. Control was still firmly in local hands, and in 1527 the city was conquered by Prince Fatahillah, a Muslim prince from Cirebon, who changed the name to Jayakarta. By the early 17th century, however, the Dutch had pretty much taken over the port city, and the razing of a competing English fort in 1619 secured their hold on the island. Under the name Batavia, the new Dutch town became the capital of the Dutch East Indies and was known as the Queen of the East. However, the Dutch made the mistake of attempting to replicate Holland by digging canals throughout the malarial swamps in the area, resulting in shockingly high death rates and earning the town the epithet White Man's Graveyard. In the early 1800s most canals were filled in, the town was shifted 4 km inland and the Pearl of the Orient flourished once again. In 1740, Chinese slaves rebelled against the Dutch. The rebellion was put down harshly with the massacre of thousands of Chinese slaves. The survivors were exiled to Sri Lanka. In 1795, the Netherlands were invaded and occupied by France, and on March 17, 1798, the Batavian Republic, a satellite state of France, took over the VOC's debts and assets....
Climate
Jakarta, like the rest of Indonesia, is under the tropical climate classification. It has two distinct seasons, rainy and dry. It is hot and usually humid with little fluctuation in temperature throughout the year. The average temperature is about 28°C (82°F), hot compared to other cities across Indonesia, especially because of the absence of trees in many areas. November to March is the peak of the rainy season, and floods and traffic chaos on many of the streets usually occur. At its worst, floods can result in standstill on the prone spots and takes a few days to subside; canal-widening and cleanings have mitigated the effect substantially and for most major roads, a couple hours is all it takes for the standing water to be wiped out. Even in rainy seasons, the sun usually appears for hours each day. During the transition from rainy to dry season or vice versa (April-May & September-October), there is occasional rain. Sometimes it pours; other times it's not a washout.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsJakarta (JKT ) has two airports with scheduled flights: -6.1252106.65972 Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (CGK) is 20 km northwest of the city in the neighboring city of Tangerang, and handles most commercial flights. This airport, along with transportation options to and from the airport, is covered in a separate article. KAI Commuter's Soekarno–Hatta Airport Commuter Line runs between the airport and downtown for Rp70,000. DAMRI operates bus services to various major transportation hubs (trains & other buses) routinely, while the JAConnexion buses serves a number of hotels and shopping malls within the metro area for up to Rp50,000. Many hotels are generous enough to offer shuttles from the airport. There is a dedicated tollway that takes you to the city, which should take 45 to 90 minutes. Avoid taking conventional or online taxi in rush hour as it may charge you more than Rp300.000. -6.2653106....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
Getting around Jakarta can be a challenge: traffic slows to a crawl for most of the day, the heat and chaotic streets make walking long distances impractical, and the public transport system has not kept up with the city's explosive growth. Jakarta's public transport network features integrated ticketing. This means you only need to use one payment method to travel on all trains and buses. Fares range from Rp2,000 to Rp20,000 depending on mode and distance. Ensure you tap in at your origin and tap out at your destination to calculate the correct fare. Transferring between lines owned by the same company is free, but be careful not to exit the network until your journey is completed. If your balance is not high enough to tap out at your destination, you can pay the remaining balance at ticket counters and ticket machines. You will be charged Rp50,000 if you lose your card.
Where to Stay
The travel agencies at Jakarta's airport can have surprisingly good rates for mid-range and above hotels. Star ratings are reserved for midrange and better hotels, while budget places have "Melati" rankings from 1-3 (best). Tax and service charges of 21% are usually added to the bill. Jakarta is a business destination, so rates are often lower on the weekends. During the Eid holiday season, Jakarta empties out and there are some great deals to be had. For stays longer than 2½–3 weeks, monthly rental rooms (called kost) and apartments are a good alternative to budget and mid-range hotels, respectively. Fully-furnished rooms (with TV, air-con, large bed, hot shower, kitchen outside) can be rented for 1½-4 million rupiah per month. In most cases, the rental fee already includes electricity and water usage, and often there are additional services included like laundry, Internet access, breakfast, etc.
Money & Budget
More than 2.5 million foreign tourists and more than 30 million domestic tourists visit Jakarta every year. It's a paradise for buying international brand-name garments (both genuine and fake). If you're stopping in Jakarta, consider buying an extra suitcase, because there are lots of good shopping opportunities. Good used suitcases can be bought at Surabaya street and vendors also sell antiques. However, although quality can be excellent, genuine branded goods or quality products are expensive. Every year, the Provincial Government of Jakarta holds an annual Festival Jakarta Great Sale that takes place from Mid-June to Mid-July.
Language & Talk
As the capital of Indonesia, it is unsurprising that nearly all residents of Jakarta are able to speak Indonesian. However, Jakarta also has its own local language that is known as Betawi, which has a Malay base but incorporates many loan words from Arabic, Portuguese, Dutch and Hokkien. Jakarta (JKT ) has two airports with scheduled flights: -6.1252106.65972 Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (CGK) is 20 km northwest of the city in the neighboring city of Tangerang, and handles most commercial flights. This airport, along with transportation options to and from the airport, is covered in a separate article. KAI Commuter's Soekarno–Hatta Airport Commuter Line runs between the airport and downtown for Rp70,000.
Safety Information
Safety Overview
A number of high-profile terror attacks in 2003, 2004, and 2009 have led to the city beefing up its security presence. An attack in 2016 specifically targeted foreigners, killing four. However, given the scale and population of the city, terror attacks are exceedingly rare and wayward traffic is a much more realistic threat. Security continues to be highly visible in the city, although checks are generally light and act more as a first layer of defense (that actively helped save lives in the 2016 attack). You'll spot many x-ray machines and people waving metal-detection wands in offices, malls and transportation infrastructure. By and large, your stay in Jakarta should not be problematic as long as you use common sense. While theft and robbery seem common, they are highly unlikely to happen in the crowded Sudirman streets, but much more likely at night in the less economically fortunate areas such as in the East, or in residential areas in the suburbs.
Nearby Destinations
Glimpses of Jakarta
crowded traffic around welcoming statue
Beyond The Sky
vehicle beside concrete building during daytime
welcome monument to the HI Jakarta roundabout
evening in the city
A picture of Monumen Nasional (abbreviated as Monas). It is a monument located in Central Jakarta City that was erected on August 17, 1961, to commemorate the struggle of the Indonesian people to gain independence from the Dutch Empire.
Jakarta
man wears black helmet
The View of Simpang Susun Semanggi Jakarta, Indonesia
one fine day in Jakarta
crowded traffic around welcoming statue
Beyond The Sky
vehicle beside concrete building during daytime