Jakarta Sights

  1. Catholic Cathedral

    The Catholic Cathedral has twin spires and was built in 1901 to replace an earlier church.

    Read more about Catholic Cathedral

  2. Chicken Market Bridge

    At the northern end of Kali Besar is the last remaining Dutch drawbridge, the Chicken Market Bridge, which dates from the 17th century.

    Read more about Chicken Market Bridge

  3. Dunia Fantasi

    The biggest draw card in the larger Ancol recreation park is Dunia Fantasi, a fun park that must have raised eyebrows at the Disney legal department. Similarities to Disneyland start at the 'main street' entrance and extend to the Puppet Castle, a straight 'it's a small world' replica.

    Read more about Dunia Fantasi

  4. Emanuel Church

    Just west of Gedung Pancasila along Jl Pejambon is the Emanuel Church, another classic building dating from 1893.

    Read more about Emanuel Church

  5. Gedung Pancasila

    To the southwest of Lapangan Banteng is Gedung Pancasila, southeast of Lapangan Banteng, which is an imposing neoclassical building built in 1830 as the Dutch army commander's residence. It later became the meeting hall of the Volksraad (People's Council), but is best known as the place where Soekarno made his famous Pancasila speech in 1945, laying the foundation for Indonesia's constitution.

    Read more about Gedung Pancasila

  7. Gelanggang Samudra

    Has a boat ride and dolphin shows.

    Read more about Gelanggang Samudra

  8. Gereja Sion

    Near the Kota train station, the Gereja Sion dates from 1695 and is the oldest remaining church in Jakarta. Also known as Gereja Portugis (Portuguese Church), it was built just outside the old city walls for the so-called 'black Portuguese' - the Eurasians and natives captured from Portuguese trading ports in India and Malaya and brought to Batavia as slaves.

    Read more about Gereja Sion

  9. Jakarta History Museum

    The Jakarta History Museum is housed in the old town hall of Batavia, and is probably one of the most solid reminders of Dutch rule within Indonesia. This bell-towered hall, built in 1627, served the administration of the city. It was also used by the city law courts, and its dungeons were the main prison compound of Batavia.

    Read more about Jakarta History Museum

  10. Kali Besar

    A block west of Taman Fatahillah square is Kali Besar, the great canal along Sungai Ciliwung. This was once a high-class residential area and on the west bank of the river are the last of the homes that date from the early 18th century.

    Read more about Kali Besar

  11. Lapangan Banteng

    Lapangan Banteng was laid out by the Dutch in the 19th century, and the area has some of Jakarta's best colonial architecture. The 1901 cathedral and one of the largest mosques in southeast Asia, the Istiqlal Mesjid, can both be found here.

    Read more about Lapangan Banteng

  12. Advertisement

  13. Mahkamah Agung

    To the east of Lapangan Banteng is the Mahkamah Agung, built in 1848.

    Read more about Mahkamah Agung

  14. Mesjid Istiqlal

    Facing the Catholic Cathedral is Jakarta's principal place of Muslim worship, the modernistic Mesjid Istiqlal, which was constructed under Soekarno and is reputedly the largest mosque in Southeast Asia.

    Read more about Mesjid Istiqlal

  15. Ministry of Finance Building

    Next door to the Supreme Court is the Ministry of Finance Building, formerly the Witte Huis (White House). This grand government complex was built by Daendels in 1809 as the administrative centre for the Dutch government.

    Read more about Ministry of Finance Building

  16. Monas

    Ingloriously dubbed 'Soekarno's final erection', this 132m-high Monas, towering over Merdeka Sq, is both Jakarta's principal landmark and the most famous architectural extravagance of the former dictator. Begun in 1961, this typically masculine column was not completed until 1975, when it was officially opened by Soeharto.

    Read more about Monas

  17. Museum Bahari

    Near the entrance to Sunda Kelapa, an old Dutch East India Company warehouse built in 1645 has been turned into a maritime museum. It exhibits craft from around Indonesia and has an interesting collection of old photographs recreating the voyage to Jakarta from Europe via Aden, Ceylon and Singapore. The sentry posts outside are part of the old city wall.

    Read more about Museum Bahari

  19. Museum Nasional

    On the western side of Merdeka Sq, the Museum Nasional, built in 1862, is the best of its kind in Indonesia and one of the finest in Southeast Asia. It has an enormous collection of cultural objects of the various ethnic groups around the country - costumes, musical instruments, model houses and so on - and numerous fine bronzes from the Hindu-Javanese period, as well as many interesting stone pieces salvaged from the Central Javanese and other temples.

    Read more about Museum Nasional

  20. Museum Wayang

    Traditional wayang (puppetry) is an artform you won't find in too many other countries. This unique museum is worth a visit both for its diverse puppet collection and the historic building it's housed in. Wayang kulit and golek performances are held on the second, third and fourth Sunday of the month between and .

    Read more about Museum Wayang

  21. National History Museum

    In the base of the National Monument, the National History Museum tells the story of Indonesia's independence struggle in 48 dramatic dioramas. The numerous uprisings against the Dutch are overstated but interesting, Soekarno is barely mentioned and the events surrounding the 1965 coup are a whitewash.

    Read more about National History Museum

  22. Park of Inscription

    To the northwest of the National Museum is the so-called Park of Inscription, which is actually the Kebon Jahe Cemetery; important figures from the colonial era are buried here.

    Read more about Park of Inscription

  23. Ragunan Zoo

    Jakarta's Ragunan Zoo is 16km south of the city centre in the Pasar Minggu area. As home to 4000 animals, this large zoo has a good collection of Indonesian wildlife including Komodo dragons. It's not world class (some of the enclosures are depressingly small), but this is by far the best zoo in Indonesia, and its new primate enclosure, featuring orang-utans and gorillas, is a highlight. From Jl Thamrin take bus 19.

    Read more about Ragunan Zoo

  24. Advertisement

  25. Sunda Kelapa

    The old port of Sunda Kelapa has more sailing ships - the magnificent Makassar schooners - than you ever thought existed. These brightly painted ships are an important means of transport and freight delivery between the capital and the outer islands. They also provide one of the most spectacular sights in Jakarta.

    Read more about Sunda Kelapa

  26. Taman Fatahillah

    The old town of Batavia, now known as Kota, was once the hub of Dutch colonial Indonesia. Much of the one-time grandeur has now rotted, crumbled or been bulldozed away, but Taman Fatahillah, Kota's central cobblestone square, is still reminiscent of the area's heyday.

    Read more about Taman Fatahillah

  27. Taman Impian Jaya Ancol

    Along the bay front, between Kota and Tanjung Priok, Taman Impian Jaya Ancol is built on land reclaimed in 1962. This 300-hectare landscaped recreation park, providing nonstop entertainment, has hotels, nightclubs, theatres and a variety of sporting facilities. It's easily the city's best entertainment for kids in the city.

    Read more about Taman Impian Jaya Ancol

  28. Taman Mini Indonesia Indah

    In the city's southeast, near Kampung Rambutan, Taman Mini Indonesia Indah is one of those 'whole country in one park' collections popular in Asia. Conceived by Madame Tien Soeharto in 1971, the park was opened in 1975 after the families inhabiting the land were cleared out and an estimated US$26 million was spent on the project.

    Read more about Taman Mini Indonesia Indah

  29. Toko Merah

    Toko Merah was formerly the home of Governor General van Imhoff.

    Read more about Toko Merah