Sights in Jakarta
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Taman Impian Jaya Ancol
Along the bay front, between Kota and Tanjung Priok, the people’s ‘Dreamland’ is built on land reclaimed in 1962. This 300-hectare, landscaped recreation park, providing non-stop entertainment, has hotels, theatres and a variety of sporting and leisure facilities including bowling. It’s easily the city’s best entertainment for kids in the city.
Taman Impian Jaya Ancol’s prime attractions include Pasar Seni (Art Market), and Seaworld (Tel: 641 0080; www.seaworldindonesia.com; Mon-Fri 30,000Rp, Sat & Sun 40,000Rp; 9am-6pm), with its ‘sharkquarium’, dugongs and turtles. At the Gelanggang Samudra (Tel: 640 6677; Mon-Fri 40,000Rp, Sat & Sun 50,000Rp; 11am-6pm…
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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.
To reach Taman Fatahillah, you can either take the Korridor I bus from Blok M or Jl Thamrin to Kota train station and walk, or take a city train from Gondangdia, near Jl Jaksa, to the train station. A taxi will cost around 15,R from Jl Thamrin.
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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.
There's also a superb display of Chinese ceramics dating back to the Han dynasty (300 BC to AD 220), which was almost entirely amassed in Indonesia.
Just outside the museum is a bronze elephant that was presented by the…
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Sunda Kelapa
A kilometre north of Taman Fatahillah, the old port of Sunda Kelapa is full of magnificent Makassar schooners (pinisi). The dock scene here has barely changed for centuries, and porters unload cargo from these sailing ships by hand and trolley. Sadly, the port itself is rundown and its waters grotesquely polluted these days.
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Museum Bahari
Near the entrance to Sunda Kelapa, several old VOC warehouses (dating back to 1652) have been converted into the Museum Bahari. This is a good place to learn about the city’s maritime history, and though the wonderful old buildings (some renovated) are echoingly empty there are some good information panels (in English and Bahasa Indonesia). Under the heavy wooden beams of the vast old storage premises are various random exhibits: a sextant (used for astronomical navigation), various traditional boats from around Indonesia, the shell of a giant clam, plenty of pickled fish and a lighthouse lamp or two. The sentry posts outside are part of the old city wall. Just before the…
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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.
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Museum Wayang
This puppet museum has one of the best collections of wayang puppets in Java and its dusty cabinets are full of a multitude of characters. The collection includes puppets from not only Indonesia but also China, Vietnam, India, Cambodia and Europe, and masks used by dancers. There are free wayang performances here on Sunday at 10am.
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Taman Mini Indonesia Indah
In the city’s southeast, near Kampung Rambutan, Taman Mini Indonesia Indah is a ‘whole country in one park’. This 100-hectare park has full-scale traditional houses for each of Indonesia’s provinces, with displays of regional handicrafts and clothing, and even a mini-scale Borobudur. Museums, theatres and an IMAX cinema are scattered throughout the grounds, which all command additional entrance fees. Free cultural performances are staged in selected regional houses (usually around 10am); Sunday is the big day for cultural events, but shows are also held during the week.
Taman Mini is about 18km from the city centre; allow about an hour to get there and at least…
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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.
The National Monument is allegedly constructed 'entirely of Italian marble', and is topped with a sculpted flame, gilded with 35kg of gold leaf. The highlight of a visit are the smoggy views of Jakarta from the top of the monument (adult/child around Rp5000/around Rp2500). Avoid Sunday and holidays, when the queues for the lift are long.
In the base of…
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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.
The exterior of the church is very plain, but inside there are copper chandeliers, a baroque pulpit and the original organ. Although more than 2000 people were buried in the graveyard during 1790 alone, very few tombs remain.
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Monas
Ingloriously dubbed ‘Sukarno’s final erection’, this 132m-high national monument, towering over Merdeka Sq, is both Jakarta’s principal landmark and the most famous architectural extravagance of the former president. Begun in 1961, this typically masculine column was not completed until 1975, when it was officially opened by Suharto. The monument is constructed from Italian marble, and is topped with a sculpted flame, gilded with 35kg of gold leaf.
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Jin de Yuan
At the western end of the Petak Sembilan street market is the large Chinese Buddhist temple compound of Jin de Yuan, which dates from 1755 and is one of the most important in the city. The main structure has an unusual roof crowned by two dragons eating pearls, while the interior is richly atmospheric: dense incense and candle smoke cloud the Buddha statues, ancient bells and drums. There’s some wonderful calligraphy too.
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National History Museum
In the base of the monument Monas, the National History Museum tells the story of Indonesia’s independence struggle in 48 dioramas using Thunderbirds-like models. The numerous uprisings against the Dutch are overstated but interesting; Sukarno is barely mentioned and the events surrounding the 1965 coup are a whitewash.
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Gedung Pancasila
Gedung Pancasila 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 Sukarno made his famous Pancasila speech in 1945, laying the foundation for Indonesia’s constitution.
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Balai Seni Rupa
Built between 1866 and 1870, the former Palace of Justice building is now a Fine Arts Museum. It houses contemporary paintings with works by prominent artists, including Affandi, Raden Saleh and Ida Bagus Made. Part of the building is also a ceramics museum, with Chinese ceramics and Majapahit terracottas.
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Mahkamah Agung
To the east of Lapangan Banteng is the Mahkamah Agung, built in 1848, and next door 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.
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Museum Sejarah Jakarta
The Jakarta History Museum is housed in the old town hall of Batavia, a stately Dutch-style structure that was once the epicentre of an empire. This bell-towered building, built in 1627, served the administration of the city and was also used by the city law courts.
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Watchtower
Just before the entrance to the Museum Bahari is the old watchtower. It was built in 1839 to sight and direct traffic to the port. There are good views over the harbour, but opening hours are haphazard - ask for the caretaker if it is closed.
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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.
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Toko Merah
One of the most impressive homes is the red-tiled facade of Toko Merah, which was once the home of Governor General van Imhoff. There are plans to convert this house into a museum dedicated to the Dutch period.
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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.
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Lapangan Banteng
Just east of Merdeka Sq, in front of the Hotel Borobudur Jakarta, Lapangan Banteng was laid out by the Dutch in the 19th century, and the area has some of Jakarta’s best colonial architecture.
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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.
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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.
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Taman Prasasti
To the northwest of the National Museum is Taman Prasasti, which is the Kebon Jahe Cemetery; important figures from the colonial era are buried here.
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