Must-see attractions in Jakarta

The National Museum is the best of its kind in Indonesia and an essential visit. The enormous collection begins around an open courtyard of the 1862…

It is here that Jakartans come to take a breather from the traffic. The figurative centre of Jakarta, Merdeka Square (merdeka means independence) is…

Kota’s central cobblestone square, surrounded by imposing Dutch colonial buildings, is Jakarta's most attractive location and a popular gathering spot for…

Families will love Jakarta's kite museum, located in a quiet backstreet in Pondok Labu, South Jakarta. Inside a traditional Indonesian house, complete…

Over 1700 works of art by foreign and Indonesian artists are part of the National Gallery collection. While only a few works are on display at any time,…

This museum presents an engaging and easily consumed history of Indonesia from a loosely financial perspective, in a grand, expertly restored,…

Opened in late 2017, Museum Macan is Indonesia's first modern and contemporary art museum and an exciting cultural development for the city. It was built…

This large Chinese Buddhist temple compound dates from 1755 and is one of the most atmospheric and important in the city. The main structure has an…

RUCI Art Space has become a favourite on the city's burgeoning art scene. Occupying an industrial space in the hip neighbourhood of Senopati, the gallery…

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…

The Jakarta History Museum is housed in the old town hall of Batavia, a stately whitewashed Dutch colonial structure that was once the epicentre of an…

On Jakarta's bayfront, the people’s ‘Dreamland’ is a landscaped recreation complex popular with families. It has worn amusement rides, and sporting and…

Ingloriously dubbed ‘Sukarno’s final erection’, the 132m-high National Monument (aka Monas), which rises into the shroud of smog and towers over Merdeka…

This puppet museum has one of the best collections of wayang (flat wooden puppets) in Java and its dusty cabinets are full of a multitude of intricate,…

During WWII, thousands of people were made prisoners of war and killed in and around Jakarta. Early victories by the Japanese killed scores of troops from…

This atmospheric mansion saw historic events as Indonesia proclaimed its independence at the end of WWII. It was the home of the Japanese naval commander…

Near Jakarta's historic port are several 17th-century VOC (Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie; the Dutch East India Company) warehouses that comprise the…

The striking, modernist Masjid Istiqlal is adorned by patterned geometric grates on the windows. Completed in 1978, it's the largest mosque in Southeast…

One of two bank museums within a block of each other might have you scratching your head, but it's worthwhile popping in to explore the behind-the-scenes…

The presidential palace (one of six in Indonesia) stands to the north of Merdeka Square. It was built in 1879 and was Sukarno's official residence during…