Jakarta’s most famous landmark is Monumen Nasional, aka Monas (instagram.com/monumen.nasional; 30,000Rp), the towering 132m-high obelisk that commemorates the struggle of the Indonesian people in gaining their independence. Built in 1962 under President Sukarno, Monas holds pride of place in the center of the city in the vast Merdeka ("Independence") Square. The monument is constructed from Italian marble and topped with a sculpted flame, gilded with 50kg of gold leaf.
The highlight of a visit here is a walk around the 115m-high viewing platform, which offers outstanding views of the city and surrounds – particularly if you’re lucky enough to be there on a clear day. The complex also contains a museum and a timeline of Indonesian history, displayed in scenes laid out around the large room underneath the tower.
The ticket office is located underground on the north side of the square. You’ll need to pay with a JakCard, which you can buy for 50,000Rp at the ticket office; 30,000Rp will then pay for your entry and you’re left with 20,000Rp credit. The monument opens at 8am; be aware that from mid-morning onwards there are likely to be long queues (particularly on weekends) and you’ll have to wait an hour or two until you’re able to access the lift up the tower.
Tickets to the top usually sell out, so to avoid disappointment aim to get here before noon weekdays (and 9am weekends) for the first session, or around 6pm for the evening session.
The lift to the top of the monument leaves every hour, and there's capacity for 600 at the top. If you'd rather not queue, you can just walk up to the goblet – the first platform on the monument – for a lower view over the square. A section in the base is devoted to a small history museum with dioramas of notable moments in Indonesian history.
Every Saturday and Sunday evening the white monument is transformed in a rainbow of color during the two 30-minute dancing-fountain light shows, at 7.30pm and at 8.30pm.
