Must see attractions in Merdeka Square & Central 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…

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,…

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

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

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…

The twin towers of this monument with a dodgy provenance soar over grassy Lapangan Banteng and are topped by a sculpture of a man breaking his chains. It…

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…

This Roman Catholic cathedral is an impressive height, with lacy twin spires made from wrought iron, each 60m tall. It was built in 1901 to replace an…

Just east of Merdeka Square, Lapangan Banteng is surrounded by some of Jakarta’s best colonial architecture. It was first designed by the Dutch in the…

This classic church dates from 1834. The interior is smaller than you'd think but it has an evocative round dome and an organ from 1843. Ask to see the…

Built in 1987, this enormous statue near a major road junction depicts the Hindu hero Arjuna in his chariot pulled by eight horses.

Dozens of pint-sized spotted deer wander a large tree-shaded enclosure in the southeast corner of the park.

Next door to the 1848 columned old Supreme Court is the Ministry of Finance Building, formerly the Witte Huis (White House). This grand complex was built…

Part of the Ministry of Finance complex, this grand columned edifice with a deep portico was the colonial-era palace of the Dutch governor-general Hermann…