Must-see attractions in Banda Aceh

  • Top Choice
    Mesjid Raya Baiturrahman

    With its brilliant-white walls, ebony-black domes and towering minaret, this 19th-century mosque is a dazzling sight. The best time to visit is during…

  • Top Choice
    Tsunami Museum

    A visit to this beautifully designed, hard-hitting museum commences with a walk through a dark, dripping tunnel that symbolises the 2004 tsunami waves…

  • Rumah Aceh

    In the same compound as the Museum Negeri Banda Aceh, the Rumah Aceh is a fine example of traditional Acehnese architecture, built without nails and held…

  • Gunongan

    All that remains of Aceh’s powerful sultanates today is on view at Gunongan. Built by Sultan Iskandar Muda (1607–36) as a gift for his Malay princess wife…

  • Museum Negeri Banda Aceh

    This state museum displays Acehnese weaponry, household furnishings, ceremonial costumes, everyday clothing, gold jewellery, calligraphy and some…

  • Kherkhof

    The Kherkhof is the last resting place of more than 2000 Dutch and Indonesian soldiers who died fighting the Acehnese. The entrance is around 50m west of…

  • PLTD Apung I

    PLTD Apung I is the 2500-tonne power-generator vessel that was carried almost 5km inland by the 2004 tsunami wave. It's now preserved as a memorial about…

  • Lampulo Boat

    The most famous of the 2004 tsunami sights is the fishing boat resting on the house in Lampulo village, about 2km north of Banda Aceh and 1km from where…

  • Siron Tsunami Memorial Park

    The largest of the 2004 tsunami mass graves is at Lambaro, on the road to the airport, where 46,000 unidentified bodies were buried. It's a peaceful,…

  • Water Tower

    A legacy of Dutch rule is this rather squat 1880s water tower, which now stands as a city landmark.

  • Meuraxa Mass Grave

    Near Uleh-leh port, this is the most easily accessible of the 2004 tsunami mass graves.