Day Trip to Jakarta

📍 Itinerary Overview: Central and South Jakarta have lots of historical sites, places to eat, and shopping options. Chinatown is full of life and places to eat.
🚩 Sightseeing Route: Avoid the Old Town. The main square and buildings have been closed off with metal barriers and security to prevent access. The rest is shabby and run down.
🏖️ Must-Visit Attractions: National Monument, Jakarta Cathedral, and Istiqlal Mosque

🚇 Transportation: Bus stops are unmissable. They are raised platforms. Buses are frequent and cheap. There is an attendant working at each stop, so as soon as you look like you don't know what you are doing, they come over to help.
📷 Photo Spots: The Cathedral and Mosque are in close proximity to each other.
🍜 Local Cuisine: Hard to find local cuisine. It's mainly big chains and shopping malls, but keep looking around back streets behind malls. They are full of street venders.
🏠 Accommodation: As expected, there are hotels all over. Many seem to be more expensive than other parts of South East Asia, but there is a range of prices.

💡 Tips: Buy a bus travel card if you intend on seeing a lot of the city. The city is huge and tiring to travel on foot. The bus travel card is very cheap.

Post by Robert J Kerr | Apr 21, 2025