Jakarta

Jakarta is the capital city of Republic of Indonesia. It is also the center of business and government. Thus, it is the largest, the busiest and the most crowded city in Indonesia.

Accordingly, it also has many great places for family vacations and entertainment. We can find big and sophisticated shopping malls scattered everywhere. If you love history, you should visit National Monument, National Museum, District Museum and the old town near Sunda Kelapa harbor. Then there are zoo and aquariums to see the wild animals. Or go have fun in the waterparks and theme parks. Sport lovers will also have great time at bowling alley, billiard pools, golf courses or driving range, ice rinks, gokart or join specific sport clubs at Bung Karno Stadium Complex at Senayan.

So, without further ado: Let's explore Jakarta :)

Monas - The National Monument

Monas - Monumen Nasional (the National Monument), the landmark of Jakarta.

Monumen Nasional, more popularly known as Monas (the National Monument in English), is the landmark of Jakarta. It is a 132 meter tower where we can see Jakarta from the top of the tower. Plus a National History Museum in the semi-basement and a huge park surrounding it makes it a must see when you visit Jakarta.

Kota Tua Jakarta

While Monas is the landmark of the city, the old town is the best place to learn the history of Jakarta. The surrounding area has many historical buildings and museums, but the most popular place is Fatahillah Square.

It used to be a city square, when the Jakarta History Museum was a city hall. Read the story of "From a City Hall to a Museum" here...

But then again Jakarta History Museum wasn't born in this city hall. It was established in the nearby building, which was started as a church. Read the story of "From a Church to a Museum" here...

They are a couple of stories which is part of this old town history and charm. Find out more about Kota Tua ...

Museums in Jakarta

There are many museums we can visit in this city, ranging from the government owned to the private owned, each has its own theme. The prominent ones are:

The National Museum of Indonesia, but many people know it as Museum Gajah (The Elephant Museum). Continue reading to find out why it is popular as Museum Gajah ...
The National History Museum, which is located in the semi basement of Monas. This museum is unique because it told the history through many dioramas. Continue reading the National History Museum...
Taman Mini Indonesia Indah has the most museums located in one place. Presently, there are 19 museums, each has different theme. Continue reading museums in TMII ...

Another place where you can walk from one museum to the other is called District Museum at the old town of Jakarta. There are six museums here, all depict the history from various angles: the maritime, the origin of Jakarta, history of banks in Indonesia, and cultural in terms of arts, ceramic and puppets.

Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII)

TMII is the best place to visit to learn the diversity in Indonesia. It started with the beautiful traditional houses, each represents a province and ethnic groups in Indonesia. As we mentioned above, it has 19 museums, including museums of indigenous fauna from all over Indonesia. TMII also has six different places of worships, each for every religion in Indonesia. It has many other things too, such as a planetarium, a waterpark, an IMAX and many parks. It will take more than a day to explore TMII thoroughly.

Continue reading Taman Mini Indonesia Indah ...

Ragunan Zoo

Opened since 1966, Ragunan Zoo is one of the most favorite places to visit in Jakarta. There are many wild animals we can see and spacious lawns for picnics. Make sure you also visit Schmutzer Primate Center, where many primates reside, including a couple of gorillas!

Find out more about Ragunan Zoo...

Jakarta Aquarium

Jakarta Aquarium is the best place to see sea creatures in Indonesia. All are contained in various sizes of aquariums. Its collection also includes animals that live in the beach, mud, and mangrove. Don't miss the live performance in the main tank where they act like mermaids and swim without oxygen tank.

Continue reading Jakarta Aquarium...

Kidzania

Kidzania is a children playground to play pretend. It looks like a small city complete with all of the amenities and facilities designed with children in mind.

Continue reading on Kidzania ...

Taman Anggrek Indonesia Permai (TAIP)

TAIP is the must visit place if you want to buy orchids. There are plenty kinds of orchids you can choose from. They are sold in various stages of life, from seedling to plants with blooming flowers.

Continue reading Taman Anggrek Indonesia Permai ...

Jakarta Great Sale Festival

Jakarta's anniversary on June 22 is always celebrated with Jakarta Fair and a whole month of retail sale in shopping malls as well as traditional markets. Recently, the online markets also participate in this event.

Continue reading on Jakarta Great Sale ...

Although there are so many attractions in Jakarta, where do you think the people from Jakarta spend their weekends?

It seems many of them spend it by going to the highlands such as Puncak, Bandung, Lembang and Bogor. Find out what's so interesting there: