ouI often receive questions from friends of mine (mostly foreigners or Indonesians who live outside Java) or random travellers asking, is it worth it to go to Jakarta? What is there to do in Jakarta? How chaotic is Jakarta? Is a week enough time to explore Jakarta? As I run lots of Jakarta tours, there are obviously a lot more questions that I get related to the city. Anyway, I’ve written about how to get to Jakarta (the city) cheaply from the airport (Soekarno Hatta Airport – CGK) here.

Ok back to Jakarta, I admit, because of the congestion and the mess, I don’t normally recommend visiting Jakarta to friends. But after a second thought, the reason a place is unique and deserves to be explored is always different. There are a lot of special Jakarta attractions to be discovered! So here are some suggestions about things to do in Jakarta, the best Jakarta tourist attractions, and Jakarta points of interest, which I am sure you’ll find worth exploring.

Let’s get started with the best things to do in Jakarta.

6 Best Things to Do in Jakarta

1. Enjoy the best bars with beautiful views

One of my favorite things about Jakarta is the nightlife. There are great bars and restaurants all over the city. I recommend Skye Bar and Cloud Lounge and Dining. Skye Bar is on the 56th floor of the BCA Building, and Cloud Lounge and Dining is on the 49th floor. Both offer panoramic views of the Jakarta skyline (the best time to visit is for sunset). Make sure to dress nicely, as they have a smart dress code. You can find more ideas for bars to visit here.

2. Experience the luxury hotels

Luxury hotels in Jakarta are like an oasis of tranquility (you can find my guide to the best 5-star hotels in the city here). As soon as you arrive at the lobby, you can leave the bustling streets and the endless traffic jams behind you. It can feel like stepping into another world. The Hermitage Jakarta (it is a boutique luxury hotel with a great rooftop bar) and DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Jakarta – Diponegoro are probably my two favorite hotels of the moment. The Raffles Jakarta comes a close third with its Alice in Wonderland-style reading room.

3. Monas – the national monument

As an icon of the city and a symbol of the struggle of Indonesia, Monas is a place worth visiting. In addition to the monument, you can also find The National History Museum (Museum Sejarah Nasional) inside the monument Monas, where you can find many dioramas depicting the history of Indonesia. Besides learning about the history of Indonesia, it is quite interesting to take pictures with Monas as a background. Be creative and make your own unique picture!

The monument and the museum are located in central Jakarta. Monas opening hours: 08.00AM – 04.00PM on Tuesday-Sunday (closed on Monday). Monas Park area or the complex is open from 06.00AM – 04.00PM. The best time to visit Monas is in the evening just before the sunset.

4. Visit the thousand islands

You don’t need to go all the way to Bali to have a beautiful island getaway. Just a few hours boat ride from mainland Jakarta you’ll find the Thousand Islands (they are actually part of the city). These tropical islands offer the perfect weekend escape from Jakarta. You can go diving, admittedly it’s not that great, enjoy the beautiful beaches and relax in the sunshine away from the everyday pollution. There’s a lot of nice places to visit. Top of the list is the luxury resort on Pulau Macan or another alternative (new but lovely) is Desa Laguna. Visit if you get the chance.

5. Enjoy the nightlife

Jakarta is often called the “city that never sleeps.” Jakarta has a charm of its own in the evening. The cities skyline with millions of lights looks beautiful and the nightclubs and bars are always busy. I have written a post about where to go to experience nightlife in Jakarta, please check it here.

6. Go to the malls

How many malls are there in Jakarta? The answer is “Too many”! Hahaha. Ok, this probably sounds a bit of a weird idea to you, but believe me, if you want to have a relaxing day, find groceries, probably do some shopping or play bowling, why not go to the malls?

There is one store in Grand Indonesia Mall, called Alun-Alun Indonesia where you can easily find some souvenirs for your family or friends back home that are truly Indonesian (I consider Alun-Alun Indonesia quite expensive, but some stuff is ok to buy). If you want something cheaper, you should try ITC, Thamrin City, Tanah Abang (Note: I like to shop for a lot of different fabrics in Tanah Abang. It is cheap), and traditional markets around Jakarta.

Sarinah Department Store is a good spot to visit too. They just got renovated and it is now amazing! You can find plenty of options for Indonesian fabrics such as tenun, batik, songket, and jumputan. They also featured some of the top Indonesian clothes designers and brands in their bazaar space. Some of my favorite tenants are Bukanagara Coffee, Atsiri diSarinah, DEWATA restaurant, and Sari Sari.

Ideas for Things to do in Jakarta

7. Visit TMII – Taman Mini Indonesia Indah

TMII (literary translated as Beautiful Indonesia Miniature Park) Jakarta is in the east part of the city and is a great place to visit to learn Indonesian culture. This place is practically a miniature of Indonesia. Although I found that riding a cable car in TMII is quite scary, the scenery that can be seen from above is quite rewarding. We could see the pool with a decorative map of Indonesia. Besides the pavilions of each province of Indonesia, there are also many museums in the TMII area worth visiting.

8. Go to the beach – Ancol

Honestly, to this day I do not understand why we have to pay for the beach in Jakarta. Supposedly the beach is a public place that is free for everyone to visit! Well anyway, let’s not focus on that thing. Ancol is a beach park, one area with Dufan, the amusement park. Please, do not imagine a beach with white sand and clear water. Sorry to say, but Ancol is quite a dirty beach.

Ancol Beach could be an option if you want to enjoy the sunset while sitting in a cafe after visiting Dufan. If you love photography, photographing around Ancol is quite exciting as well. The Atlantis Water Adventures is also a nice place to go. If you are thinking of going kayaking, there are Archipelago Kayak Indonesia (in Ancol), Jakarta Paddle Club (in east Ancol) and Laut Luas Adventure (in Pluit).

9. Amusement park – Dufan (Dunia Fantasi)

Dufan or Dunia Fantasi is one big complex with the beach that I talked about earlier. This is the biggest amusement park in Indonesia (probably? There is Trans Studio Bali, Makassar and Bandung too, I have never been there so I am not sure). Playing around for a full day in Dufan is like a short getaway from the busyness of Jakarta. I can tell that going to Dufan for some Indonesians who live on another island than Java is like a dream come true. As for me, spending one day with a bunch of friends in Dufan is definitely going to be a super fun day! Don’t go there on the weekend since it will be ridiculously busy.

10. The Istiqlal mosque and the Catholic cathedral

Istiqlal is the largest mosque in Indonesia and is also claimed to be the largest in Southeast Asia. The Cathedral is located across the road from the Istiqlal Mosque, an amazing building with a neo-gothic style. Both buildings offer beautiful and charming architecture. You could say it’s like the Taj Mahal stands opposite the Sagrada Familia. Many say that these buildings are evidence of the tolerance and harmony is achievable in this life. Pic source: Flickr.

11. Stroll jalan Surabaya

A big fan of antique stuff? You should spare one evening to walk down Surabaya Street. You can find a lot of stores that mostly sell antiques, but please be careful when you decide to buy something from here. Not all things that seem antique are antique, some of them are newly produced as antiques. Nevertheless it is a pleasure to walk and browse around the small stores, and end it with a nice cup of coffee. There is a great coffee shop just across the road, Giyanti Coffee Roastery (opens Tuesday-Sunday 08.30 AM-5:30 PM). 

12. Visit the old town, Sunda Kelapa Harbour and Cafe Batavia

Old Town or Old Batavia has a very strong historical value, but, unfortunately, most of the buildings in the Old Town are not well preserved. Around the Old Town, there are several interesting museums to visit. The Jakarta History Museum (Fatahillah Museum), Museum of Fine Art and Ceramics as well as the Puppet Museum are all around Batavia. Usually, local people explore the area of the old town by renting an old-fashioned bike (The cost: Rp20,000 for 20 minutes (around $1.5 for 20 minutes) or Rp70,000 for 2 hours (around $5 for 2 hours)). You can cycle around the area to the Sunda Kelapa harbour. Afterward, you can relax, eat and drink at Cafe Batavia. A restaurant that serves good coffee and has an interesting interior design.

13. Try as many cafes / restaurants as you can

Yup, there are so many cafes, restaurants, bars in Jakarta. If you feel like you don’t want to eat any Indonesian food then you can find a lot of variety in Jakarta. Indian food, Greek food, Italian food, Lebanese food and much more. If you want to eat Indonesian food in a great restaurant with a nice ambiance I would recommend my favorite: Lara Djongrang Restaurant (Cik Di Tiro street No. 4 Menteng). I also like: Silk Bistro in Cikini, Sate Khas Senayan (they have several outlets) and REMBOELAN. Need one calm day to write emails or probably write an article for your own blog? Here are my suggestion for a good, comfortable cafe with free wifi and nice drinks/food.

14. Chill out in a park

Although there are many skyscrapers in Jakarta, the city also has several city parks. Two of my favorites are Lembang Park and Tebet Eco Park. Sometimes, in the early morning or late afternoon, you can find local people jogging around the park. Oh, there is a community that is trying to turn city parks into popular public spaces and create new experiences in interaction with others. At the same time, they aim to make people in the city have a sense of belonging. They have an interesting concept to show people the cities parks and get together. To find out more follow them on twitter: @HiddenParkID.

15. If it is Sunday, do the car free day

If you’re in Jakarta on Sunday, then I suggest you try a bit of exercise (or it could be just a walk) on Car Free Day (CFD) in Sudirman-Thamrin street. It starts at 6 am and lasts till 12 noon. It feels so amazing to experience and see the main road (Sudirman and Thamrin) without any vehicles. Many communities also gather there and you have the opportunity to see almost all the communities in Jakarta on one morning. I want to rollerskate during CFD one day!

16. Visit various museums, including my favourite: the Kite museum

Besides the National History museum, all the museum in TMII area and all the museum in Old Town, Jakarta still has a lot more museums to see! There is the Jakarta Textile museum, Bank Indonesia museum, Proclamation museum, Maritime museum, Museum Macan and my favourite the Kite Museum. So what are you waiting for?

PS: Should consider to visit Ragunan Zoo and the Chinatown (Glodok area) if you have more time in the city.

17. Visit tourism attractions near Jakarta

Can not stand the congestion of Jakarta and want to ‘escape’ for 1-3 days from the city? Here are what locals usually do: we often visit Thousand Islands. The Thousand Islands are a chain of islands to the north of Jakarta’s coast. There are so many islands that you can explore with 1-3 hours journey by boat from Ancol (Marina harbor) or Muara Angke harbor.

If you want a comfortable trip, then Macan Island and Bidadari Island are both options. If you fancy to do more adventurous things and want to travel on a budget then Tidung Island, Pramuka Island or Harapan Island could be good for you. Other than the Thousand islands, I also suggest you consider Puncak (and probably do paragliding or just walk around the tea plantations), Bandung, Bogor (to visit the Kebun Raya), Krakatau, cultural trip to Baduy or take a look the Megalith site, Gunung Padang.

Booked Your Accommodation in Jakarta? Here are the best 3 hotels in the city for every budget:

  1. Luxury Hotel – The Hermitage, Menteng Jakarta
  2. Mid Range Hotel – Kosenda Hotel Jakarta
  3. Budget Hotel – Ibis Budget, Menteng Jakarta

Whoaaaa, that is a long list! Btw, I am sure that there is a lot more other interesting stuff to do in and around Jakarta that I might have missed or haven’t done. So if you know other cool things to do in Jakarta, please let me know and I can add it here.