Travelling to Jakarta?

Our routes, not a list of everything. Places that have been there for centuries: no opening times or prices, which go stale.

1. 01

   Jakarta in a day

   9 hSoutheast Asia’s largest mosque faces the cathedral head-on, and they share a car park. That isn’t chance: it was deliberate.The mosque and the cathedral, face to face · El Monas · Kota Tua, the Dutch Batavia · Sunda Kelapa · Glodok, the ChinatownRead the full guide
2. 02

   Jakarta in a weekend

   48 hThe Bali stopover that deserves a stay. And Sunday, when they close the main avenue and the city pours out.Friday night: the south · Saturday: the north on foot · Sunday: the city without carsRead the full guide
3. 03

   Jakarta’s neighbourhoods

   6 hThe sinking colonial north, the skyscraper south, and a Chinatown with three hundred years of hard history.Kota Tua and the north · Glodok · Menteng and the centre · The south: Kemang, Senopati, Blok MRead the full guide
4. 04

   Day trips from Jakarta

   10 hAn archipelago with beaches two hours by boat from a megacity, and an 1817 botanical garden where it rains almost every day.The Thousand Islands · 1-2 h by boat · Bogor · 1 h by train · The Krakatoa volcanoRead the full guide
5. 05

   The sinking city and the capital that’s moving

   2 hNorth Jakarta is sinking up to 25 cm a year. That’s why Indonesia is building a new capital in the Borneo jungle.Why it’s sinking · Nusantara: the new capital · What you can actually see of itRead the full guide
6. 06

   Eating in Jakarta

   3 hThe best street food in Indonesia, because the food of seventeen thousand islands landed here. And a duck-egg dish that exists only here.Kerak telor · The real nasi goreng · Gado-gado and sate · The midnight martabakRead the full guide
7. 07

   Jakarta airport to the centre

   1 hHere traffic isn’t an inconvenience, it’s the deciding factor. The train doesn’t suffer it, which is why it usually wins.The airport train · The DAMRI coaches · Taxi, app and the ojekRead the full guide
8. 08

   Jakarta: practical tips

   1 hOn Sunday mornings they close the main avenue to traffic and the city pours out. It’s the best moment of the week.The Sunday without cars · The traffic rules everything else · Indonesia is Muslim, and so is Jakarta · Data on your phoneRead the full guide

The real options, with what actually decides it: which terminal it leaves from and where it drops you. Fares and timetables live with the operator, who keeps them current.

• TrainRailinkBNI City · ManggaraiThe airport train dodges the traffic, which here is the deciding factor. It calls at BNI City, in the centre, and continues to Manggarai, the big interchange with the commuter network.·Fares and timesKAI Bandara
• BusDAMRIGambirThe classic state coaches, with routes across the city. Cheap, with proper luggage space.·Fares and timesDAMRI

Before you fly, or on the layover. Pay per visit, whatever airline.

• Blue Sky Premier Loungefrom €18.00
• Blue Sky Premier Loungefrom €18.00
• Blue Sky Premier Loungefrom €18.00
• Saphire Plaza Premium Loungefrom €32.35

• BaliDPS8 routes