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20 Best Things to Do in Jakarta, Indonesia: The Ultimate Travel Guide

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If I’m being completely honest, Jakarta wasn’t a city I had dreamed about visiting. Like many travelers, I always associated Indonesia with Bali’s rice fields, Yogyakarta’s temples or some of the beautiful beaches on the Gili islands.

Jakarta seemed like the place you landed, spent one night, and quickly left. However, I wanted to explore the most populated city on earth, so I ended up staying in Jakarta for a week, exploring as many areas as I possibly could.

Would I recommend someone with limited time in Indonesia to spend a week here, probably not. But if you're already heading to Java and you have some extra time to spare, I absolutely think Jakarta is worth a visit, even if it’s just for a day.

In this guide I will help you plan your trip to Jakarta and answer:

So if you’re planning a visit, or even just considering it, here is everything you need to know before your trip to Jakarta.

Exploring Jakarta

20 Best Things to Do in Jakarta, Indonesia

As always I’ll start with the fun part first, namely the top things to do in Jakarta. If you also want more practical information like where you should base yourself, how to get around and my favourite restaurants, just scroll further down and you’ll find everything you need.

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Want everything organized in advance?

Then I recommend this half day trip that takes you to all the highlights in Jakarta.

Browse the Shops and Cafés at M Bloc Space

M Bloc Space has quickly become one of Jakarta’s coolest creative hubs and it’s packed with shops, restaurants and cafés. I had some of the best cookies of my life here. If you visit M Bloc make sure to head to Fudgybro for some unbelievable warm cookies with ice cream.

M Block in itself surprised me a bit, because it felt very split in two. On one side you’ll find lots of local food stalls and artists selling their paintings, and it all looked a bit rougher than expected to be honest. While on the other side you suddenly enter a super polished area packed with modern cafés, boutiques stores and people lining up to take pictures at various spots. The contrast was huge and quite fascinating.

Fudgybro

It's a fun places to spend a day just walking around. Since there’s not really one specific thing to do here you can just focus on eating and people watching.

We actually based ourselves in this area for some of our time in Jakarta, and if you have some extra time in the city and want to eat really well, this is a nice area to stay in.

If you’re considering staying here, I highly recommend Lamandau House which is where we stayed. It's a charming boutique hotel with lots of great restaurants nearby.

Cafés at M Bloc Space
Activities
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Go Shopping at Grand Indonesia

If you're in Jakarta for a couple of days I highly recommend going for a bit of a shopping spree. As full-time travellers we don't often shop, so it was really fun to renew some of the wardrobe that's been with us for a while.

There are countless malls in the Jakarta, each one giving a slightly different vibe. So where you want to go really depends on your need.

We went to a lot of different ones and here are the ones I would recommend:

Shopping in Jakarta

Visit the National Monument (Monas)

This is probably Jakartas most famous sight, and it's much bigger than I had anticipated. I think we spent almost 20 minutes just walking from the entrance area to the ticket office. They do offer golf carts to drive you around, but we wanted to walk around and take pictures while exploring.

You can choose to buy tickets to the observation deck and have panoramic views of the city or just see if from the ground. If you want to head up, it’s worth knowing that Jakarta is often very foggy so if you have a flexible schedule, try to plan it for a day you see that the sky is a bit clearer.

Monas, Jakarta

We bought a ticket to the observation deck, but ended up not going to the top because the wait was a couple of hours. There’s a limit to how many people can enter at the same time so they sell tickets in time brackets. The only problem is that you can't buy tickets in advance and you can't buy tickets for a specific time bracket of your choice.

We came around 11am and there were no available spots until 15pm and 16pm. I asked if we could buy tickets for the 16pm time bracket, because that would’ve given us more time to see other things in the meantime before we came back, but that wasn't possible. So we decided to buy a ticket for the 15pm time slot and just hope we made it back in time. Because the traffic in Jakarta can be quite intense, we realised we wouldn't make it back in time and unfortunately had to skip it.

My advice is that if you really want to visit the top, either come early so you can buy tickets to the first time slot without waiting unnecessarily long, or set aside enough time and just relax in the park nearby.

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Monas, Jakarta

Wander Through Kota Tua (Jakarta Old Town)

This historic district feels worlds away from Jakarta’s modern skyscrapers. In Kota Tua you’ll find charming colonial architecture, cobbled squares, and beautifully restored buildings dating back to the Dutch East Indies era.

It’s a very charming area to wander around for a while, but unless you want to visit one or some of the many museums here you don’t need endless time to see the Old Town.

The main square is the most charming area in my opinion, especially since you’ll find so many locals riding on neon bikes here, just having fun. It might have been more lively when we visited since it was during their summer holidays, but I still think it would be a charming spot to add to your itinerary nevertheless.

Kota Tua
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Have Coffee at Café Batavia

Housed inside one of Kota Tuas colonial buildings you’ll find the famous Café Batavia.

I honestly wasn't sure I wanted to visit because I thought it might just be a complete tourist trap with high prices and bad food. However, when we came here we were so hungry that we decided to give it a try anyways and I'm so glad we did.

The place was actually really charming, the food was very good and it was nice to just relax here for a bit after wandering the city all morning. If you get a table by the window you’ll also get some really nice views overlooking the square.

View from Café Batavia

Enjoy a Rooftop Drink

Jakarta’s skyline is especially impressive after dark and even though you only have one night in Jakarta I highly recommend visiting one of the city's skyscrapers.

Whether you choose a luxury rooftop bar or one of the many restaurants high above the streets, this is an experience I think should be on every itinerary.

It’s important to know that many of the rooftop bars wont allow you in unless you're dressed relatively nicely and have high heels on. This was new to me. I’ve been to places around Asia where you couldn't wear flip flops, but I’ve never experienced having to wear heels. The places that did require it did have shoes you could borrow so it worked out fine, it’s just nice to know in advance.

My favourite rooftop was SKYE. It’s really charming, has a great live DJ, great drinks and a stunning view overlooking the city and Autograph Tower, which is the tallest building in Jakarta.

SKYE Rooftop
Activities
Short on time in Jakarta?

This highly reviewed tour takes you to all the highlight in Jakarta in one fully packed day.

Explore Menteng

I can’t honestly say that Menteng in itself was extremely interesting, but the area has a lot of nice cafes and brunch spots. So even though I wouldn't set aside time to just wander around here, I definitely would recommend coming here for breakfast, lunch or dinner at some point during your stay.

Of course if you have plenty of time in the city it’s worth wandering without a plan, but I wouldn't build my itinerary around it.

It's however one of the best areas to stay in Jakarta and we based ourselves here for parts of our stay. That meant that we were close to many great restaurants so it was easy to just take an evening stroll to grab some dinner.

If you want to stay in this area I can recommend Ashley Newair Hotel which is where we stayed. It was really nice, with a great location and a nice pool we wanted to try but never actually used.

Visit Istiqlal Mosque

We spontaneously decided to come here while waiting for our time slot at the National Monument, and since I hadn't planned on visiting I didn't have appropriate clothing to enter a mosque.

Therefore I only got to see it from the outside. From what I could see it looked very different from most mosques I've seen before, with a quite modern looking facade.

If I go back to Jakarta I would love to head inside as well because I’ve read it’s supposed to be very pretty.

Istiqlal Mosque

See Jakarta Cathedral

Just across from Istiqlal Mosque you’ll find Jakarta Cathedral, so it’s easy to plan on seeing them together. It's a beautiful church with Neo Gothic architecture and absolutely worth a visit if you're in the area.

Jakarta Cathedral

Discover the Hidden Alleys of Glodok Chinatown

Jakartas Chinatown, or Glodok as it’s called, is one of Jakarta’s oldest neighborhoods. Here you’ll find narrow streets filled with red lanterns, various shops and restaurants and the occasional small temple.

If you visit I recommend just wandering without a huge plan except visiting the colourful buddhist temple called Dharma Bhakti and the charming entrance gates. Other than that the charm is just wandering around watching what the locals are up to and pop into a shop here and there. It’s not huge, but it was one of my favourite spots to wander around in Jakarta.

Chinatown, Jakarta

Explore the Modern Side of SCBD

Another fun area to explore in Jakarta is the Sudirman Central Business District. If you've already seen the Old Town, the leafy streets in Menteng and Chinatown, this will show you a completely different side to Jakarta. It’s so fun how one city can have som many different areas to explore.

Here you'll find luxury hotels, stylish cafés, designer boutiques and some of the city's best rooftop bars. I think it reminded me of Singapore, just a bit more chaotic.

If you're heading here the best time to visit is just after working hours when many of the locals finish work and head here to grab some food and drinks.

Experience Jakarta’s Street Food Scene

There are so many spots to grab street food in Jakarta and I can't say I tried enough to say which is the absolute best. However, I do think the area that was the easiest to navigate and reach was by Blok M.

If you walk away from the very trendy area, you’ll find lots of local food stalls selling everything and it looked really nice. So unless you’ve gotten a really good recommendations this is where I would head. And as always with local food stalls, following the crowds is usually a good strategy to find the best and freshest food.

Streetfood in Jakarta
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Visit Pasar Baru

This is Jakartas oldest shopping district so I came here expecting a really cool market packed with tailors, fabric stores and great food. However, I came here only to find a huge and empty room. So learn from my mistake and don’t come here unless you're in Jakarta during the weekend.

I talked to a lady who worked at the only stall that was open and she said that on the weekends it was packed with stalls, people and music and always lots of fun.

I never experienced it myself, but from my research it checks out. So if you're in Jakarta during the weekend and have some extra time this is probably a fun spot to head to.

Pasar Baru
Hotels
Looking for the perfect place to stay in Jakarta?

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Eat Brunch & Relax

I would say that Jakarta does brunch surprisingly well, and there are so many spots to choose from. No matter where you’re located in the city I can guarantee that theres a great brunch spot not far away.

We tried somewhere new every day and were never disappointed. If you want to plan where to go in advance you can check out my Guide to the best places to eat in Jakarta for all my favourite spots.

Eating my way through Jakarta

Best Museums in Jakarta

Explore the National Museum of Indonesia

If you want to understand Indonesia beyond Jakarta, the National Museum is an excellent place to start. Its exhibits cover everything from ancient kingdoms and archaeological discoveries to traditional textiles and indigenous cultures from across the archipelago.

You'll walk away with a much deeper appreciation for just how culturally diverse Indonesia really is.

Visit the Museum Bank Indonesia

Even if finance isn’t your thing, this museum can be surprisingly engaging. It has lots of interactive exhibits that explains Indonesia’s economic history. I wouldn't say it’s a must visit, but fun if you have some extra time.

Chinatown, Jakarta

Visit the Textile Museum

If you've explored Indonesia, you quickly learn how much pride they take in their textile traditions, especially batik, and this museum celebrates everything about it from batik to handwoven fabrics from all across the country. You can also see live demonstrations during your visit.

Admire Contemporary Art at Museum MACAN

If you're an art lover this is a great museum to add to your itinerary. It has rotating exhibitions that feature both Indonesian and international artists.

How Many Days Should You Spend in Jakarta?

You can technically see the biggest highlights in one packed day if you're short on time, but I’d recommend at least three full days to experience Jakarta properly.

That gives you enough time to explore Kota Tua, visit several museums, sample the city’s incredible food scene, enjoy a rooftop at sunset, and still leave room to wander without a strict schedule.

Exploring Jakarta

Best Places To Stay in Jakarta

If you're wondering where to base yourself in Jakarta, you can either read my full guide on the various neighborhoods, see my top three hotel recomendations below or have a look at the map where I've pinned the best hotels in each area I would choose to stay in.

ASHLEY NEWAIR Menteng
ASHLEY NEWAIR Menteng

This is a fantastic mid-range hotel in Menteng, offering a comfortable stay at a surprisingly affordable price. The rooms are modern, spacious, and the beds are really comfotable. One of the biggest highlights is its excellent location, putting you within reach to many of Jakarta's top attractions.

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The Langham, Jakarta
The Langham, Jakarta

This is one of the newest luxury hotels in the city and it's absolutely breathtaking. Expect elegant rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows, spectacular skyline views, a world-class spa, and multiple outstanding restaurants. If you're looking to spoil yourself, this is a great spot.

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Mandarin Oriental, Jakarta
Mandarin Oriental, Jakarta

This has long been regarded as one of Jakartas finest hotels. With spacious rooms, exceptional service, and several award-winning restaurants it's a favorite among both business and leisure travelers. The outdoor pool offers a peaceful escape from Jakarta's busy streets.

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Final Thoughts on the Best Things to Do in Jakarta

I didn't have the highest expectations before arriving in Jakarta. I'd mostly heard about the traffic and chaos. However, I personally don't think it was as bad as I had expected. Yes, there's traffic, but if you plan accordingly and base yourself in the right areas, I think Jakarta can be a really nice city to explore.

There aren't that many "wow-factor" sights, but if you like to just explore various neighborhoods and see a city not packed with tourists, this is a great place to explore.

Plan Your Trip to Jakarta

Hopefully this guide has given you everything you need to plan an unforgettable trip to Jakarta. To make planning even easier, I've included all the resources I personally use when I travel.

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-Ingrid

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