Jakarta: a megacity that is better than its reputation

Jakarta is a city of about ten million people in the city proper and more than thirty million in the surrounding conurbation, and it behaves accordingly. The traffic is as bad as you have heard, the air is thick, and the pavements are a work in progress. It is also the oldest continuously inhabited port on Java's north coast, the capital of a country of 280 million people, and the place where Indonesian food, language and politics all collide.

The trick is to treat it as a set of districts rather than a city. Kota Tua in the north for the Dutch colonial core, Menteng and the Monas area for the national monuments, Glodok for Chinese-Indonesian food, Kemang and Senopati for the middle-class café scene, and the Thousand Islands for a completely different day. Two full days covers the first four; add two more for the islands.

Kota Tua and old Batavia

The Dutch built Batavia here in the early seventeenth century on the ruins of Jayakarta, a port sultanate they destroyed. For two hundred years this was the administrative centre of the Dutch East Indies, a walled city of canals, warehouses and townhouses that was nicknamed the Queen of the East. Most of it is gone, but the square around Taman Fatahillah still has the old town hall, now the Jakarta History Museum, the former court of justice, and a handful of warehouses converted into cafés.

The museum is worth an hour: dark wooden floors, colonial furniture, and a basement that was once a prison. Outside, the square is full of rented bicycles, street performers and school groups. Walk north to the old harbour at Sunda Kelapa, where wooden pinisi schooners still unload cargo, and then to the watchtower at Menara Syahbandar for the best view of the old port.

The restoration of Kota Tua has been uneven. Some buildings are beautifully maintained, others are boarded up, and the canal is not what it was. Go in the morning, before the heat and the crowds, and accept that this is a working city district rather than a heritage park.

Monas, Istiqlal and the national quarter

The Monumen Nasional is a 132-metre marble obelisk topped with a flame covered in gold leaf, built to commemorate the independence struggle and finished in 1975. The base contains a museum of dioramas telling the story of Indonesia from prehistory to independence, and a lift takes visitors to the observation deck. Go early or late; the queue in the middle of the day is long and the deck is small.

Across the road, Istiqlal mosque is the largest in Southeast Asia, a vast modern building of white marble and stainless steel designed by a Christian architect. Non-Muslim visitors can enter outside prayer times with a guide, and the scale of the main hall is genuinely impressive. Directly opposite stands the Jakarta Cathedral, a neo-Gothic church built in 1901, making this one of the few places where a cathedral and a national mosque face each other across a car park.

The National Museum, a short walk away, has one of the best collections of Indonesian archaeology and ethnography in the country, including the treasure of the ancient Sailendra dynasty. It reopened after a fire in 2023 with a partly restored display.

Eating: Glodok, Sabang and the night markets

Jakarta has the widest range of Indonesian food of any city in the country, because everybody has moved here. Start in Glodok, the old Chinese quarter, for bakmi, siomay, lumpia and the pork dishes that are harder to find elsewhere. The area around Jalan Pancoran and the Petak Sembilan market is dense with stalls, and the food is cheap and fast.

Jalan Sabang in central Jakarta is the classic late-night street, lined with satay, fried rice and nasi goreng vendors who set up after dark. For Minangkabau food, the Padang restaurants around Jalan Kramat are excellent. For something more modern, the cafés of Senopati and Kemang serve the third-wave coffee and brunch that the middle class has adopted with enthusiasm.

Two dishes to seek out: kerak telor, a Betawi omelette of sticky rice, egg and dried shrimp cooked over charcoal, and sate taichan, a small chicken skewer with chilli and lime that became a Jakarta obsession. Both are street food, both are cheap, and both are best after dark.

Getting around without losing a day

The MRT opened in 2019 and runs north-south from Bundaran HI to Lebak Bulus, with an extension under construction. It is clean, air-conditioned and cheap, and it has transformed the commute along its corridor. The LRT connects the eastern suburbs, and the airport rail link runs from Soekarno-Hatta to BNI City in about 50 minutes.

TransJakarta buses have dedicated lanes and cover far more of the city than the rail network, though the buses are crowded at peak times and the routes take practice. Ride-hailing apps work well and are the default for short trips; agree the pickup point carefully, because the apps and the drivers often disagree about where you are.

Avoid renting a car. Driving in Jakarta is a skill measured in decades, and the toll roads are only fast outside rush hour. If you must, hire a car with a driver for the day, which costs IDR 600,000 to 900,000 plus fuel and tolls.

The Thousand Islands

The Kepulauan Seribu are a chain of about a hundred islands stretching north from the Jakarta coast into the Java Sea. The closest, such as Pulau Bidadari and Pulau Ayer, are 30 to 60 minutes by speedboat from Ancol marina and function as weekend resorts. Further out, Pulau Pari, Pulau Harapan and Pulau Pramuka have homestays, snorkelling and a much quieter version of the same sea.

Pulau Pramuka is the administrative centre and the most practical base, with guesthouses, a turtle sanctuary and boats to the surrounding reefs. Pulau Harapan is slightly more relaxed and has better snorkelling. The water is not as clear as Raja Ampat, but it is close, cheap and genuinely pleasant on a weekday.

Boats leave from Ancol or Muara Angke, and the trip takes one and a half to three hours depending on the island and the vessel. Book a homestay before you go; turning up without one is possible but unnecessary.

What it costs

Jakarta is the most expensive city in Indonesia and still cheap by regional standards. A mid-range hotel in central Jakarta costs IDR 500,000 to 900,000; a four-star international chain is IDR 1,200,000 and up. Hostels and budget guesthouses exist but are concentrated in a few areas, notably around Jalan Jaksa and Kota Tua.

Food ranges from IDR 20,000 for a street meal to IDR 300,000 for a good restaurant dinner for two. The MRT and TransJakarta are a few thousand rupiah per trip. The Thousand Islands cost more than they look: a return speedboat is IDR 300,000 to 600,000, and a homestay is IDR 300,000 to 700,000 a night.

When to go, and two days that work

Jakarta is hot and humid all year. The dry season runs roughly May to September, and the wet season brings the floods that the city is famous for, usually in January and February. A single heavy storm can close roads for hours, so check the forecast before planning a day trip.

The city empties during Lebaran, when millions travel to their home villages, and the roads become briefly, eerily quiet. That is either the best or the worst time to visit, depending on whether you want open streets or open restaurants.

• Day 1: Kota Tua, Sunda Kelapa and the history museum in the morning; Monas and Istiqlal in the afternoon; Sabang street food at night.
• Day 2: Glodok market and lunch, the National Museum, then Senopati or Kemang for coffee and dinner.
• Optional: two more days for Pulau Pramuka and the Thousand Islands.

Questions people actually ask

Is Jakarta worth visiting or should I just transit?

Two days is worth it, especially for food and the old town. If you have less than a full day, stay near the airport and move on; the traffic will eat anything shorter.

How bad is the traffic really?

Bad. Allow 45 to 90 minutes for cross-city trips at peak times. Use the MRT where it goes, TransJakarta for the rest, and ride-hailing for short hops. Do not schedule two distant activities back to back.

Can non-Muslims visit Istiqlal mosque?

Yes, outside prayer times, with a guide and modest dress. The mosque provides guides and covers at the entrance. The cathedral opposite is also open to visitors outside services.

How do I get to the Thousand Islands?

Speedboats leave from Ancol marina and Muara Angke, taking 30 minutes to three hours depending on the island. Book a homestay first, especially at weekends, and go on a weekday if you can.