Medan: palaces, markets and a city in a hurry

Medan is a city people tend to endure rather than enjoy. It is hot, congested and short of obvious sights, and most travellers arrive in the evening and leave the next morning for the jungle or the lake. But it has a real history, a distinctive food culture and a handful of buildings worth seeking out.

The city grew fast on tobacco, rubber and palm oil in the late nineteenth century, and the money left behind a layer of colonial architecture and a royal palace. It is also one of the most mixed cities in Indonesia: Batak, Javanese, Chinese, Tamil and Malay, each with their own quarter, church, temple or mosque.

Istana Maimun and the Deli Sultanate

Istana Maimun is the reason most visitors stop in Medan at all. Built for Sultan Makmun Al Rasyid Perkasa Alamsyah in the 1880s and 1890s, it is a yellow palace with a sweeping roof, Italian tiles and a throne room that is still used for ceremonies. The state rooms are open to visitors for a small fee.

The palace is a reminder that Medan was the capital of a sultanate before it was a Dutch plantation town. The Deli Sultanate controlled the coast and the river trade, and its family remained important long after real power moved elsewhere. The building is not large, but it is unusual, and the guides are usually happy to explain what you are looking at.

The old city and its buildings

Nearby is the Masjid Raya Al-Mashun, built in the early twentieth century in a style that mixes Moorish, Mughal and Malay elements. Its black domes and white walls make it one of the most photographed buildings in Sumatra. Visitors are welcome outside prayer times, with shoulders and knees covered.

The rest of the old city is scattered: the Tjong A Fie mansion, built by a Chinese merchant who became one of the richest men in the region; the old railway station; a few banks and offices from the colonial period. None of it is signposted well, and the traffic between them is heavy, so pick two or three and take a car.

If you have time for one more stop, the Tjong A Fie mansion is the best value: a preserved merchant house with courtyards, furniture, photographs and a guided tour that explains how the Chinese community shaped the city. It is a short drive from the palace and takes about an hour.

Food and markets

Medan eats well. The Batak kitchen gives you arsik, a fish or chicken dish cooked with spices and andaliman, the citrus-scented pepper that grows in the highlands. The Chinese community gives you bakmi, dim sum and seafood. The Malay and Indian communities fill in the rest.

Start at the morning market, then work through a bowl of mie Aceh, a plate of bika ambon and a coffee. The city is famous for its sweets as much as its savoury food. If you have an evening, the night markets around the centre are the easiest way to try several things at once.

• Try arsik and andaliman, the Batak pepper.
• Mie Aceh is a local breakfast staple.
• Bika ambon is the city's signature cake.
• Night markets are best for grazing.

Getting in and out

Kualanamu International Airport is about forty kilometres east of the city and connected by a rail link to the centre, which is faster and more reliable than the road. The airport has flights across Indonesia and to a few international destinations.

From Medan, the road west leads to Berastagi and the Karo highlands, and then on to Lake Toba. The road north-west goes to Bukit Lawang and the Leuser ecosystem. Both are long drives on busy roads: three to four hours to Bukit Lawang, four to five to Parapat, longer in the rain.

When to come and how long to stay

The dry season, roughly May to September, is the best time for the highlands and the lake, and the city is marginally less humid. Rain falls year-round in Sumatra, so the difference is one of degree rather than certainty.

One full day is enough for the palace, the mosque and a meal. Two days lets you add the old city and the markets without rushing. Beyond that, Medan is a base rather than a destination: the real reason to be here is what lies to the north and west.

The city is also a useful place to buy gear. Outdoor shops sell jackets, boots and head torches for the volcano climbs and the jungle, often cheaper than in Jakarta. If you are heading to Bukit Lawang or Kerinci, this is the last place where you can replace what you forgot.

Questions people actually ask

How many days do you need in Medan?

One full day covers Istana Maimun, the Al-Mashun mosque and a good meal. Two days adds the old city, the Tjong A Fie mansion and the markets. Most visitors use Medan as a base for Bukit Lawang, Berastagi or Lake Toba rather than a destination in itself.

How do you get from Medan to Lake Toba?

The drive to Parapat on the lake shore takes four to five hours, longer in rain or traffic. Buses and shared cars run from the city, and the ferry to Samosir leaves from Parapat. Many people break the journey at Berastagi or Sipiso-piso on the way.