Top Things To Do in Jakarta: Complete Travel Guide
Let me preface this article by saying, Jakarta is one of our least favorite cities for travel. It is not meant for tourists, and you’re mostly on your own. The city is incredibly large, with large slums, little to no public transit, excessive smog, and poor walking conditions. There are also safety concerns compared to similar cities in South Eastern Asia. If you are debating whether to visit Jakarta on your Indonesia trip, we think you can skip straight to places like Bali with no regret. But, if you’re a real travel junky, there are some very cool things to see and do in Jakarta, if you know where to look. In this article, I’m highlighting everything we found that is worth visiting.
Merdeka Square
Our first stop of the day was Merdeka Square. Merdeka means freedom in Indonesian, which was fitting because we were visiting only a few days before Independence Day. In the center of the square is the national monument, a towering obelisk with a flame at the top, standing at 430ft (132m) tall. We came to visit the tower, but we were surprised to see just how nice the surrounding area was, with plenty of space to run and exercise or enjoy the morning sun. Google Maps told us the monument opened at 5 am, but you can only go up the tower at 8 am. We didn’t complain because we had plenty of time to enjoy the beautiful surrounding park.
When the time came, we made our way to the tower and took the first elevator up. The view was incredible, since there are no skyscrapers around the square. From the top of the monument, you can see the Istiqlal Mosque and the cathedral next door with an amazing view. To be perfectly honest, the city does not have a very distinct skyline, and the smog was very severe, so it was not the best view we’ve experienced. Regardless, we still consider the visit from the tower worth it, especially on clear days.
At the bottom of the monument is a massive museum with many dioramas outlining Indonesian history. From ancient roots, through colonial occupation, and independence, you can learn about the history of Indonesia. All of the plaques are in English, so if you’d like to brush up on your history, this is the place to go. At this point, we could already feel the heat setting in at 9 am, so we pressed on.
The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption
The national religion of Indonesia is Islam. In fact, Indonesia has the most muslims of any country in the world. At a staggering 342 million, almost 90% of the population of the country, you’d think that there is no Christian influence here. Surprisingly, just across from the largest mosque in Southeast Asia sits The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption. This catholic cathedral was established in 1829 and rebuilt in 1901 under Dutch rule. Since then, the cathedral has operated normally, although catholicism is a minority religion in the country.
The cathedral itself is quite beautiful, but very normal as far as cathedrals go. With large neo-Gothic spires and vaulted ceilings, it would fit right at home in Europe. What’s so strange is seeing it on an island in Southeast Asia, where you’d usually see Hindu or Buddhist-inspired architecture. The walls are a pleasant cream, and every detail you’d expect to be in a cathedral is present. There’s not much to do other than sit and reflect, but it was nice to admire the architecture and sit in the peace and quiet for a while. We heard from multiple sources that the catholic church and the neighboring national mosque operate in harmony, often collaborating and helping each other out. I always love to see religious collaboration and diversity in a community.
Istiqlal Mosque
Directly across from the cathedral is perhaps one of Southeast Asia’s most impressive buildings, the Istiqlal Mosque. Constructed in 1978, this mosque is notable for being the largest in all of Southeast Asia and the 8th largest in the entire world. With a capacity of over 200,000 worshippers on its grounds, it is truly a sight to see. Guided tours are available for free, but we recommend getting to the mosque early as tours later in the day can be quite crowded. We were lucky enough to be part of the first tour, meaning we had a small, intimate look at this architectural marvel.
Like most mosques, the architecture is steeped in symbolism. The name itself means “freedom mosque”, in reference to the fight for freedom Indonesia went through. The dome of the main prayer hall is a stunning 45 meters in diameter, reflecting Indonesia’s independence in 1945. There are 12 massive pillars symbolizing the 12 prophets of Muhammad. Even the choice to have a single minaret is to symbolize the greatness of the one god. We were blown away at every detail, it’s so unique and vast to witness in person. Our guide the main hall can hold 120,000 worshippers, which is so hard to imagine.
As you can see, the building is very intentionally built with hundreds of references to Islam and Indonesia’s freedom. Not only that, the mosque goes to great lengths to show tolerance and unity with the other religions of Indonesia. The choice to build directly across from the cathedral, as well as share a parking lot, and even connect with an underground tunnel, shows great harmony with their Abrahamic neighbors.
Istiqlal is a truly fascinating mosque. Its modern architecture makes it stand apart from every other mosque we’ve seen. It’s not just large, it’s beautiful in ways even greater than mosques usually are. Not only is it religiously significant, but it’s a grand monument to the country’s unique history and religious heritage.
Cafe Batavia
We decided to shake things up and visit the old town of Jakarta. This is the center of Batavia, the old name of Jakarta given by the Dutch during their extensive control of Southeast Asia. At the time, Jakarta was the most important city to the Dutch colonies, so there are many colonial buildings scattered about the area. Sitting on a large plaza is Cafe Batavia, a historical restaurant in the second-oldest building in the old quarter, built in 1837. The building used to house governors and their offices, but was converted and restored in the 90’s.
Cafe Batavia serves a mix of Western European and Indonesian dishes. This spot is definitely upscale, with a nice interior, amazing staff, and prices to match. Most of the items on the menu hover around 10-20 USD, which is very pricy for food in Indonesia. We split the difference and got a western avocado toast, and rendang, a national dish of Indonesia. The toast was fine, but the slow-cooked beef was much better, with a lot more flavor and nice spices to fill the pallete.
They also have an interesting menu of traditional Indonesian drinks. Given how much we loved the tea we got the day before in Badung, we had to try some out. Overall, the food was surprisingly underwhelming. The service was great, and the historical building is quite interesting, but we don’t recommend coming for the food alone. The longer we go along, the more we prefer Asian over European cuisine, and we think the Western influence may be why it fell a bit flat for us. Regardless, it’s still a fascinating and beautiful place to grab some brunch.
Soto Betawi H. Husen
After the mildly underwhelming meal, we made our way to a local spot to get the most famous dish of the city, soto betawi. This is a Jakarta-style beef soup, with delicious creamy coconut milk and aromatic spices. This local spot is really the flavor we were looking for. Even though it was miserably hot outside, we didn’t mind demolishing this local staple. It’s super savory and creamy, exactly what you’d expect from Asian island cuisine. We weren’t super hungry, but we weren’t going to be back in the area again, so we knew we had to check it out. We’re glad we did, because it ended up being a food highlight of Indonesia for us.
One Fifteenth Coffee
Jakarta is a hot city, and we were simply roasting alive by this point. Luckily, we planned a specialty coffee shop to beat the heat. One Fifteenth is one of the few specialty shops I could find in the city, which was pretty surprising, as Jakarta has a lot of people, and Indonesia is a major coffee producer. High-quality coffee just isn’t in their playbook I guess. Regardless, as soon as we walked in, we knew we had chosen well. The name One Fifteenth refers to the ratio of beans to water in a pour over, which is some nerdy stuff.
This place is decorated more like a really nice kitchen, with comfortable nooks and bar seating, and a direct view of the food prep area. Their food menu looked amazing, so we were a bit bummed we couldn’t try it out. Thankfully, the coffee was very good. A solid light roast brewed well can never disappoint. It’s not the best coffee I’ve had, but considering the city’s alternatives, I was very pleased.
Jakarta Aquarium Safari
Jakarta isn’t a tourist haven, so we knew we were going to struggle finding a full day’s worth of things to do. We planned to visit an aquarium if we needed to kill some time, and the main aquarium of the city happened to be closed for the holiday, so we chose Jakarta Aquarium Safari instead. It is located in a surprisingly massive mall, with every brand of food and retail imaginable. From the outside, we had no idea what to expect, but walking in we were pleasantly surprised.
As the name would suggest, it’s not just an aquarium, but a safari as well. There are plenty of animals, from large birds, reptiles, bugs, and even monkeys. Most of the enclosures were large and nice for an indoor zoo. We got to hold a parrot, and Yemisi was brave enough to hold a cute lizard and a hissing cockroach! Of course, there was absolutely no shortage of fish either.
From tropical fish, indigenous endangered species, and invasives, they had it all. There wasn’t anything mind blowing, but we were shocked at just how many aquatic animals called this mall home. There was even a penguin show, with so many people watching, we could barely see their tricks. At the end is a massive tank full of large fish, sharks, and sea turtles. Given our lack of any expectations, we had a total blast hanging out with the animals and beating the heat.
Bebek Goreng H. Slamet
For our final meal of the day, we got bebek goreng, which is fried duck. It’s exactly what it sounds like: duck deep-fried to a beautiful golden brown, served with rice and greens. When you walk in, the incredible smell smacks you in the face. This meal is not healthy, but oh boy is it good. The star of the show is the sambal ulek, which is a spicy Indonesian sauce made with red chilis, adding an incredible kick to balance the rich fattiness.
I’ll be honest, Indonesian food isn’t our favorite. We’ve been to many countries, and we consistently find that the stronger the flavor, the better. Spices, heat, savory-ness, and flavor-packed foods are what get us. Indonesian food has a lot of unseasoned raw veggies, simple meats, and mild spices. Nothing is bad, but not a lot blew us away either. This meal on the other hand was by far the best thing we ate on our trip, probably because of how unhealthy it is.
Henshin
Whenever we’re in a new city, we love going to a rooftop bar at night. It’s a great way to get a good view of the city, and feel a little fancy without breaking the bank. Henshin is a rooftop is a Puruvian-Japanese fusion restaurant located on the 67th floor of the Westin. Why is there is there a Nikkei rooftop bar in Jakarta? It is unclear to me, but we’re glad it’s there. We were stuffed from the food of the day, but we happily ordered drinks and took a spot on the outside deck.
Jakarta doesn’t have many skyscrapers, so the view was incredible. It is a complicated city, with endless stretches of neighborhoods, slums, and commercial districts. Jakarta’s metro area is one of the largest in the world, with 32 million people densely packed together. The air quality isn’t great, so looking out and seeing the dense neighborhoods was a unique sight. After we left we agreed that Henshin was one of the better rooftop bars we’ve visited.
Richeese Factory & J.CO Donuts
At the end of our time in Jakarta, we wanted to try some of Indonesias fast-food staples, Richeese Factory and J.CO Donuts. Richeese is famous for their spicy chicken and cheese dips, and foreigners love to destroy their mouths with the hottest chicken available: Fire Chicken. We got level 5, the hottest it gets.
I was nervous because people freak out over it, but once we took a bite we were underwhelmed. It was definitely spicy, but I’d consider it very manageable. I have a high spice tolerance, and I could easily eat the whole chicken without my tongue even going numb. As I mentioned earlier, Indonesian food isn’t spicy at all, so compared to that maybe this is super hot. If you can comfortably eat Korean or Vietnamese food no issue, this is a cakewalk.
J.CO is by far the most popular donut shop in Indonesia, with over 200 locations in Asia. It’s really popular for foreigners, so we thought we’d give it a try. They have no shortage of flavors, and all of them are named with puns which we found charming. The taste is good, with a nice soft bread and high quality icing. It’s not the greatest in the world, but it’s about on the level of Krispy Kreme, and definitely better than Dunkin.
Final Thoughts
Jakarta is one of the most unique cities we’ve ever visited. Because of the colonial history, and unique physical location, Jakarta is different than any place we’ve seen. It’s not the easiest city for tourists, but if you’re looking hard enough, it’s worth spending a day or two here. The city is massive, so it’s not for the faint of heart, but there are plenty of things to do in Jakarta if you’re adventurous.
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