4 Best Things To Do In Jakarta

History & Culture

Our first recommendation on things to do in Jakarta would be to see the history and culture of Jakarta, as well as Indonesia. Two prominent landmarks in Jakarta are the National Monument, popularly known as Monas, and the old town of Jakarta. Plus, there are many museums you might want to visit, each with its own distinct theme. Jakarta also hosts the best place to see Indonesia's culture at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII).

Visit Monas - The National Monument

Monas (Monumen Nasional) – The Indonesia's National Monument

Monumen Nasional, shortened as Monas, is the Indonesia National Monument that are located in the heart of Jakarta. It is a 132 meter height monument in the middle of a vast garden. You can stroll in the garden, explore the  National History Museum in the semi-basement, and look at the view of Jakarta from its observing deck near the top of the monument.

Explore Kota Tua Jakarta

Kota Tua Jakarta – Jakarta Old Town – where the history of Jakarta began ...

While Monas is the landmark of the city, the old town is the best place to learn the history of Jakarta. The surrounding area has many historical buildings and museums, but the most popular place is Fatahillah Square. It used to be a city square, when the Jakarta History Museum was a city hall, as retold here: "From a City Hall to a Museum."

But then again Jakarta History Museum wasn't born in this city hall. It was established in the nearby building, which initially was built for a church. Read the story of "From a Church to a Museum" here ...

These stories are part of Jakarta's old town history and charm. Find out more about Kota Tua Jakarta ...

Look Around The Museums In Jakarta

If you love history, one of the things to do in Jakarta would be visiting the museums. Jakarta has  many museums, ranging from the government owned to the private owned, each has its own theme. The prominent ones are:

• The National Museum of Indonesia, but many people know it as Museum Gajah (The Elephant Museum). Continue reading to find out why it is popular as Museum Gajah ...
• The National History Museum, which is located in the semi basement of Monas. This museum is unique because it told the history through many dioramas. Continue reading the National History Museum...
• Taman Mini Indonesia Indah has the most museums located in one place. Presently, there are 18 museums, each has different theme. Continue reading museums in TMII ...

• Another place where you can walk from one museum to the other is called District Museum at the old town of Jakarta. There are six museums here, all depict the history from various angles: the maritime, the origin of Jakarta, history of banks in Indonesia, and cultural in terms of arts, ceramic and puppets.

Explore Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII)

Do you want to see the beauty and richness of Indonesian culture in one day? You should put Taman Mini Indonesia Indah in your list of things to do in Jakarta. TMII has beautiful traditional houses from every province and ethnic groups in Indonesia. There are 18 museums in TMII, 7 different places of worships, a planetarium, a waterpark, an IMAX and many parks.

Brief Look of TMII

Rides & Cinemas in TMII

Parks & Gardens in TMII

Museums in TMII

Nature, Theme Parks, and Wild Animals

Have Fun In Taman Impian Jaya Ancol (Ancol Dreamland)

Next on the list of things to do in Jakarta is going to the beach! It means going to Ancol, the beach in the north of Jakarta. It started out as a beach, but over the years it has developed into an integrated tourist attraction. In addition to the beach, you will find a theme park (Dufan), Sea World, a mall (Ancol Beach City), a water park (Atlantis Water Adventure), a cable car, animal shows in Ocean Beach Samudra, a zoo in Allianz Eco Park, a marina, a bowling alley (Jaya Bowling), a golf course, hotels, and restaurants.

Go To Ragunan Zoo

Opened since 1966, Ragunan Zoo is one of the most favorite places to visit in Jakarta. There are many wild animals and spacious lawns for picnics. Make sure you also visit Schmutzer Primate Center, where many primates reside, including a couple of gorillas!

Continue reading Ragunan Zoo ...

See Sea Creatures In Jakarta Aquarium

Jakarta Aquarium is the best place to see sea creatures in Indonesia. All are contained in various sizes of aquariums. Its collection also includes animals that live in the beach, mud, and mangrove. Don't miss the live performance in the main tank where the performers act like mermaids and swim without oxygen tank. 

Continue reading Jakarta Aquarium...

Have Fun In Kidzania Jakarta

Your children might put Kidzania in their top list of things to do in Jakarta because Kidzania is a children playground to play pretend. It looks like a small city complete with all of the amenities and facilities designed with children in mind. 

Continue reading on Kidzania ...

Spend Time In Taman Wisata Alam Angke Kapuk

Taman Wisata Alam Angke Kapuk is a conserved mangrove forest that has been developed to accommodate tourists. It provides lodging, boats, and walking paths to roam the mangrove forest easily.

Where is it? What things you can do there? Continue reading Taman Wisata Alam Angke Kapuk to find the answer ...

Shopping

Being a metropolitan, Jakarta has many places for shopping. The most obvious one is the shopping malls that are scattered all over the city. Today's shopping malls have transformed into a one stop entertainment for the whole family. Hence, you might go to a mall for shopping, watching movies, hanging out with friends, etc. Some malls have ice skating rinks, bowling alleys, and aquariums. Even the @america, the U.S. Embassy's American cultural center, is in a mall.

Taman Anggrek Indonesia Permai (TAIP)

But malls are not the only place for shopping. If you like orchid, you should visit Taman Anggrek Indonesia Permai (TAIP). Here they sell many types of orchids, from seedling to plants with blooming flowers. 

Continue reading Taman Anggrek Indonesia Permai ... 

Jakarta Great Sale Festival

If you visit Jakarta on late June, you might stumble upon the Jakarta Great Sale Festival. It is a whole month event to celebrate Jakarta's anniversary. The biggest event is the Jakarta Fair. Then there are a whole month of retail sale in shopping malls as well as traditional markets. Recently, the online markets also participate in this event.

Continue reading on Jakarta Great Sale ...

Explore PIK Jakarta

Explore PIK Jakarta.

Over the years, PIK Jakarta has grown tremendously. Today, it becomes the best place in indulging you with many kinds of great foods, beautiful spots for selfies, and endless shopping!

Continue reading what to do in PIK Jakarta ...

Eat

Although eating is a basic thing to do, there are so many foods you will encounter in Jakarta. From traditional foods such as Ketoprak, Soto Betawi, and Kerak Telor; to foods from other ethnicities and nationalities. Today, to eat is not the act alone that counts, but where you eat also affect your contentment. For example, dining in a shopping mall entails hanging out with family and friends, or doing other activities afterward, such as shopping, going to cinemas and ice rinks, having a haircut, etc.

Recently, a new type of eateries emerges in Jakarta. For example, Pantjoran at Pantai Indah Kapuk (PIK), Old Shanghai at Sedayu City near Kelapa Gading, and Broadway at Flavor Bliss, Alam Sutera. Each of these eateries has its own theme. Inside is a cluster of restaurants and food stalls. You can choose to eat inside the restaurants or in the court. These places are beautifully decorated according to their themes, which makes them great venues for hangouts and selfies.

Pantjoran Chinatown at Pantai Indah Kapuk

Pantjoran PIK Jakarta, Best Place for Hangout, Selfies, and Eat Tasty Food

Pantjoran PIK has hundreds of restaurants and food stalls. Plus, the place is beautifully decorated, which makes it looks like a neat traditional Chinese village. Many of its walls are artfully painted with murals. Hence, without any doubt, Pantjoran PIK is a good place for hangout with family and friends, having tasty food and drinks, and selfies.

Old Shanghai

Old Shanghai – a nice place to eat, hangout, and take lots of selfies.

Old Shanghai is a group of restaurants and food stalls selling food and drinks in one place. From a distance, it looks like a traditional Chinese village or fortress. A great place to eat, hangout, and selfies.

There are so many things to do in Jakarta, which also spread out to nearby places such as Thousand Islands (Kepulauan Seribu in Bahasa Indonesia), Anyer beach, Puncak Pass, Bandung, Lembang and Bogor.  Find out what's so interesting there: