Things To Do In Jakarta

Things to do in Jakarta

Jakarta, a vast, sprawling megacity of over ten million people, is Indonesia's commercial heart and still its capital in practice while the new capital, Nusantara, is built in Borneo.

Kota Tua, the old Dutch town of Batavia, centres on Fatahillah Square, with the old town hall, now the Jakarta History Museum, and the Wayang Museum of shadow puppets. Rent a colourful bicycle in the square, and walk to the old harbour of Sunda Kelapa, where traditional wooden pinisi schooners still unload cargo.

The National Monument, Monas, a 132-metre obelisk topped with a flame covered in gold leaf, stands in Merdeka Square; take the lift to the top for the view. Next to it, the Istiqlal Mosque, the largest in Southeast Asia, welcomes visitors with a guide, and faces Jakarta Cathedral across the road, a symbol of religious tolerance.

The National Museum has one of Asia's best collections of Hindu-Buddhist sculpture and ethnographic objects from across the archipelago.

The Thousand Islands, a chain of islands about two hours north by boat, have beaches and snorkelling. Bogor's botanical gardens are an hour away by train.