Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia, located on the northwest of the island of Java. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre and the most populous city not only in Indonesia but in Southeast Asia as a whole.
Although the city is known for its heavy traffic and high level of pollution it is filled with an exciting nightlife and vibrant shopping areas. The city is also the centre and melting pot of Indonesian culture which might be the thing for you to enjoy Jakarta.
One excellent surprise you'll find in Jakarta is that once you past the taxi drivers who offer their services at the airport and really meet the locals, you will find that the people are among the most friendly, hospitable, and helpful people you'll find on earth, if you keep away from the mini-bus drivers who are notorious for being the harshest on earth. However, understand that Jakarta being a melting pot, you are guaranteed to meet people of all sorts here.
Districts
Jakarta is administratively divided into the following named districts (note that these district except central Jakarta are very dense in terms of area):Central Jakarta (Jakarta Pusat) - The Heart of Jakarta's Administrative, Government and financial, an aptly named district and the site of Jakarta's symbol, the 132 metre Monas (Monumen Nasional) which is located in world's largest city square "Lapangan Merdeka". Surrounding the area lies the presidential palace, government building, Istiqal Mosque (the largest Mosque in Southeast Asia), Jakarta's gothic cathedral and also the National Museum of Indonesia. There are also various museums within this part of the city such as National Gallery of Indonesia or Jakarta Planetarium. The area is also home to Jakarta's major landmark Bundaran HI or the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, which is where Jakarta's top most exclusive malls are located. One small road in the area called Jalan Jaksa or Jaksa road, a backpacker street, houses numbers of budget hotels and restaurants for travelers.
West Jakarta (Jakarta Barat) - Home to Jakarta's only surviving old town area "Jakarta kota tua" a small area consisting of dutch colonial buildings, its streets are throng with hawker food, crafted good vendors, artist as well as Jakartans youth hanging around. This area is home to the Fatahillah Museum or Jakarta History Museum, and numbers of few other museums cafes converted from old Batavia's offices, banks, warehouses and shops. It is also home to Jakarta's Chinatown called "Glodok" area. Glodok is more of electronic promenade of Jakarta, however is rich in street hawker food and Chinese cuisine restaurant as well as old Chinese temples complexes. There are alot of shopping going on in this area as well, as it is home to Indonesia's largest shopping mall "Mall Taman Anggrek"(Orchid Garden Mall).
East Jakarta (Jakarta Timur) - Industrial Quarter of the city, and Location of Taman Mini Indonesia Indah where you can see parts of Indonesia's multiethnic community rounded up as 1, also crafted good at Utan Kayu art community, Cibubur camping ground, and Jakarta's 2nd airport, Halim Perdanakusuma airport.
North Jakarta (Jakarta Utara) - Jakarta's main harbor area famed for its seafood and is the gateway to Thousand Island province of Jakarta. The Place is home to area filled with excitement and bustling entertainment The Ancol Bayfront City Asia's largest integrated tourism area consiting of fascinating Dufan theme park, Sea World, art markets, eco parks, shopping mall and beachside entertainment. The beautiful Thousand Islands is located just across the sea of Jakarta, it can be crossed by jetty service and is a place where people could escape the city's heavy combustion and pollution and enjoy beautiful beach with marine parks and world class resorts.
Jakarta's nickname among expats is the Big Durian, and like its fruit namesake, it's a shock at first sight (and smell): a sweltering, steaming, heaving mass of some 28 million people packed into a vast urban sprawl. The so-called megapolitan is a charm for Indonesians, both as a business and a government center, as it is the most developed city in Indonesia. But all of this comes at a cost: the city has been struggling very hard to keep up with the urban growth. Major roads are packed up during rush hours, while the public transportation system has been unable to alleviate that much traffic. Housing the population has been a problem too and adding to that, the numerous people's mentality are yet to make the city a great place to live in, as dreamed of.
All that said, while initially a bit overwhelming, if you can withstand the pollution and can afford to indulge in her charms, you can discover what is also one of Asia's most exciting, most lively global cities. There is plenty to do in Jakarta, from green parks & historical centers, to cosmopolitan shopping, diverse gourmet choices, and one of the hippest nightlife in Southeast Asia!
History
The port of Sunda Kelapa dates to the 12th century, when it served the Sundanese kingdom of Pajajaran near present-day Bogor. The first Europeans to arrive were the Portuguese, who were given the permission by the Hindu Kingdom of Pakuan Pajajaran to erect a godown in 1522. Control was still firmly in local hands, and in 1527 the city was conquered by Prince Fatahillah, a Muslim prince from Cirebon, who changed the name to Jayakarta.
By the end of the 16th century, however, the Dutch (led by Jan Pieterszoon Coen) had pretty much taken over the port city, and the razing of a competing English fort in 1619 secured their hold on the island of Java. The Dutch razed the old Jayakarta port during their conquest and rebuilt the town with dutch style of town planning, fort and canals. Under the name Batavia, the new Dutch town became the capital of the Dutch East Indies and was known as the Queen of the East.
During these times the town flourishes as the center of the Dutch East Indies Trading Company and grow radpidly, and during this time as well that Chinese and Eurasian population grew within the city. In order to keep order and control the Dutch banned the native Javanese to live within the walled part of the city while encouraging Chinese immigrant to flock the commercial walled city with its canal. It is also known that after the Dutch conquest of Malacca, Significant number of Portuguese decent people from Malacca were taken as captive to Batavia and they live in area called "Kampung Tugu".
The old Batavia which were planned in Dutch planning and canal were not doing so well, in fact the canal itself became breeding ground for mosquitoes. The city centre became unhealthy and filthy and the city were nicknamed "The Cemetry of the Europeans, this is also the reason why the city grew more in land.
In 1740, Chinese slaves rebelled against the Dutch. The rebellion was put down harshly with the massacre of thousands of Chinese slaves. The remaining Chinese slaves were exiled to Sri Lanka.
In 1795, the Netherlands were invaded and occupied by France, and on March 17, 1798, the Batavian Republic, a satellite state of France, took over both VOC debts and assets. But on August 26, 1811, a British expedition led by Lord Minto defeated the French/Dutch troops in Jakarta, leading to a brief liberation and subsequent administration of Indonesia by the British (led by Sir Stamford Raffles of Singapore fame) in 1811-1816. In 1815, after the Congress of Vienna, Indonesia was officially handed over from the British to the Dutch government.
In the early 1800s most canals were filled in, the town was shifted 4 km inland and the Pearl of the Orient flourished once again.
In the 18th century, more than 60% of Batavia's population consisted of slaves working for the VOC. The slaves were mostly engaged to undertake housework, while working and living conditions were generally reasonable.[citation needed] Laws were enacted that protected slaves against overly-cruel actions from their masters; for example, Christian slaves were given freedom after the death of their masters, while some slaves were allowed to own a store and made money to buy their freedom. Sometimes, slaves fled and established gangs that would roam throughout the area. From the beginning of the VOC establishment in Batavia, until the colony became a fully-fledged town, the population of Batavia grew tremendously. At the beginning, Batavia consisted of approximately 50,000 inhabitants and, by the second half of the 19th century, Batavia consisted of 800,000 inhabitants. By the end of the VOC rule of Batavia, the population of Batavia had reached one million.
The name Jakarta was adopted as a short form of Jayakarta when the city was taken over by the Japanese in 1942. After the second world war, the Indonesian declared their independence at Koningsplein which is today's Merdeka Square. The Indonesian war of independence followed after the second World War, with the capital briefly shifted to Yogyakarta after the Dutch attacked. The war lasted until 1949, when the Dutch accepted Indonesian independence and handed back the town, which became Indonesia's capital again.
Since independence Jakarta's population has skyrocketed, thanks to migrants coming to the city in search of (illusive) wealth. The entire Jabotabek (Jakarta-Bogor-Tangerang-Bekasi-Depok) metropolitan region (now officially Jabodetabekjur last census count (2010) was 28 million people, a figure projected to have hit 30 million already. The official name of the city is Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta Raya (DKI Jakarta), meaning "Special Capital City Region".
Get in
By plane
At the airport
Departure taxes|As of February 2015, Soekarno-Hatta Airport departure taxes (Passenger Service Charge) are included in the cost of the air ticket. There is no need for further cash payment at the airline counters.
Soekarno Hatta International Airport (IATA: CGK; ICAO: WIII), [1] at Tangerang, Banten. All international and nearly all domestic flights land here 20 km (12 mi) to the northwest of the city. The counterintuitive airport code comes from Cengkareng, a district near the airport. If you don't have non-stop options between your origin city and Jakarta, try connecting via Singapore or Kuala Lumpur as there are more than a dozen flights a day between these cities and Jakarta.
The Soekarno Hatta airport has three terminals, with lettered sub-terminals indicating separate, but interconnected, halls within the same building:
Terminal 1 (A-B-C). Used by the lower-cost airlines: Express Air, Lion Air, Sriwijaya Air, Airfast Indonesia, Aviastar, Citilink, Kal Star Aviation, and Trigana Air Service.
Terminal 2 (D-E-F). Used by Air Asia Malaysia, Air Asia Indonesia, All Nippon Airways, Asiana Airlines, Batik Air, Business Air, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Flynas, Garuda Indonesia (international routes), Japan Airlines, ValuAir, Kuwait Airways, Lion Air, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines, Malindo Air, Mihin Lanka,Merpati Nusantara, Philippine Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Royal Brunei Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways International, Thai Lion Air, Tiger Air, Turkish Airlines, Xiamen Airlines, Yemenia, Air China, Air France, Cebu Pacific Airlines, China Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Etihad Airways, EVA Air, Garuda Indonesia, KLM-Air France, Korean Air, Saudia, and Vietnam Airlines.
Terminal 3 Used by Garuda Indonesia on domestic routes. Sometimes referred to as "T3 Ultimate".
The airport is undergoing full-scale renovations: Terminal 3, still only half-complete, has plenty of public spaces, a small park, high roofs, directly adjacent parking and will host a large variety of shops in the future. Terminal 1, in contrast, is far more utilitarian and only has a few restaurants scattered outside the checkin area. Terminal 2 is considerably closer to T3; visitors have very limited access to it, but is reasonably modern and has a variety of shops inside. Comfortable lounges for visitors are plentiful in both T2 and T3 - you may be qualified for a free stay based on your flight or bank membership, or you can pay for Rp 50,000 - 100,000. Public seating for other visitors is available in both T2 and T3, with some more past the traveller-only security point.
To travel between terminals, there are free but less-than-reliable shuttle buses; travelers in a hurry may opt to take a Taxi for about Rp 50,000 instead - ensure it's a metered ride. Buses stop at designated points in the arrival hall and have no external storage compartments, which can get cumbersome during peak times. Garuda Indonesia has a dedicated transfer service between Terminals 3 and 2 with ample signage in between.
Visas on arrival (VoA) are available at the airport, see the main Indonesia article for the details of the rules; they may be paid in cash or credit card. ATMs are available either in or past luggage collection in all 3 terminals, and as Indonesian taxis don't all support credit card, it's advisable to have some Rupiah on hand for your journey onwards. These ATMs may have low withdrawing limits; ask your driver to drop by another ATM on your way into town if necessary. Taxis are available at designated queues outside the arrival halls.
For overnight transits, there are a few hotels near the airport:
Sheraton Bandara Hotel, Bandara Soekarno-Hatta (3 km from airport). ☎ +62 21 559 7777, [2]. 5-star hotel with 205 Deluxe rooms and 15 Suite rooms. Rooms have Sheraton Sweet Sleeper beds and 32" LCD TVs. Complimentary shuttle airport pick-up and drop off and a private lounge at the airport. Check the special offers on the hotel's website to find special packages such as day use, special rewards and offer on related deals. From US$100.
The older Halim Perdanakusuma Airport (IATA: HLP, ICAO: WIHH), to the southeast of the city, is used by the military, VIP flights, charter flights, sea planes, helicopter leasing companies and private jets.
Susi Air, ☎ +62 811 211 3080, [3] provides services to local destinations across West Java from Halim Airport.
Alfa Air, ☎ +62 21 8087 1919, provides a seaplane charter service with their Cessna Caravan seaplane, based at Halim Airport.
Get into town
To get to the city, the easiest option is to contact your hotel to pick you up in the airport, as many hotels in Jakarta provide free airport transfers. Getting a taxi is a little more complicated.
Taxi
If you book from the counters right outside Customs, you'll get a nice car, jump to the head of the queue and pay around Rp 175,000 for a trip to the Golden Triangle. These counters can also sell you SIM cards and refills (pulsa).
If you head past the counters, you'll get to the ordinary taxi ranks — and encounter many taxi touts and baggage carriers, these individuals would likely scam visitors and should be ignored and will probably need waving off (just wave your hand and shake your head). There are several reliable taxi operators such as Silver Bird, Blue Bird, and Ekspress taxi having their own taxi rank spot in the terminal, the customers must queue in line to be served as numbers of taxis came along in several minutes to about 15 minutes intervals (depends on availability and traffic). Silver Bird is a premium taxi company and it is very reliable operator with good drivers and plush Mercedes cabs, but pricier than the rest at around Rp 120,000 to the Golden Triangle (City Center). Blue Bird Taxi and Ekspress Taxi are two most reliable taxi service in Jakarta. It has smaller but still nice air-conditioned Toyota Vios cars, and would cost you around Rp 90,000 to Central Jakarta/Golden Triangle. Other operators will charge you in the vicinity of Rp 70,000-90,000. Pondok Indah (south Jakarta) would cost Rp 130,000 to Rp 180,000 in a Bluebird taxi, depending on traffic, plus Rp 25,000 toll charges. Tolls will have to be paid in addition and the deriver will ask for money at the first booth. A word of caution. Take some Rp 5,000 or Rp 10,000 notes for tolls. Otherwise, you will not see any change from that Rp 50,000 or Rp 100,000 note you give the driver for tolls. Conversely, round up the fare on the meter to the nearest Rp 1,000 or Rp 5,000 and pay the exact amount. Otherwise, the driver will retain the balance saying balance is tip!
All taxis use meters (argo), yet some touted taxi may insist on not using meters and charging inflated fix price (borongan), visitors should avoid this scam. Passengers are responsible for paying roadway tolls, prices are posted at the toll booths and a receipt is given. The airport has a docket system for payment of an airport surcharge in addition to the normal taxi metered charge. It is detailed on the docket and is determined by destination distance. You are asked for your destination when arriving at the taxi rank and the docket is issued accordingly when you are assigned a taxi. If you do not make it clear that you require a taxi you may not be assigned one. Usually, taxi staff are uniformed. If someone offers you a taxi and they are not wearing the same uniform as the taxi company drivers then you are well advised to ignore them. Some of the uniformed taxi brokers are involved in a scam of telling foreign tourists about a high minimum payment for short trips. They receive a kickback from the drivers for setting tourists up to overpay.
Shuttle Bus
An economical alternative is the frequent DAMRI shuttle buses (15 min to 40 min between buses, depending on route and time) which connect to numerous Jakarta destinations; Gambir (the most appropriate for those going to Jalan Jaksa and Central Jakarta area), Rawamangun, Blok M, Tanjung Priok, Kampung Rambutan (for Depok), Pasar Minggu, Lebak Bulus and Kemayoran (Rp 25,000) as well as directly to the neighboring cities of Bekasi, Serang (Rp 30,000), Bogor and Cikarang (Rp 35,000). The bus service from the airport operates until midnight (despite what taxi touts may say to you). It is reliable, comfortable and air-conditioned. You can get the tickets in the many counters after the airport exit.
If arriving by an international flight at Terminal 2, head to the left after going out of the building until you see DAMRI ticket booths and bus stops. In terminal 3, the bus stop is in front of it just behind taxi ranks. Note that DAMRI service to the airport shuts down much earlier - for example, the bus from Gambir operates from 3.30am to 7.30pm. From Terminal 1 (domestic), just cross the taxi stop, the bus stop is on the other side of the road (signs read Shelter Bus).
Damri buses operate from 3 a.m. (Western Indonesia Standard Time) to 9:30 p.m. from the city, and to midnight from the airport. Buses stop to pick up passengers at departure areas in all terminals. All buses use the Prof. Dr. Sedyatmo Toll Road. Travel time to and from the centre of Jakarta to the Gambir railway station takes around 70 minutes (sometimes longer), depending on traffic. Buses to the airport leave from the various terminals in central Jakarta (Gambir) and surrounding areas (It may vary depend on traffic).
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