Jakarta in 3 days: 32 million people in the Southern Hemisphere's largest urban area, a 17th-century Dutch colonial city center, the world's longest bus rapid transit network, and the national dish available from a midnight pushcart on every corner.
The 1.3 sq km remnant of Dutch Batavia (1619–1942): Fatahillah Square surrounded by the City Hall (now history museum), Fine Arts Museum (former Hall of Justice) and Wayang puppetry museum. The pinisi sailing schooners at Sunda Kelapa harbor.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideSoutheast Asia's largest museum: the world's first Homo erectus discovery (700,000–1M years old) and the extraordinary Hindu-Buddhist gold jewelry of 7th–15th century Java and Sumatra.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideBuilt opposite Jakarta Cathedral as a symbol of religious harmony: the largest mosque in Southeast Asia and the 3rd largest in the world, sharing a parking lot with the Catholic cathedral on Sundays.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideThe 17th-century Chinese trading quarter: Hokkien-style noodles, flat rice noodles with dark soy and Chinese sausage, and the Chinese-Indonesian tradition of pork cooking (in this Muslim-majority city).
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuide45km north of the city: snorkeling at the coral reefs around Harapan and Kelapa islands, and the VOC fort ruins on Onrust Island being reclaimed by jungle. Speedboat 40–70 min from Marina Ancol.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideKakap, kerapu and cumi-cumi (snapper, grouper, squid) grilled at a beach warung and served with the most aromatic sambal in Indonesia: raw shallots, lemongrass and bird's-eye chilli in coconut oil.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideDay-old rice fried with sweet kecap manis soy, shallots, chilli, shrimp paste and a runny fried egg on top: each plate made to order in 3 minutes at a pushcart that operates until 3am.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideThe 1909 Dutch colonial suburb: wide boulevards with intact colonial villas (now embassies), the Situ Lembang lake, and the rice porridge breakfast with shredded chicken and fried shallots at a Menteng cafe.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideThe converted wet market: the original vegetable stalls on the ground floor, specialty coffee shops and independent vinyl record shops and vintage denim on the floors above. The most eclectic market in Jakarta.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideJakarta's most famous food street: the thick coconut-milk Betawi beef soup (the native Jakarta dish), the peanut sauce vegetable salad (Indonesia's most famous export dish), and the fish-beef meatball noodle soup.
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