Jakarta | aaarticle.com

Jakarta is Indonesia's vast capital, a sprawling megacity on the north coast of Java where more than ten million people meet across the archipelago's many cultures. Its draw is less a single sight than the energy, food and history of the old port city.

Overview

Jakarta grew from the Dutch colonial port of Batavia into one of the world’s largest urban areas, a dense, humid, traffic-heavy capital in constant motion. Beneath the malls and towers lie the old town of Kota Tua, Chinatown and the harbour that started it all, and the city gathers migrants and cuisines from every island. It is a place travellers pass through more than linger, but its museums, markets and street food reward a day or two.

Highlights

Kota Tua, the old Batavia, keeps Dutch-era squares and museums around Fatahillah Square, near the old harbour of Sunda Kelapa with its wooden schooners. The National Monument, or Monas, rises over Merdeka Square beside the huge Istiqlal Mosque and the national museum. Glodok, the Chinatown, and the city’s endless street food and malls fill out a stay in the capital.