Jakarta has a somewhat undeserved but fearsome reputation amongst travellers. Known as a sprawling mega-city with traffic and environmental problems to match, it’s a place where few visitors linger. The majority of families travelling through Indonesia use it as an entry point before moving on as soon as possible. But it turns out that would be a mistake, as there’s plenty here to justify at least a day or two of your time.
We spent two days here with our boys and once we’d got used to the pace and rhythm of life, we were surprised by how much we all enjoyed ourselves. Yes, the city is chaotic, sprawling and smoggy, with horrendous traffic and urban planning that relegates pedestrians to the bottom of the pile, but it’s also packed with interesting contrasts, impressive museums, family-friendly activities and a sense of excitement and wonder that’s only found in true mega-cities.
Once we got our bearings and worked out the rules of the road (and pavement), the cooler temperatures compared with those at home in Penang (we travelled in July) made exploring on foot surprisingly pleasant, and we began to discover another side of Jakarta beyond the fumes and chaos.
Itinerary for 1 day in Jakarta with kids
Jakarta’s traffic is legendary for all the wrong reasons, so the trick to a successful day is to get around on foot as much as possible. Once you enter the old town area, it gets a whole lot quieter and walking is more relaxing than you might expect.
Morning: Kota Tua
Take a Grab or walk to Jakarta’s Old Town, which is home to the city’s most interesting architecture and cultural spaces. At the centre is Fatahillah Square where you’ll find Jakarta History Museum, but we decided to venture into the nearby Wayang Museum instead and its collection of traditional puppets as our youngest loves theatre.
After the museum, pop into Café Batavia for a drink, snack and refresh before continuing your walk along the canal to Jembatan Kota Intan (translates to Diamond City Bridge), a quaint colonial bridge that crosses the canal and brings you out onto one of the city’s main roads.
Late Morning: Jakarta’s Religious Landmarks
Next stops on the tour are two of the city’s most important religious sites: Jakarta Cathedral and Istiqlal Mosque. A Grab or Bluebird taxi is easiest, although you may spot a bajaj (Jakarta’s version of a tuk-tuk) to take you on the twenty-minute journey between the two. It’s more fun this way but be aware of the extra pollution you’ll face as it’s all open-air travel!
Jakarta Cathedral is a beautiful building and a peaceful retreat from the non-stop energy of Jakarta, but make sure the kids conserve enough energy and enthusiasm for the real star of the show across the road: Istiqlal Mosque.
Indonesia’s largest mosque is also the biggest in Southeast Asia, and you need to spend some time inside to truly appreciate the scale of the building. Slightly formal tours are run for tourists every 30 minutes from 10am to 4.30pm, with breaks from 11.30am to 1.00pm and 3pm to 4pm. You should plan to spend an hour or two at the mosque. You’re free to wander around after the tour finishes and it’s a good place to find some shade in the middle of the day. Many local families visit during this time so it’s a lovely relaxed atmosphere and younger kids might find a few friends to play with.
The cathedral and mosque sit contentedly opposite each other, intentionally designed to show the harmony and tolerance between the two religions in Indonesia.
There are plenty of places nearby for lunch and we enjoyed some noodles at Terasultan Istiqlal in the grounds of the mosque.
Afternoon: Merdeka Square and Grand Indonesia
The third significant place in the area around the mosque and cathedral is Merdeka Square, a vast space just a short walk away and the heart of modern-day Indonesia. Here you’ll find the National Monument (known as Monas), which is a 130m tall obelisk visible from all around the city. The monument and museum are open to visitors but there can be a large queue at weekends and public holidays. If you think the kids will enjoy running around, there are a few playgrounds and basketball courts, plus food and drink kiosks. Gambir station (the main one in the city) is only another few minutes’ walk away and it has fast-food restaurants if you’re all in need of air-con and some familiar food.
On our day trip, we felt ready to get out of the heat and noise, so decided to retreat into one of Jakarta’s enormous shopping malls (we picked Grand Indonesia). It was a welcome break from sightseeing and gave the boys a change of pace. You know what to expect from these city malls: food courts, gaming shops, air-conditioning and something for everyone. We made a compromise of combining a Lego shop, sports shops, bookshops and a beer at a German bierhaus, and everyone seemed to think they had the best time. There’s also a play area for smaller kids, Kidzooona, on floor 3A.
If you have another day: Dufan Ancol
One day exploring the streets of Jakarta is likely to be enough for most families, so you might decide to follow our lead and spend your second day at Dufan Ancol theme park, particularly if you have kids who love theme parks
To set expectations, this isn’t Universal Studios in Singapore, and the theme park is quite rough around the edges. Many rides are frequently closed for maintenance and they haven’t really got the hang of managing queue numbers so it can be a long hot day. It’s really worth paying for fast-track passes, even if it’s just for the kids. It makes a huge difference to your day and ensures you get to spend more time riding than queuing.
How to get to Jakarta from the Airport
Grab is the easiest way to get from the airport into Jakarta and it should take around one hour but that’s heavily dependent on traffic. It’s simple to order on the app and the pickup points are clearly signposted from the Arrivals area of the airport. Grab also have staff members on hand to help with booking and finding your driver.
If you’re heading back to the airport from the city, factor in plenty of time to allow for traffic and remember that Google Maps doesn’t always accurately estimate journey times when so many drivers ignore road rules.
How to get around Jakarta
Grab is also the easiest way to get around the city, although the city’s Bluebird taxis are also reliable, easy to use and free from scams or dodgy drivers. Unlike in many other Southeast Asian cities, they’re a solid option if Grab is taking a long time to find you a driver.
Walking does work well around the central sights of the Old Town but there are diminishing returns once you leave the tourist areas, plus pollution becomes more of an issue. We loved our one bajaj/tuk-tuk ride but they’re more prone to fumes and overcharging than taxis or Grabs. Consider them for short journeys and ideally in groups of no more than two per bajaj.
Where we stayed
Hotels in Jakarta aren’t really good value for families and you’ll get more for your money if you book an apartment. They’re always a better option with a family as they give flexibility on cooking your own meals and there’s usually more space for the family to spread out. As the kids get older, the spare room to retreat to can make a huge difference to how successful and restorative down time is.
We stayed in Albus by Kozystay (China Town), a three-bedroom apartment in a good location in China Town, close enough to walk to the Old Town, with lots of restaurants nearby (including a supermarket on the ground floor). The balcony was a huge bonus, ideal for sunset views across the never-ending expanse of Jakarta (letting us truly appreciate the scale of the place).
Final Thoughts
Indonesia has so many world-class travel destinations for families to choose from, it’s understandable that its capital city gets overlooked. From the outside it seems like it would tick none of the usual family-friendly boxes. While it’s true that Jakarta isn’t where we’d recommend every family visits, it’s still a clever option if your gang enjoy experiencing somewhere a bit different before you move on and join the crowds. Unlike everywhere else in the country, we saw virtually no other families travelling and that made it interesting in its own right.
This isn’t a place you’ll want to be based for days on end though: one day of sightseeing is usually enough, perhaps with an extra day at a theme park to round things off. It’s also ideally placed to visit one of the Thousand Islands that sit a few kilometres off the city’s northern coastline. We visited Pramuka for some off-the-beaten-track exploring and diving before continuing east on the Whoosh train.
The best approach is to use Jakarta as we did, to appreciate the vastness and workings of a megacity, then use it as a launchpad to explore the rest of the country. For us, Jakarta was the start of 6 weeks backpacking through Indonesia.