Jakarta, Indonesia 6 Day Itinerary
Jakarta has roughly 10.5 million people in the city proper and the traffic to match. Learning that fact early saves you the frustration of wondering why a 7-km journey takes 90 minutes on a Thursday afternoon. Once you accept the city on its own terms, it opens up considerably.
Getting There and Into the City
Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (CGK) is 25 km northwest of the city centre in Tangerang. The fastest option into the city is the Railink airport train to Sudirman Baru (BNI City) station, which costs IDR 70,000 (around €4) and takes 45 minutes regardless of traffic. Buy tickets at the station before boarding; the train is clean, air-conditioned, and reliable.
If you have heavy luggage or need to go somewhere not near a main train station, use Grab or Gojek (both apps work at the airport) rather than a metered taxi from the kerb. Metered street taxis are the most common source of overcharging complaints; the apps have fixed prices and are far cheaper than most taxis anyway. A Grab from the airport to central Jakarta costs around IDR 200,000 to 350,000 (€11 to €20) but can take 45 to 120 minutes depending on traffic time of day.
Blue Bird is the exception: it is Jakarta’s most reputable metered taxi company and the drivers do use the meter honestly. If you prefer a physical taxi over an app, Blue Bird (blue cars, prominent logo) is the one to take.
Getting Around the City
Jakarta has an MRT (north-south line), a commuter rail network, and TransJakarta buses. For tourists, the MRT is the most practical: it runs between Lebak Bulus in the south and Kota in the north, is modern, has English signage, and a single trip costs IDR 14,000 (under €1). For everywhere else, Grab and Gojek cover the city comprehensively. GoPay and OVO are the most widely accepted digital wallets; set one up early as cashless payment is increasingly normal in malls and restaurants.
Where to Stay
The Sudirman-SCBD and Kuningan areas in South Jakarta are the best bases for first-time visitors: near the MRT, with good access to Kemang and the old town. Hotels in this zone (Fairmont, Le Meridien, Pullman) run IDR 1.2 to 2 million (€70 to €120) per night. Kemang itself has good mid-range options (boutique hotels, guesthouses at IDR 400,000 to 800,000) with the best restaurant density in the city.
Key Safety Notes
Never hail taxis from the street in tourist areas; use Grab or Gojek. Unlicensed money changers at Kota Tua and Monas use sleight-of-hand to short-change tourists; only use bank-licensed exchange counters (look for the Bank of Indonesia logo and QR code). Fake guides near major monuments sometimes divert visitors to souvenir shops and charge undisclosed fees; decline firmly and walk on. Tap water is not safe to drink anywhere in the city.
Day 1: Arrival and Central Jakarta
Arrive, take the Railink train or Grab to your hotel, and keep the first day light.
In the afternoon, take the MRT south to the Blok M area and walk around the neighbourhood to get a feel for the city at street level: warungs (small food stalls), motorbike taxis weaving between lanes, street vendors with carts. This is more representative of daily Jakarta than the air-conditioned malls and hotel lobbies.
For dinner, Kemang’s restaurant strip has good Indonesian, Japanese, and international options at moderate prices. Warung Turki on Kemang Raya is worth trying if you want something different. If you prefer staying central, Kafe Betawi near the Sudirman corridor does solid Betawi (Jakartan) food: ketoprak (rice cakes with peanut sauce), soto Betawi (beef coconut milk soup), and nasi uduk.
Day 2: Kota Tua (Old Town) and Glodok
Go in the morning. Kota Tua is considerably more pleasant before noon; the stone square bakes in the afternoon and fills with crowds on weekends. Fatahillah Square is the central point, surrounded by colonial-era Dutch buildings from the 17th and 18th centuries. The Jakarta History Museum (Musium Sejarah Jakarta) is inside the old town hall and worth the small entry fee for the maps, models, and artefacts from the Batavia period.
Almost all Kota Tua museums close on Mondays; do not schedule this as your Monday activity.
From Kota Tua, walk five minutes south into Glodok, Jakarta’s Chinatown. Glodok is one of the oldest Chinese communities in Southeast Asia, established in the 17th century, and the neighbourhood has a different texture from the rest of Jakarta: narrow lanes, incense from temples, street food stalls serving bakmi (egg noodles), nasi campur (mixed rice), and dim sum. Pantjoran Tea House on Gang Gloria, a renovated 1920s heritage building, is worth a stop for tea and dim sum around midday.
For lunch, walk the small lanes around Petak Sembilan market rather than the main street. The food is cheaper and more authentic than anything around the tourist square.
Day 3: National Monument, Istiqlal Mosque, and South Jakarta
Monas (the National Monument) is the 132-metre marble obelisk in the centre of Merdeka Square. The observation deck offers the best aerial view of Jakarta available to the public. Tickets are around IDR 20,000 to 45,000 depending on which level you go to. The square around it is massive and exposed; go before 10am to beat the heat.
Istiqlal Mosque, immediately northeast of Monas, is the largest mosque in Southeast Asia with capacity for 120,000 worshippers. Non-Muslim visitors are welcome outside prayer times; dress modestly (covered shoulders and knees at minimum) and accept the offered head covering for women. Guided tours from local volunteers are free and genuinely informative. Across the road, Jakarta Cathedral is a Dutch neo-Gothic church built in 1901 and makes an interesting architectural contrast to the mosque directly opposite.
In the afternoon, head south to SCBD (Sudirman Central Business District) or Senayan for shopping or a break from the heat in one of the large malls. Grand Indonesia and Plaza Indonesia in the central Bundaran HI area have good food courts where you can eat a full Indonesian meal for under IDR 50,000 (€3).
Day 4: Thousand Islands (Kepulauan Seribu)
The Thousand Islands archipelago begins just north of Jakarta harbour and the contrast with the mainland is immediate. Take a speedboat from Marina Ancol, which is accessible by Grab from central Jakarta. Ferries also run from Muara Angke harbour but take longer and are more chaotic to navigate. Speedboat tickets to Tidung or Pramuka Island from Ancol cost around IDR 250,000 to 400,000 return per person depending on the operator, with a journey time of 45 to 90 minutes.
Tidung Island is the most popular destination: a long beach, a suspension bridge (Jembatan Cinta) connecting two islets, snorkelling, and bicycle hire. It is manageable as a day trip but significantly better as an overnight, which lets you have the beach to yourself in the early morning. Budget bungalows on Tidung cost IDR 200,000 to 500,000 per night.
Skip Ancol Dreamland unless you are visiting with children. It is a large commercial amusement complex with no particular attraction for adult tourists.
Day 5: Kemang, SCBD, and South Jakarta Dining
Day five is best used for the parts of Jakarta that are hardest to see when you are focused on landmarks: the residential south, the food scene, and the evening side of the city.
Kemang in the morning is a good neighbourhood to walk and eat breakfast at one of the many cafes. It is also where a lot of Jakarta’s creative industry (advertising, fashion, music) is based, giving it a different character from the corporate north. By evening, the street along Kemang Raya is one of the better places to eat in the city, with outdoor restaurants, live music at some venues, and a mixed local-expat crowd.
For a sit-down dinner, Namaaz Dining in South Jakarta does a tasting menu of Indonesian dishes with a modernist presentation that remains rooted in actual Javanese and Sumatran flavour profiles rather than just visual gimmicks. It is the sort of meal worth planning around.
If you want a more casual evening, the food court at Blok M Square is a reliable option for grilled fish, nasi goreng, mie goreng, and satay at low prices with late hours.
Day 6: Departure Day
Jakarta traffic is unpredictable. For a morning flight before 9am, plan at least 2.5 hours from door to airport; for daytime flights, 2 hours minimum if you are taking the Railink train and 3 hours if going by road. The Railink connects to Terminals 2 and 3 (Terminals 2E/2F and Terminal 3 are both served; confirm yours before travel).
If you have a few hours before a late departure, Pasar Baru north of the old town is Jakarta’s oldest remaining market, built by the Dutch in 1820. It sells fabrics, batik textiles, shoes, and general goods with a mix of Indonesian, Chinese, and South Asian traders. It is not a polished tourist market and that is precisely why it is interesting.
Bring IDR cash for small purchases on departure day; airport shops accept cards but many smaller vendors within the terminal do not.