Pasar Seni Ancol

This extensive art market has a lively, carnivalesque atmosphere and a huge variety of arts and crafts. You can also see many of them being made by the craftsmen and women, as well as live performances of dance and drama from all over the archipelago.

Other good places for traditional handicrafts are: Pasar Raya Blok M Sarinah department store on Jl. Thamrin, Plaza Atrium on Jl. Senen Raya, or the numerous shops along Jl. Kemang Timur Raya in south Jakarta.

Jalan Surabaya

500 meters of open-air market offering the most extensive collection of antiques in the city - great for a browse and a bit of bargaining! It is located in the Menteng area, close to Ismail Marzuki Square, and is brim full of bronzeware, old coins, 'Chinese' porcelains (actually from Central and West Java), east Indonesian textiles, terracotta, ceramics, leather puppets and all sorts of paraphernalia that defy classification.

Alternative places for antiques are Jl. Kebun Sirih Timur Dalam (just south of Monas) and Jl. Majapahit. For traditional style furniture, check out Jl. Ciputat and Jl. Kemang Raya, both in the south of the city.

Mangga Dua

Excellent for low priced textiles and fabrics located up in the old part of town on Jl. Raya Mangga Dua. Check the quality carefully and be aware of salesmen's trickery! Mangga Dua is also a good place for low priced electronics, computers etc.

Pasar Ikan

Meaning 'fish market', it is no surprise to find that Pasar Ikan is the location of the city's main fish auctions, as it has been for centuries. Seafood lovers, feast your eyes and stomachs - numerous shops & restaurants along the streets here sell just about anything from the ocean?

Condet

This village-within-the-city has been preserved as a traditional Betawi enclave, fruit growing and harvesting being one of the traditional industries of the area. Condet is well known for its orchards.

Glodok

Sandwiched between Jl. Gajah Madah and Jl. Mansyur, Glodok is great for the cheapest electronic goods in town.

Gunung Mas Tea Plantation

Situated up in the highlands to the south of Jakarta, Puncak pass is probably the most popular weekend destination for Jakartans. The vast area of Gunung Mas (Golden Mountain) is carpeted in thick green tea plants, and offers magnificent views over the landscape as well as beautifully fresh air. Wide ranging accommodation facilities provide everything weekenders or longer staying guests could need. From tranquil family bungalows to little homestays, or larger hotels with meeting room facilities, tennis courts and business centers, Gunung Mas has something for everyone. In addition to plenty of space to roam free, guided tours into the plantations are available which allow you to witness first hand the way in which tea is harvested and processed.

Bogor Botanical Garden

Located about 60 km south of Jakarta, the refreshing hill-town of Bogor was chosen as the site for the palace of the Dutch Governor General in 1745. The palace was restored in 1832, and stands beside 87 hectares of botanical gardens, with deer ambling around its expansive lawns. Visitors may amble around the gardens, which are home to more than 15,000 species of tropical plants and trees from all over the world, including the world's largest flower, the foul-smelling Rafflasia. The orchid house displays more than 3000 different varieties of orchid. Next to the gardens there is a zoological museum with some impressive exhibits, including an impressive library of rare old botanical books.

Taman Safari Indonesia

This 35-hectare park is home to numerous species of Safari animals, as well as some of the rarer animals from around Indonesia. Located 75km south of Jakarta, the park is drive-through - keep your windows closed, and get up close and personal with lions, bears, elephants, giraffe, albino tigers - the lot. Adjacent to the park are recreational grounds with swimming pool, tennis courts, children's playground, amusement park and all the restaurant facilities to make this a great family day out.

Pelabuhan Ratu Beach

Formally a sleepy fishing village on the south coast, Pelabuhan Ratu has grown into a well-known holiday resort. It remains peaceful and unspoiled, however, with very few people on the beaches and the surrounding hills still home to traditional lifestyles. The drive to the coast takes a little over three hours, and is in itself a great sightseeing excursion through thick rainforest and along cliff-tops plunging down to sandy beaches. A 15km breathtaking coastline stretches from Pelabuhan Ratu to Cisolok, a small village where you can find hotsprings. Adjacent to Pelabuhan Ratu is Cimaja, a rocky beach well known to surfers. For swimmers, beware of strong currents all along this stretch of coastline. A particularly impressive sight at Pelabuhan Ratu is that of the fishermen out in their boats at night; all that is visible are the glowing specs of their lamps, merging into the stars in the sky.

Carita Beach

This resort is about a three-hour drive along the highway to the west of Jakarta, and has a great beach for swimming, as the waters are relatively calm on this side of the island. A five-minute boat trip from the coast will bring you to some good snorkeling sites too; accommodation and restaurants are widely available.

Indonesian National Museum

The National Museum is popularly known as Gedung Gajah - "Elephant Building" - because of the stone elephant given by King Chulalongkorn of Thailand in 1871, which is now on the front lawn of the building.

The Museum is located on the west side of Merdeka Square in Central Jakarta. It offers historical, pre-historical, archaeological and ethnographic aspects of Indonesia through its extensive collections of artifacts and relics that date as far back as the Stone Age. The museum has one of the most complete collections of bronzes and ceramics dating back to the Han, Tang and Ming Dynasties.

The museum was established by U.M.C. Rademacher under the auspices of the Batavia Association of Arts and Sciences in 1778, and was officially opened in 1868.

Its collections of cultural instruments, household utensils, arts and crafts provide an introduction to the life of the various ethnic groups which populate Indonesia.

The museum has one of the finest numismatic collections in the world. The religious art section is filled with artifacts and sculptures salvaged from sites of Hindu, Buddhist and Islamic edifices.

The National Monument (Monas)

The 137-meter tall marble obelisk is topped with a flame coated with 35 kilograms of gold. It represents the people's determination to achieve freedom. It houses a historical museum and meditation hall, and is open to the public. An elevator carries visitors to the top, offering a bird's eye view across the city to the sea.

It towers over Merdeka (Freedom) Square, and serves as Jakarta's most prominent landmark. The monument was built during the Sukarno era of nationalism.

Perintis Kemerdekaan Building and The Soekarna-Hatta Monument

Both are located at Jalan Proklamasi 56 in Central Jakarta, on the site of the former residence of the late President Sukarno where the nation's independence was proclaimed. By the Perintis Kemerdekaan Building stands the Sukarno-Hatta Monument. The monument was built in commemoration of the nation's first president and Vice President, who together proclaimed Independence on behalf of the Indonesian people.

Lubang Buaya Heroes Monument

Lubang Buaya Heroes Monument is situated in the southeast of the city, about 20 kilometers from downtown.

The monument is dedicated to six army generals and one army officer who were slain on October 1, 1965, in an abortive communist inspired coup d'etat. The centerpiece is the Pancasila Monument with statues of the seven heroes, standing near the Old Well in which their bodies were thrown after having been tortured and executed by communist militia squad.

Maritime Museum (Museum Bahari)

The Maritime Museum exhibits large models of boats from various islands. The old harbormaster's tower stands nearby.

Textile Museum

Situated on Jalan KS. Tubun 4, the museum houses a vast collection of textiles. It exhibits many kinds of Indonesian traditional weaving such as cotton, Javanese batik, and tenun ikat. All instruments and equipment of those traditional weaving are also on display there.

Fatahillah Square

Fatahillah Square is situated on Jalan Pintu Besar Utara 27. It offers visitors three museums: The Wayang Museum, Jakarta Historical Museum and Museum of Fine Arts and Ceramics. You can easily recognize the place since it has a fountain in the middle of the square and the Portuguese cannon on the north side.

The Wayang Museum

The finest displays of the exclusively Indonesian puppets known as wayang are shown in this museum. Located on the western side of Taman Fatahillah, this museum also exhibits puppets from all parts of Indonesia and other parts of Southeast Asia as well. The wooden and leather puppets (known as wayang kulit) displayed here represent the finest craftsmanship in this particular form of traditional theater. The museum also shows performances of shortened versions of the wayang kulit every Sunday morning.

Jakarta Historical Museum

This museum is one of the three museums located in Fatahillah Square on Jalan Pintu Besar Utara 27. It houses collections of furnishings and portraits originating from the 18th century, many of which were owned by the former colonial governors in Jakarta.

Museum of Fine Arts and Ceramics

You will find all sorts of rare collections of ceramics and terracotta in this museum located in Fatahillah Square.

National Archives

Researchers of Indonesian history can find any information needed here. The building is located on Jalan Gajah Mada 11. It was built in 1760 and today is the remains of the Dutch East Indies Company estates.

Indonesia in Miniature Park (TMII)

This 300-hectare area is an extensive park representing Indonesia's provinces and their traditional characteristics. TMII offers a glimpse of beautiful Indonesia in just a single location. It also has a famous orchid garden, a bird park with a walk-in aviary, a fauna museum and recreational grounds with a swimming pool and restaurants.

Teater Imax Keong Emas

Keong Emas means Golden Snail. This theater is easily recognized because the roof takes the shape a golden snail. Located in the Taman Mini, the Imax Theater presents "Beautiful Indonesia" on a gigantic screen using the latest Imax system.

Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM)

It is said to be the largest of its kind in Southeast Asia. TIM is a massive arts complex containing exhibition halls, theaters, an arts college, an art gallery, archives building, and planetarium. There are performances almost every night with everything from traditional and modern dance, local and foreign film festivals, poetry readings and theater, to every style of music.

Located on Jalan Menteng Raya, TIM presents various cultural events such as Indonesian dance and drama. Information on TIM's monthly programs is distributed through travel agents and hotels. TIM serves not only as the center of contemporary Indonesian art, but also has in recent years become a central showcase for international performing arts in Indonesia.

Gedung Kesenian Jakarta

Gedung Kesenian Jakarta (GKJ, or the Jakarta Playhouse) is for those who love cultural programs. The playhouse is located near the main general post office. The renovated colonial era theater now offers a mixture of local and overseas cultural events. The revived glory of the building is itself worth a visit.

Sunda Kelapa

Sunda Kelapa is located in the far north of the city at the mouth of the Ciliwung River. This is where the Portuguese traded with the Hindu Kingdom of Pajajaran in the 16th century. The fish catch of the day is auctioned in the early morning at the old fish market. The street leading to it was lined with shops selling all sorts of shells, dehydrated turtles, lobsters and everything else the seafarer might need.

Dutch domination of Jakarta and the rest of Indonesia began from this area. The remnants of Kasteel Batavia, an old port and trading post of the Dutch East Indies Companies, can still be seen. Sunda Kelapa is at present a fisherman's wharf and an inter-island post. Tall-masted Bugis schooners from South Sulawesi anchoring there offer one of the finest sights Jakarta has to offer. They belong to one of the last fleets of sailboats in the world and still ply the seas between the islands carrying merchandise, as they did centuries ago.