Jakarta Nightlife: From Clubs to Bars to Night Markets

When people think partying in Indonesia is all about Bali, that is where you need to turn your head towards another epic tourist destination of the country. The capital of the beautiful island, Jakarta has a blend of history, architecture, metropolitan culture, modernity and nightlife. It is the most populated city in the world after Tokyo and stands amongst cities like Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok when it comes to modern advancement. It has been an attraction for big companies in Indonesia and people willing to live the dazzling city life. With so many things around the city, people here are looking to let their hair down, especially at night, and the nightlife in Jakarta does not disappoint.

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NATIONAL MONUMENT - MONAS

The National Monument is a 132 m tower in the center of Merdeka Square, Central Jakarta, symbolizing the fight for Indonesia. It is the national monument of the Republic of Indonesia, built to commemorate the struggle for Indonesian independence. Construction began in 1961 under the direction of President Sukarno. Monas was opened to the public in 1975. It is topped by a flame covered with gold foil. The monument and the museum are open daily from 08.00 until 16.00 Western Indonesia Time (UTC+7) throughout the week except for the Mondays when the monument is closed. Since April 2016, the monument also opens during night time, from 19.00 until 22.00 in Tuesday to Friday, and from 19.00 until 00.00 in Saturday and Sunday.

Taman Mini Indonesia Park

This unique park will easily make you spend the whole day here, whether you are solo or with your better half, or with a family. Taman Mini Indonesia Park is the best place to begin learning Indonesian culture and will prepare you well and make the rest of your stay in Jakarta worth your while. You will also get to witness amazing art performance from different Indonesian islands. At the heart of the park is a manmade lake that portrays the archipelago in small scale, which fascinatingly you can view from above as you ride in a cable car. There are also museums, a bird park, a flower garden, a library, a water park, an IMAX cinema, and theater shows.

Visit Ancol Dreamland

To fully enjoy what Taman Impian Jaya Ancol offers, you will probably need more than one day. This is Jakarta’s major amusement park set on the northern waterfront. The park is a huge complex that sits on 552 hectares of space and features a golf course as well as a resort. There are plenty of fun rides to attempt at Dufan Fantasy World, some splashing thrills at Atlantis Water Park, and two major beaches that also double as concert venues. There are still numerous recreational sites at the park for water sport.

Schedule a day at Indonesia National Gallery

If you are an art lover, you are going to love spending time at the National Gallery. Located in Central Jakarta, the National Gallery is an art center and museum with over a thousand art pieces created by national as well as foreign artists. Permanent exhibits at this art center include statues and paintings by Indonesian famous painters like Raden Saleh as well as Nyoman Lempad of Bali. On the other hand, temporary exhibits are usually held in the museum’s three spacious art halls.

Stroll down Chinatown

Jakarta’s Chinatown bears a lot of significance, historically as well as culturally. The Chinatown is also sometimes called Glodok and it is situated adjacent to Jakarta’s old town known as Kota Tua. Jakarta Chinatown and Jakarta old town share the nostalgic setting dominated by eastern architecture in streetscapes. You can find plenty of 17^th-century temples, majestically forming the part of the area’s townscape among overriding rows of family-owned shops as well as eateries.

Cross over to Jakarta Old Town (Kota Tua)

Jakarta old town has multiple names; Kota Tua, and Old Batavia. The area is full of history as the former Jakarta’s downtown area as well as the Dutch East India Company headquarters. You can admire the town’s building ancient architectural features and most of the city’s main museums, which are lined up here. The city currently is reconstructing the deteriorated buildings and pushing the Kota Tua to be included in the list of UNESCO’s world heritage sites.

Visit Ragunan Zoo

This is Jakarta’s main zoo and it goes by either Kebun Binatang Ragunan or Taman Margasatwa. It is located right in the Pasar Minggu sub-district, southern Jakarta. The zoo has been around since the Dutch colonial era, and now it houses over 3,000 animals, among them from around the world. The settings of the zoo are perfect for pleasant walks, with its range of cool green trees. You can see a variety of animals from endangered species to indigenous like Komodo dragons, Sumatran tigers, orang-utans, tapirs, and variety of tropical birds.

Antique Market Jalan Surabaya

In the quiet residential Menteng District of Jakarta, Indonesia, Jalan Surabaya (Surabaya Street) stands apart. It's an antique market in one of Jakarta’s more upscale residential areas. It's also an endangered tourist destination, under attack by a city government intent on reclaiming the land for other purposes. Occupying a 500-yard stretch on one side of Jalan Surabaya, the 184 shops along the line hawk antiques of all sorts: batik, salvaged accessories from ships, old coins, porcelain, wayang golek (Javanese puppets), batik, lampshades, vinyl LPs, old phones, wood carvings, utensils, and books, among others.

Do a car-free-day on Sunday

You can try a bit of a workout on a Car-Free day along the street of Sudirman-Thamrin. The event starts at 6 am all the way till noon. It is an amazing experience to see the main road without a single automobile. It is also a perfect opportunity to meet up with all of Jakarta communities who gather here in the morning.

Wonderful Thousand Island

A few hours of boat ride from inland Jakarta and you will come across a thousand islands, which are still part of Jakarta. You can escape the busy life of Jakarta by going to these tropical islands. Just relax on the beaches and enjoy the cool breeze. If you get a chance, visit the Pulau Macan for exotic Indonesian dishes.

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Istiqlal Mosque

Istiqlal Mosque is the largest mosque in Southeast Asia and the third largest Sunni mosque in term of capacity. This national mosque of Indonesia was built to commemorate Indonesian independence and named "Istiqlal", an Arabic word for "independence". The mosque was opened to the public 22 February 1978. Within Jakarta, the mosque is positioned next to Merdeka Square and the Jakarta Cathedral which is located on former Wilhelmina Park.