01 · Must-try
If you only do ten things
02 · The plan
Friday to Monday
Grouped by area to beat traffic and sequenced around Monday closures. Short on time? Drop Day 4.
03 · Places
Where to go
★ is our score out of 5: visitor consensus from the sources, value, and fit for a short trip. Fees are for foreign adults where they differ.
04 · Dishes
What to eat
Street-level 2026 prices. Busy stalls cooking to order are the safe bet.
05 · Restaurants
Where to eat
$ under Rp75k · $$ Rp75-250k · $$$ Rp250-800k · $$$$ above Rp800k per person. Public ratings appear only where one was found.
06 · Practical
Before you go
🚇 Transport
- MRT Lebak Bulus to Bundaran HI, Rp3-14k, ~05:00-24:00. It does not reach Kota Tua yet (extension due 2027).
- TransJakarta flat Rp3.5k, card only. Corridor 1 runs Blok M to Kota.
- JakLingko card Rp50k; 3-hour cap Rp10k across MRT, LRT and bus.
- Grab or Gojek after dark. Cross town at 10:00-15:00 on weekdays.
💳 Money
- "++" on a menu: up to 10% tax plus 5-10% service.
- Warungs take cash only. Carry Rp100-200k in small notes.
- QRIS through GoPay works with a foreign card, Rp250k cap per payment.
- Tipping optional; Rp5-20k is appreciated.
🧴 Food safety
- Bottled or boiled water only, even for brushing teeth.
- Be careful with ice at small stalls.
- Hep A and typhoid vaccines are commonly recommended. Pack ORS.
🕌 Etiquette
- Mosques: shoulders and knees covered, women cover hair. Istiqlal lends sarongs.
- Most food is halal; Glodok Chinese spots and Bakmi Amoy serve pork.
- Friday prayers (~12:00-13:00) limit mosque visits.
🌧️ Weather now
- Late October starts the rainy season: outdoors in the morning, indoors after 14:00.
- Flooding is the main risk. Leave buffer before flights.
07 · Sources
Caveats & credits
Verify before you go. Hours and fees come mostly from 2025-2026 third-party guides and often conflict; the newest figure is shown. Google Maps ratings could not be pulled directly, so public ratings come from Tripadvisor, Mindtrip or Wanderlog as labelled. Not confirmed: Museum Bahari's status, the Istiqlal-Cathedral tunnel for tourists, and current Henshin details. Photos are the newest relevant ones on Wikimedia Commons; where no photo of a venue exists, the card shows its signature dish and says so.