Jakarta

Most travellers arrive via Soekarno–Hatta International Airport (CGK), Jakarta's main international gateway, with efficient connections between Terminal 1, Terminal 2, and Terminal 3. From the airport, the Soekarno-Hatta Airport Rail Link connects the airport directly to central Jakarta (BNI City/Sudirman Baru Station) and other key stops, a journey of roughly ~45-55 minutes; travellers first take the free connecting Skytrain shuttle from their terminal to the SHIA rail station before boarding.

Plan on ~3-4 days to cover Jakarta's key sights, including the old town (Kota Tua), National Monument area, and a couple of the city's major museums or waterfront districts, with extra time if you intend to use it as a base for day trips into Greater Jakarta.

Jakarta is Indonesia's sprawling, high-energy capital, where glass skyscrapers rise above dense kampung neighborhoods, colonial-era Dutch architecture, and some of Southeast Asia's most chaotic traffic. As a megacity of over 10 million people, it serves as the country's political, economic, and cultural nerve center, blending old Batavia history with a relentlessly modern, fast-growing skyline.