Jakarta With Kids
What Jakarta with kids really looks like, from a family that plans these trips for a living.
Nicole Damiano, ASTA Verified Travel Advisor with FG Luxury Travel
Is Jakarta worth it with kids?
As a gateway, for a day or two, yes. It is hot, huge and traffic clogged, and the real magic is elsewhere in Indonesia, but the old town's bikes, the family malls and, above all, the Taman Safari day trip make it a worthwhile stop. Base in the center or south.
How many days?
One to two days in Jakarta, ideally with a Taman Safari day, then fly to Bali or the islands.
What is the one thing we cannot miss?
Cycling the colorful bikes around Kota Tua's old square, and the drive through Taman Safari in the cooler hills.
Do we need a car?
No, and you would not want to drive yourself in the traffic. Use Grab and Gojek and the new MRT, plan a couple of stops a day, and hire a car with a driver for the Taman Safari day.
When should we go?
The dry season, May to September, is the most comfortable, with less rain and easier sightseeing. The wet season, October to April, brings heavy downpours and can cause flooding. Pack for heat and sudden rain.
Indonesia’s Sprawling Capital and Gateway
Jakarta is Indonesia’s vast, buzzing capital, a megacity of gleaming malls, colonial history and legendary traffic, and for most families it is the gateway to the country’s real treasures on Bali and beyond. Give it a day or two, because beneath the sprawl there is a fascinating old town, good museums, family friendly mega malls, and a superb safari park in the cooler hills nearby.
This enormous city is best handled by choosing a good base. Central Jakarta, around the Monas monument and leafy Menteng, holds the main sights, while South Jakarta has the trendy districts, the best malls and family friendly areas. The historic old town, Kota Tua, sits up north. Base centrally or in the south and lean on Grab and the new MRT.
Getting Around
Get around by the Grab and Gojek rideshare apps and the new MRT line, and brace for Jakarta’s notorious traffic. Plan just a couple of stops a day and allow plenty of time. From the airport, book a Grab and settle in for the ride into the city with kids and bags.
Neighborhoods worth basing in
Kota Tua, the old town
The historic Dutch colonial old town in the north, centered on Fatahillah Square, ringed by old buildings, museums and cafes, with colorful bikes to rent and street performers about. Atmospheric and full of history, a great half day, though families base in the newer districts.
Central Jakarta & Menteng
The administrative and cultural heart, around the towering Monas monument, the National Museum and the grand Istiqlal Mosque, with the leafy, embassy lined streets of Menteng nearby. Central and green by Jakarta standards, a practical base near the main sights.
South Jakarta
The modern, upscale, expat favored districts, with the best malls, restaurants, parks and family attractions, and easy access to the MRT. Trendy and comfortable, an excellent base for families wanting convenience and green space.
A Central Jakarta luxury hotel
Jakarta’s international luxury hotels offer cool, calm refuge from the heat and traffic, with big pools, superb dining and kids’ facilities. The blow the budget treat, and a genuine oasis with children.
A South Jakarta hotel
Central and South Jakarta have plenty of comfortable, family friendly hotels near the malls and sights, most with pools, a real bonus in the heat. Practical and convenient with kids.
A serviced apartment
Jakarta has serviced apartments that give a family room to spread out and cook simple meals, good value and handy near the malls and the MRT. Look for one with a pool.
The Three I Build Every Jakarta Trip Around
Kota Tua and Fatahillah Square
Start in Kota Tua, the old town, where the Dutch colonial past survives around cobbled Fatahillah Square. Rent one of the colorful old bicycles with matching sun hats and pedal around the square, visit the puppet or history museums, and soak up the faded grandeur. It is the one corner of Jakarta with real old world charm, and the bikes make it fun for kids.
Monas and the National Museum
For a sense of the nation, head to Monas, the towering National Monument in the central square, where a lift carries you up for a view over the endless city, with the excellent National Museum and the vast Istiqlal Mosque nearby. Together they tell the story of Indonesia, its history, its cultures and its faiths, in one central cluster.
Taman Mini and the Malls
Jakarta’s family fun is often indoors and air conditioned, and that is no bad thing in the heat. The city’s enormous malls are attractions in themselves, with theme parks, ice rinks, science centers and aquariums inside. Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, a huge park, showcases the whole archipelago’s cultures in miniature, and Ancol Dreamland by the bay adds a theme park and a Sea World.
Family Time, Built In: Jakarta With Kids
Jakarta keeps kids happy with a mix of the historic and the modern. The colorful bikes of the old town, the monument and museums, the giant entertainment malls, Taman Mini’s miniature Indonesia, a good zoo at Ragunan, and Ancol’s seaside theme park. It is hot and hectic, but there is plenty to fill a day or two.
The harbor ferry to the beach
Sunday fish market
Paddle boats on the the bay
Planten un Blomen
Kota Tua plaza
PARK & DOWNTIME PICK
Ragunan Zoo, a big, green, shady zoo in the south with orangutans and a children’s area, or the sprawling grounds of Taman Mini. Welcome patches of open space and greenery in a dense, hot city, best in the cool of morning.
Five Things To Eat In Jakarta
Nasi goreng
Satay
Gado-gado
Soto Betawi
Es cendolNicole’s Perspective
A hectic megacity gateway with pockets of fun
I have spent years planning Indonesia for families, and I am honest that Jakarta is a gateway, not the highlight, which lies on Bali, in Yogyakarta and across the islands. But the day or two here has its rewards, the charm of the old town, the family malls, and above all the wonderful safari park in the cooler hills, an easy and memorable escape.
I steer families to give Jakarta a day or two to see the old town and settle in, ideally with a Taman Safari day, then fly on to Bali, Yogyakarta or the islands. Base in the south or center, lean on Grab, and let the safari be the highlight before the real adventure begins.
The Day Trip: Taman Safari
Two hours south, up in the cooler Bogor hills, lies Taman Safari, and it is the best family day out from Jakarta by far. You drive your own car, or ride a park bus, slowly through open enclosures where zebras, deer, elephants and even lions roam right up to the windows, then explore a zoo area with shows, rides and animal encounters. The cool mountain air is a bonus.
Things I Would Tell A Friend Before They Booked
How Many Days
One to two days suits Jakarta itself, as most families are bound for the islands. Give the old town and the monument a day, add a mall or Taman Mini, and ideally a Taman Safari day trip, before flying on.
Day one for Kota Tua and its bikes, then Monas and the National Museum. Day two for a Taman Safari day trip in the hills, or Taman Mini and a giant entertainment mall, before flying to Bali or Yogyakarta.
Add a Taman Safari day, then Ancol Dreamland’s theme park and Sea World, or the Thousand Islands for a boat and beach day.
Jakarta is the hub of Indonesia. From here short flights reach Bali, Yogyakarta and its temples, and the islands, so give the city a day or two and build the real adventure around it.
Jakarta With Kids, Answered
Is Jakarta worth it with kids?
As a gateway, for a day or two, yes. It is hot, huge and traffic clogged, and the real magic is elsewhere in Indonesia, but the old town’s bikes, the family malls and, above all, the Taman Safari day trip make it a worthwhile stop. Base in the center or south.
How many days?
One to two days in Jakarta, ideally with a Taman Safari day, then fly to Bali or the islands.
What is the one thing we cannot miss?
Cycling the colorful bikes around Kota Tua’s old square, and the drive through Taman Safari in the cooler hills.
Do we need a car?
No, and you would not want to drive yourself in the traffic. Use Grab and Gojek and the new MRT, plan a couple of stops a day, and hire a car with a driver for the Taman Safari day.
When should we go?
The dry season, May to September, is the most comfortable, with less rain and easier sightseeing. The wet season, October to April, brings heavy downpours and can cause flooding. Pack for heat and sudden rain.
Ready To Put Jakarta On The Calendar
Send me your dates and your kids’ ages and I will map the Jakarta days, sort a base in the center or south, arrange a Taman Safari day, and plan the flights on to Bali, Yogyakarta or the islands.
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