Travel to Jakarta
Flying to Jakarta
There are no direct flights from the UK to Jakarta. Airlines offering flights to Jakarta with one stopover include Emirates, Etihad Airways, Malaysia Airlines, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways. If travelling from the USA, you also need to stop at another Asian city en route, such as Hong Kong, Narita or Taipei.
Flight times
From London - 16 hours 30 minutes (including stopover); New York - 23 hours (including stopover); Los Angeles - 21 hours (including stopover); Toronto - 23 hours (including stopover); Sydney - 11 hours (including stopover).
Travel by road
Traffic in Jakarta drives on the left. The minimum driving age is 17. Nearly half of the road network is paved. There are good road communications within Java and, to a lesser extent, on Bali and Sumatra. The other islands have poor road systems.
Speed limits are usually 30-40kph (19-25mph) on inner-city streets, 60-70kph (37-43mph) on intercity roads and 80-100 kph (50-62mph) on motorways. An International Driving Permit is required to drive in Jakarta.
Driving in Jakarta can be a terrifying experience for foreign visitors unused to the roads, so hiring a car with a driver is often the best option.
Emergency breakdown services
Tel: 0800 140 1287.
Routes
Express roads supposedly connect Jakarta with most of the other main cities on the island of Java, but in reality conditions can be poor and congestion is a serious problem. There is a ring road around the city. Toll roads already operate out to the airport and also connect Jakarta with Bandung.
Coaches
Jakarta has four principal bus terminals. Kalideres is 15km (9 miles) north of Merdeka Square and serves the likes of Merak and Labuan. Kampung Rambutan is 18km (11 miles) south of the city centre and offers buses to Bogor and Bandung. Pulo Gadung is 12km (7.5 miles) east of the centre with services to the likes of Padang and Bukittinggi. Lebak Bulus is 15km (9 miles) south of Jakarta's centre with handy services for tourists to Yogyakarta and Bali.
Numerous bus companies operate to and from Jakarta. Two of the most popular are Safari Dharma Raya (tel: +62 21 548 5644; www.safaridharmaraya.com) and Kramat Djati (tel: +62 21 298 25994; http://buskramatjati.com).
Time to city
From Bandung - 2 hours 20 minutes; Surabaya - 14 hours.
Travel by Rail
Services
Jakarta has four railway stations: Kota, Gambir, Pasar Senen and Tanah Abang. The largest and of most use to travellers is Gambir Station on Merdeka Square, which serves destinations to the east such as Yogyakarta and Surabaya.
Operators
PT Kereta Api (tel: 121, in Indonesia only or +62 21 121; www.kereta-api.co.id) is the state operator running all services throughout Indonesia
