10 ways to escape Jakarta without leaving the city

Grime and gridlock, 9 million people, some rich, many poor. Jakarta is a sensory experience that can take some getting used to. 

Here’s how a friend who grew up here described it: “Jakarta is only real when you face its slum areas, horrible sanitation system, unbearable traffic and air pollution.”

But inhabitants have learned to find respite, and now visitors can too. Here are 10 ways to escape Jakarta without leaving the city: 

 

1. Take to the sky

Sandwiched between high-rises in Central Jakarta, the rooftop bar on the 8th floor of the Ritz Carlton (Jl. Jendral Sudirman Kav. 52-53), lifts visitors off the crowded streets for some spectacular sights of the growing metropolis, open spaces with green grass (yes, really), and a wide array of mojitos.

Kick back with a bucket of popcorn and an exhaust-free breeze during 8’s monthly movie screening.

 

2. Head to the sea

With its seaside loungers, sunset cocktails and fragrant frangipani trees, Segara (Jl Lodan Timur No. 7, Anchol) brings the feel of Bali to coastal Jakarta. Take a small sailboat for a cruise around the bay or a visit a nearby island for a swim.

For a more historical experience head to Sunda Kelapa Port, where you can hire one of the charming old rowboats (and equally old rowers) for a journey between the traditional schooners that have plied this harbor for centuries.

 

3. Go back in time

If time travel is more up your alley, Kopitiam Oye (Jl. H Agoes Salim 18) aims to transport patrons back to early 20th-century Malacca.

Marble-topped tables and hand-painted advertisements with old-style Javanese writing, evoke nostalgia for a time when Chinese coffee traders shouted out “ka fe tien” when they arrived at port.

 

4. Pretend to be a Dutch explorer

Residents are also re-embracing Jakarta’s colonial past in the old part of the city once known as Batavia, now known as Jakarta Old Town.

Rent a bicycle, don an explorer’s hat and pedal around the cobbled streets, admiring the Dutch-era architecture. 

Grab a tea at Café Batavia (Taman Fatahillah) and snap a few wistful-looking photos. For a good view of the neighborhood check out the second floor of the Bank Mandiri Museum.

 

5. Find some song and dance

Tucked into a green nook amid south Jakarta’s narrow, winding streets, Salihara (16 Pasar Minggu) is a creative community space offering concerts, cultural performances and lectures on art and philosophy.

The center puts a modern twist on traditional Indonesian art, and workshops foster creativity among Jakarta’s youth, who spend time chatting in Salihara’s open-air café. 

“There’s always a need for space that creates an intellectual interaction, and Salihara is a good place for young, free thinkers," says architect Zenin Adrian and frequent patron.

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