As the capital city of Indonesia, Jakarta is divided into 5 administrative areas. They are South Jakarta, North Jakarta, West Jakarta, East Jakarta, and Central Jakarta. West Jakarta is divided into 8 smaller districts (Cengkareng, Grogol, Petamburan, Kalideres, Kebon Jeruk, Kembangan, Palmerah, Taman Sari, Tambora)and 56 village offices.
West Jakarta is quite well known for its Chinese Town called Glodok where lots of Chinese-Indonesian people live. The Chinese cultures here are also richly embedded compared to other areas. You may spot lots of Chinese temples, restaurants, traditional shops, and even a Chinese church that attracts a lot of tourists yearly.
West Jakarta also has many universities or schools, you can also spot numerous national school or universities from BPK Penabur, SMA NEGERI 2, IPEKA, Sekolah Kemurnian, Abdi Siswa, Bukit Sion, Dian Harapan, Al Azhar, Universitas Mercubuana, Universitas Trisakti, Universitas Tarumanegara, Universitas Bina Nusantara, Universitas Podomoro, etc. To help you more on getting around West Jakarta, here are some places that you ought to know!
Shopping Centres in West Jakarta
For more modern cultures West Jakarta is also known for its malls and shopping centers, here is a list of some of the biggest mall in West Jakarta:
- Central Park Mall: A mixed of apartment, shopping centres, office, in one building. Jl. Letjen S. Parman No.28, RW.6, Tj. Duren Sel., Kec. Grogol petamburan, Kota Jakarta Barat, 11470
- Mall Taman Anggrek: One of the legendary mall in West Jakarta. Jl Letjen S. Parman St No.28, RT.12/RW.1, Tomang, Grogol petamburan, West Jakarta City, Jakarta 11440
- Neo Soho Mall: Known for its Jakarta’s aquarium. Jl Letjen S. Parman St No.Kav. 28, South Tanjung Duren, Grogol petamburan, West Jakarta City, Jakarta 11470
- Lippo Mall Puri:One stop shopping for global brands. Puri Indah CBD, Jl. Puri Indah Raya No.3, RW.2, Kembangan Sel., Kec. Kembangan, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta 11610
Entertainments in West Jakarta
Pecan Glodok is one of the most popular tourist attractions in West Jakarta. Located in TamanSari Jakarta Barat, this is has been known ever since the Batavia era when Dutch colonials still took over Jakarta. Most of the residents are Chinese with Rich Chinese Cultures surrounded this area. Spot some Chinese temples, Chinese churches, and even Chinese street foods.
- Kota Tua Jakarta. The old version of Jakarta in the era of Dutch colonialism. Kawasan Kota Tua, Taman Fatahillah No.1, RT.7/RW.7, Pinangsia, Taman Sari, West Jakarta City, Jakarta 11110
- Museum Wayang. Exhibits Indonesian puppetry. Jalan Pintu Besar Utara No.27 Pinangsia, RT.3/RW.6, Kota Tua, Kec. Taman Sari, West Jakarta City, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta 11110
Read also : Zone Guide: What’s in North Jakarta?
Hotels in West Jakarta
If you are a tourist and looking for a place to stay we have quite great recommendations as these areas offer lots of hotels or places to stay with a wide range of prices. Our recommendations are Hotel Santika Premiere if you are looking for a quite luxurious one. If you have a tight budget, don’t worry we’ve got some homey yet affordable places to recommend such as Airy, Oyo Hotels or more minimalist hotels such as Bamboo Inn, Hotel Ciputra, and Twin Plaza Hotel
- Hotel Santika Premiere. Jl. Hayam Wuruk No.125, RW.6, Mangga Besar, Kec. Taman Sari, Kota Jakarta Barat, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta 11180
- Bamboo Inn Hotel. Jl. Kota Bambu Selatan No.9, RT.1/RW.8, Kota Bambu Sel., Kec. Palmerah, Kota Jakarta Barat, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta 11420
- Hotel Ciputra.Letjen S. Parman St No.11, RW.1, North Tanjung Duren, Grogol petamburan, West Jakarta City, Jakarta 11470
- Twin Plaza Hotel. Jl. Tol S. Parman No.Kav. 93 – 94, RT.1/RW.8, Kota Bambu Utara, Kec. Palmerah, Kota Jakarta Barat, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta 11420
Culinary Tours
Mostly all the food recommendations are quite budget friendly with a taste of Chinese, Betawi, and even fusion. They are Bakmie Acang, Mie Tori, Soto Betawi Bang Alie, Ayam Geprek Gokil and Kedai Nasi Bakar. For a more modern cuisines you can try to visit HardRock Café, Café Batavia, or even Sundanese food in this area are quite satisfying such as Pondok Laguna, Ikan Bakar Cianjur and many more. Chinese Foods are also a good choice if you want to experience more cultural food such as Bubur Mangga Besar, Bubur Kamseng, Kwetiau Akang, Kuo Tie Shan Tung, or Padang Food like Padang Merdeka, Garuda Rumah Makan Padang, Rumah Makan Sederhana and etc.
- Kuo Tie Shan Tung. Selling Fried Chinese-style Dumplings. Jl. Mangga Besar I No.20A, RT.5/RW.5, Mangga Besar, Kec. Taman Sari, Kota Jakarta Barat, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta 11180
- Padang Merdeka. Serves traditional Padangnese food (Padang is one of the area in Indonesia). Jl. Lada No.1, RT.4/RW.6, Pinangsia, Kec. Taman Sari, Kota Jakarta Barat, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta 11110
- Bubur Kamseng.Serves chinese style porridge. Jl. Mangga Besar I No.26, RT.5/RW.5, Mangga Besar, Kec. Taman Sari, Kota Jakarta Barat, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta 11180
Kwe Tiau Akang. Specialized in Fried Kwe tiau (chinese noodle made of rice) with seafood toppings. Jl. Raya Mangga Besar No.2C, RT.10/RW.9, Maphar, Kec. Taman Sari, Kota Jakarta Barat, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta 11160
Local Transportations
There are some choices of transportation mode in this area from Busway, MRT, KOPAJA BUS, or even a more traditional one such as Angkot, Bajaj, tricycle, horse carriage, or for the more convenient one like Gojek or Grab. If you want to skip the traffic there is also a train station or commuter line with very affordable prices that you can try. The location for the train station is near the Kota Tua and users can also visit the nearest city using the train station. Want to have a city tour? We got you covered! Try hoping by the city tour, a 2 decks bus with the transparent roof on the second deck and you can enjoy the beautiful view of West Jakarta City from it.
- Halte Busway Mangga Besar. RT.4/RW.9, Maphar, Taman Sari, West Jakarta City, Jakarta 11130
- Halte Harmoni. Central Bus Station. Jl. Gajah Mada, RT.2/RW.8, North Petojo, Gambir, Central Jakarta City, Jakarta 10150
So there you have your guide around West Jakarta. We hope this helps you getting around West Jakarta. Be sure to look at our other zone guides in Jakarta and even outside Jakarta!