Jakarta Travel Guide - For Single Guys

In this article, I will explain everything you need to know about traveling to Jakarta as a single guy.

I tried to keep it as concise and short as possible. For more details, you can email me directly.

Visas for Indonesia

The citizens of most countries can enter Indonesia and stay up to 30 days in the country with either a visa-on-arrival or an e-visa.

You can apply on the official website here.

Transfer from the airport to the city

To reach the city center of Jakarta from CGK airport (located 20km away, in the city of Tangerang), you can use:

→ Traditional taxis: There are plenty of them, mostly from small companies who pay bribes to occupy the most strategic spots in the airport. They are safe to use as long as they put the meter on. They will cost the same as more reputable taxi companies like Blue Bird, Express or Gamya which can be difficult to catch, especially during peak hours.

Cost to city center: Around IDR150,000 taxi fare + IDR20,000 toll road.

Duration of the trip: 45 minutes without traffic / at least 1h30 minutes with traffic

→ Grab and Gojek: Drivers from these transportation apps can be booked from the airport. You can only take them from a specific location in the airport. This link explains all you need to know.

The cost is approximately 20% cheaper than traditional taxis and you still need to pay the toll road.

Before downloading these apps, it is a good idea to get a local phone number (see below).

→ Public buses (operated by DAMRI): Budget travelers and backpackers may use those buses which are available in each terminal. They reach at least 10 destinations in Jakarta and its suburbs, but the most convenient for you should be either Mangga Dua (North Jakarta), Gambir (Central Jakarta), or Blok M (South Jakarta).

Cost: It is cheap if you are alone (IDR80,000 for the city center), but for two persons it isn't worth it (IDR160,000 + you'll still need to take a taxi to your hotel).

Duration: Between 1 hour and 2 hours.

Where to stay in Jakarta

I wrote an entire article about the best areas for a stay in Jakarta that you can read for further information.

Here is a short summary: If you only come as a tourist or for partying, stay anywhere along Jalan Sudirman between Sarinah Mall and Senayan Mall. Beware of good deals on hotels located far away from the major points of interest. What you heard about traffic jams in Jakarta is real and probably worse than you imagine.

Here are some hotels recommendations (all of them are highly rated, near the nightlife, with a 24-hour reception):

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (between USD 130 and USD 250 per night)

Grand Hyatt (USD 250/night): Connected to Plaza Indonesia Mall. Walking distance to dozens of bars (such as Cloud, Cork & Screw, etc).

Mulia Senayan (USD 200/night): Largest hotel in Jakarta, home of the busy CJs bar.

Kempinski (USD 180/night): Connected to Grand Indonesia Mall. Walking distance to bars like SKYE, Social House, Paulaner Brauhaus.

Oakwood Premier Cozmo (USD 140/night): Serviced apartment, popular with young single guys. Next to Loewy and Basque

Shangri-La (USD 130/night): It has a very popular bar with live music (BATS)

⭐⭐⭐⭐ (between USD 35 and USD 130 per night):

Ascott Kuningan (USD 130/night): New serviced apartment, connected to Lotte Avenue Mall and next to Mega Kuningan.

Orient Hotel (USD 100/night): Same location as Caspar bar and walking distance to the MRT

Fraser Setiabudi (USD 90/night): Walking distance to several cafés. Huge swimming pool and garden.

Citadines Rasuna (USD 65/night): Affordable serviced apartment, perfect if you need more than 1 bedroom.

Four Points by Sheraton and Aloft Wahid Hasyim (USD 65/night): Both are reputed 4-star brands in a very strategic location.

Harris FX (USD 60/night): Inside FX Senayan Mall. Next to De Leila Arabic Bar.

Vertu Harmoni (USD 50/night): Cheap luxurious hotel in the northern part of Jakarta

Kosenda and Artotel (USD 45/night): Boutique hotels, both have a nice rooftop bar and a very central location.

Hotel Santika Premiere (USD 35/night): One of the best value hotels in Jakarta. Location in the north of the city near the old town (and also near the red light district).

⭐⭐⭐ (between USD 30 and USD 50 per night)

Try any of these hotels which are quite similar to one another (from the most expensive to the cheapest): Holiday Inn Wahid Hasym, Liberty Hotel, A-One, Ashley, Yello Harmoni, MaxOne, Verse Lite Gajah Mada

Budget for a traveler

Staying in Jakarta is not as cheap as in other Asian cities. Even a backpacker in surviving mode needs to spend at least USD 15 per day (USD 8 for a room without AC, USD 4 for food and USD 3 for transportation).

A more reasonable minimal budget is USD 45 per day (USD 25 for a double room with AC, USD 10 for food and USD 10 for transportation).

To be really comfortable, though, and to be able to afford some luxuries (alcohol, inviting a date in a classy restaurant, spas, etc), you probably need at least USD 150 per day.

Prices of selected items:

- Beer in a bar: USD 3 to 5

- Alcoholic drink in a bar: USD 7 to 10

- Booking a sofa for 8 people in a nightclub: Minimum spending of USD 250 to 350

- Spirits bottle in a club: USD 100

- Street food: USD 1 (no meat) to USD 3 (with meat)

- Indonesian meal in a casual restaurant: USD 5-7

- Western meal in a chic restaurant: USD 15-20

- 1-hour "massage" in a medium class spa: USD 30

- 1-hour "massage" in a high-end spa: USD 70

- 15-minute taxi ride: USD 3

- 15-minute moto-taxi ride: USD 1 (with Go-Jek or Grab)

- TransJakarta bus ticket: USD 0.3

How to Get Around?

Getting around is the worst thing about staying in Jakarta. Unless you can afford a helicopter, you'll have to spend a considerable amount of time in traffic jams (fortunately, less on weekends and after 9 PM).

Transportation Apps

Grab, Gojek, (and their lesser-known competitors Maxim and In-Drive) are a must in Jakarta. They allow you to order private cars, taxis or moto-taxis from your mobile phone in an easy and usually affordable way (except during peak hours).

Moto-taxis are not comfortable to use, especially when it's hot outside, and they can be dangerous. Still, they are extremely popular because they are cheap, plentiful, and they can beat the traffic.

I don't have a favorite app. I've also installed all of them and I use whichever is the cheapest for a particular ride.

Buy a local sim card so the driver can call you to ask about your exact location (except if you use Grab as they have an in-app messenger). You can pay your fare in cash, by credit card, or by loading credit in advance (at a convenience store for instance). With the latter option, you will normally get special discounts.

Taxis

Rather cheap and plentiful. Avoid those parked right outside nightclubs and you'll be fine. Blue Bird is the most reputed company.

Walking

Walking in Jakarta is almost impossible except for short distances. If you wonder why, please just try and have fun.

Buses

Public transportation is confusing for newcomers. I don't recommend it unless you are on a very low budget (and even in that case, you could still ride a moto-taxi). The line 1 of the TransJakarta - a fleet of buses with their own dedicated lanes - is useful as it goes from the North (Kota) to the South (Blok), passing through all the major attractions of the city. You must buy a prepaid card to ride it (IDR40,000) and the cost is IDR3,500 per trip (deducted from your IDR40,000 credit).

A good way to get around in Jakarta using public transportation is to use the app Moovit. You just need to enter your location and your destination, and they'll tell you how to get there by bus/train.

Internet/Mobile Phone

If you stay in Jakarta for more than a couple weeks, I strongly recommend buying a sim card.

Unfortunately, it is not as simple as it used to be. Now, you need to register with your passport at the official branch of a network provider (Telkomsel, XL, Indosat, etc).

It's best to do it while still at the airport as there are branches there. It takes about 15 minutes and it will save you the trouble of finding a store in Jakarta. The price is reasonable (IDR100,000 for a 1-month package with 3GB of mobile internet). Telkomsel's Simpati is the best one.

Many expats complain about the internet speed in Jakarta. It is slower than in Thailand or Singapore, but faster than in the Philippines, China, Vietnam. Video streaming is usually possible in most circumstances. If you need to download movies, wait until after 12 PM.

Almost all porn, torrent and gambling websites are blocked in Indonesia. Modifying your proxy can solve this problem, or you can subscribe to a VPN instead. I've used several and I'm making recommendations here: Best VPNs in Indonesia.

Online dating in Indonesia

Indonesia might be one of the best country in the Asia to meet girls and this is nowhere truer than in Jakarta.

The best way to meet someone is online. You can read my guide Best Dating Apps in Asia for a comparison between each app.

Broadly speaking, Tinder and Bumble work great if you are young, slightly above-average looking, and if you live in Indonesia.

For an older guy, especially one who doesn't live here, I recommend a more traditional website like IndonesianCupid. First, it is targeting specifically Indonesian women who are looking for foreigners and who can accept a potential long-distance relationship. Second, its design and concept allow for less superficial conversations compared with modern dating apps.

Finally, the luxury dating site Seeking is also very popular. Its main advantage is that there are 4 times more women than men using it. The only drawback? It's more expensive to join (but at least you can browse the profiles for free).

Best bars and nightclubs for single guys

In the real world, there are plenty of opportunities to meet girls in bars and nightclubs. Beware, though, some may already have boyfriends somewhere in the world. Hint: If a girl spends a lot of money without having a job, you can be sure she has one or more sugar daddies backing her. Even if she has a regular job, it is very rare that she will earn more than USD 500 per month. Just do the math if that's something you care about.

As of today, the best nightlife venues for meeting girls in Jakarta are Basque, Caspar, Loewy, and H Club You can also try Eastern Promise, Léon, Zodiac, Cloud, Skye, and Dronk.

You can read my two updated guides:

- 10 Best Nightclubs in Jakarta

- 50 Best Bars in Jakarta

Is Jakarta Safe?

I spent about 5 years in Jakarta and I never had any particular issues apart from a minor motorbike accident (read Why You Need Travel Insurance in Indonesia).

• Crime is rare, even in infamous neighborhoods like Mangga Besar. I've never felt unsafe walking around and there are no reasons you should.

• There aren't any scams I'm aware of, probably due to the low number of tourists in Jakarta. This does not mean you won't be bothered with touts in touristic places (Taman Fatahillah, Jalan Jaksa, Monas). The only thing you risk is buying some overpriced crap.

• The terrorist threat exists, like in any other worldwide metropolis.

• If you get arrested by the police (it is rare but it can happen), you will be asked to show your passport. They might ask for some money if you don't have it with you (IDR100,000). If you haven't done anything wrong, just wait and they'll let you go after a few minutes.

• Don't do drugs, Indonesia is still very strict about it and, as a foreigner, you won't get away with it easily.