Museums and galleries in Jakarta

Museums and galleries in Jakarta

1. SeeWest

   Bank Indonesia Museum

   Perhaps the best museum in the area as it displays the legacy of Indonesia (and a general overview of the world)'s monetary and economy history, with music and technology that works through your senses. Please differentiate with Bank Mandiri Museum, which only 30 meters from Fatahillah Museum, but inferior to Bank Indonesia Museum.

   Tue-Sun 08:00-15:30·Free for students who show their student IDs, groups who have registered and got confirmation from the BI Museum, and children up to 3 years old; for others Rp5,000

2. DoCentral

   Bentara Budaya Jakarta

   A collection of paintings, especially from Bali, ceramic from the Chinese dynasties, Buddhist statues with hand praying gestures, and other arts and crafts from across the archipelago. Sometimes there is a thematic exhibition or a cultural performance.

   Mon-Fri 08:00-17:00

3. SeeSouth

   Dia.lo.gue Artspace

   Contemporary art centre and exhibition with coffee shop inside. The name can be interpreted as "she/him, you, and me", or conversation in Bahasa Indonesia.

   9:30-18:00 weekdays, 9:00-21:00 weekend

4. DoCentral

   Ismail Marzuki Park

   Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM)

   Home of the city's planetarium, theatres, art galleries, and Indonesia's famous non-profit theatre club, Teater Koma. Planetarium: Rp7,000 children over two years until finishing elementary school, otherwise Rp12,000. Saturday, Sunday, and public holidays shows at 09:00, 12:00 and 15:00. Shows are 50-60 minutes long.

   Daily 08:00-23:00

5. SeeCentral

   Jakarta Cathedral

   The century-old neo-gothic church is the seat of the Jakarta Archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church. After you admire the design inside and out, go to the 2nd floor for a museum.

6. SeeWest

   Jakarta History Museum

   Museum Fatahillah

   The building was a city hall (Stadhuis) until 1710, and then an underground prison, and used as the provincial office before restored into its use today as Jakarta's History Museum in 1974. Start from the right entrance, the first room you'll encounter is the transportation mode Jakarta used, including carts. Next, the chronology begins with writing on the stones that tell the growth of the area from as early as the 5th century, then the Portuguese and the Dutch. The backyard has the famous Jagur cannon. Other highlights include the fusion of cultures from both in and out of Indonesia and the assimilation that shapes the local Betawi culture. The basement used to be a dark prison of torture.

   Tue-Sun 09:00-15:00·Adult Rp 15000, student Rp 3000, children Rp 2000

7. SeeSouth

   Kites Museum of Indonesia

   Museum Layang-Layang Indonesia

   Established in 2003, this museum's collection include about 600 kites, with varying sizes from 2 centimeters to 9 x 26 meters.

8. SeeNorth

   Museum Bahari

   Maritime Museum

   A legacy of Indonesia's maritime past. Artifacts of boats from the Pinisi to the Navy, underwater life and the heroes of the Indonesian seas. Magnificent old building and very modest entry fee.

   Rp15.000

9. SeeCentral

   Museum Sumpah Pemuda

   In 1928, a group of youth at the 2nd Youth Congress declared one motherland, one nation, one language. The museum has complete information on how the dispersed youth tied to their home region gathered in unity for an idea of a country that was yet to be officially formed, and when the creator of the Indonesian national anthem, W.R. Supratman, performed this piece on violin for the first time ever.

   Tue-Fri 08:00-16:00; Sat Sun 08:00-17:00·Indonesian Rp2,000; foreigner Rp10,000

10. SeeWest

    Museum of Fine Arts and Ceramic

    A fine art gallery featuring some of Indonesia's maestros of art. Not just paintings, but ceramic sculptures, and structures that represent the Hindu mythology commonly found in temples (candi).

    Closed · opens 8 am·From Rp 5,000 per adult

11. SeeCentral

    National Museum

    Museum Nasional

    Step back in time from humble prehistory to the Hindu Kingdoms, from the Dutch to the Independence. It has a fine collection of Hindu sculptures and cultural artifacts from around the country, as well as an impressive treasure room filled with gold items. Look out for the elephant statue at front, a gift from the King of Siam (Thailand) in 1871. The Gold room is closed 1 hour before the museum normal closing time.

    Daily 08:00-16:00·Foreigner Rp 150,000; Indonesian Adult Rp 50,000 child Rp 25,000,

12. SeeCentral

    Proclamation Museum

    Museum Perumusan Naskah Proklamasi

    This is where the Declaration of Independence is read on August 17, 1945, by the founding fathers Soekarno and Hatta. Complete storyline of how the Independence came to be, through dioramas, mock-ups, and propaganda posters.

    Tue-Fri 08:00-16:00 (Fri closes 11:00-13:00), Sat Sun 08:30-17:00·Indonesian Rp2,000; foreigner Rp10,000

13. SeeWest

    Puppet Museum

    Museum Wayang

    This museum is dedicated to the Wayang, a Javanese puppet used in traditional shows to explain religious and philosophical ideas (so it's discouraged to call it a mere toy). There are different types of wayang from the shadow puppets to marionettes, from Java and around the world. Grab a tour guide (staff) to explain everything in English (the description on the display is not very helpful). The shadow puppet show is regularly held at 11:00 on Sunday.

    Tue-Sun 08:30-15:00·From Rp5,000 per adult

14. SeeCentral

    Sasmita Loka

    The former house of Gen. Ahmad Yani, who was kidnapped and murdered in the communist attempt to stage a coup in 1965. The house has become a museum.

15. SeeSouth

    Satria Mandala

    formerly Wisma Yaso

    Military Museum. Wisma Yaso is the former residence of Indonesian first president, Soekarno.

16. SeeWest

    Textile Museum

    A museum where textile motifs and textures from all across Indonesia. The batik even has its own dedicated gallery that awes you by the different motives and its use. You can even make your own batik for Rp40,000! There are also tenun machines at the back that you can use and a library of colors used for dying the cloth, including its origin.

17. SeeWest

    The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Nusantara

    Museum MACAN

    The museum, which is the first in Indonesia to have a collection of modern and contemporary Indonesian and international art, opened in 2017. It displays around 90 works from a collection totalling 800 modern Indonesian and contemporary artworks from around the world including 'Infinity Mirrored Room' by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. The museum is not frightened to exhibit artists who take a polemic approach and its permanent collection does an excellent job of demonstrating that the development of indigenous art since the start of the 20th century has recorded, commented on and affected political events. All in all better than merely interesting it is an exciting place to visit.

    Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00, last entry 17:00·Adult Rp100,000, student Rp90,000, senior (≥ 65 years old) Rp90,000, children (3 - 12 years old) Rp80,000, children (< 3 years old) free

18. SeeCentral

    The National Monument

    Monumen Nasional, often abbreviated Monas

    A towering 137m-tall obelisk of solid bronze platted with 50 kilos of gold shaped into flames up top, this is the most famous landmark in Jakarta. The monument was commissioned by Sukarno in 1961 to celebrate Indonesia's independence, it was completed in 1975 after his death and is consequently known irreverently as Sukarno's Last Erection. The 1 square kilometre Medan Merdeka (Freedom Square) plaza/park around it was created by bulldozing a squatter community. In its basement, look for the collection of dioramas depicting the struggle for Indonesian independence from a firmly revolutionary point of view, while the top has an observation deck. The musical fountain at the east side of the park dances on weekends at 19:00.

    08:00-16:00, except the last Mon of the month·Museum and the first platform Rp 5,000 for adult, Rp 3,000 for student and Rp 2,000 for child; observation desk Rp 10,000 for adult, Rp 5,000 for student and Rp 2,000 for child. Only 1,800 tickets are available per day for the observation desk before noon. Since April 5, 2016, the observation desk is also open from 19:00 to 22:00, with 700 tickets available at Rp 15,000/ticket and ticket sales available only until 9pm, but night observation is closed in Ramadan (fasting) month

19. SeeSouth

    Police Museum

    Museum Polri

    Jalan Trunojoyo 1

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Jakarta (CC BY-SA 4.0).