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Free things to do in Medan

7 places in Medan with free entry or no charge, based on guide listings and map data.

Ranked with the travel guide's picks and well-known places first.

Free things to do in Medan

  1. See

    Graha Maria Annai Velangkanni

    Catholic shrine with Tamil Hindu-style architecture, devoted to Our Lady of Good Health.

    Closed · opens 8 amFree

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    Great Mosque of Medan

    Masjid Raya Medan or Masjid Raya Al Mashun

    Built in 1906 and completed in 1909, the mosque was designed by a Dutch architect mixing Moroccan, European, Middle Eastern and Malay styles. During the month of Ramadan the whole Jalan Masjid Raya is closed to hold a night market where food and merchandise are sold. Women can visit, too, but they have to enter the central hall through a separate door and stay behind a provisory wall that separates the hall in two. Around the mosque is a graveyard for the sultan's extended family.

    Free

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    Gunung Timur Temple

    Vihara Gunung Timur

    A Daoist temple of significant scale located about 500 m from Sri Mariamman Temple. It contains a large paved area with an impressively scaled incense burner, two covered badminton courts, a very large main hall and is partly surrounded by a moat and walls. It is particularly crowded with worshippers on Chinese New Year and Cap Go Meh.

    Free

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    Maha Vihara Maitreya

    One of the biggest Buddhist temple complexes in Medan, it is decorated with various statues of mythical Chinese creatures like dragons, kirin and phoenixes. To the left wing is a pond housing koi fish, while the right wing houses a playground, souvenir shop, a vegetarian canteen and a coffeehouse. The main hall houses statues of Buddha Sakyamuni, Bodhisattva and the Bodhisattva Satyakalama Avolokitesvara. As this is a holy site, always obey the regulations stated by the temple.

    Open most the timesFree

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    Sikh Temple

    Located in the old Chinese school 50 m to the right of the Shri Mariamman Tamil Hindu Temple, opposite the maternity hospital. After you walk in to the impressive grounds, turn to the left and walk behind the stairway. The humble temple hall is located to your left. Note: Do not enter without both permission and proper attire! There is supposed to be a larger one elsewhere in the city.

    Free

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    Sri Mariamman Temple

    Kuil Shri Mariamman

    A Tamil Hindu temple. Beware: there are two of these! This one's the one on the corner not so far from town. The other one is down a long alley and is closed up. Featuring many brightly colored statues of all the major gods from the Tamil Hindu pantheon and a few naga stones, this temple is testament to the reach of the ancient Tamil maritime empire and the age of the Tamil community in Sumatra. Events regularly take place at this temple.

    Free

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    Tirtanadi Water Tower

    Menara Air Tirtanadi

    One of Medan's icons, the water tower was built by the Dutch government in 1908 with a height of 42 m. It is state-owned by PDAM Tirtanadi.

    Free

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