How to get to Jakarta

Jakarta is the capital of Indonesia, so transport links with other cities of the country and other states are very developed. In general, it is cheaper to get to Indonesia from Russia and other countries through Jakarta, after which you can continue your journey by land, water or air to any other islands and resorts in the country. You can get here from the cities of the island of Java by buses, trains, planes. Learn more about all the ways to get to Jakarta from Russia and other countries, from cities in Indonesia, from the island of Bali:

By plane

The plane at Jakarta airport

There are two international airports near Jakarta, the main one of which is Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (Soekarno–Hatta International, IATA code - CGK). Most international flights arrive here. But there is another airport named after Halim Perdanakusuma (Halim Kuzuma, Halim Perdanakusuma International, IATA code - HLP), which serves flights of several Asian budget airlines, mainly local, including from the island of Bali. When buying tickets, please specify which one you are arriving at.

Flights from many countries are operated to the main airport of Jakarta, but due to the low tourist popularity, direct flights are not operated here from the Russian Federation and CIS countries, you can only get there with transfers via Qatar, the UAE, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. Sometimes you can save money if you make your own route by buying an inexpensive flight to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur or Singapore separately, and from there to Jakarta to buy Asian budget airline tickets separately. However, when drawing up such a route, you should take more time to transfer, because if your flight is late, you will have to solve the problem with the flight to Jakarta on your own, airlines are not responsible for such a connection. And don't forget that when transferring in Bangkok, you will have to change the airport (see Bangkok Airport), and when flying through Kuala Lumpur, change the terminal (see about Kuala Lumpur Airport).

You can find air tickets, including ready-made options with transfers to Jakarta using the air ticket search form:

Prices for flights from Moscow to Jakarta:

Minimum prices for flights from Russia to Jakarta:

How to get from Soekarno-Hatta Airport

Sukarno-Hatta International is located 30 kilometers from the center (airport on the map), but despite the short distance, it's better to set 2-3 hours on the way due to huge traffic jams. If you are traveling from the city to the airport for a recovering flight, then we generally advise you to leave 4 hours in advance in order to avoid unforeseen situations, especially during the rainy season (from December to March), when due to flooding, transport links to the airport in the most extreme cases may stop altogether.

So, from Jakarta International Airport to the city center can be reached by train, taxi, buses, minivans, you can rent a car at the airport. There is a lot of transport, it goes often, you can get there without problems with any budget, and in the near future it will be possible to get there by train. If you need to travel further around the island of Java right from the airport, then in most cases you will have to transfer to a train or bus in Jakarta, since transport does not go directly to other cities:

• By taxi

  A taxi ride from the airport will take from 1 hour, but during peak hours (16:30 -20:00 on weekdays) or during heavy rains it may take several hours. It is best to use an official taxi ordered at the counters, the trip will cost from 120,000 rupees (7.35 USD) up to 170,000 plus will have to pay about 10,000 rupees for toll roads. It is more profitable to place an order through Grab or Go-Jek applications, which will cost from 110,000 rupees (6.74 USD) to the tourist street Jalan Jaksa. The Uber international app does not work in Indonesia. For ordering, you can use free airport Wi-Fi.

• Buses

  This is the cheapest and quite convenient way to get from/to the airport. There are several routes going to different parts of the city, as well as to nearby cities. When purchasing tickets, you can specify the location / address of your hotel, and they will tell you which route is better to choose. If the hotel has not been booked yet and you do not know where to go, just choose the most popular tourist area in the center and Jalan Jaksa Street (see Jakarta hotels, in which area it is better to stay).

  Tickets are purchased at the counters in the arrival terminals. There are racks in each terminal, but note that in Terminal 2 it is located in subterminal 2 F. Buses depart every 15-60 minutes depending on the direction. Buses to the center (Gambir route) run from 05:00 to 24:00, from the city 03:00 to 19:30.

  Here are the prices for the main directions:

  • Gambir (center and railway station Gambir, 15 minutes walk to the back street Jalan Jaksa) – 40,000 rupees ($3), an hour and a half on the way
  • Bogor (G. Bogor) – 55,000 rupees ($4)
  • Bandung (Bandung) – 115,000 rupees ($8.5)

• Minivans

  A number of companies, including the official airport carrier, offer a minibus ride to the door of the hotel if it is in the area of their routes. The carriers' counters are located in the arrival terminals, and to pick up a flight, just go through the drains and tell the location (address) of your hotel, you will be offered options. The trip will cost from 40,000. You can find and book minivan tickets through the popular Indonesian website https://www.redbus.id/en/

• By train

  An express train runs between the airport and the city center, which can be reached bypassing traffic jams in less than one hour. The fare is 70,000 rupees (4.29 USD)

  Trains from the airport depart/arrive at the SHIA station (Soekarno-Hatta International Airport Railway Station), which is located in a separate building at the airport. From the arrival/departure terminals, it can be reached by free airport SkyTrain trains (also launched at the end of 2017) and free buses.

  Trains arrive/depart to the city from the BNI City railway station (aka Sudirman Baru), which is located in the central district of the city. However, it is planned to extend the line to a more convenient Manggarai station, where it will be possible to transfer to other city trains, including to the historical district of Kota or to Gondangdia station near the tourist area.

  Trains from the airport depart from 06:10 to 23:10 every 30-60 minutes according to the schedule. They depart from the city from 04:21 to 21:51 also every 30-60 minutes. Tickets can be purchased on the website https://reservation.railink.co.id/ or at the sending stations. Here's the schedule:

  

For more information about all the ways, how to get from Jakarta airport to the city, see here.

How to get from Jakarta Halim Perdanakusuma Airport

This airport is located 10 kilometers from the city center (airport on the map). It is most convenient to get to the center by taxi, and the cheapest way is to order a car through Uber or the local Go-Jek app, the trip will cost about 100,000 rupees (about $ 8). You can also get there by DAMRI city buses. There are several flights, each departs about 1 time per hour:

• To the city center and Gambir station – 25,000 rupees ($2)
• To Soekarno-Hatta Airport – 30,000 rupees ($2.2)
• To the city of Bogor – 40,000 rupees ($3.2)

In the near future, it is planned to launch an express train between the two airports of Jakarta, on which it will be possible to get to the center. In the meantime, you can save a lot of money if you take a taxi to the nearest suburban train station Cawang Station, and then take the train to the city center (to Gondangdia or Juanda stations, since suburban trains do not stop at Gambir station).

By train

Jakarta Commuter Train

The railway connection on the island of Java is very well developed, you can get to Jakarta by train from all the most popular tourist cities, and where the trains do not go, you can always get by rail to the nearest station and transfer to the bus. Long-distance trains here are clean and more or less modern, not at all like cheap commuter trains, so you can safely plan a trip for them. But keep in mind that there are no sleeping places here. Whichever class you choose, even the most expensive, you will have to go sitting. Fortunately, the longest flight from Jakarta to Surabaya takes only 12 hours. For more information about traveling by train in Indonesia, see here.

There are several long-distance train stations in Jakarta, but for tourists, only two are the most important:

• Gambir railway station

  This is the main station and one of the important geographical landmarks for tourists (station on the map). It is located in the city center, within walking distance is Jalan Jalaksa street with inexpensive guest houses and hotels. DAMRI buses from the airport to the center finish their route at this station (their route is called Gambir).

  From this station, trains depart in all directions, but only expensive ones, of the Eksekutif class and Bisnis class.

• Pasar Senen railway station

  The second important station. It differs from Gambir in that economy class trains depart from it in the same way in all directions, It is located a couple of kilometers from the center, and it is best to get to it by taxi (station on the map). Keep in mind that the Pasar Senen city train station and/or the station are located in different places about two kilometers from each other.

Please note that if you need to get by train+ferry to Bali, you will have to take the Surabaya train first, and then take the train to Banyuwangi. It will be completely two different moves, unrelated to each other, and you may even have to spend the night in Surabaya. There are no single train + ferry tickets, like in Thailand, here, everything will have to be purchased separately. For more information on how to get from Jakarta to Bali and back, see here...

By bus

Jakarta is connected by frequent intercity bus service with all major cities of the island of Java, with the island of Sumatra (via ferry), and you can get here by bus even from Bali. In general, traveling by bus is a good option, and the cheapest, even cheaper than trains, but the difficulty is to find the right bus and its place of departure.

There are several bus stations in Jakarta, and all of them are located far away on the outskirts of the city, and at different ends. Accordingly, you need to get there first to buy a ticket, and then to go. Therefore, it is best to purchase tickets online, or look for them at travel agencies on the street. With this option, you will pay a commission, but you will save a lot of time.

You can search and book tickets to/from Jakarta through the website of one of the largest carriers https://www.redbus.id/en (in English), or through an aggregator of various carriers 12go.asia (in Russian). The latter option is convenient because there is a Russian-speaking support service in case something goes wrong, and the exact places of departure and arrival of buses are indicated on the map. So all that remains is to find and book a flight, receive an e-ticket by mail, and arrive at the right place for boarding.

Bus schedule to Jakarta