Bandung
City · Mountains · Relaxed
Bandung is where Java cools down. The city sits in a highland basin about 700 metres above sea level, ringed by volcanoes and tea plantations, so the air is fresher than anywhere on the coast. The high-speed Whoosh train makes it an easy trip from Jakarta: about 40 minutes to the Bandung-area stations, then a short connecting train into the city. Start on Jalan Braga, the old Dutch shopping street, where Art Deco shopfronts now hold cafés and galleries, and look for the grand Gedung Sate nearby. Then head for the hills. Walk the steaming rim of Tangkuban Perahu volcano, sip fresh tea among the plantations of Ciwidey, and come back hungry. Bandung eats extraordinarily well for very little. Come midweek if you can, because weekends bring the crowds from Jakarta.
A weekend here might look like
- Morning: Tangkuban Perahu - An active volcano north of the city, its crater rim reached by road, with steaming sulphur vents below and a legend in its upturned-boat shape.
- Lunch: Kampung Daun Teh - Sundanese cooking served in bamboo huts scattered through a forested valley north of the city, among small waterfalls and lanterns.
- Afternoon: White Crater - A crater lake south of Bandung whose milky, pale-green water shifts colour with the weather, ringed by bare white rock and drifting mist. Bring a mask for the sulphur.
More to explore
- Gedung Sate - The 1920s government building named for the satay-skewer ornament on its roof, now the West Java governor's office, with a small museum inside.
- Saung Angklung Udjo - A cultural centre founded in 1966 for the angklung, West Java's bamboo instrument, where every guest is handed one and joins in.
- Sindang Reret Bandung - A large Sundanese restaurant known for grilled fish, fried chicken and fiery sambal, eaten the traditional way with rice.
- Aroma Coffee - A family coffee roaster trading since 1930 on Jalan Banceuy, where beans are aged for years before roasting. More a shop than a cafe; buy beans to take home.
- Two Hands Full - A light, airy cafe in a converted house, known for its all-day brunch and serious coffee.