Recommended places in Jakarta to introduce to foreign friends by Lia.

Thursday, July 17, 2026, was the day when my friends and I planned to meet and accompany a friend visiting from Korea. 

To give you some background, our friendship began in Korea when we represented different branches of the King Sejong Institute in Indonesia as winners of last year’s Korean speech contest. And now, one of our team leaders, who acted as a buddy for the participants back then, is visiting Jakarta, Indonesia.

As someone from Jakarta who enjoys staying at home, there are actually many tourist spots I’ve never visited. I could list a thousand reasons why, but let’s skip that part, haha. So, instead of being the “tour guide” for our Korean friend, I ended up being amazed myself by the places we decided to visit. I kept going “Wow, wow!” at every stop, which made me wonder... am I really a Jakartan? 😆

Note: We still explained many things to our friend, too. Don't worry about that.

Photo inside Istiqlal Mosque by Lia.

Istiqlal Mosque

Every country has a majority religion among its people. And Indonesia, with a population of 287 million, has 87% Muslims. So, the first place we introduced to our Korean friend was Istiqlal Mosque, the third-largest mosque in the world by capacity, and the seventh-largest by size.

It might sound strange, but this was actually my very first visit to Istiqlal Mosque. I used to think if you want to introduce the mosque to your friend, you could just visit it. But it turns out the mosque even provides free guided tours for international visitors, and registration is super easy!

The tour was conducted in English, and we explored several parts of the mosque while listening to stories about its founding, the atmosphere during religious holidays, and more. For me, this is definitely a fascinating destination to introduce Indonesia as a Muslim-majority country to foreign friends.

Photo inside National Museum of Indonesia by Lia.

National Museum of Indonesia

Just a note, this wasn’t my first visit to the National Museum of Indonesia. It’s been famous for a long time. When I was little, my parents often took me and my siblings there. Back then, I knew it as the “Elephant Museum” because of the bronze elephant statue displayed in front.

That statue was a gift from King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) of Thailand during his visit to Batavia in 1871. Even before ASEAN was officially established on August 8, 1967, Indonesia and Thailand already had strong ties.

Photo of the elephant statue in front of National Museum of Indonesia by Lia.

This time, however, was my first visit after the museum was renovated following a fire in 2023. Compared to before, the renovation made it look much more modern. Walking through the exhibition halls reminded us of the modern vibe of the National Museum of Korea.

The exhibits are arranged to reflect Indonesia’s history, from prehistory to independence. The museum also frequently hosts special exhibitions, which I find very impressive. I hope these changes make the museum no longer feel old or boring, but instead an exciting place to learn about Indonesia’s history and culture.

Picture of me looking at one of the Jepara Woodworks exhibited in the museum's special exhibition.

Pantjoran, Pantai Indah Kapuk 2

Pantai Indah Kapuk (PIK) is a planned township and upscale area located in northwest Jakarta and Tangerang, Banten. PIK is popular among Jakartans as a destination for food, leisure walks, and photography thanks to its well-organized design.

This was my first visit to Pantjoran PIK. Since I live in East Jakarta, getting there was quite a challenge. The last time I took public transport, the trip took two hours and was exhausting. Using GrabCar or Gojek would cost a lot for a round trip, so I can’t go there often.

Photo of the ten-story pagoda at Pantjoran PIK by Lia.

Pantjoran PIK is a culinary and cultural destination with a Chinatown theme. It’s iconic for its ten-story pagoda, cultural dioramas, and Chinese-style architecture. It's soooooo perfect for photos.

During our visit, we had already planned to eat elsewhere, so I only bought a Thai green tea there. From what I saw, many food stalls sell pork, though some may not. This is something Muslim visitors should keep in mind when exploring the area.

A not-so-representative picture of the bridge in San Antonio Beach by Lia.

San Antonio Beach, PIK

Still within PIK, there’s San Antonio Beach, a popular open space and waterfront destination. It’s one of the best spots to enjoy the sunset and has a modern pedestrian-friendly design. 

Visiting at night was fun! We strolled around with friends to walk off the food and drinks we had just eaten. Unfortunately, my phone battery died, so I couldn’t take many photos. I only managed to capture a picture of the bridge.

Photo of various Indonesian cuisines taken by Lia.

Local Food Spots

We visited two restaurants to introduce our Korean friend to Indonesian cuisine, which is Sate Khas Senayan, which serves Javanese dishes, and Pagi Sore, which specializes in Padang food.

From what I’ve heard, these restaurants are common choices when bringing foreign friends, since they showcase authentic Indonesian flavors. But of course, introducing Indonesian food doesn’t always mean going to fancy restaurants. You can also take them to try street food like angkringan, bubur ayam, mie ayam, or bakso from a cart vendor.

Lastly, though it’s a small detail, you might also want to give your foreign friend the experience of riding a Bajaj, a three-wheeled motorized vehicle that serves as local public transport, especially popular in Jakarta.

I hope this post helps Indonesians who want to show different sides of Jakarta to their foreign friends. And I also hope it serves as a friendly guide for foreigners who want to explore Jakarta. 

That’s all for now! See you in the next post!

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