Housed in old colonial buildings, the many museums here will take you back to the era of Discovery and Aromatic Spices.

1 | The Fatahillah Square

  Experience Indonesia in 360

Here was the heart of the distinguished and feared administrative center of the then powerful and wealthy VOC, where the lucrative spices of nutmeg, pepper, cinnamon, tea and other precious cargo were kept in the many warehouses, prepared for immediate loading onto large vessels for shipment back to Europe where they fetched fortunes for the VOC and the Netherlands.

When you get to stroll around here, you will feel yourself as transported back to the 17th century, surrounded by colonial style Dutch structures that have now been transformed into museums, cafes and art galleries.

On weekends and holidays, this particular area comes alive with throngs of visitors. Colorful vintage bicycles called Sepeda Ontel stand by for rent for a fun tour around prestigious landmarks. Culinary adventure is also festive here, from the low priced super tasty food offered by street vendors to fine dining in a gorgeous two hundred years old colonial building. Ah! And prepare yourself for spontaneous modern art performances that will excite you with their absolute creativity.

Fronting the old City Hall is the Plaza with a water fountain in its center, where people used to draw their water supply. Around the Plaza once stood the city’s main church, the Court of Justice, Banks and other buildings of important companies.

Today, the Town Hall now houses the Fatahillah Museum, otherwise known as the History of Museum of Jakarta, while surrounding buildings have been transformed into the Wayang Museum, the Museum of Arts and Ceramics, the Museum of Bank Indonesia, the Bank Mandiri Museum and others. Further down by the Canal are the Archives Museum, and Toko Merah or the Red Shop. Further northwards was the main port of Sunda Kelapa where ships lay at anchor, where you may now still see legendary phinisi schooners. The original VOC warehouses have been turned into the Maritime Museum. Other remains are the tower of the harbor master where ships had to pay their excise duty, and also a typical Dutch drawbridge.

2 | The Jakarta History Museum or the Fatahillah Museum

Built in the 17th century as the Town hall in the Dutch VOC colonial era, the Stadhuis now contains the History of Jakarta Museum, where you can observe artefacts found when Jakarta was still called Sunda Kelapa, also the agreement in stone between the Kingdom of Sunda with the Portuguese. Some original furniture used in the 18th century, and the dungeon where Indonesian freedom fighter Prince Diponegoro was treacherously jailed can also bee seen.

3 | Cafe Batavia

This cafe has long been a favorite point of interest. Offering iconic colonial ambience and original-style Dutch East India cuisine, Cafe Batavia is open daily. Housed in an 1830s buiilding, Cafe Batavia has two storeys comprising a bar, a stage for performances, and a lounge area on the ground floor. The upper floor features an upscale dining hall catering for 150 guests. With its tall slatted windows that allow abundant light into the interior and views onto Fatahillah Square, and period colonial-style furniture, this Cafe will certainly carry you back to the splendor of colonial days. With live music and alluring international menus, this could be just your new favourite place to unwind.

4 | The Wayang Museum

Sometimes translated as the Puppet Museum, it was opened in 1975 but it stands on a historic site that dates back to 1640, as here was once the Old Dutch Church. The garden was the site where Governor General Jan Pieterszoon Coen, founder of Batavia was buriend. Besides displaying Indonesian traditional shadow puppets, and other collections of puppets from other regions, you can also see puppets from neighbouring countries, including those from Burma, Thailand and China. Here you can also learn how shadow puppets are made, or join a workshop on puppetry.