Jakarta for one night?
 

I will be arriving in Jakarta at 12:45pm and I was wondering if the city was worth staying over for one night or should I just book a flight to Bali on the same day? If so how much time should I allow between flights? I will be flying on Air Oman.

I would book a flight to Bali on the same day. I recommend booking a flight with Garuda to minimise the hassle of changing terminals. I also recommend at least 3 hours between flights.

Having said this, there are some interesting places to see in Jakarta, but 1 night is not worth it in my opinion because you would spend a lot of time on the roads due to the extremely bad traffic.

It's an odd question to ask strangers, because we all have different attitudes to opportunities like this. If I could get into a city easily and cheaply, and hotels rates were not too steep, I think i'd always make an attempt to see a new place.

And as I have an irrational soft spot for Jakarta, I'd always recommend a visit - even if it's for you to decide never again!

It's easy and cheap to get into Jakarta from CGK: limo, taxi or bus. Traffic can be bad, but not really at the time you arrive. Hotels can be very good value, depending on what's on in the city. The two Holiday Inn Expresses just off Thamrin are usually excellent value at around $50-$60, and they have the malls and the national museum quite close by: or if you are flush, there's plenty opportunity to splurge ...

The reason I'm considering flying into Jakarta is because I found a very cheap fare to fly in business class. It's the only city in Asia where I can fly at this rate. The other options are a couple hundred dollars more. I'd be curious to check it out for one night but another option would be to fly to Manila instead. Would that be better? Ultimately, I want to spend some time in Indonesia and maybe head to Australia also so maybe Jakarta is the best option, despite not the best city to visit...

I lived and worked for many years and luv Indonesia. BUT -- Jakarta traffic is horrendous and the city itself doesn't offer much sightseeing, IMO.

And if you arrive 12:45, chances are you won't get to hotel until 3-4 pm and then rush hour (although pretty much same regardless of time) starts and you won't have much time to see anything.

I'm not a fan of Jakarta's bus rapid transit system - called Transjakarta - but for a non-resident, it's ok. It stops by both MONAS (the national monument in the middle of the largest "park" in the city) and the national museum. In fact, they are at located at the same bus stop (called Monas); MONAS is to the east of the stop, the museum, to the west.

If you choose to head downtown, what would you want to see/eat/do? (There are more "tourist" sites than people let on, but getting to or fro them will undoubtedly involve traffic.)

This.

Probably best not to promote the busway to short-term visitors. The Sudirman/Thamrin axis is currently a construction mess, and the ticketing system has shifted to a smartcard.

Uber works well

Don't see the point in Uber, since you're all sitting in the same traffic. Plenty of taxis are around, and those don't require a mobile phone. (Wasn't there a bit of a protest last week on Thamrin about Uber and that ilk?)

Didn't know about the construction by Monas (was there last June...though I suppose they are actually doing something about the mass transit. Finally.) Anyway, are you saying that Transjakarta has that inconvenient a detour on the Fatahillah-Blok M route?

Still, to the OP, there's no reason to rush to Bali on the day you get to CGK...you'll be sitting in traffic there, too.

OK, I'm fortunate enough to have "free" data while I'm in Jakarta, so Uber is easy. The joys of the using it are well-rehearsed: cash-free, easily called and tracked and a very responsive team to call on if things go wrong: it's also a bit cheaper than Bluebird.

There are some difficulties - I still don't understand how to meet up with drivers at CGK, and it's not always easy at malls (I think Uber drivers worry about hostility from drivers of regular taxis).

Also, while regular taxis are excused from complying with minimum occupancy rules at rush hours, Uber cars (as private vehicles) are not. The alternative is picking up "jockeys", face a fine, or trust the driver to find his way through sneaky short-cuts.

There are protests everywhere about Uber et al - though it's generally not the public who are making the fuss :D

The new metro system was given the go-ahead quite a few years' back. Basically it's in two parts with the north-south one under construction. This will go from Lebak Bulus to Bundaran HI, then on to Block M and beyond: so more or less taking over the Transjakarta Koridor l between Kota and Block M.

Construction work has royally F'd up traffic on the Thamrin/Sudirman axis, and meant the closure of a couple of busway stops, made life difficult accessing some others.

The second East-West metro will be very much longer, but I think it's not yet off the ground, as it were.

Did a 1 night stop over in Jakarta due to connecting flights. I did not like Jakarta at all. Even at the airport hotel I was uncomfortable and didn't feel welcome. I would not stop at Jakarta again... but that is my opinion.

It's very difficult to answer your question without knowing what you think makes a stop in Jarkarta interesting or valuable. Everyone has different priorities. If you have a long vacation and not much to do then why not stay a night. If you've got a short trip and you're worried about loosing valuable time on the beach then avoid Jakarta.

If you think that getting stuck in traffic jams:
- Is a waste of time then skip Jakarta
- Is just part of the travel experience then relax in the back seat of a taxi and see Jakarta

If you think that sightseeing:
- Must include historic buildings and national monuments then skip Jakarta (you won't have time to visit Kota Tua)
- Can be fun simply walking through shopping malls, looking at ordinary clothing and housewares, and eating in local restaurants then see Jakarta

If you need to tell you friends the names of cities you've visited:
- Stay for a night in Jakarta so you can add it to your list

If you need to add more 5 star hotels to places you've stayed:
- Stay for a night in Jakarta since there are plenty to choose from

Jakarta is an ordinary city that doesn't attract much in the way of tourism. I go every year simply because I like living there. The costs are low, food is good, weather is warm, and people are friendly. When I travel for tourism and culture, which is a completely different priority, I go elsewhere.

If you still can't decide whether to stay or skip, here's a compromise solution. After you land at the international airport (north of the city), get in a taxi and simply go straight to Halim Airport (south of the city). Batik Air has several flights from Halim to Bali. You can do your sightseeing from the back seat of the taxi, claim that you've "been to Jakarta", and still be on your way to Bali the same evening.