Family Friendly Attractions in Jakarta
Part of the Jakarta travel guide — see every topic in All Jakarta Guides.
Jakarta with children is largely a question of managing heat, traffic and air quality — and the city is unusually well equipped for that, because its own residents have the same problem. The malls are genuinely good indoor destinations with play areas, aquariums and cinemas; Ancol on the north coast is a large resort complex with a theme park, a waterpark and an oceanarium; and Taman Mini is an enormous open-air museum that works as a park. The zoo is large and shaded.
Ancol
A large coastal recreation complex on the north shore, developed from the 1960s, containing Dunia Fantasi (Indonesia's best-known theme park, with roller coasters and themed areas), Atlantis water park, Sea World oceanarium, Ocean Dream Samudra with marine mammal shows, a beach, a marina and a golf course. It is a full day and it is where Jakarta families go at weekends, which means it is very busy then and pleasant midweek. The marine mammal shows are a conventional dolphin-show format worth considering on welfare grounds.
Taman Mini and Ragunan
Taman Mini Indonesia Indah is 150 hectares in East Jakarta with a pavilion for every Indonesian province built in its own regional architecture, a lake shaped as a map of the archipelago, a cable car, museums, a bird park and gardens. It is dated, enormous, and genuinely good for showing children how many different Indonesias there are. Ragunan Zoo in the south is large, wooded and inexpensive, with a primate centre; standards are those of a large public zoo in a middle-income country rather than a modern conservation park.
Indoors
Jakarta's malls are the practical answer to a hot afternoon. Most of the large ones have indoor play centres, cinemas, and increasingly things like ice rinks, trampoline parks and small aquariums. Grand Indonesia, Central Park, Taman Anggrek and Kota Kasablanka all work. Beyond malls: KidZania in Pacific Place is a role-play city for four to fourteen year-olds and is well done; and the National Museum, with its statuary and gold, holds children's attention better than most museums do.
Practicalities
Air quality is a genuine consideration with young children — check an index before planning a long outdoor day. Traffic makes any cross-city trip a project, so cluster activities. Malls, hotels and the MRT are stroller-friendly; street pavements are not, so a carrier is more useful. Nappies, formula and baby food are widely available. Car seats are not standard in taxis or Grab, so request one or bring your own. And plan indoor time between eleven and four, every day.
Family Friendly Attractions at a glance
| Biggest complex | Ancol — theme park, water park, oceanarium, beach |
|---|---|
| Cultural park | Taman Mini — 150 ha, a pavilion per province |
| Zoo | Ragunan — large, wooded, inexpensive |
| Rainy or hot day | The malls; KidZania at Pacific Place |
| Watch for | Air quality; traffic between clusters |
| Note | Car seats not standard — request or bring one |