Your essential guide to Jakarta

SEE

Even from the outside, the Museum Nasional Indonesia impresses: a grand, column-fronted 19th-century pile with an elephant-topped fountain (the museum is also known as Gedung Gajah, ‘the Elephant Building’). Drawn from across the archipelago, its collections are remarkable, spanning royal thrones, carved canoe prows and elaborate epaku hats.

WANDER

Across the road from the museum, Merdeka Square spreads across almost 250 acres, offering welcome respite from Jakarta’s chaotic traffic. At its centre is the National Monument, a flame-topped obelisk celebrating Indonesia’s fight for independence. Board the elevator to take in the panoramas from its observation deck, then head back down to earth to visit the square’s resident deer.

REFUEL

This city runs on caffeine, from frothy, sweet kopi tarik to precision-poured V60s. Not far from the hotel, the jazz-soundtracked Bakoel Koffie is run by Indonesia’s oldest roaster, while One Fifteenth’s Menteng outpost is a coolly contemporary affair, known for its crafted coffees and fluffy kaya toast.

FEAST

Head back to Mandarin Oriental, Jakarta for dinner at Li-Feng. Inspired by ancient trade routes with China, it serves a Cantonese menu masterminded by the Michelin-starred Chef Fei. Every course yields fresh surprises: a tiny teapot of aromatic soup, perhaps, or a flotilla of swan-shaped dumplings.

SEE

It took almost two decades to build the modernist Masjid Istiqlal, the largest mosque in southeast Asia. Designed by Indonesian architect Friedrich Silaban, it’s striking in its simplicity, from its milk-white marble floor to its monumental prayer hall. Non-Muslim visitors are made welcome and given a guided tour.

HEAR

Jakarta has a real affinity for jazz, drawing an all-star line-up to its annual festival. Its year-round venues, meanwhile, include the hip but welcoming Houma, which takes its cue from Japan’s vinyl-soundtracked jazz kissa cafés. Drop by for a gig or explore its stash of records over a guava sour.

EXPLORE

Once the hub of the Dutch settlement of Batavia, Kota Tua is the city’s Old Town. Its colonial-era relics run from riverside spice warehouses to the old Courts of Justice, while the handsome, teak-lined Café Batavia is a throwback to the 1930s, looking out on Fatahillah Square.

TASTE

Known for its classic Indonesian flavours, Plataran Menteng has earned its high regard on the city’s dining scene. The setting is charming: a three-storey, colonial-era Dutch mansion set around a leafy courtyard. Try the vibrant, peanut-spiked gado gado dharmawangsa and signature dendeng batokok – high-grade air-dried beef dressed in a traditional Sumatran relish.

BROWSE

In West Jakarta, Museum MACAN is a sleek showcase for modern and contemporary art. Its collection includes international art-world stars such as Yayoi Kusama, along with some towering local talents, from painters to performance artists. Touring exhibitions from the likes of Ai Weiwei and Jeff Koons add to the appeal.

ESCAPE

For a complete change of pace, take a day trip to Kebun Raya Bogor (Bogor Botanical Gardens), founded in 1817 by an enterprising German botanist. Some 60km south of the city, it feels like another world, with its orchids, citrus groves and cacti-studded Mexican garden. Look out for the pond by the café, dotted with enormous Amazonian waterlilies.

BARTER

In the upscale Menteng neighbourhood, head for the famous flea-market on Jalan Surabaya. Its stalls overflow with antiques, from gramophones to battered brass trumpets, via dragon-topped gongs and handsome Anglepoise lamps. More portable mementos include enamel rantang (stacking tiffin boxes) and intricate antique carvings.

SAMPLE

An exploration of the city’s cocktail scene should start at MO Bar, whose signatures include a plum wine-spiked negroni and Sichuan pepper-laced Oriental Martini. Just south of here, KODA is also worth seeking out: an elegant, twilit speakeasy, whose creations riff on local spirits and flavours. Settle into a cherry-red banquette and order something bespoke, conjured up by the talented Yutaka Nakashima.

Those in need of a break from the pace of city life can head to one of the Thousand Islands (Pulau Seribu) strung across Jakarta Bay. Tiger Island, or Pulau Macan, is an hour and half by boat from Ancol Marina and is beautifully serene. Technically it’s two islands, and you can stroll between them at low tide; otherwise, paddle in the turquoise shallows, go snorkelling or kayaking, or come ashore to stroll the white sands.

- The concierge team at Mandarin Oriental, Jakarta.