4Sleeping
Semarang lacks decent, cheap hotels. Midrange accommodation is good value, however. Backpackers should budget accordingly.
Hotel Raden PatahHOTEL$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %024-351 1328; Jl Jenderal Suprapto 48; r 150,000Rp; a)
An old building with vintage beamed ceilings and light fixtures and clean basic rooms with queen beds and air-con on the cheap. Plus you are right in the old town mix. For a night? Totally works.
Tjiang ResidenceGUESTHOUSE$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %024-354 0330; www.tjiangresidence.com; Jl Gang Pinggir 24; d incl breakfast 220,000Rp; aW)
In the heart of Chinatown, this budget hotel is steeped in old Chinese kitsch, a short stroll from the Tay Kak Sie temple. OK, the lobby smells of mildew, and so do the halls, but the rooms are fresh, if cramped, with wood floors, Ikea-chic desks and flat-screens.
Roemah PantesHOTEL$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %024-358 0628; Jl Kalikuping 18; s/d incl breakfast 225,000/250,000Rp; aW)
In a hard-to-find lane close to Gang Lombok in the heart of Chinatown, this small hotel has seven fairly spacious, reasonably clean, tiled rooms with duvets and hot-water bathrooms – though some are traced with soap scum. No English is spoken.
Whiz HotelHOTEL$$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %024-356 6999; www.whizhotels.com/semarang; Jl Kapten Piere Tendean 9; s/d from 240,000/325,000Rp; aiW)
Green-and-white no-frills hotel with competitive rates for its 148 sharp, inviting (though slightly cramped) rooms. It's fine if you're after a moderately priced place, but don't expect much in the way of service. Breakfast is basic.
Novotel SemarangHOTEL$$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %024-356 3000; www.novotel.com; Jl Pemuda 123; r from 520,000Rp; aiWs)
Enjoys a good location between the old city and Simpang Lima, and its facilities are first-class, with an outdoor pool, a state-of-the-art gym and a spa with moderate prices. Rooms are contemporary, spacious and comfortable, many with city vistas. There are two cafe-restaurants and the breakfast buffet is solid. Best rates can be found on Agoda.com.
Gumaya Tower HotelHOTEL$$$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %024-355 1999; www.gumayatowerhotel.com; Jl Gajah Mada 59-61; r from 690,000Rp; aiWs)
Towering over the city, this luxury edifice has understated, well-designed rooms at a surprisingly good value. Expect large LCD TVs, fast wi-fi and gorgeous bathrooms with tubs. There’s an infinity pool, and panoramic city views from the top-deck bar. Popular with business travellers.
5Eating
Semarang has a large Chinese population, and this is a good place to sample traditional dishes.
Simpang Lima ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ) is a good bet in the evenings with dozens of kaki lima (food carts) set up around the huge square, serving up snacks and offering traditional lesahan dining (on straw mats).
Paragon Mall ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.paragonsemarang.com; Jl Permuda) has Indonesian and Asian restaurants, cafes, and also a large supermarket in the basement for supplies. Plaza Simpang Lima also has an extensive food court on the 4th floor.
Semawis Night MarketCHINESE$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Jl Warung; meals 15,000-35,000Rp; h5-11pm Fri-Sun)
If you’re here on a weekend head straight to the Semawis night market for fine Chinese-style noodles and babi sate (pork satay). There’s always a sociable atmosphere here, with a bit of low-key karaoke crooning and fortune telling going on.
Toko Wingko BabadBAKERY$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %024-354 2064; Jl Cendrawasih 14; cakes 3700-4500Rp; h7am-6.30pm)
A brilliant, anachronistic bakery and store where you can roll back the years and sample the delicious wingko (wonderful coconut cakes served warm), which are plain or flavoured with jackfruit, chocolate banana or durian. The jackfruit is especially addictive.
Lumpia Gang LombokCHINESE$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Gang Lombok II; lumpia 12,000Rp; h8am-5pm)
Riverside warung, next to the Tay Kak Sie temple, where you can feast on delicious prawn lumpia (spring rolls) that are served with pickled cucumber, lettuce and shredded vegetables. It's a tiny place where you chow down rubbing elbows with other diners.
TekoDekoCAFE$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Jl Jenderal Suprapto 44; mains 21,000-45,000Rp)
A fun tiled coffee house in another restored old relic. They do espresso drinks and pots of tea, sandwiches, pastas and nasi goreng too. They also have a small shop and a great rooftop sun deck scattered with tables.
Ikan Bakar CianjurINDONESIAN$$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %024-356 2333; www.ibcgroup.co.id; Jl Jenderal Suprapto 19; meals 45,000-78,000Rp; h10am-10pm)
In a glorious, sensitively restored building (Semarang’s former courthouse), this restaurant has art deco chandeliers, antique tiles, soaring ceilings and real colonial character. There's a good choice of snacks and seafood meals. Gurame and nila fish (from 45,000Rp) are the house speciality and you can get either souped, fried or grilled.
Wash it down with cold beer, hot coffee or a fresh juice. It’s opposite the Gereja Blenduk.
Holliday RestaurantCHINESE$$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %024-841 3371; Jl Pandanaran 6; mains 27,000-110,000Rp; h7am-midnight; v)
This smart two-storey restaurant gets the local Chinese population's vote as the best place to eat in town. With super-fresh seafood, excellent chicken and duck, and good snacks (try the shrimp toast) it's not hard to see why. Book ahead.
Sate & Gule 29INDONESIAN$$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %024-354 9692; Jl Jenderal Suprapto 29; sate platters 53,000Rp; h9am-9pm)
Almost opposite the Gereja Blenduk church, this kitschy old sunken storefront, packed with locals from opening till closing time, serves up goat meat and nothing else. Order a mixed sate and you'll get six skewers of grilled cuts including liver, served with pepper, slices of red onion and coconut-flavoured sauce. Gule is goat meat soup. Get your local flavour here.
oSpiegelFUSION$$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Jl Jenderal Suprapto 34; mains 30,000-195,000Rp; h10am-midnight; W)
The coolest new spot in Semarang, Spiegel is set in a neglected old general store (circa 1895), once patronised by Dutch colonists. Here the island bar serves up tasty cocktails, and marble tables are the stage for vegetarian tapas like pan-roasted broccoli with lemon and parmesan, and more imaginative dishes including tasty chicken tikka tacos and moqueca, a Brazilian seafood stew.
The top-floor photo gallery is worth a look.
On On PubPUB
(%024-831 3968; Jl Rinjani 21; h5pm-1am Mon-Thu, to 2am Fri & Sat, 11am-1am Sun)
A classic expat hang-out in the hilly south of town, this pub sells ice-cold draught Bintang as well as decent international grub – try the German mixed grill. There's a pool table and a dart board.
E PlazaCLUB
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Jl Ruko Gajahmada Lantai II 29; club entrance 50,000Rp)
Semarang can be lacking when it comes to nightlife but this complex, right by Simpang Lima, is highly popular and contains an upmarket club, cinema and lounge bar. It draws a young energetic crowd and is a good bet for a night out.
3Entertainment
TBRS Amusement ParkAMUSEMENT PARK
(%024-831 1220; Jl Sriwijaya 29, Tegalwareng)
For more traditional entertainment, this amusement park holds wayang orang performances every Saturday from 7pm to midnight, and wayang kulit most Thursdays. Check the latest schedule at the tourist office.
8Information
ABN AmroBANK
( GOOGLE MAP ; Jl Jenderal A Yani; h8am-4pm Mon-Sat)
Bank just off Simpang Lima.
BCA BankBANK
( GOOGLE MAP ; Jl Pemuda 90-92; h8am-4pm Mon-Sat)
Changes most currencies.
Central Java Tourist OfficeTOURIST INFORMATION
( GOOGLE MAP ; %024-351 5451; www.indonesia-tourism.com/central-java; Jl Pemuda 147; h8am-3pm Mon-Fri)
The Central Java Tourist Office has good booklets and information devoted to
the city and the entire Central Java region. Transport and hotel information about the Karimunjawa Islands is reliable.
Main Post OfficePOST OFFICE
( GOOGLE MAP ; Jl Pemuda; h8am-2pm Mon-Sat)
On a busy intersection near the Chinese market.
RS Saint ElizabethHOSPITAL
(%024-831 0076; www.rs-elisabeth.com; Jl Kawi)
The best hospital in town. It’s in the Candi Baru district.
TelkomTELEPHONE
( GOOGLE MAP ; Jl Jenderal Suprapto 7)
8Getting There & Away
Air
Semarang airport is a vital hub with numerous international and domestic connections. AirAsia (%024-5050 5088; www.airasia.com) flies to Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta. Garuda ( GOOGLE MAP ; %024-845 4737; www.garuda-indonesia.com; Hotel Horison, Jl Ahmad Dahlan) and Citilink (www.citilink.co.id) connect Semarang with Jakarta. Lion Air (%080 477 8899; www.lionair.co.id) connects Semarang with Jakarta, Bandung, Batam and Banjarmasim. Sriwijaya Air (%021-640 5566; www.sriwijayaair.co.id) flies to Jakarta and Surabaya, and Wings Air (%080 477 8899; www2.lionair.co.id) flies to Surabaya.
Boat
For ferry information, the Pelni office ( GOOGLE MAP ; %024-354 0381, 024-354 6722; www.pelni.co.id; Jl Mpu Tantular 25; hticketing 8am-2pm Mon-Thu, to noon Fri & Sat) has timetables you can consult after its ticket sales windows shut (around 5pm). There are economy/1st-class boats to the following Kalimantan ports about every three or four days: Sampit (218,000/766,000Rp) and Pontianak (281,000Rp).
Bus
Semarang’s Terboyo bus terminal is 4km east of town, just off the road to Kudus. Air-con minibuses also travel to destinations across the island, including Wonosobo (50,000Rp), Solo (30,000Rp), Yogyakarta (85,000Rp) and Surabaya (105,000Rp). Agents for luxury buses and air-conditioned minibuses include Cipa Ganti (%024-9128 8588; Jl Sultan Agung 92), Rahayu (%024-354 3935; Jl Let Jenderal Haryono 9) and Nusantara Indah (%024-355 3984; Jl Let Jenderal Haryono 9B).
Train
Semarang lies on the main north coast Jakarta–Cirebon–Surabaya train route. Tawang (%024-354 4544) is Semarang’s main station for all exclusive- and business-class services. Economy-class trains depart from Semarang’s Poncol train station.
TRANSPORT FROM SEMARANG
BUS
Destination Fare (Rp) Duration (hr)
Jepara 15,000 2½
Kudus 25,000 1¼
Pekalongan 50,000 3
Wonosobo 50,000 4
Yogyakarta 50,000 4
TRAIN
Destination Fare (Rp) Duration (hr) Frequency
Jakarta 65,000-365,000 6 5 daily
Pekalongan 45,000-65,000 1¼ 8 daily
8Getting Around
To/From the Airport
Ahmad Yani airport is 6km west of the centre. A taxi into town costs 55,000Rp (there's an official desk at arrivals), and around 40,000Rp when returning to the airport using the taxi meter.
Public Transport
City buses charge a fixed 3000Rp fare and terminate at the Terboyo bus terminal. Buses 1, 2 and 3 run south along Jl Pemuda to Candi Baru. Short becak rides cost around 5000Rp; a ride of more than 3km costs around 10,000Rp. Semarang has plenty of metered taxis; call Bluebird (%024-760 1234) or Kosti Taxis (%024-761 3333).
Ambarawa
%0298 / Pop 58,000
The market town of Ambarawa, 28km south of Semarang, will be of interest to trainspotters as the site of the Ambarawa Train Station Museum. Historians will also note that it was once the site of a Japanese internment camp where up to 15,000 Europeans were held during WWII.
Ambarawa has hotels, but there's a much nicer place to stay in the nearby foothills.
1Sights
Ambarawa Train Station MuseumMUSEUM
(Museum Kereta Api Ambarawa; admission 10,000Rp; h8am-4pm)
If you are a fan of vintage railways, you will love these old tin-can, wood-panelled boxcars lingering on old tracks along with 22 wrought-iron, turn-of-the-century engines. Oiled, painted and maintained with loving care, it's no wonder they last. Visitors may climb aboard, pretend to work the brake or open the coal engine port. The museum is located in the premises of the old Koening Willem I station, which opened in 1873.
The beautifully tiled European passenger terminal at the far end of the museum is worth the long walk. With its ornate metalwork and old clocks, conductor offices filled with vintage typewriters and ticket windows stocked with telegraph machines, you feel the history here. The museum is a couple of kilometres outside town, just off the road to Magelang.
4Sleeping
Mesa Stila ResortHOTEL$$$
(%0298-596333; www.mesahotelsandresorts.com/mesastila; Pingit; villas from 1,621,000Rp; aWs)
Nestled in a 22-hectare coffee plantation at an altitude of 900m, the Mesa Stila Resort (formerly the Losari Coffee Plantation) is one of Indonesia’s most special (and expensive) hotels. The location, ringed by volcanoes, is sublime, and commodious villas make the most of the stunning views.
All sorts of themed spa packages are offered, there’s an organic garden that provides for the resort’s two restaurants, and you can sample the plantation’s organic tea and coffee in the historic Club House. It's near Pingit village, some 12km southwest of Ambarawa. From Ambarawa, it’s best to take a taxi (50,000Rp) to the resort.
8Getting There & Away
Ambarawa can be reached by public bus from Semarang (15000Rp, one hour), and Yogyakarta (45,000Rp, three hours) via Magelang.
Demak
Demak, 25km east of Semarang, was the springboard from which Islam made its leap into Java. As the capital of the island’s first Islamic state, it was from here that the Hindu Majapahit kingdom was conquered and much of Java’s interior was converted.
The town’s economic heyday has now passed and even the sea has retreated several kilometres, leaving this former port landlocked. But the role this small town once played has not been forgotten.
Buses from either Semarang or Kudus (both 10,000Rp) can drop you right outside the great mosque.
1Sights
Mesjid AgungMOSQUE
F
Demak’s venerable Mesjid Agung (circa 1466), notable for its triple-tiered roof, is Java's oldest mosque and one of the archipelago’s foremost Muslim pilgrimage sites. Legend has it that it was built from wood by the wali songo (nine holy men) in a single night. Four main pillars in the central hall were originally made by four of the Muslim saints, and one pillar, erected by Sunan Kalijaga, is said to be made from scraps of timber magically fused together.
Today the history of the mosque is outlined in the small museum to the side that is rarely open. If you do manage to gain access you will reportedly find some of the original woodwork, including magnificent carved doors.
The tombs of Demak’s rulers are next to the mosque; the tomb of Raden Trenggono (leader of Demak’s greatest military campaigns) attracts the most pilgrims.
Mesjid Agung is on the main road in the centre of town, beside the huge grassy alun-alun.
Kudus
%0291 / Pop 777,000
Kudus takes its name from the word al-Quds – the Arabic name for Jerusalem. Founded by the Muslim saint Sunan Kudus, it’s an important pilgrimage site. Like much of Java, Kudus retains links with its Hindu past and the slaughter of cows is still forbidden here.
The town is moderately attractive, with an elongated main street that contains a huge tobacco factory. This is where the first kretek (clove cigarettes) were produced, and today Kudus is still a stronghold of kretek production – there are said to be 25 factories in the town. Sukun, a manufacturer outside of town, still produces rokok klobot (clove tobacco rolled in corn leaves).
1Sights & Activities
Kudus is a hot town. If you want to cool off, Omah Mode (Jl Ahmed Yani 38; h8am-8pm) has a lovely pool area (30,000Rp, open 6am to 8pm) and there's a large water boom (25,000Rp) just behind the Kretek Museum, with slides and a channel that's ideal for kids.
Old TownAREA
/> West of the river, Kauman, the oldest part of the city, has narrow streets and is reminiscent of a kasbah, with traders selling religious souvenirs, dates, prayer beads and caps. On Fridays, men dressed in white robes and women in jilbab of all hues make their way on foot to prayer. It's a serene, ethereal scene. They are headed to Mesjid Al-Manar (also known as Al-Aqsa and Menera).
The mosque was built in 1549 by Sunan Kudus and is famous for its red-brick menara (minaret). This minaret may have originally been the watchtower of the Hindu temple the mosque is said to be built on – its curiously squat form and flared sides certainly have more in common with Balinese temples than with traditional Islamic architecture. Inside the main temple, Muslim worshippers pray before a Hindu-style brick gateway, a fascinating juxtaposition of Javanese religious heritage.
From the courtyards behind the mosque, a palm-lined path leads to the imposing Tomb of Sunan Kudus, shrouded with a curtain of lace. The narrow doorway, draped with heavy gold-embroidered curtains, leads to an inner chamber and the grave.
Lonely Planet Indonesia Page 27