As for mosques, there are many in Jakarta. The Masjid Istiqlal in Jakarta is the largest Masjid in Southeast Asia. There are also many other Masaajid in the city like the Masjid Hidayatullah, Masjid Kebon Jeruk, Angke Mosque and the Masjid Luar Batang.
The northern part of Jakarta houses the historic old town and has a fascinating old harbor. If one wants a real flavor of Indonesia, then this is the place to visit. It is probably not a place to visit if you are having very young children; there is not much "Air Conditioned" shelter from the heat and humidity.
For Museum lovers Jakarta has plenty of them; the Taman Fatahillah Square in the old town houses three important museums of the city and is an important place to visit; National Monument called Monas and the National Museum in central Jakarta; the Jakarta History Museum situated in the western part of the city. Chinatown located in the western part of Jakarta is also home to several museums and excellent shops.
In the eastern part Jakarta visitors can find the Indonesia Miniature Park, which gives a good overview of the Indonesian culture. There is also the Utan Kayu art community and the Cibubur camping ground located in eastern Jakarta.
Children would love to visit recreational parks like Ancol Water Park and Fantasy World amusement park, which are situated on the northern coast of the city and also the Ragunan Zoo. Visitors can also visit the Sea World aquarium and a small archipelago known as the Thousand Islands, which is situated just outside Jakarta.
The Orchid Garden in the city is home to hundreds of species of plants from all around Indonesia.
Shopping is an excellent experience in Jakarta. There are a number of shopping malls all around the city and tourists can spend an entire day going around the shopping districts in South and West Jakarta. Some of the shopping malls in the city include Grand Indonesia Shopping Town, Plaza Indonesia, Pacific Place, Gandaria city mall, Plaza Senayan, Senayan City, Pondok Indah Mall, Pasaraya Grande, Central Park Mal Kelapa Gading, the Tanah Abang, Mangga Dua, Blok M Mayestik, Mal Taman Anggrek and the Mall Artha Gading. To top this shopping fiesta, Jaakarta also host some of the best midnight sales, exhibitions and several others such as kemang bazaar including other seasonal festivals.
Some may also shop at regions such as the city of Yogyakarta for ethnics handicraft that can be purchased at a low price; the town of Jepara for classic wood carved furniture; the city of Surakarta (also called Solo or Sala) and the city of Cirebon for batik meticulously handmade; the town of Ubud for paintings; the island of Lombok for fresh water pearls; and the provincial capital of South Sulawesi - Makassar for hand-woven sarongs.
There are also several traditional markets in the city like the Mangga Dua, Jatinegara, Blok M and Glodok. Jakarta on a whole is a great haven for tourists to have fun and enjoy time with their family.
