Jakarta hotels and accommodation

Jakarta is both an old and a modern city. In the old section, you can visit the Pasar Ikan (Fish Market). You find the goods in ship chandlers, tourist stalls and various food outlets. Old Jakarta is also home to the Lookout Tower (1839) on the walls of the former Dutch Fortress. There is also an old drawbridge from the Dutch colonial era. It stretches across the Kali Besat. It is called the Chicken Market Bridge. The Gereja Sion, however, is an old, Portuguese Church. It dates from 1693. Inside it is a wooden carved pulpit, black pews and an ornate, carved organ. Yellow copper chandeliers hang overhead.

The treasures of the old town are generally within walking distance of the average hotel in Jakarta. TravGate.com provides a list of specific Jakarta hotels in this quarter and nearby. Use any Jakarta hotel as a base from which to explore the inner city. Wander over to the Fatahillah Museum. It contains Dutch furniture and various memorabilia. There is also the Wayang Museum sporting a 1912 facade. Inside, you will discover a modest puppet collection. You may also want to wander over to the Toko Merah (Red house) or the Bahari Maritime Museum. It is within a former Dutch warehouse (1718-1774). The exhibits focus on maritime artifacts. Upstairs, there are photographs detailing the period of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They focus on the life aboard the steamships to Holland. In Fatahillah Square (Taman Fatahillah), become part of the madness of the Marketplace. Only a little has changed. In times past, you would have come here to watch a public execution.