Bandung travel guide

Getting around

Roads are often jammed and the complicated one-way system can be confusing to the uninitiated. However, because Bandung is more than 700 m above sea level, the climate is far cooler than lowland cities like Jakarta and Surabaya and walking is an option. Colts and town buses provide the main means of local transport. Taxis and car hire companies are also found here.

Ins and outs

Getting there

Bandung is 187 km southeast of Jakarta, 400 km west of Yogya. The airport is 4 km from town, but most people arrive here by train or bus. The train station is in the centre of town and there are services travelling west to Jakarta and east to Surabaya. Less conveniently located are Bandung’s two long-distance bus terminals. The Leuwi Panjang terminal is 5 km south of town and serves destinations to the west, including Jakarta. The Cicaheum terminal is on the edge of town to the east, and buses from here run to Yogya, Solo, Surabaya and Bali and to towns on Java’s north coast including Cirebon and Semarang. Both bus terminals are linked to the centre of town by bemo. The recently completed Cipularang toll road has brought Jakarta within a speedy 1½ hours of Bandung, and at weekends it can seem as if half the capital has arrived there.

Bandung

Most roads in the centre of town are 1-way. This, coupled with the dense traffic, makes it quite a struggle getting around town. Bandung must have more orange-suited traffic wardens than any other town on Java, ready to direct traffic dangerously (and collect their 300Rp parkir). Colts (Angkutan kota): 3000Rp around town, up to 5000Rp for longer journeys. Station on Jl Kebonjati.

Air

Bandung’s airport is 4 km from the city, T022 604 1313. Fixed price transport to town by taxi, US$5. Flights have been cut down to a trickle. Air Asia (http://www.airasia.com) fly daily to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. Merpati and Sriwijaya have daily flights to Denpasar, Mataram and Surabaya.

Airline offices

Garuda, Jl Asia Afrika 118, T022 421 7747. Merpati, Jl Kebon Kawung 16, T022 4230 3180. Sirwaijaya, Jl Burangrang, T022 733 4026.

Bus

Local

City buses go north-south or east-west; west on Jl Asia Afrika, east on Jl Kebonjati (beware that Nos 9 and 11 stop at 2100) south on Jl Otto Iskandardinata, north on Jl Astanaanyar, 2000Rp.

Long distance

Bandung has 2 long-distance bus terminals: for destinations to the west is the Leuwi Panjang terminal, 5 km south of the city centre on Jl Soekarno-Hatta. Serves destinations including Jakarta (Kampung Rambutan terminal), Bogor and Sumatra. Terminal Cicaheum on Jl Jend A Yani serves destinations to the east and north, including Yogya, Solo, Surabaya, Garut, There are also direct buses to Pangandaran.

To avoid the hassle of going to the terminals, it is best to book bus tickets through Pahala Kencana (Jl Kebonjati, T022 423 2911) and Kramat Jati (Jl Kebonjati (T022 420086). Both companies have buses departing from their offices to Denpasar (24 hrs, US$33), Probolinggo (19 hrs, US$29), Surabaya (19hrs, US$17) Yogya and Solo (8-9 hrs, US$10).

Minibus

Phone to make a booking, or get the hotel staff to do it for you, and pay when you have reached your destination. 4848, T022 422 4848, has door-to-door services to Jakarta (US$9), Cirebon (US$6) and Pangandaran (US$7). Deva Travel, Jl Jend. A Ayani 810, T022 720 0679, offers 2 daily door-to-door services to Bogor (0400, 0900, US$7). Primajasa, T022 6073992, has minbuses departing hourly from 0800-2100 from Bandung Super Mall to Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta airport. Journey takes 3 hrs and costs US$7.

Car hire

Mulia Car Rental, Batununggal Indah 39, T081 201 5606, http://www.muliarental.com.

Total Car Rental, Jl Jajaway Dago Atas 12A, T022 82520044, http://www.rental.total.or.id.

Taxi

Taxis are notorious for rip-offs. The only comp- any worth using is Blue Bird, T022 7561234.

Train

The station is behind the bemo station, on Jl Stasion Barat and has a helpful information line with English-speaking staff (T022 4266383). Regular connections with Jakarta’s Jatinegara and Gambir stations. The best service is the Argogede with 6 daily departures to Gambir taking 2½ hrs (bisnis US$2/eksekutif US$5). The Parahiyangan leaves for Jatinegara 7 times daily (bisnis US$2/eksekutif US$4) and also takes around 2½ hrs. The Lodaya calls in at Tasikmalaya, Banjar (for Pangandaran), Yogya and Solo (bisnis US$9/eksekutif US$15). For Surabaya, hop on the daily Argo Wilis (eksekutif US$20) and Mutiara Seletan (bisnis US$12).

Banks

There are banks all over Bandung. BNI, Jl Braga 23; HSBC, corner of Jl Tamblong and Jl Asia Africa. ATMs can be found along all commercial streets, particularly Jl Braga, Jl Cihampelas, Jl Jendral Sudirman and Jl Asia Afrika. Money changers: VIT Jl Cihampelas, in a small booth opposite Adventist Hospital. Aneka Artha Mas, Jl Naripan 43, T022 424 1204.

Internet

One Byte, Jl Cihmapelas 74, T022 426 3992, 5000Rp per hr.

Medical services

Chemist: Ratu Farma, Jl Kebonjati 106, T022 439892. Hospital: Adventist Hospital, Jl Cihampelas 161, T022 203 4386.

Post office

Jl Asia Afrika 49, corner of Jl Asia Afrika and Jl Banceuy, Poste Restante available.

Telephone

Wartel, Jl Asia Afrika (opposite Savoy Homann Hotel), for international calls and fax.