Medan Indonesia – Your Quick Travel Guide
In a nutshell
For those who long to jump off the beaten path and visit a city that is unspoiled by tourism or crowds of people and their selfie-sticks Medan should be right at the top of your list.
While most travellers use Medan as a gateway to the more popular areas in Sumatra such as Bukit Lanwang, Lake Toba, Ketambe, or Berastagi there are several things to see, do (and especially eat!) in Medan that sticking around for a day or two is well worth it.
Why go to Medan
Being the culinary capital of Sumatra, Medan conjures up images of steaming plates of food, piled high with delicious rice dishes and slippery noodle specialities. The city offers its visitors an absolute smorgasbord of eating and dining experiences that are sure to dazzle every type of taste bud and food preference. In fact, it’s almost a guarantee that you’ll take home a few new favourites and crave the local dishes long after your plane has touched down in your home town.
Aside from Medan being an especially convenient hopping off point for the more famous areas, there are plenty of reasons to spend a couple of days here. One of the best reasons to visit Medan, is simply because most people don’t. This fact alone means that most of the attractions and sights are not overly crowded with camera-happy tourists, massive tour groups or large groups of children well passed their nap time.
Rich in interesting culture and heritage, one of the huge perks of visiting unspoiled Medan is that one cannot help but encounter a truly authentic and local travelling experience. The locals are warm, inviting and have not become jaded by mass-tourism like some other tourist hotspots in Indonesia. Any stay in Medan is genuine, pleasant and absolutely delicious.
When to go to Medan
The ideal time to visit Medan is during the dry season which occurs from May until September. October, November and December are the months of the wet season and so avoiding the city during these times would be ideal. For those who aren’t too bothered about getting rained on, Medan is scattered with a host of cosy cafes, snug restaurants and all the comfort food you could possibly desire.
Where to stay in Medan
The main part of the city of Medan can best be explained as the area neighbouring the main train station, which is called the Medan Railway Station. From the railway station access to many of the tasty restaurants and attractions is relatively easy. The unfortunate situation however, is that there are few accommodations around this area and the majority of the guesthouses and inns are located quite a distance away and nearby Jalan SM Raja instead.
Catching a ride in a pedal-becak (the local bicycle rickshaw) from the train station area to Jalan SM Raja is possible for around IDR 10,000 to IDR 20,000.
Accommodation options here in Medan ranges from dirt-cheap, fan-cooled shoe boxes to mid-range hotels with aging, dated facilities and average service and amenities. For backpackers who aren’t too concerned with anything other than saving their pennies, you’ll be just fine. For those looking for luxury and high-end establishments, we’d recommend the tried and trusted JW Marriott Hotel Medan, which while pricier than most, is fortunately even close to the train station and centre of town. Fortunately for those on a budget, many of the hosts and accommodation owners are warm and helpful and what they lack in hot water showers, they make up for in hospitability.
Where and what to eat in Medan
Being that Medan is most famous for its culinary tourism, food in the city is delicious, plentiful and suited to all pallets and travel budgets. A beautiful, tasty fusion of all the cultures that reside here, the meals on offer in Medan are a blend of Chinese-Indonesian, local Batak, and Malaysia influences with pork being the primary ingredient in almost everything. Al fresco dining, bustling markets and even high-end eateries and restaurants are all on offer in this culinary capital.
Merdeka Walk just opposite the train station is the perfect place to start your Medan cuisine adventure. Merdeka Walk is a sprawling tiled marketplace filled with various stalls selling everything from coffee, to nasi goreng, to dim sum. Customers can sample some of Medan’s finest specialties for very reasonable prices, find a metal table and chair to enjoy it at, and even watch a sports game or two on one of the mounted TV sets.
How to get around Medan
As a result of Medan being constantly filled with lines of traffic and congestion, many of the pedestrian walkways are used as parking spaces for motorbikes or even as road space for the more daring and hurried becak taxi drivers. This means that walking around Medan isn’t really an option so much as a safety hazard.
Getting around the city is best done by hiring a motorized becak (a motorbike with a sidecar and not the man-powered bicycle becak) for the day. This allows for two people to get around the few sights and attractions that Medan has to offer with space for a driver.
Getting around by regular taxis is also an option as well as renting a car for your stay here. Lastly, getting around with Medan’s local, public transport, known as angkots (small, numbered minivans) is also a transport possibility.
How to get to and from Medan
Getting into and out of Medan is possible via air, bus and train.
By air
Medan’s airport is Kuala Namu International Airport which is fortunately served by a direct train service between the airport and Medan city which is around 40 kilometers away. Tickets to ply this journey cost IDR 100,000 and will take around 45 minutes.
The domestic airlines that connect Medan to other Indonesian destinations such Jakarta, Banda Aceh, Padang, Batam, Pekanbauru, and Surabaya are Citilink, Tiger Mandala Airlines, Garduda Indonesia, Indonesia AirAsia, Lion Air, Susi Air and Sriwijaya Air. Flights are pretty frequent and mostly inexpensive and pose an attractive alternative for those looking to save the time that it might otherwise take on a long, overnight bus.
Getting into Medan via an international flight can be done from Penang, Kuala Lumpur, and Ipoh in Malaysia; Bangkok and Hat Yai in Thailand; Jeddah in Saudia Arabia; and Singapore, via a few airlines, some of which are budget and others, such as Silkair and Malaysia Airlines which are regular airlines.
By bus
Medan’s central bus station for all large buses is Amplas Station Central, which ironically is not located in central Medan at all but rather 8 kilometers away. Getting into the city from other Indonesian cities is possible on either a large, non air-conned bus, or on a large, luxury bus with air-con, a TV, and occasionally a squatting toilet. Shared minivans are also an option and can be organized from mostly all accommodations or from the Transportation Desk at the airport. Getting to Lake Toba from Medan is possible via a minivan at around IDR 80,000 per person. The journey usually takes around 5 or 6 hours.
Getting to Bukit Lawang from Medan airport is possible by taking an ALS (Antar Lintas Sumatera) bus to Binjai, a city situated between Medan and Bukwit Lawang and from Binjai taking a second minibus straight to Bukwit Lawang. A one-way fare for the first leg should cost around IDR 30,000 and the second leg should set you back roughly IDR 20,000. For travelers leaving from Medan city itself and heading to Bukwit Lawang, you can catch a DAMRI bus that leaves the bus station every 15 minutes or so. These buses travel to Bukwit Lawang for around IDR 20,000 for a one-way ticket.
By train
Getting to and from Medan is also possible via rail and the city is connected to other cities on Sumatra’s eastern coast, such as Binjai, Tanjungbalai, Siantar and Rantauprapat. Depending on your budget and preference, economy, business and executive trains are on offer, with the more expensive trains being more comfortable and faster. The 40-minute journey from Binjai to Medan costs around IDR 8,000 whereas tickets for further distances can vary from IDR 25,000 for economy to IDR 100,000 for executive class tickets.
Is Medan a safe place to visit?
Staying safe in any foreign country is of the utmost importance and it pays to exercise caution when in Medan. While not notoriously known for crime by any means, petty theft and handbag snatching does occur. Do not carry valuables around with you, avoid deserted alleyways and quiet streets at nighttime and remain vigilant when exploring, especially if travelling alone.
