New toll road and new arterial road are still under construction, although there are two old roads connecting the airport. The new Kuala Namu International Airport is served directly by a train service between the new airport and Medan (almost 40 kilometers) with ticket fare of Rp100,000. Overall, Medan isn't really a tourist destination, but it's a convenient stepping stone to other places like the 'weekend getaway' Berastagi, the island of Penang, Malaysia and, of course the ever popular, beautiful crater lake Lake Toba.Īll aircraft arrive at Kualanamu International Airport (KNO), which replaced the old Polonia International Airport in July 2013.īoth the Kualanamu airport and the Belawan sea port are visa-free and visa-on-arrival points.įor more visa information, see the Indonesia page. Look out for the motor becaks! A sort of motorized rickshaw, they are a common sight throughout Medan, spewing black smoke everywhere.
It's interesting to contrast the old, Dutch style green areas, with parks, lawns, and huge old Dutch houses (now turned into government offices or commercial business) and the hundreds and hundreds of newer, shoddy shophouses sprawled together by the hundreds in the commercial areas along with a few modern style malls. The city itself is quite well known for "food-tourism", especially amongst other Indonesians. It is obvious why the locals are so into food. From the sweet Javanese cuisine, to delicious Batak grilled pork, to hot Padang dishes, from savoury Chinese noodles, to spicy Indian curry, this varied cuisine is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They offer to locals and tourists alike dozens of food streets and hawker centres to suit their appetite at any time of the day. There is no single ethnic group forming a majority the largest ethnic groups are the Chinese, Javanese, Toba-Batak, Minangkabau, Mandailing Batak, Karo Batak, Southern Indians, and Northern Indians, and there are many more ethnic minorities.Įach ethnic group contributes to thousands of tasty, mouth-watering dishes found in every corner of Medan. With a population of about 2 million people it is the largest city outside of Java. Medan is the fourth largest city in Indonesia after Jakarta, Surabaya, and Bandung.
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