Fatahillah Square
Fatahillah Square
4
About
Fatahillah Square, also known as Old Batavia, is the historical district of Jakarta located in Kotas. During Dutch Colonial times in the 16th century, this was the heart of the walled city. Home to attractions such as the Jakarta History Museum and many colonial buildings, this area fills up with artisans, jugglers, and tourists on the weekends.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.0
591 reviews
Excellent
127
Very good
268
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168
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21
Terrible
7
doctorfoxtrot
Taguig City, Philippines13,100 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
This place is like the Asian version of several historic squares in Europe. Old Batavia or Old Town Square , it is flanked by several museums and cafes . Nice to have photos or laze away . I am not objecting for it being included in a Jakarta city tour itinerary.
Written February 7, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
liucy752
Taipei, Taiwan1,613 contributions
Oct 2015 • Solo
Fatahillah was a 16th century commander for the Sultanate of Demak (a state located on Java's north coast). He is a national hero in Indonesia. Fatahillah Square is named after him.
The square was once the centerpiece of Batavia, the town built by Dutch colonizers. Many beautiful architectures of the Dutch age still stand around the square. Many of buildings function as museums. For example: the s Fatahillah Museum (Jakarta History Museum - once the administrative headquarter of the Dutch authorities ruled its East Indies colonies), Wayang Museum (Indonesian puppets Museum) and Fine Art and Ceramics Museum. On the northwestern corner of the square, there is the famous and historical Batavia Café.
It is a beautiful scenic/historic spot. Worth a visit.
The square was once the centerpiece of Batavia, the town built by Dutch colonizers. Many beautiful architectures of the Dutch age still stand around the square. Many of buildings function as museums. For example: the s Fatahillah Museum (Jakarta History Museum - once the administrative headquarter of the Dutch authorities ruled its East Indies colonies), Wayang Museum (Indonesian puppets Museum) and Fine Art and Ceramics Museum. On the northwestern corner of the square, there is the famous and historical Batavia Café.
It is a beautiful scenic/historic spot. Worth a visit.
Written October 8, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Georgio Valentino Rayala
Hyderabad, India16,700 contributions
Aug 2018 • Friends
This is a huge open area in the center of Jakarta old town surrounded by three museums, historical buildings along with many cafes and restaurants. I visited it around 4 p.m. and it is filled with huge crowds along with street artists, living statues and street sales people.
I just walked around the square once and then decided to try one of the cafes Bangi Kopitiam, which is a huge place. At the cafe I started reading the history of this place and found out that it has a shady past. Around 10000 chinese people were massacred here in 1740 by the Dutch army.
After that I explored the whole area around the square which had old buildings with beautiful architecture. I finally ended my day with dinner at Cafe Batavia, which is one of my most memorable experiences at Jakarta.
I just walked around the square once and then decided to try one of the cafes Bangi Kopitiam, which is a huge place. At the cafe I started reading the history of this place and found out that it has a shady past. Around 10000 chinese people were massacred here in 1740 by the Dutch army.
After that I explored the whole area around the square which had old buildings with beautiful architecture. I finally ended my day with dinner at Cafe Batavia, which is one of my most memorable experiences at Jakarta.
Written April 18, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
paul360
Alaminos City, Philippines407 contributions
Apr 2011
Taman Fatahillah did not disappoint me at all
Despite the insane traffic all around the city of Jakarta, getting to Taman Fatahillah is a different story
The buildings, the surroundings, the lively atmosphere, the people
It's like being brought to a colonial Batavia
Buildings had a Dutch flair
Cafe Batavia nearby had tasty drinks and pastries
PIcturesque and worth seeing
Despite the insane traffic all around the city of Jakarta, getting to Taman Fatahillah is a different story
The buildings, the surroundings, the lively atmosphere, the people
It's like being brought to a colonial Batavia
Buildings had a Dutch flair
Cafe Batavia nearby had tasty drinks and pastries
PIcturesque and worth seeing
Written May 6, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dromomaniac
Greater Sydney, Australia587 contributions
Sept 2010
If it weren't for the oppressive heat on the day that we visited, I could have spent hours photographing the beautiful old buildings and the contemporary life scenes in and around the square. In addition to the history, it's a great place to observe portable food stalls, often here carried on their shoulders rather than in a Kaki Lima. We found the local people here warm and friendly, and we had a long chat to some art students who were sketching the buildings. Their English was quite good, thankfully, as my Indonesian is tragic at best.
We did buy some postcards from a vendor there, more for the experience than for the postcards, which appeared to be nearly as old as the square itself.
Unfortunately there is very little shade, so we didn't hang around too long with the kids. We did intend to go back but ran out of time during our stay. Next time in Jakarta we'll definitely explore the area a bit more as the history and photo ops there are wonderful.
We did buy some postcards from a vendor there, more for the experience than for the postcards, which appeared to be nearly as old as the square itself.
Unfortunately there is very little shade, so we didn't hang around too long with the kids. We did intend to go back but ran out of time during our stay. Next time in Jakarta we'll definitely explore the area a bit more as the history and photo ops there are wonderful.
Written August 11, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mascorpina
Jakarta, Indonesia153 contributions
As we all know, 3 centuries ago, Jakarta as known as Batavia was invaded by Dutch colonialism. Fatahillah Square, first named Stadthuize Plain was used by the government to do punishments, executions, and law courts. Stadhuize Plain itself was the house and the office of the reigning city major that day and located on the northern teritory of Batavia.
Nowadays, 63 years after Indonesian Independence, Stadthuize Plain was reused and renovated. The one which provided executions and punishments, was rejuvinated by late Ali Sadikin (Jakarta Governor that time (around mid 70's)) to erase its gloomy past, and changed it into public area. Then it is called Fatahillah Square until now.
Public area means there should be enough facilities to support it. Many museums were built around Fatahillah Square such as History Museum, Puppet Museum, and Fine Arts Museum. There are also local performances such as Reog, and Kuda Lumping; many snack vendors such as kerak telor, tahu gedjrot, es potong, and bier pletok; and also day city tour by riding old-colonial bike. In the corner of the square, there is the famous fine dining Cafe Batavia, which served many colonial style dishes and also decorated with colonial ambiance.
Fatahillah Square is highly accessible by using either public transportation or private car. Public transportation that can be used to reach the location are taxis (of course), busway (stop at 'Stasiun Jakarta Kota' busstop), and Express-Train (drop off at Stasiun Jakarta Kota). Private car should be parked in the designated parking lot. You should be aware of the parking fees, it will cost you about 10,000 Rupiahs / USD 1 which is the highest in Jakarta (normally, parking fees in Jakarta is about 2,000 Rupiahs/hour), I don't know why, but considering it is a famous tourist attraction, they tend to put it higher.
Also check out my photos and enjoy your visit at Stadthuize Plain - Fatahillah Square, hopefully it will enrich your historical knowledge of my hometown Jakarta! ( ' ' ) V
Nowadays, 63 years after Indonesian Independence, Stadthuize Plain was reused and renovated. The one which provided executions and punishments, was rejuvinated by late Ali Sadikin (Jakarta Governor that time (around mid 70's)) to erase its gloomy past, and changed it into public area. Then it is called Fatahillah Square until now.
Public area means there should be enough facilities to support it. Many museums were built around Fatahillah Square such as History Museum, Puppet Museum, and Fine Arts Museum. There are also local performances such as Reog, and Kuda Lumping; many snack vendors such as kerak telor, tahu gedjrot, es potong, and bier pletok; and also day city tour by riding old-colonial bike. In the corner of the square, there is the famous fine dining Cafe Batavia, which served many colonial style dishes and also decorated with colonial ambiance.
Fatahillah Square is highly accessible by using either public transportation or private car. Public transportation that can be used to reach the location are taxis (of course), busway (stop at 'Stasiun Jakarta Kota' busstop), and Express-Train (drop off at Stasiun Jakarta Kota). Private car should be parked in the designated parking lot. You should be aware of the parking fees, it will cost you about 10,000 Rupiahs / USD 1 which is the highest in Jakarta (normally, parking fees in Jakarta is about 2,000 Rupiahs/hour), I don't know why, but considering it is a famous tourist attraction, they tend to put it higher.
Also check out my photos and enjoy your visit at Stadthuize Plain - Fatahillah Square, hopefully it will enrich your historical knowledge of my hometown Jakarta! ( ' ' ) V
Written May 6, 2009
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ChokseyS
Ahmedabad, India263 contributions
Feb 2016 • Business
If you have nothing else to do in the night and wish to get a feel of the activities at the aquare then do visit
Written February 10, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DKLo
Markham, Canada260 contributions
Sept 2014 • Friends
If you think Jakarta is just a mess of unaffordable shopping malls and crazy traffic....well you're almost correct. But Fatahilla Square, which forms the main part of Old Town Jakarta/Batavia, is worth a visit. It's where both locals and tourists mingle. You'll see an absolute chaotic throng of locals buying and selling goods, wearing scary outfits for photograph opportunities, and during my visit we even saw a massive circle of people enthralled by, I kid you not, a travelling herbal medicine salesman (yep, straight out of those old-timey Western snake oil salesman stories). There is so much life and excitement in the square at all times! Apparently this area was traditionally rife with spirits and other deities, but the boom in tourism and the accompanying human activity in recent years have overpowered the supernatural energies here.
I lived in Jakarta for 15 years of my life and during that time I remembered this place as one with potential but a bit neglected. I`m happy to say that, returning last year as a tourist, there is so much more life and energy here. Make sure to have a meal at the historic and legendary Cafe Batavia, which overlooks the square.
Be on the watch for pickpockets though. Oh and if any of the locals ask you (especially the Caucasians = whom they call "bule") for pictures, humour them. It's for their entertainment, really, not yours, to be able to take a picture with a foreigner. Just keep a close eye on your belongings during the entire time.
I lived in Jakarta for 15 years of my life and during that time I remembered this place as one with potential but a bit neglected. I`m happy to say that, returning last year as a tourist, there is so much more life and energy here. Make sure to have a meal at the historic and legendary Cafe Batavia, which overlooks the square.
Be on the watch for pickpockets though. Oh and if any of the locals ask you (especially the Caucasians = whom they call "bule") for pictures, humour them. It's for their entertainment, really, not yours, to be able to take a picture with a foreigner. Just keep a close eye on your belongings during the entire time.
Written April 2, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JuNEchann
Bangkok, Thailand14 contributions
Feb 2015 • Couples
You can start to walk around old batavia from here (sample guide : http://www.everytrail.com/guide/when-jakarta-was-batavia). There is street market to walk along the old building. This square is surrounded by several museums; history museum, puppet museum and bank museum. And once you're there, don't miss cafe batavia :)
Written March 17, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jolyon67
Melbourne, Australia5,672 contributions
Dec 2013 • Solo
The old town square of Batavia. This is a long way from central Jakarta. Get a taxi or train to Kota Railway station, it is then just a 300 metre walk to the square. It is the heart of Old Batavia and surrounded on all sides by Dutch buildings dating back to the 1700's. Most are now museums which are closed on Mondays and shut early at 3pm. The most impressive building is the City Hall / Stadhuis built in 1707, which was the headquarters of the Dutch East India Company. The square gets very busy in the evening with food vendors and children playing.
Look out for the famous cannon with a clenched fist - which is meant to aid fertility. For refreshements head to Cafe Batavia - the governors former residence. Away from the square the rest of the Dutch part of town has been left to crumble. The architecture and canals are a fascinating area to walk around.
Look out for the famous cannon with a clenched fist - which is meant to aid fertility. For refreshements head to Cafe Batavia - the governors former residence. Away from the square the rest of the Dutch part of town has been left to crumble. The architecture and canals are a fascinating area to walk around.
Written May 4, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
What is the best time of the day/week to visit? If we want to see street performers and whatnot.
Written August 31, 2015
Weekend is always the best time, perhaps some time starting 9 am before the sun is high (the street performers are there all day but it's hard too enjoy if the sun is right on top of your head).
Written August 31, 2015
I never been there in the evening but it's always busy at daytime so, in my opinion, there should be activities after sunset too
Written August 17, 2015
We are visiting on Sunday evening. Are the square still open on Sunday evening? Street performer & cartoon character?
Written August 17, 2015
sorry i have no idea as i went on a morning.but b carefull with your belongings
Written August 26, 2015
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