Where
to Go
Gunung Leuser National Park
Bukit Lawang
Tangkahan
Lake Toba
Berastagi
Mt. Sibayak
volcano
Mt. Sinabung
volcano
Sipisopiso
Waterfall
Tongging
Ketembe
Lake Kawar
Medan
What
to Do
Jungle
Trekking
Elephant
Trekking
White-Water
Rafting
River-Tubing
Volcano
Climbing
Bohorok
Orangutan Centre
Maimoon Palace
What
to Know
About "Hello
Mister Travel"
Introduction
to Sumatra
Topography
History
Getting to Sumatra
Getting Around Sumatra
Terms & Conditions
Accommodation
Bukit Lawang
Tangkahan
Berastagi
Tongging
Tuk Tuk
Ketembe
The Tours
Bukit Lawang Short Stay
The Jungle Trail
The Toba Trail
The North Sumatran Trail
Medan
Poor Medan; it seems that it doesn’t matter which guide to the place that you read, it’s difficult to find anyone with a good word to say about it. Of course it’s polluted and noisy and dirty but then so are most South East Asian cities; by comparison, Medan is positively sedate. Unfortunately, whereas many of the other more famous major cities in this part of the world offer a lot in the way of attractions, Medan in itself, offers few. Instead of sprouting gleaming new skyscrapers and being criss-crossed by complex multi-lane highways, Medan resembles an overgrown and rather ramshackle village; for those of us who have chosen to make it our home, it is this quality which adds to its charm.
The third largest city in Indonesia and the largest in Sumatra. Medan began its life as a little village until the mid 19th century when the Dutch colonists began to recognise its vast potential for agriculture thanks to the volcanically enriched soil. Tea, coffee, tobacco and rubber were produced with imported Chinese labour, resulting in one of the largest populations of Chinese anywhere in Indonesia today.
Having nothing in the way of world-class museums, theaters, restaurants or hotels, Medan could be classed as culturally bereft. However, it is not the city which one comes for, but the stunning and lush scenery that lies on Medan’s dusty doorstep.
If you do end up staying in Medan for a day or two, there may be one or two things which might take your fancy:
What to Do in Medan
- Take some cooking lessons and learn how to cook some authentic Indonesian recipes.
- Take a stroll around the city and spot some of the remaining examples of Dutch colonial architecture.
- Visit Maimoon Palace, former residence of the Deli Sultanate.
- Visit Mesjid Raya, the Moroccan-style mosque built in 1906 and designed by a Dutch architect.
- Visit a traditional local market.
- Visit the the Hindu and Taoist temples in Kampung Kiling, Medan’s Indian sector, where you can also eat some delicious Indian food.
- Get the low-down on the gossip and goings-on in Medan’s small expat community of at one of the local bars.
- Have a night out at one of Medan’s nightclubs.
To arrange accommodation in Medan, click here...
