Medan

North Sumatra's big gateway city, with the Deli Sultanate's Maimun Palace and Chinese merchant Tjong A Fie's mansion; the cool volcanic highlands of Berastagi are two hours away.

Medan is the capital of North Sumatra province, Indonesia's fourth-largest city and the gateway to Sumatra. After tobacco plantations took off in the late 19th century, Dutch, Chinese, Tamil and Malay communities settled here, and the city still preserves colonial buildings, Chinese shophouses, Hindu temples and the palace of the Deli Sultanate, a true meeting point of cultures. It is also famous for its Chinese food and durians. The main city sights are clustered around Maimun Palace, the Great Mosque, the Kesawan old quarter and Merdeka Square, and can be seen on foot in a day; northeast of the center is the Maha Vihara Maitreya temple. About 50–70 km southwest lies the Karo Highlands at 1,300 m, where the town of Berastagi has a cool climate; climb Mount Sibayak, view Mount Sinabung from afar and browse the fruit market on a classic one- or two-day trip. It's hot and humid year-round, relatively dry Jun–Sep and wetter Oct–Dec. Fly into Kualanamu International Airport and take the airport rail link into the city in about 40 minutes; a chartered car to Berastagi takes about 2 hours. Plan to stay 2–3 days; Medan is often combined with Lake Toba and Bukit Lawang on a North Sumatra circuit. Traffic can be heavy; Grab and Gojek are available for rides.

Top sights

• Maimun Palace – A palace built by the Sultan of Deli in 1888, blending Malay, Mughal and Italian styles. Its yellow exterior is a Medan landmark.
• Great Mosque of Medan (Masjid Raya Al-Mashun) – An octagonal mosque built by the Sultan of Deli in 1909, with a black dome and coloured glass that blend Moorish and Indian styles.
• Tjong A Fie Mansion – A residence completed in 1900 by Hakka tycoon Zhang Yaoxuan (Tjong A Fie), blending Chinese, Malay and European styles.
• Kesawan Old Town – Medan's oldest commercial street, lined with colonial-era shophouses, the London Sumatra (Lonsum) Building, and century-old eateries.
• Merdeka Square & Old City Hall – A large lawn in the city center, surrounded by colonial buildings such as the Old City Hall and the General Post Office, with a food court…
• Graha Maria Annai Velangkanni – A Catholic Marian church in Indo-Mughal style, its tiered, colorful tower-like exterior is unique in Indonesia.
• Maha Vihara Maitreya – Often counted among the largest Buddhist temples in Southeast Asia, its gleaming Maitreya Hall stands in the Cemara Asri neighborhood.
• Vihara Gunung Timur – A Chinese Taoist temple built in the 1960s, counted among Indonesia's largest Taoist temples, with finely carved and painted halls.
• Sri Mariamman Temple & Kampung Madras – Medan's oldest Hindu temple (1884), located in Kampung Madras, the city's Little India.
• Rahmat International Wildlife Museum & Gallery – A privately owned taxidermy museum with thousands of specimens from five continents, displayed in habitat-style settings.
• North Sumatra State Museum – A provincial museum with a Batak-style roof, displaying folk artifacts from the Batak, Malay, Nias, and other ethnic groups.

Where to eat

• Tip Top Restaurant – A century-old restaurant that moved to Kesawan's old street in 1934. It is known for its colonial-era recipe ice cream…
• Kesawan Soto – A soto shop on Kesawan's old street, operating since the 1950s. It is known for soto udang, a prawn soup with coconut-m…
• Titi Bobrok Aceh Noodles – Medan's best-known Acehnese noodle house, open since 1996, serving richly spiced crab Aceh noodles at friendly prices.

Itineraries

• North Sumatra Rainforest, Volcano & Lake – A loop from Medan covering Bukit Lawang, Tangkahan, Berastagi, and Lake Toba to see orangutans and volcanic lakes.
• Lake Toba Caldera Loop – Enter via Berastagi and exit via Parapat, looping around the western shore of Lake Toba to Samosir Island to see waterf…