Palembang

Capital of the ancient Srivijaya kingdom, with the Ampera Bridge over the Musi River, a pagoda on a river island and stilt-house communities; pempek fish cakes are its signature dish.

Palembang is the capital of Indonesia's South Sumatra Province, straddling the Musi River in southeastern Sumatra. Its founding is dated to the Kedukan Bukit inscription of AD 682, making it regarded as one of Indonesia's oldest cities. From the 7th to 13th centuries it was the capital of the Buddhist maritime kingdom of Srivijaya, and later the centre of the Palembang Sultanate, where Chinese, Arab and Malay cultures intermingled. The Musi River divides the city into Ilir on the north bank and Ulu on the south, linked by the Ampera Bridge. The main sights are around the bridge: the Benteng Kuto Besak riverside plaza, the Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Museum, the Great Mosque, the Monpera monument and 16 Ilir Market are all within walking distance. By boat you can cruise the Musi and visit the pagoda on Kemaro Island, the Al-Munawar Arab village and Kampung Kapitan. The Srivijaya Archaeological Park, Bukit Siguntang, the giant carved wooden Quran and the Balaputra Dewa Museum are in the city's northwest. The climate is hot year-round; the May–Sep dry season is better for travel, though Aug–Oct is sometimes affected by haze from peat fires, and the Nov–Mar rainy season brings frequent afternoon thunderstorms. Getting there: Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II International Airport has flights to Jakarta (about 1 hour), Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and elsewhere, and the airport LRT runs across the Ampera Bridge directly to Jakabaring. Plan on 2 days. Palembang is famous for its food: pempek fish cakes with a sweet-and-sour vinegar sauce, sour-spicy fish soup (pindang) and fish ball soup (tekwan). Gold-thread songket weaving is its signature craft. Dress modestly when visiting mosques and tombs, and avoid eating or drinking in public during the day in Ramadan.

Top sights

• Ampera Bridge – A red twin-tower bridge spanning the Musi River, Palembang's most famous city landmark. At night, its lights are reflected in the river.
• Kemaro Island – A small island in the Musi River, where a Chinese temple and a nine-story pagoda commemorate a love legend involving a Chinese merchant and…
• Great Mosque of Palembang – An ancient mosque built in the 18th century under Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin I, blending Javanese, Chinese, and European elements.
• Kuto Besak Fortress & Riverside Plaza – A brick fortress of the Palembang Sultanate built at the end of the 18th century. The riverside plaza in front of it is the best place to w…
• Musi River Cruise – Boats leave from the Kuto Besak Fort jetty for a trip along the Musi River, past the Ampera Bridge, stilt houses over the water and floatin…
• Al-Quran Al-Akbar – Said to be the world's largest wooden Quran, with 630 pages of text carved into giant ironwood boards, stacked in a spectacular display.
• Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Museum – A Dutch colonial building on the site of the former palace of the Sultanate, displaying artifacts from the Srivijaya and Palembang sultanat…
• Sriwijaya Kingdom Archaeological Park – The Karanganyar site on the Musi River, where ancient canals and artificial islands are believed to be part of the capital of the Srivijaya…
• Bukit Siguntang – A sacred hill on the western side of Palembang where a giant Srivijaya Buddha statue was unearthed. Legend says the ancestor of the Malay r…
• Kampung Arab Al-Munawar – An old village on the south bank of the Musi, home for more than two centuries to descendants of Arab settlers, with several century-old st…
• Kampung Kapitan – A historic district of old residences of the Chinese kapitan, beside the Ampera Bridge on the south bank, where Palembang stilt houses are…
• Cheng Ho Mosque Palembang – A mosque for Chinese Muslims in the Jakabaring area, whose red-and-green pagoda-style minarets blend Chinese and Islamic architecture.
• Monpera (Monument of People's Struggle) – A monument commemorating the Five Days' Battle of Palembang in 1947, housing a war of independence museum. The top floor overlooks the Gran…
• Balaputra Dewa Museum – The South Sumatra provincial museum, whose courtyard holds an original limas house, the same house pictured on the old 10,000-rupiah bankno…
• Pasar 16 Ilir – A long-established traditional market at the northern end of the Ampera Bridge, with songket, fish-cake ingredients and all kinds of snacks.
• Chandra Nadi Temple (Soei Goeat Kiong) – One of Palembang's oldest Chinese temples, believed to date from around the 18th century, on the banks of the Musi River in 10 Ulu on the s…
• Kawah Tekurep Royal Tombs – The mausoleum complex of Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin I, its dome shaped like an upturned iron wok, right on the Musi riverbank.
• Punti Kayu Nature Park – A pine-forest nature park in the northern part of the city, with shaded trails, monkey troops and small playgrounds, ideal for a cool-down…
• Kambang Iwak Park – A man-made lake park built in the city center during the colonial era. The lakeside path is the favorite spot for Palembang locals to jog i…
• Jakabaring Sport City – One of the main venues for the 2018 Asian Games, with a large stadium, a water sports center and lakeside green space. Good for an evening…

Where to eat

• Pindang Musi Rawas – Established in 1986, a Palembang institution known for pindang patin, a sour and spicy patin fish soup.
• 26 Ilir Syafei Coconut Prawn Noodles – Founded in the 1950s and widely regarded as Palembang's earliest mie celor shop, with a thick, sweet coconut prawn brot…
• Pempek Candy Sudirman Branch – Long-established local Palembang fish cake brand, with crispy-outside, tender-inside pempek, including the submarine eg…
• HAR Martabak (Opposite the Grand Mosque Branch) – Legendary martabak shop founded in 1947, serving duck egg martabak topped with potato and beef curry, right opposite th…