Medan travel guide
Deli sultans' palace, Kesawan shophouses and a night of noodles and durian
North Sumatra's capital and the main gateway to Lake Toba, Berastagi and Bukit Lawang, with a sultan's palace, colonial Kesawan and one of Indonesia's best street-food scenes. February to April is the driest stretch; one or two full days covers the city. Prices are low, and visitors fill in the All Indonesia arrival card.
Sumatra's biggest city sits on the flat Deli plain, about 25 km inland from the Strait of Malacca, and most travellers treat it as a transit stop on the way to Lake Toba, Berastagi or the orangutans of Bukit Lawang. Give it a day or two before you leave. Medan is a working trade city of more than two million people, built on tobacco and later palm oil money, and nobody here is putting on a show for visitors.
No single ethnic group is in the majority. Javanese, Batak, Chinese, Minangkabau, Malay, Acehnese and Tamil communities all live within a few kilometres of each other, and you can see it on one walk: the yellow Istana Maimun of the Deli sultans, the black-domed Great Mosque a few minutes east, Chinese shophouses along Jalan Ahmad Yani and the carved gopuram of Sri Mariamman in Kampung Madras.
That mix is also why Indonesians come here to eat. Medan has a reputation across the country as a food city, with Hokkien noodle shops, Batak grills, Padang rice houses, Acehnese curries and Indian roti all cooking side by side, many of them open until late.
Expect heat, traffic and pavements that come and go. English is less common than in Jakarta or Bali, and the old Dutch-era buildings range from beautifully kept to near collapse. A little Bahasa Indonesia goes a long way. People tend to be curious about the few Western faces they see, and warm with it.
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Top things to do in Medan
A sultan's palace, colonial Kesawan, temples of four faiths and a long list of places to eat.
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Best time to visit Medan
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
February sees about 88 mm of rain, the lowest of the year, with highs of 32-33C; good for long days of walking and highland trips.
Showers return but usually pass quickly; a sensible window for Lake Toba and Bukit Lawang.
September and October each get close to 300 mm, streets in low parts of the city flood after downpours and jungle trails turn to mud.
Chinese New Year and Cap Go Meh, fifteen days later, fill Vihara Gunung Timur with worshippers and incense smoke; go in the early evening for the lanterns, and expect Chinese-run food stalls to close for a few days around the new year.
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Getting there
Railink from Kualanamu to the station on Merdeka Square
Kualanamu International Airport (KNO) lies in Deli Serdang regency, roughly 40 km east of the centre, and handles flights from Jakarta, Batam and most Sumatran cities as well as Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Singapore and Bangkok. The Railink airport train is the quickest way in: it runs about a dozen times a day each way to Medan's main station beside Merdeka Square and takes around 30 to 45 minutes. Services stop in the evening, with the last airport departure at about 21:00, so late arrivals need a road option. Airport buses run to several points in the city, and metered taxis, Grab and Gojek take about an hour on the toll road, longer at rush hour. Long-distance trains from Medan station serve Binjai, Pematangsiantar, Tanjung Balai and Rantau Prapat. Coaches use two terminals on opposite sides of town: Amplas in the south for Parapat and Lake Toba, and Pinang Baris in the west for Bukit Lawang and Binjai; coaches to Aceh leave from their operators' own offices.
- Railink train
- Kualanamu to Medan station, about 30 to 45 minutes, roughly 12 departures a day
- Taxi, Grab or Gojek
- About an hour from the airport via the toll road
- Amplas bus terminal
- South side; buses and shared cars to Parapat and Pematangsiantar
- Pinang Baris terminal
- West side; buses to Bukit Lawang and Binjai
- Check the last Railink departure when you book a late flight; after about 21:00 it is taxi or ride-hailing only.
- Buses to Berastagi leave from the Padang Bulan area near the university, not from Amplas.
Where to stay
Kesawan, Kampung Madras or near Sun Plaza
Base yourself somewhere central, because crossing Medan in traffic eats time. Kesawan and the streets around Merdeka Square put you next to the colonial buildings and the airport train, and the area around the Great Mosque and Istana Maimun has the cheapest guesthouses. The blocks near Sun Plaza and Kampung Madras are handiest for eating out at night, with Jalan Pagaruyung's food stalls on the doorstep.
- Kesawan and Merdeka Square
- Walk to the old town and Medan station; quiet after office hours
- Masjid Raya and Istana Maimun
- Budget hotels beside the main sights; the call to prayer starts early
- Kampung Madras and Sun Plaza
- Malls, cafes and the Pagaruyung night food street; busy and noisy
- Jalan Gatot Subroto and Ringroad
- Newer chain hotels and malls; you will need taxis for everything
Getting around
Becak motor, Bajaj and the Maxride app
Medan has no metro, so you will mix ride-hailing, three-wheelers and the odd angkot. Grab and Gojek both work well and fix the fare in advance, which avoids arguments. The city's signature ride is the becak motor, a motorbike with a sidecar; the newer blue Bajaj three-wheelers are quieter and can be booked through the Maxride app. Pedal becaks still exist, mostly around the old town, and suit short hops. Angkot minivans run numbered fixed routes across the city and stop when you wave; say 'kiri' to get off. Walking works within Kesawan or between Istana Maimun and the Great Mosque, but pavements are broken and crossing the big roads takes nerve.
- Grab and Gojek
- Cars and motorbike taxis with fixed fares; the easiest choice for visitors
- Becak motor and Bajaj
- Agree the fare before you sit down; Bajaj can be booked on Maxride
- Angkot
- Colour-coded minivans on fixed routes; flag one down, pay the driver in cash
- Becak drivers sometimes quote one figure and demand ten times as much on arrival; confirm the amount in writing or use an app.
Know before you go
What makes Medan worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- Istana Maimun, the Deli sultan's yellow palace from 1888, where you can still see the throne room and the old royal cannon in its pavilion.
- Tjong A Fie Mansion on Jalan Ahmad Yani, the restored home of a Hakka tycoon, with Chinese, Malay and European touches in the same rooms.
- A durian session at one of the all-night durian stalls, where the fruit comes from orchards in North Sumatra and Aceh.
- Jalan Selat Panjang after dark, when Chinese food stalls set up along the street with noodles, porridge and grilled seafood.
- Graha Maria Annai Velangkanni, a Catholic shrine on the south-western edge of the city built in an Indian temple style for the Tamil community.
Good to know
- Medan is a gateway, not a resort. Allow a day or two, then move on to the highlands or the lake.
- Open drains run beside many pavements; watch your step, especially at night.
- Traffic jams build from about 16:00, so start longer cross-town trips in the morning.
- Pork is common in Chinese and Batak kitchens and Muslim places are halal; check which kind of place you are in.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Medan, month by month
Tap a month to see what to expect. Figures are long-term averages for Medan.
Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for Medan (Starlings Roost Weather, via Wikipedia).
Istana Maimun to Kampung Madras on foot and by becak
Medan's old quarters fill a day. See Istana Maimun, the Deli sultans' palace finished in 1888, before the heat, then the black-domed Masjid Raya Al Mashun nearby, dressing modestly. Take a becak through Kesawan's colonial shophouses and on to Kampung Madras and its Sri Mariamman temple in the afternoon.
Morning. Start at Istana Maimun before the heat builds. The palace of the Deli sultans was finished in 1888 and mixes Malay, Mughal and Italian details; descendants of the royal family still live in part of it. A short walk east brings you to the Masjid Raya Al Mashun, built between 1906 and 1909, with its black domes and Moroccan-style arches. Dress modestly to go in.
Late morning. Take a becak north to Kesawan, the old commercial street now called Jalan Ahmad Yani. Tour Tjong A Fie Mansion, then wander the row of shophouses and Art Deco offices toward Merdeka Square, where the old city hall and the colonial post office face each other.
Afternoon. Rest through the hottest hours with a coffee at one of the Kesawan kopi tiam, then head south to Kampung Madras, Medan's Tamil quarter. Sri Mariamman Temple, from 1884, is the oldest Hindu temple in the city; remove your shoes at the gate. About 500 m away, Vihara Gunung Timur is one of the largest Taoist temples in Indonesia, with a moat and a giant incense burner.
Evening. Stay in the area for dinner on Jalan Pagaruyung, where Indian and Indonesian stalls open at dusk, or ride to Merdeka Walk on the square for a looser mix of food stands.
Soto Medan, mie Aceh and durian on a Medan night crawl
Indonesians fly to Medan to eat, mostly at open-fronted shops and street stalls. Breakfast on soto medan, coconut and turmeric soup, or lontong medan; eat mie pangsit noodles in the Chinese quarter and mie Aceh in the evening, then follow the night crawl on Selat Panjang and Pagaruyung streets, finishing with durian.
Indonesians fly to Medan to eat, and most of the city's best food is cooked in open-fronted shops and street stalls. Breakfast is often soto medan, a chicken or beef soup made rich with coconut milk and turmeric, or lontong medan, rice cakes in a vegetable curry with egg and crackers.
Chinese Medan is a noodle town. Look for mie pangsit, springy egg noodles with wontons and usually pork, and the late-night bihun bebek, rice vermicelli in duck broth. Jalan Selat Panjang and nearby Jalan Semarang turn into open-air food streets at night, with noodles, porridge, satay and seafood. Mie aceh, thick yellow noodles fried or in a curry gravy with crab, beef or prawns, comes from the province next door and is everywhere.
For Indian food, head to Jalan Pagaruyung in Kampung Madras for roti, martabak and curries. Batak cooking is harder for visitors to find, but look for babi panggang karo, grilled pork with a sauce made from the pig's blood, in Karo-run eateries.
Medan is also obsessed with durian, sold at stalls that stay open long after midnight. Take sweets home: bika ambon, a chewy, honeycombed cake, is the classic gift and is sold in shops along Jalan Majapahit, and bolu meranti, a rolled sponge cake, comes a close second.
Berastagi, Bukit Lawang and Lake Toba from Medan
Medan is the launch pad for northern Sumatra's three classic trips, each needing a night away: Berastagi in the cool Karo highlands, 2 to 3 hours south-west, for a dawn climb of Gunung Sibayak; Bukit Lawang for orangutans in the rainforest; and Lake Toba, the vast crater lake further south.
Berastagi, about 2 to 3 hours south-west in the Karo highlands, sits at roughly 1,300 m and feels cool after the city. Buses leave from Padang Bulan. The town is a base for climbing Gunung Sibayak, a volcano you can hike before dawn and finish with a soak in hot springs, and for looking across at Sinabung, which has erupted repeatedly since 2010. The fruit market in town sells passion fruit and oranges from the slopes.
Bukit Lawang, around 3 to 4 hours north-west from Pinang Baris terminal, is a village on the Bahorok River at the edge of Gunung Leuser National Park. Guided treks look for semi-wild Sumatran orangutans, and many trips end by tubing back down the river.
Lake Toba, the huge crater lake of a supervolcano, is about 4 to 5 hours south via Amplas terminal and Parapat, where ferries cross to Samosir island and the Batak villages of Tuk Tuk. It deserves two or three nights.
Weather matters for all three. September to December brings the heaviest rain, which makes Leuser trails slippery and Sibayak climbs a gamble, while February to April gives the best odds of clear views.
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How we research our Medan travel guide
Medan's Railink times and Lake Toba connections are checked with the operators and the city's website, and entry rules with the Indonesia e-Visa site.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Medan.
Getting there
Buy a ticket at the airport station or online and ride straight to Medan station beside Merdeka Square, about 30 to 45 minutes. Trains run about a dozen times a day; the last one from the airport leaves around 21:00.
From Amplas terminal in the south of the city, heading to Parapat for the Samosir ferries. Shared cars from travel agencies also pick up from hotels, and the trip takes about 4 to 5 hours.
Buses go from Pinang Baris terminal and take about 3 to 4 hours; shared minibuses and private cars are faster and can collect you from your hotel.
General
Yes. The three are within a few kilometres of each other, and a becak or Grab links them in a morning, leaving the afternoon for Kampung Madras and the temples.
It is a turmeric-yellow soup of chicken or beef made creamy with coconut milk, served with rice, potato fritters and sambal. Locals eat it for breakfast or lunch.
The best-known bakeries cluster on Jalan Majapahit, where the cake is baked fresh all day. Buy it on your last day, because it keeps only a few days without a fridge.
Agree the fare before you get in and make sure the number is clear, since some drivers add a zero at the end of the ride. Booking a Bajaj through Maxride, or using Grab or Gojek, avoids the problem.
Yes, the main hall with the sultan's throne is open to visitors daily, and costumes are available for photos. Part of the palace is still lived in by descendants of the Deli royal family and stays closed.
No, it is much hotter. The city stays around 31-33C year-round, while Berastagi and the Toba highlands sit at roughly 900 to 1,300 m and get chilly at night, so pack a light jacket.
Medan has no metro, so you will mix ride-hailing, three-wheelers and the odd angkot. Grab and Gojek both work well and fix the fare in advance, which avoids arguments. The city's signature ride is the becak motor, a motorbike with a sidecar; the newer blue Bajaj three-wheelers are quieter and can be booked through the Maxride app.
Medan is best known for:
- Istana Maimun, the Deli sultan's yellow palace from 1888, where you can still see the throne room and the old royal cannon in its pavilion
- Tjong A Fie Mansion on Jalan Ahmad Yani, the restored home of a Hakka tycoon, with Chinese, Malay and European touches in the same rooms
- A durian session at one of the all-night durian stalls, where the fruit comes from orchards in North Sumatra and Aceh
- Jalan Selat Panjang after dark, when Chinese food stalls set up along the street with noodles, porridge and grilled seafood
- Graha Maria Annai Velangkanni, a Catholic shrine on the south-western edge of the city built in an Indian temple style for the Tamil community
Timing & weather
At Chinese New Year and on Cap Go Meh, the fifteenth night afterwards, when the temple fills with worshippers, lanterns and incense. On ordinary days it is quiet and visitors are welcome.
The best time to visit Medan is Feb to Apr, Jun to Jul. February averages under 90 mm of rain; September to December is the wettest stretch.
- Driest: February - April (February sees about 88 mm of rain, the lowest of the year, with highs of 32-33C; good for long days of walking and highland trips)
- Mid-year: June - July (Showers return but usually pass quickly; a sensible window for Lake Toba and Bukit Lawang)
- Heaviest rain: September - December (September and October each get close to 300 mm, streets in low parts of the city flood after downpours and jungle trails turn to mud)
March is the warmest month in Medan, with average highs of 33°C, and January the coolest, with lows of 23°C. September is the wettest month, at about 297 mm of rain; February is the driest.
Visa & documents
Most visitors need a visa. Citizens of many countries can buy a 30-day visa on arrival or an electronic visa on arrival (e-VOA) online, extendable once. Everyone completes the free All Indonesia arrival card (customs and health declaration) within 72 hours before arrival.
