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For those looking to come to Indonesia and not sure where to locate, or for those looking around for a new home that isn't in the usual places of Bali or Jakarta, I would advise Bandung. It is a lovely and rather large city set in the mountains of West Java.
(This post is just a starter - I am sure it can be added to as people wish. Unless otherwise noted, the information in this post was written in July 2016 - for subsequent posts, be sure to check the date in the upper right of the blue strip at the top of each post to know how current the information is.)
Transport
GETTING IN AND OUT OF BANDUNG BY LAND AND AIR
GETTING AROUND IN BANDUNG
Climate/Geography
Bandung has a temperate climate, so it is much cooler and fresher than many other cities in Indonesia. It seems to rain a lot, and at night we have a quilt & blankets on our bed, and don't use air conditioning. Think along the lines of a warm British July, 365 days a year.
As the city is in a natural basin created by the surrounding mountains, it is prone to floods, in particularly heavy downpours. Hence most people who have a choice tend to head uphill a bit.
The nicer areas to live in are Setiabudhi, Dago, Ciumbuleuit, and Cigadung. Many ex-pats tend to locate to those areas. Other attractive areas are Setrasari, Setra Murni, and SetraDuta. Further out, you have Lembang and Cikole - these locations are great if you don't need to work down in the city and you want mountains, tea gardens and jungle areas all around.
All of the aforementioned areas are to the north of the city, though there are some lovely locations to the south too.
Things to Do
SHOPPING
SIGHTSEEING AND NIGHTLIFE
DINING AND FOOD SHOPPING
Hotels
Bandung is filled to bursting with hotels and homestays from wonderful historic places such as the Hotel (savoy) Homann to much lower budget places. There is a wide variety of traditional bungalow styles along with the run of the mill concrete hi-rise places.
Language/People
The traditional language for this region is Sundanese, however most people speak Indonesian and many try to speak English. Being blonde & fair skinned here nets me daily shouts of " hello mister" (I am female) or "Bule."
I have personally found the inhabitants of Bandung to be warm, friendly and welcoming. they seem rather proud of the fact that they are mild mannered and more tolerant of diversity than some in other parts of Indonesia. However, use common sense and take the usual safety precautions as you would in other large cities.
The religion is mainly Islam in this area, so expect to hear the calls to prayer several times a day. Mosques are found in every community.
There is a fairly large Christian community here too, and several churches - Jl Junjunan (Dago) and Pasir Kaliki are the locations of a couple of churches that I know about.
(Other religions - please add to the info if you have some knowledge.)
Medical
There are a few really decent hospitals in Bandung. The better ones I have come across are listed below. I have had first hand experience with the first two on the list:
(This post is just a starter - I am sure it can be added to as people wish. Unless otherwise noted, the information in this post was written in July 2016 - for subsequent posts, be sure to check the date in the upper right of the blue strip at the top of each post to know how current the information is.)
Transport
GETTING IN AND OUT OF BANDUNG BY LAND AND AIR
- Bandung is about 3 hours by tollroad / rail from Jakarta.
- The rail station in Jakarta that connects with Bandung is Gambir.
- Construction of a new high speed rail link is underway, and the intent is that in a couple of years the commute between the two cities will be around 30 minutes.
- Many shuttle bus services run between Bandung and other major cities. My personal favourite is CityTrans travel; the drivers tend to be more safety-conscious on the roads than the other companies I have used.
- Airport: Bandung has a busy little airport and it has international flights, which makes visa runs to Singapore fairly easy.
GETTING AROUND IN BANDUNG
- You will find several taxi companies around the city. Bluebird tend to be the best to use. Cipaganti used to be a really good company too. I haven't used taxis for a while; maybe someone can add to this information.
- You will be able to travel around the city using the minibus system (known as angkots).
- If you just need to travel a short distance there are many Ojegs (motorcycle taxis).
- NOTE: every weekend and holiday, Bandung fills up with visitors (mainly from Jakarta) and traffic becomes terrible. If you can get out of Jakarta before 1pm on a Friday you are likely to miss the worst of it on the toll road.
- Gojek, Uber, and Grab are all operating in Bandung.
Climate/Geography
Bandung has a temperate climate, so it is much cooler and fresher than many other cities in Indonesia. It seems to rain a lot, and at night we have a quilt & blankets on our bed, and don't use air conditioning. Think along the lines of a warm British July, 365 days a year.
As the city is in a natural basin created by the surrounding mountains, it is prone to floods, in particularly heavy downpours. Hence most people who have a choice tend to head uphill a bit.
The nicer areas to live in are Setiabudhi, Dago, Ciumbuleuit, and Cigadung. Many ex-pats tend to locate to those areas. Other attractive areas are Setrasari, Setra Murni, and SetraDuta. Further out, you have Lembang and Cikole - these locations are great if you don't need to work down in the city and you want mountains, tea gardens and jungle areas all around.
All of the aforementioned areas are to the north of the city, though there are some lovely locations to the south too.
Things to Do
SHOPPING
- There is a vast selection of malls. The most popular one seems to be PVJ (Paris Van Java) mall, located on Jl Sukajadi. It has lots of familiar shops, such as H&M, Next, Topshop, Carrefour etc.
- Another popular mall is CiWalk (Cihampelas Walk) on jl Cihampelas.
- Electronics, handphones, computers, etc. can be purchased at BEC Mall (Bandung Electronics Centre on Jl Purnawarman).
- Ace hardware has two locations in Bandung, one at the bottom of Dago and one located in IBCC (Jl Sukabumi).
- There is a Home Depot in Jl Sukarno-Hatta.
- Bandung is well known for its factory outlets, which are concentrated in Jl Setiabudi, Jl Riau, Dago, and Cihampelas. Rumah Mode is the biggest but there are plenty more.
SIGHTSEEING AND NIGHTLIFE
- Museums - there are a few museums around the city . Sadly I have not yet had chance to visit any.
- The main evening entertainment areas are in Braga and surrounding streets. You will find many cafe bars and "karaoke" bars. Dago is popular in the evenings too, with lots of nightlife. Live music is popular in the city, and there are plenty of places with live bands and musicians.
DINING AND FOOD SHOPPING
- You can get cuisine from traditional Sundanese through to Balinese, Indian to Pizza Hut, sushi to MacDonald's - a vast selection of foods to reflect the diverse inhabitants of this lovely city.
- Imported foods (credit HappyMan, who says: "There are four places I know of that have a fairly significant selection of foreign food stuffs."):
Setiabudi Store: Jl. Setiabudi No. 42&46, Hegarmanah Cidadap, Bandung
The grocery store is on the bottom floor. I think they are the most complete shop for foreign foodstuffs in Bandung, be it fresh food or pasta mixes. They have a discount before 10 am on weekdays, unless I've forgotten.
Papaya: Jalan Sukajadi 201 (Sukajadi), Bandung, 40161
They have a good selection of fresh foods here. You can find bagged salads and other ready or prepared ingredients and meals as well. There are a good many Asian ingredients, sauces and the like. They have a second location, near the first, but I haven't happened upon an address for it yet.
They have a good selection of fresh foods here. You can find bagged salads and other ready or prepared ingredients and meals as well. There are a good many Asian ingredients, sauces and the like. They have a second location, near the first, but I haven't happened upon an address for it yet.
Yogya at Riau Junction: Riau Junction, Jl. L. L. RE. Martadinata No. 17, Bandung
Haven't been there in a while. They had a good selection of imported snacks and cereals, best I recall. I think this place had the least foreign items of the four listed here.
Haven't been there in a while. They had a good selection of imported snacks and cereals, best I recall. I think this place had the least foreign items of the four listed here.
Hero Supermarket at Bandung Trans Studio Mall (TSM) - LG10 (Jl. Gatot Subroto No. 289), Bandung, 40273
It's been a while since I've been there, but they have/had a good selection of dried goods and fresh veg. Prices were high.
It's been a while since I've been there, but they have/had a good selection of dried goods and fresh veg. Prices were high.
Bandung is filled to bursting with hotels and homestays from wonderful historic places such as the Hotel (savoy) Homann to much lower budget places. There is a wide variety of traditional bungalow styles along with the run of the mill concrete hi-rise places.
Language/People
The traditional language for this region is Sundanese, however most people speak Indonesian and many try to speak English. Being blonde & fair skinned here nets me daily shouts of " hello mister" (I am female) or "Bule."
I have personally found the inhabitants of Bandung to be warm, friendly and welcoming. they seem rather proud of the fact that they are mild mannered and more tolerant of diversity than some in other parts of Indonesia. However, use common sense and take the usual safety precautions as you would in other large cities.
The religion is mainly Islam in this area, so expect to hear the calls to prayer several times a day. Mosques are found in every community.
There is a fairly large Christian community here too, and several churches - Jl Junjunan (Dago) and Pasir Kaliki are the locations of a couple of churches that I know about.
(Other religions - please add to the info if you have some knowledge.)
Medical
There are a few really decent hospitals in Bandung. The better ones I have come across are listed below. I have had first hand experience with the first two on the list:
- RS Advent just off Jl Cihampelas (on the right hand side just before the entrance to CiWalk mall)
- RS Santo Barromeus - Dago
- RS Santosa - Jl Raya Kopo
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