Ciamis is a city in the East Parahyangan region of Western Java, Indonesia.

Get in

By car

Ciamis is along the main road of the Southern Java Route that runs from Bandung to Yogyakarta. To get to Ciamis from Bandung, you will need to take the road over the Nagreg mountain pass. The journey takes about 3 hours if traffic conditions are good. However, serious traffic congestion is common on the mountain pass road. The larger city of Tasikmalaya is just west of Ciamis, and by car the journey from Tasik's city centre to Ciamis takes about 30 to 45 minutes.

By train

1 Ciamis railway station is in the city centre. There are four daily economy class trains to the west (to Bandung and Jakarta) and four to the east (2 to Purwokerto, 1 to Surabaya and 1 to Kediri). In addition, there is one daily business class train to Surabaya that also calls at Yogyakarta and Solo.

By bus

Many buses on the Southern Java Route drop off and pick up passengers in Ciamis. 2 Ciamis bus terminal is on the southern side of the city. However, as the terminal is a bit off the main road, bus drivers do not always stop there but sometimes just let passengers get off along the main road. From Jakarta, most buses that call at Ciamis depart at Kampung Rambutan bus terminal in East Jakarta (mostly buses with destination Cilacap or Pangandaran). There are also very frequent buses during daytime from the Cicaheum terminal in East Bandung. In Bandung, it is also an option to wait for buses at the Cileunyi toll gate, as all buses from Jakarta towards Ciamis pass there. From other destinations, such as Cirebon, it is usually easier to get on a bus to the city of Tasikmalaya first, and then get on another bus or minibus (or hire an ojek motorcycle taxi) to Ciamis.

Get around

There are also small size public transportation which reach almost every corner of the town. These transportation are differentiated with route number, each route number serves a particular places. People can use an ojek (motorcycle taxi) to go to places outside the public transportation routes.

See

• 1 Cirahong Bridge (Jembatan Cirahong). Combined railway and road bridge, built during the Dutch colonial time in 1893. The 202 metres long bridge has a unique design, with trains riding on top of the bridge, and road traffic below. As the bridge is narrow, cars can only pass the bridge from one direction at a time. (updated Dec 2016)

Do

Mount Sawal.

The town itself is pretty quiet, the business activities are not much. People usually come to the central park (Alun-alun) with their family to rest and enjoy the park. There are several tourist places outside Ciamis that are worth a visit. One of the possibilities of attraction is to visit or spend a night or two at local village such as Jelat Village. They are offering experiences of village life along with the delicious traditional meals. Walking and biking tracks are available at the village, along with its scenery.

• 1 Alun-Alun Ciamis (Ciamis Square), Jl. Jenderal Sudirman No.1. 24/7. Central park of Ciamis. This park will be crowded in the evening, especially during weekend holidays. (updated Mar 2024)
• 2 Cigembor Urban Forest Park, Cigembor. (updated Mar 2024)
• 3 Mount Sawal (northern side of Ciamis). A volcano that set as a wildlife sanctuary . Animal species in the area include the critically endangered Javan leopard. The volcano is about 1,750 metres high, and relatively easy to climb. From the summit you can see other volcanoes, such as the Mount Ciremai. (updated Oct 2016)
• 4 Mega Wisata Indonesia Icakan, Dusun Cikacang (8 km north of the town centre), ☏ +62 822 4065 7777. Daily 08:00-17:00. The largest recreation park of the East Parahyangan region, with an extensive water park and other attractions, such as flying fox, pedalo, 3D cinema, horse-riding, tourist trains, etc. Entrance Rp5,000, additional fees per attraction. (updated Dec 2016)

Buy

There are no special store for souvenirs in town selling traditional items. It is possible to find ordinary farmers hat, or bamboo matrasses but nothing special.

Eat

There are many small restaurants that sell local food. A typical snack from Ciamis is galendo. Galendo is a sweet snack that was a byproduct of the coconut oil production process. Coconut milk is boiled until dry, and then the oil is separated from the pulp. The pulp is often mixed with other flavours, such as chocolate or strawberry. Nowadays, the galendo is more expensive than the coconut oil, so it is no longer a byproduct.

• 1 Bebek Goreng H. Slamet, Jl. Jenderal Sudirman No.77, ☏ +62 851 0215 1585. Daily 10:00-22:00. Simple restaurant along the main road, serving fried duck as a specialty. Other dishes include fried chicken, tofu and tempeh, and various types of duck and chicken offals. (updated Nov 2016)
• 2 Rumah Makan Batu Hitam, Jembatan Cirahong, ☏ +62 813 2235 6568. Daily 08:00-18:00. Sundanese restaurant, with a view of the Cirahong bridge. (updated Dec 2016)
• 3 Rumah Makan Pujaseda, Jl. Jenderal Sudirman No.44, ☏ +62 821-1994-9494. Daily 07:00-21:00. Pujaseda Restaurant is one of the Sundanese food restaurants in Ciamis Regency, the exact location is on the Ciamis - Banjar highway. usually used as a resting location for car travel.
  A restaurant with a menu of Sundanese specialties which is quite a legend in the town centre of Ciamis, West Java. With a fairly large place and also a large parking area, this place can be an option for eating when you visit the city of Ciamis. suitable for those who are passing to stop by culinary. Price range: Rp100,000 per person. (updated Feb 2023)
• 4 Rumah Makan Mergosari Ciamis Kota, Jl. Ciamis – Banjar No.137-159, ☏ +62 265 5757 6248. Daily 07:00-23:00. Price range: Rp 2,000-30,000. (updated Feb 2023)
• 5 Sate Kambing H Etom, Jl. Pemuda No.48, ☏ +62 813 2275 9263. Daily 08:00-21:00. Price range: Rp 5,000-33,000. (updated Feb 2023)

Drink

• 1 I'm You Cafe, Jl. Ir. H. Juanda No.92, ☏ +62 812 2233 2292. Su 09:00-23:00, M-Sa 10:00-23:00. Serves main course, beef, snack, pasta, and also hot/iced drinks. (updated Nov 2023)

Sleep

Hotels in Ciamis are usually full during weekends, as many domestic tourists stay here when they want to go to Pangandaran beach.

• 1 Tyara Plaza Hotel, Jl. Jenderal Sudirman No.185, ☏ +62 265 771 235. Simple hotel with outdoor swimming pool. (updated Oct 2016)
• 2 The Priangan Hotel, Jl. Yos Sudarso No.92, ☏ +62 265 771 208. Check-in: 12:00, check-out: 12:00. (updated Oct 2016)
• 3 Hotel Karang Manis, Jl. Jenderal Sudirman, ☏ +62 265 774 583. (updated Dec 2016)
• 4 Hotel Putra Yudha, Jl. Jenderal Sudirman No. 244, ☏ +62 265 773 121. From Rp440,000 per night. (updated Dec 2016)
• 5 Hotel Nukita, Jl. Jenderal Sudirman No.172B, ☏ +62 265 2751619. (updated Dec 2016)
• 6 Hotel La Rissa, Jl. Jenderal Sudirman No.25, ☏ +62 265 772 511. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 12:00. (updated Dec 2016)
• 7 Green Hotel, Jl. K.H. Ahmad Dahlan No.93. Budget hotel with a small café. (updated Dec 2016)
• 8 Arinda Grand Hotel, Jl. Kapten Murod Idrus, ☏ +62 265 275 0308. (updated Dec 2016)
• 9 Hotel Sentosa, Jl. Ahmad Yani No.68, ☏ +62 265 636 116. Check-in: 10:00, check-out: 12:00. Budget hotel in the town centre. (updated Dec 2016)

Connect

The telephone area code of Ciamis is 0265.

Cope

• 1 Great Mosque of Ciamis (Masjid Agung Ciamis), Jl. Jenderal Sudirman No.3, ☏ +62 265 777 620. 24/7. Main mosque of Ciamis, which is in the town centre. (updated Mar 2024)

Go next

• Tasikmalaya — the largest city in the region, 15 km from Ciamis.
• Pangandaran — the nearest beach town, popular among both locals and foreign tourists.
• Kuningan — small town north of Ciamis, from where you can visit Mount Ciremai National Park.