Pematangsiantar (or Pematang Siantar) is a city in North Sumatra.

Understand

With 280,000 inhabitants, Pematangsiantar is the second biggest city in the province of North Sumatra. The centre of the town has two main roads where you can find almost everything you need. The food market is between these streets. There is one small shopping centre including a very small cinema. The population of the town are mostly of the Batak ethnic group. Also many Chinese and Javanese live here. In contrast to the rest of Indonesia the majority are Christians and not Muslims. So there is no problem to drink a beer on the street or find some pork at the meat market which is worth visiting.

Get in

The main way to get into Pematangsiantar is via Medan which has daily flights from neighboring countries Malaysia (Penang, Kuala Lumpur) and Singapore. There are also many flights from Jakarta and other major cities of Indonesia.

From Medan you can easily get shared taxis to Pematangsiantar that cost around Rp40,000-50,000 per person. The journey takes roughly 2 hours.

The other option is by train (Rp22,000), which takes slightly longer (around 4 hours), but is worth the experience. Trains depart daily from Medan on 1400 and from 1 Siantar railway station on 0620.

A big bus from Medan (Amplas bus terminal) cost about Rp18,000-22,000.

Get around

Easiest way to get around is by becak pronounced bey-chak. It's worth the experience. You can find these old bikes only in Siantar. Old BSA made in England. Special sound, special look and every becak is unique and lovely modified. Cost about Rp20,000 to go 3 km.

The cheap way is to go by minibus, which cost only Rp3000 for same distance, but without help you will not find your way. There are no bus schedules.

You can rent a motorbike at the Siantar Guesthouse. You can rent 150cc Classic Vespa for about Rp60,000 per day.

See

• 1 Avalokitesvara Temple (Vihara Avalokitesvara). a Buddhist Temple, which houses the Statue of Kwan Im (Goddess of Mercy). At 22.8 m high, is the tallest statue of its kind in Indonesia. The temple complex is accessible from Jl. Pane. Connected by a bridge, adjacent to the new complex across the river of Bah Bolon, the old building of the temple was burned completely in an inferno in May 2008. (updated Aug 2018)
• 2 Pematangsiantar Zoo (Taman Hewan Pematangsiantar). The only zoo worth visiting in North Sumatra, it has a good collection of Indonesian native animals, most notably birds, tigers and apes. The zoo itself boasts abundant tropical trees and plants, some of which are quite old. The location is surprisingly close to the main roads of the city (within walking distance). Rp25,000 per person - children under 3 years old free. (updated Aug 2018)
• 3 Sidamanik Tea Plantation (Kebun Teh Sidamanik) (about 30 min drive to the southwest). A vast field of tea plantation. (updated Aug 2018)

There are a few nice colonial style villas and houses from the Dutch era which can be found in and around the city center, e.g. the Balai Kota (old city hall), the old and the new director's house of the Rumah Sakit Umum (public hospital), the kantor pos (post office), and some more - but most of them are horribly maintained.

Do

There are two swimming pools in the city: the one of 1 Siantar Hotel which is open to the public for a small fee (they also have a small gym), and a public swimming pool. Neither has a water filtering system, but change the water twice a week - so ask before immersing yourself! About 15 minutes south of the city center (direction Sibolga) there are natural springs and fountains where you can hang out in small pools.

Buy

Between the main roads (Merdeka and Sutomo) in the center of town is the food market. Fresh fish, meat, vegetables and fruit are very cheap. There is also a small "shopping complex" called 1 Siantar Plaza. But not really worth visiting. Also a second hand market for clothes is located close to the mini bus station (terminal Perluasan).

Along the main street (Jl. Merdeka and Jl. Sutomo) you will find practically everything the city could offer for you to buy. From a restaurant and bakery to mini market, equipment stores and music store and many more. There is a good shopping mall 2 Ramayana along with KFC in Siantar

Eat

You can find all the traditional Indonesian food here. Bataks for example love babi panggang which are small pieces of roast pork with a special blood sauce. Also ikan mas arsik (goldfish) and cincang (small pieces of pork) are traditional Batak dishes.

Besides Batak dishes you will also find many Chinese restaurants. Most famous Chinese dish from this area is Mie Keriting Siantar, a variation of wonton noodles. The most popular place to eat Chinese food and Chinese Indonesian fusion foods is Jl. Surabaya (one of the roads connecting the two main roads of the city) which offer an array of Kedai (eating houses) and Kopi Tiam (literally coffee house). Another well known place to visit is Roti Ganda, which is famous for its bread. It is popular with locals (largely Chinese and Bataks) and gets very crowded in the morning. Most eateries are open at night (some as late as midnight).

Drink

It will surprise you, but bars do not exist here. You can either go to a Karaoke bar, where you have to rent a room, which is mostly full of prostitutes and very expensive (one beer about Rp50,000). Or you just sit down in a Tuak shop you will find everywhere around town. Old and young people sit in small shops, drinking the white jungle juice called Tuak and playing guitar. One glass Tuak is around Rp1000, but normally you don't pay.

A root beer/sarsparilla style soft drink called 'Badak' (meaning rhino) is a popular beverage across Sumatra, especially in Sumatera Utara. The headquarters and factory are based in Siantar.

A bottle from a local store will cost between 10,000IDR and 13,000IDR (6000IDR of which is your deposit, to be returned when you take back the empty bottle!

There are two coffee houses in Jl. Cipto (parallel to Sutomo, access through Jl. Bandang): Tok Kong, a very Batak style café in an old colonial style house, very crowded throughout the day. And a little further across the street Café Coca-Cola (Indonesians don't have a problem using copyrighted brand names), which is in fact a Chinese-owned ice cream shop, where they serve home-made ice cream and wafers. 'Kok Tong' is also a cafe in Jln. Cipto which is very popular for Pematangsiantar people. 'Kok Tong' is popular for their coffee. 'Kok Tong' placed straight from Cafe Coca-Cola Both are worth a visit.

The owner of the Guesthouse (Siantar GH) makes a small party with around 30-40 people twice a week. Cheap tuak and beer. Mostly with BBQ western style and gratis open air cinema. This is also the only "bar" in town where you can find girls who are not prostitutes.

Sleep

There are not so many places to stay in Siantar. The most famous one is for sure 1 Siantar Hotel, which is not an accommodation for budget travelers (free Wifi in the lobby though).

A small guesthouse (Siantar GH) is close to the bus station in Siatas Barita. Relaxed place with garden owned by a German traveler. You can stay for less than Rp20,000 per night.

There are some small guesthouses called Losmen in the city center area, like the one in Jl. Cokro and above (2nd floor) Kopi Tiam (old coffee shop) at Jl. Merdeka.

Budget accommodation is available at the church-owned Wisma Tuluy north of the city center (Jl. Gunung Simanuk-manuk): Very clean. (2010)

2 Grand Mega Hotel. Opened in early 2010, each room has free WiFi, air conditioning, hot water, tv, and en suite bath. (updated May 2024)

Go next

Lake Toba through Parapat - largest lake in North Sumatra