Bandung Tourist Attractions and Sightseeing

(Bandung, West Java, Indonesia)

Bandung has long been a popular weekend destination for residents of nearby Jakarta, who come here to enjoy its many sports facilities, golf courses, bistros, factory outlet shopping along Jean's Street and general tourist attractions.

Foreign holiday makers too favour the city's plentiful attractions, taking their families to Bandung Zoo to see the giant Komodo dragons, or to the Saung Angklung Udjo centre to learn more about this unusual bamboo musical instrument. However, when you first arrive in Bandung, a guided tour of the main attractions is required, so that you can familiarise yourself with the city and everything that it has to offer.

Guided Tours

Many of the cheap, tourist hotels in the city, including the Patradissa and also the Moritz, offer guided tours of Bandung. These tours generally last the entire day and take in attractions all around the city. If you have more time and money to spare, then do consider joining a two-day guided tour, which often also features excursions to Pangandaran and Garut, amongst other places.
Open hours: daily
Admission: charge

Bandung Zoo

Address: Jalan Taman Sari, Bandung, Indonesia, ID
A very popular attraction with families and tourists, Bandung Zoo offers particularly impressive and spacious landscaped grounds, with plenty of seating areas and a park-like appearance. However, animal lovers will find that some of the enclosures are a little on the cramped side and lacking in enrichment for their inhabitants. The zoo is home to giraffes, zebras, tigers, bears, monkeys, horses, kangaroos, porcupines, Komodo dragons, parrots and toucans, a number of which can be fed with peanuts (available for purchase at the entrance gate). There are also elephants and camels, both of which you can ride for a small fee. Alternatively, you may like to enjoy a boat ride on the central lake.
Open hours: daily - 08:00 to 16:00
Admission: charge

Jean's Street

Address: Jalan Cihampelas, Bandung, Indonesia, ID
Jean's Street (Jalan Cihampelas) is famous throughout Java, since it really is a very unique place to hang out and shop, since is comes complete with an enormous statue of the action movie character Rambo, holding a giant missile, which measures in at around 6 metres / 20 feet. There are further 'larger than life' movie statues dotted along Jean's Street, including Spiderman hanging from a lamp post and Superman crashing into a shop window. However, as well as the fun atmosphere of Jean's Street and its statues, people come to this congested thoroughfare for its plentiful cheap clothing, denims and factory outlets. The denim clothing stores of Jean's Street are located within the affluent northerly side of Bandung and have earned the city the nickname of 'Kota Wisata Belanja', which translates as 'Tourist Shopping City'.
Open hours: daily - 24 hours
Admission: free

Abu Domba

An Indonesian tradition, Abu Domba is a rather noisy and unusual pastime, featuring ram-butting fights. Although this attraction with certainly not be everyone's cup of tea, it does usually draw large crowds and takes place most Sunday mornings. Many people compare the ram fights to the bullfights of Spain, although there is one big difference - the ram does get to go home at the end of the event, albeit with a somewhat sore head and bruised ego.
Open hours: Sunday - 09:00 to 13:00
Admission: free

Sports

A city known for its sporting excellence, Bandung has much to be proud about when it comes to sports and related attractions. The Persib Bandung serves as the city's successful soccer team, who share the Si Jalak Harupat stadium with the Persikab team, in the nearby town of Soreang. Also of note are the city's Olympic achievements in badminton, with the prized gold medal being won during the 2004 Summer Olympic Games (Games of the XXVIII Olympiad) in Athens, Greece. Around Dago and Lemang, many cycling trails present themselves, along with mountain biking opportunities. If you prefer to play a round of golf, then look to the surrounding hillsides, where a couple of reliable golf courses await your round.
Open hours: hours vary
Admission: charge to play / watch some sporting events

Saung Angklung Udjo

Address: Jalan Padasuka 118, Cibeunying Kidul, Bandung, Indonesia, ID
Tel: +62 022 727 1714
The Angklung is a traditional Indonesian musical instrument, which comprises multiple groups of two carved tubes of bamboo, attached to a framework of bamboo and played with a small baton. Located in the suburbs of Bandung, the Saung Angklung Udjo was created by local Angklung musician, Udjo Nalagena, and enjoys a very scenic spot, being surrounded by rice paddies and fields of bamboo. The Saung Angklung Udjo is a mixture of workshop, handicraft centre and living museum, and features demonstrations of how Angklung are both made and played. Concerts are often staged here, with an orchestra made up mainly of young children.
Open hours: daily
Admission: charge