The Kualanamu International Airport is the main airport found in Medan located 24 miles away from downtown. The airport services both international and domestic flights and offer train services, bus services, taxis, and rental cars for visitors connecting to the city of Medan.

If you have not booked a private transfer with us you have a few options for reaching the city center.

The Kualanamu Airport Rail Link Service offers a train that connects passengers to the city center of Medan. The train connects to Medan Main Station located by Merdeka Square at Jalan Balai. The train ride takes around 45 minutes with services from 5:25 am to 9:30 pm from the airport costing approximately Rp100,000.

The Damri bus service is the cheapest way to travel from the airport to the city center with buses departing every 15 minutes from 5:00 am until 11:00 pm. The bus ride costs approximately Rp20,000.

A taxi from the airport to the city center will cost around Rp150,000. The official taxi companies that service the airport are Puskopau, Blue Bird, Kokapura, Express, Karsa, Matra, and Nice. These taxis display a special taxi sticker. The journey takes around 90 minutes.

The main types of public transportation in the city of Medan are buses, taxis, and becaks or rickshaws. TransMebidang is the bus system in the city and the central bus station is Amplas Station Central with local services, connecting buses, and overnight routes. Buses for local popular routes cost around Rp5,000. Medan offers good train service connections to other Sumatran cities with services arriving at Stasiun Medan in the city center.

A becak (or motorized rickshaw) is a very small two-engine vehicle that can be cheap, noisy and a little nerve-racking, agree on a price before taking a short ride around town. Becaks are found all over town and are an interesting and unique way to travel around. Prices range anywhere from Rp5,000-10,000 depending on the total distance and destination.

There are several internationally known car rental companies found at the airport and in the city center. A car is a great idea if you are looking to visit other Sumatran cities including traveling to Lake Toba or Berastagi. Prices are usually reasonable with around Rp35,000 per day. The city is connected by the Trans-Sumatran Highway which is the main thoroughfare across Sumatra and the Belmera Toll Road which connects Medan to Belawan and Tanjung Morawa.

Taxis are available all over the city of Medan, many are found outside of popular shopping malls, the airport, and hotels. You can always call by phone and order a taxi. Two local and reliable taxis companies are Bluebird (blue colored taxis) and Express (white-colored taxis), they always use the meter. The usual charge for a meter drop off is about Rp7,000 and a fare of Rp6,000 per mile.

Walking around the downtown area of Medan is possible with the beautiful Merdeka Park located in the heart and the main train station. The city is easy to navigate on foot and there are many becaks and taxis to connect to other areas of the city. The main attractions found in the center of the city are Merdeka Park and Tjong A Fie Mansion that can both easily be reached on foot along with Istana Maimoon, the State Museum of North Sumatra and Raya Al-Mashun Mosque.

Medan can be reached via the sea from Penang in Malaysia with passenger ships operating between Jakarta and Medan. There are Pelni boats that link the nearby major port of Belawan and other ports in Sumatra and the Indonesian Islands.

Medan is a remarkably safe destination to visit; just use caution when walking alone and be aware of your surroundings. The crime rate is relatively low and crimes against visitors are practically unheard of but petty theft such as pickpocketing and purse snatching is becoming more common in the built-up areas. Keep your wits about you and practice street smarts when out sightseeing.

There are several modern shopping malls found throughout Medan including Sun Plaza, Cambridge City Square, Plaza Medan Fair, and Medan Mall which offer high-end international brands and plenty of dining options. Medan is a popular shopping destination in Indonesia boasting several colorful markets selling a wide variety of items; Pasar Rame and Pasar Petisah are some of the popular markets to visit in the city with clothing and food for sale.

The city of Medan features a tropical rainforest climate with mostly hot, humid days year-round. The dries month is January and the wettest is October. Daily average temperatures average around 81 degrees throughout the year. The peak season in Meda is in late June through August.

The official languages spoken in Medan are Indonesian or Balinese. English is a widely spoken language, but may be the second language. Most Balinese people are bilingual or trilingual. We recommend you get a good English-Indonesian guidebook and familiarize yourself with common phrases such as hello, goodbye, thank you, excuse me, and the numbers 1 -10.

The Indonesian Rupiah (IDR) abbreviated to Rp is the official currency in Medan. The airport, local banks, and indoor ATMs at banks are the best places to exchange or withdraw your money. ATMs are risky in some places as they can be notorious for card skimming, places to avoid that have reported these scams are the Mandiri ATMs in Ubud, Canggu, and Bintang and the ATM on Jalan Hanoman which is near the Coco supermarket located in Ubud.

The city of Medan is famous in Southeast Asia for its delicious food. People travel from all over the country to sample some of the delicious cuisines including a blend of Padang, Javanese, and other local dishes. The restaurants in Medan are provided with some of the best and freshest local ingredients brought in by Berastagi including some of the most unique fruit options in the world. Durian is the famous fruit of Medan, a thorny fruit with a distinctive taste and smell when in season July through December, the fruit can be found in durian fields in North Sumatra. There are many local restaurants, cafes, street food vendors and other food centers found all over Medan. A well-known dish in the city is Soto Medan, a deliciously thick, soothing soup made of coconut milk with shredded chicken or prawns, crunchy bean sprouts, and potato cakes.

The city of Medan boasts a vibrant, bustling nightlife scene with buzzing night clubs, pubs, and bars spread throughout the city. This city comes alive at night with great establishments to visit like Cava Lounge and The Vintage Wine Shop with a wide variety of wine and cocktails. There are sports bars with pool tables, TVs showing sports and live music. There are plenty of places to stop in for a drink found in the heart of the city, especially on Jalan SM Raja.

In case of an emergency dial 110 for police, 118 for an ambulance, 113 for the fire brigade, and 108 for local information.

Hospitals: Apollo Hospital tel. 62614518211