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 becak`s 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.

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 afar of Rp6,000 per mile.

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.

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. Becak`s are found all over town and is an interesting and unique way to travel around. Prices range anywhere from Rp5,000-10,000 depending on the total distance and destination.