Holiday Ayo - The heart of Central Java, Semarang, with its multicultural history would be the best city for those who love exploring cities with diverse cultural heritage. It’s also one of the largest metropolitan cities in Indonesia and provides so many compelling itineraries for you to visit.

Semarang is traversed by many rivers in the middle of the city just like Venice in Italy, thus Netherland ever called this city Venetië van Java or The Venice of Java.

This city is also known as Kota Lumpia or Lumpia City. Lumpia is one of the most delicious snacks you could ever find in Indonesia. It’s a snack born by acculturation of two cultures, Javanese and Chinese, and a portion of typical food from Semarang.

As one of the huge cities in Indonesia, Semarang is never deserted by tourists all over the world. Let’s learn more about the reasons why.

History of Semarang
In the 15th century, the Chinese emperor’s emissary Zheng He, otherwise known as Admiral Cheng Ho, set foot on Java. From the 17th century onwards, Semarang became an entrepot for spices, also a busy harbor for trade and passengers when travel was made predominantly by sea.

The city of Semarang, capital of the province of Central Java, sits precisely in the center of the northern seaboard of the fertile and densely populated island of Java.

This strategic position of Semarang has made the city a melting pot of Chinese, Indian Arab, and European cultures. Wander around the Chinese quarters and the Dutch commercial district, you will see the influences of different cultures everywhere.

In the older part of the city near the harbor named Kota Lama, or the Oudstadt, stroll around to explore the historic old buildings in what was once the European commercial district.

Get There

Semarang is accessible by air and land. Its strategic location does not make it so difficult to get there. Many domestic airlines fly to Semarang from Jakarta and Surabaya. From Soekarno-Hatta airport in Jakarta, approximately 1 hour to Semarang airport, and from Surabaya to Semarang the estimated flight time is 1 hour 10 minutes.

From Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, and Malang, trains are available as well as buses and rented cars. Going to Yogyakarta and Solo, buses are available. If you choose to travel by bus from Jakarta to Semarang will be around 6-12 hours, it depends on the bus operator itself. Yet, if you travel from Yogyakarta it will be around 3-4 hours to arrive in Semarang.

The train station in Semarang is called Stasiun Tawang, It is located right on the northern side of the Kota Lama. The bus station is in Terboyo, which serves intercity buses. If you are traveling from Jakarta by train to Semarang it will take around 5 hours to arrive and from Yogyakarta to Semarang, the duration of the train trip is approximately 3 hours 33 minutes.

Cruises depart or visit Semarang from the port of Tanjung Emas. Taking a cruise is a great way to take in the attractions of Central Java at a relaxed pace. International cruise liners also stop in Semarang, using it as a base to visit various attractions in the region including Borobudur and Prambanan.

There you go, a complete guide for your next holiday in Semarang. You can learn more attractions that you won’t miss in Semarang here.