Museum Bahari (Maritime Museum) Jakarta

The Museum Bahari or Maritime Museum of Jakarta is located in the north of the city, a 15-minute walk from Taman Fatahillah. You can also reach it easily from the old harbour of Sunda Kelapa. It is next to the Syahbandar tower and the Pasar Ikan (Fish Market) of Luar Batang. You can scroll down to see some pictures of the things to see in this area.

As its name indicates, the Museum has a collection of objects linked to Jakarta and Indonesia's maritime history. It includes several real boats, some small-scale boat replicas from different regions of Indonesia (Pinisi, Lancang, Gelati), some navigation equipment and tools, some paintings and some photos. You can also read about diverse topics such as the history of spice trade in Indonesia, colonization, boat architecture, the Indonesian Navy, the building of Tanjung Priok, etc.

On the second floor, you have a bit of a strange section with several dioramas representing personalities related to the sea: Famous navigators, explorers, legendary creatures, etc. It might entertain your kids if you come as a family:

The building of the museum used to be a spice warehouse of the Dutch VOC. As such, it is almost as interesting as the displays to understand how the city was born and how it developed.

For non-Indonesian speakers, you will be limited by the lack of english explanations so you might want to come with a tour guide. If you want to visit the museum properly, you need between 2 and 4 hours.

Overall: The size of the museum is rather big and many rooms are not very interesting. At some points I was feeling a bit lost, which is not a bad thing if you are not in a rush.

There are several almost empty rooms....

Some are not empty but you wonder if they are part of the museum or not...

In spite of this, I think it is worth visiting along with other nearby museums in Kota because each of them will give you a small insight of Indonesia's history.

Entrance fee:
Adults: 5,000rp
University students: 3,000rp
High school students: 2,000rp
Discounts on the price of the entrance ticket available for groups of more than 30 people.

Opening Hours:
The museum is from Tuesday to Sunday from 9am to 3pm.
Closed on Monday and on Public Holidays.

Museum Bahari (Maritime Museum)
Jalan Pasar Ikan No1, Penjaringan, North Jakarta 1440
Phone number: +62 (0) 21 669 3406
Fax: +62 (0) 21 66 905 18

Their website and social medias are the best ways to check if their are any events or temporary exhibitions:
Website: www.museumbahari.org
Twitter: Maritime Museum Jakarta
Facebook: Indonesia Museum Bahari
Email: info@museumbahari.org

Directions:
The museum is rather easy to find if you come from Taman Fatahillah as you just need to follow the canal Kali Krukut on Jalan Kali Besar. On your way, you will pass by several colonial buildings such as the Kota Intan bridge or the VOC Galungan shipwards. If you manage to ignore the traffic and the pollution, it is actually a pleasant walk for Jakarta standards. Here are some photos I took just before and after visiting the museum.