Pekanbaru Travel Guide
Pekanbaru is a port city on the central eastern coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. This clean city has a number of interesting attractions should you find yourself here for more than a day.
- Worth It?
- If you are on Sumatra and plan to catch a ferry, the town offers a decent look at traditional Malay-Riau culture.
- What to Do
- explore the local markets, learn more about Malay culture at the Sang Nila Utama Museum and Riau Cultural Park, and get outdoors at Sari Valley Lake or Princess Kaca Mayang Garden.
- Best Time to Go
- April to October is when conditions are the least rainy.
- How Long?
- A day or two is enough to see the sights of Pekanbaru.
The port area is where most of the action takes place in Pekanbaru. But the city is also renowned for its wonderfully wide boulevards, and is regarded as one of Indonesia's cleanest cities. It won the nation's Adipura (clean city) award in both 2006 and 2007.
There are three interesting markets in Pekanbaru that are great places to absorb the local color of the city. Pasar Pusat Market has a wealth of delicious food for sale, while Pasar Tengah and Pasar Bawah markets are good places to search for local goods and imports such as carpets and ceramics.
Other worthwhile attractions in and around Pekanbaru include the Great Mosque of An-Nur and the Sang Nila Utama Museum, which does a good job presenting the local Malay culture and heritage. The Riau Cultural Park is another interesting museum with some lovely traditional wooden Malay houses next door.
Natural highlights such as Sari Valley Lake, Princess Kaca Mayang Garden, and Alam Mayang Fishing Garden are all nice spots to spend an afternoon. Pekanbaru has developed a reputation as a hub for Malay culture and there are often traditional performances and festivals planned during the dry season.
Travel to Pekanbaru - Getting There
Pekanbaru is a big port city so there is frequent ferry service from other parts of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. From the historic town of Malacca, ferries take about 6 hours. Pekanbaru also has a small airport serviced by AirAsia, Firefly, and Garuda offering flights mainly from Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Pekanbaru Things to Do
Pekanbaru Attractions
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