Padang Budget Travel Guide is created to provide information for tourists and visitors planning their trip to this city in Sumatra. Being a tourist myself, I want to share travel information that I hope you will find useful when you go there. The places of interest in Padang are also listed here for your convenience.
Padang is the capital as well as largest city in West Sumatra, Indonesia. It is also the third largest city in Sumatra and one of the fastest growing. Padang has a population of 750,000 people, many of whom are ethnic Minangkabaus. The city is located on the west coast of Sumatra island facing the Indian Ocean. It has been an important trading centre since the 16th century. The city came under the rule of the Portuguese in the 16th century. Then it fell to the Dutch, and was ruled by the British twice, and finally transferred back to the Dutch until the independence of Indonesia.
Located in a geologically unstable region, Padang has been hit a number of times by earthquakes and quake-related tsunamis, with the earliest recording being a tsunami that hit it in 1797. Another tsunami inundated it in 1833 following a quake that hit neighbouring Bengkulu. The latest severe quake to hit Padang was the 7.6 magnitude quake that occuered on 30 September, 2009, just 50 km off the coast of Padang, claiming 1,100 lives, of which 313 were from the city.
Budget Travel to Padang
The newly opened Minangkabau International Airport or Bandara Internasional Minangkabau (PDG) is the main gateway to Padang. It replaces the old Tabing Airport in 2005. The 2009 quake only did some minor damage to the airport.
You can fly Garuda Indonesia to Padang from Jakarta. Budget travelers can fly AirAsia from KLIA, Kuala Lumpur and Firefly from Subang, Kuala Lumpur, to Padang. Lion Air also flies from Jakarta.
From the airport, you can catch a bus, called Damri, to Padang. The fare is Rp. 15,000. A taxi to downtown will cost RM50,000.
The most ubiquitous form of transport in Padang are the minivans called angkot (meaning "transport"). A ride on these garishly decorated angkots will cost you around Rp. 2,000. An alternative is to rent a car with driver. You can certainly cover more places with one.
To travel around Padang with a touch of finesse, ride a bendi (horse-drawn carriage).
Air Manis Fishing village in Padang. A famous rock called Batu Malin Kundang, in the shape of a prostrating man has a legend attached to it.
Kampung Cina The Chinatown of Padang.
Museum Adityawarman Museum showcasing the Minangkabau culture through artefacts and traditional architecture
Pasar Raya Padang's Central Market.
Plaza Andalas Major shopping mall in Padang, was damaged in a fire in 2009.
Sights around Bukittinggi
Bukittinggi is a picturesque hill station located some 3 hours from Padang.
Benteng de Kock Old Dutch fortress in Bukittinggi, with good views of nearby 2891-meter volcano Gunung Merapi.
Kota Gadang A village near Bukittinggi where silversmithing is the cottage industry.
Ngalau Kamang Limestone cave some 27 km from Bukittinggi.
Panorama Park A lookout point at Bukittinggi to view the Ngarai Sianok Canyon.
Rimba Panti Nature Reserve Protected forest with a Rafflesia Sanctuary, where you may have a chance to view the world's largest flower.
Rumah Adat Baandjuang Museum Museum in Bukittinggi housed in a 140-year-old tradtional rumah gadang house, where costumes, weaponry and other cultural artefacts are displayed.
Before booking a hotel room, make sure you are getting the lowest price for it. Different hotel booking websites offers the same room at different prices. If you stick with one site all the time, you could be paying more for the same room. Now why pay more?
The form below is a Research Engine. It doesn't take bookings. Instead it lets you find the hotel booking website that offers the room you want at the lowest price. You can see and compare what different sites are offering, and then click to choose the one with the best price. Do this, and you're guaranteed to save a whole lot of money on your room reservations!
If you're flying somewhere, use our Flight Checker to compare the rates from different airlines. To use it, enter where you will be flying from, where you will be flying to, your departure date and return date. Select the number of passengers, and then click search.
Our engine will return you a list of possible flights that you can take. You can compare the fare of different airlines for your trip. Click on your selected airline, and we transfer you to the airline website.
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