I am stopping at CGK on my way to Bangkok and will be there a total of 16 hours and 10 minutes on Wednesday the third of January. Unfortunately, we aren't arriving until 5:30pm so any day time sight seeing is out of the question. I am aware of the hotels within the airport's vicinity but was wondering if anyone knows if there is anything further afield, say in the city, during the evening that is worth venturing out to. If there is would hotels be much cheaper in the city and would it be worth staying overnight there? Removing two hours for check out and two for return check in it still leaves us with twelve hours, which would be a shame to waste considering I would most probably be sleeping a lot of the fourteen-hour flight prior to the layover.

Any advice would be much appreciated!
Thanks

I would recommend that you stay near the airport. Jakarta is a difficult city; traffic is horrendous. If you stayed downtown, it would take you 2+ hours each way to get to/from the airport. And Jakarta is perhaps the most pedestrian-unfriendly city I've visited.

Sorry to disappoint you, but Jakarta is not the part of Indonesia you would want to visit.

My opinion of Jakarta is exactly the same as Kathie's. Just stay at a decent hotel at the airport, have a decent meal and move on.

I would agree that Jakarta isn't an easy city to navigate and doesn't offer a lot of attractions for the visitor. It does, however, have many very good restaurants, some lively nightlife (if you interested), good shopping especially for arts and crafts, and many luxurious spas.

First, I would check in to a hotel need the airport, drop off your belongings and change some many. Arrange a Silverbird or Bluebird taxi to get you to your next destination. Keeping the car by the hour for the whole time is the easiest, but if that's not in your budget, then taxis are easily come by. Silverbird drivers generally have the best English, followed by Bluebird. Write down the name and address of where you're going and have small change.

Pasaraya department store has an astonishing array of arts and crafts from all over Indonesia. One floor is entirely batik and handwoven textiles. They also have a terrific food court featuring Indonesian food. The store is open until 10 PM. It's about an hour and a half drive from the airport and there are many hotels, restaurants and spas in the area.

Another good stop would be at one of Jakarta's luxury spas. Bimasena spa which is affiliated with the Dharmawangsa hotel is especially nice and the last appointment is at 9:30 PM. If Bimasena is a bit on the pricey side, there are plenty of others. The Grand Hyatt is also wonderful.

Good food in Jakarta ranges from food courts (like the one at Pasaraya) to hip pop ups for foodies to fine dining both traditional Indonesian and Western. Most are open late. One of my favorites for Western is Emilie which is open to 10:30 PM. If you're leaning toward Indonesian there are several upscale places that are open late. Harum Manis, Bunga Rampai for example. Again, there are many others. Check out Trip Advisor.

For a late nightcap, any of the big hotels have lively late night bars and most have music. There is also an exuberant very latenight club scene.

As always, marmot comes through with the best details! If you are interested in crafts, I'd also recommend Pasaraya - they have a full floor of wonderful crafts!

Few places to visit
Fatahillah Square
Indonesia In Miniature Park
Istiqlal Mosque
Sunda Kelapa
tks