Surabaya

Surabaya is Indonesia's second-largest city with over 2 million residents in the city proper and 10 million in its metropolitan area. While Jakarta draws tourists with its scale, Surabaya offers a more authentic Javanese experience with tree-lined streets, renovated pavements, and preserved Dutch colonial architecture. The city serves as the primary gateway to Mount Bromo and a transit hub for reaching Bali. Those who invest time here discover an authentic, fascinating urban landscape that rewards curiosity.

Tropical climate year-round with daytime highs of 32-34°C dropping to 22-26°C at night. The rainy season runs November through April, bringing occasional flash floods and severe traffic congestion sometimes matching Jakarta's chaos. Light casual clothing—T-shirts, shorts, sandals—is appropriate year-round.

Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia) is the primary language. Surabayan Javanese is liberally laced with slang (prokem) expressions where 'nya' becomes 'né' or 'na', the prefix 'me-' becomes 'ng-' or 'ny-', and suffixes turn into '-nge' or '-é'. Common informal yes responses include 'nggih', 'njih', 'iyo', or 'yo' instead of standard 'ya'. The Chinese community calls the city 泗水 (sishui).

Juanda International Airport lies about 12 km southeast of the city with two terminals: Terminal 1 for domestic flights and Terminal 2 for international flights (with some exceptions for Garuda Indonesia and Indonesia AirAsia). A free 15-minute shuttle connects the terminals. For buses, Cititrans offers executive minibus service to Solo (Rp 180,000, 4 hours), Yogyakarta (Rp 205,000, 5 hours), and Jakarta (Rp 450,000, 12.5 hours). Major train stations include Gubeng, Pasar Turi, Wonokromo, Semut, and Kota.

Blue Bird Group is the nationwide gold standard for taxis—hailable on streets, available at major malls, or bookable via MyBluebird or Gojek apps with a minimum Rp 25,000 fare for street hails. Green SM operates a newer 100% electric fleet with cyan liveries, offering quieter rides and generally higher service standards. Ride-hailing apps like Gojek are widely used throughout the city.

Budget options include Sparkling Backpacker Hotel near Gubeng station (Rp 115,000-225,000 with AC and WiFi), Pavillijoen Hotel near Tunjungan Plaza (Rp 120,000-185,000 in a Dutch colonial building with night market outside), and The Hostel with mixed dorms (Rp 120,000 per person including breakfast and WiFi). Mid-range options like Ibis Styles on Jemursari Raya start from Rp 465,000. Luxury properties include the Sheraton Surabaya and JW Marriott from Rp 1,000,000. Note: Some hotels have strict policies about unmarried couples—check reviews before booking.

Surabaya is famous for rujak cingur, a salad with sauce featuring cingur (cooked cow nose slices). Other local specialties include lontong balap (rice cake with tofu and petis sauce), sate klopo (satay with coconut rasp on Jl. Mayor Mustajab), tahu telor (tofu with peanut-shrimp paste sauce), and rawon (dark beef soup). Lapis legit Surabaya is the local variety of the famous layer cake. The city has an enormous restaurant culture—try Pecel Bu Kus (Jl. Barata Jaya, 06:00-19:30) for traditional Javanese salad with peanut sauce, or Rujak Cingur Genteng Durasim (Jl. Genteng Durasim, from Rp 30,000, 11:00-17:00) for authentic cingur. Street food hotspots include G-Walk in west Surabaya near CitraLand for night bazaars, and various food courts in shopping malls.

History buffs should visit Tugu Pahlawan and Museum Sepuluh November (Rp 8,000) dedicated to Surabaya's 1945 independence war, the House of Sampoerna museum in an 1862 Dutch colonial compound with free city sightseeing buses, and the Jembatan Merah (Red Bridge) area showcasing the best-preserved Dutch colonial quarters in Indonesia. For naval history, see the Monumen Kapal Selam (KRI Pasopati 410), a Soviet-built submarine displayed beside Delta Plaza, and the Monumen Jalasveva Jayamahe honoring the Indonesian Navy. The massive Masjid Al Akbar has a 65-meter tower with elevator access for city views. For nature, the Ekowisata mangrove wonorejo offers boat trips (Rp 25,000 adults, Rp 15,000 children, 08:00-16:00) from Jl. Wonorejo Timur. Ciputra Waterpark provides water activities in the CitraLand complex.

Surabaya boasts massive shopping malls including Tunjungan Plaza (six interconnected buildings with SOGO and Matahari anchors), Galaxy Mall (the largest in eastern Surabaya with over 400 shops and two food courts), and Pakuwon Mall (the largest in Indonesia at 18 hectares). The Surabaya Big Sale runs May 1 to June 30 with discounts up to 50%. For local markets, visit Pasar Atom for Chinese and local goods with bargainable prices and excellent vegetarian food courts, or explore the colorful Arab market at Pasar Ampel for hats, dates, perfumes, and water pipes. WTC on Jl. Pemuda is famous for mobile phones despite its name.

Nightlife venues include 360 Royal Plaza on Jl. Ahmad Yani, Lava Lounge near the Japanese consulate (cheap beer and Arak Bali cocktails, Jl. Sumatra 40), and Colors Pub & Resto for a loud nightclub experience. For upscale views, try Citilites Skyclub on the 21st floor of Java Paragon Hotel. The D Club on Jl. Mayjend Sungkono offers wine and premium cigars. Note: tap water is unsafe—order sealed bottled drinks. The trusted local brand is Cheers, approved by the Surabaya city government.

Surabaya has moderate crime rates typical of large Indonesian cities. The main danger is crossing busy roads—raise an arm while crossing and maintain predictable speed to let traffic flow around you. Avoid walking on streets at night outside the CBD area. Rush hour (16:30-18:30) brings chaotic traffic and bad air pollution—wear a face mask if walking. Surabayans commonly use profanity in casual speech, which can be startling but is not aggressive. Be polite but cautious with newly met strangers.

Do not drink tap water—bottled water is widely available. Cheers is a trusted brand officially approved by the Surabaya government. Surabaya has numerous hospitals with 24-hour emergency rooms (Unit Gawat Darurat/UGD) including Dr. Soetomo Hospital (RSUD Dr. Soetomo, Jl. Prof. Moestopo), RS Darmo, Siloam Hospital (Jl. Gubeng Raya 70), and RS Premier Surabaya.

Mount Bromo is a popular 4-hour trip from Surabaya for sunrise views over the volcanic crater. Taman Safari Indonesia II in Pasuruan is the second-largest safari park in Indonesia with successful Javan tiger conservation—you drive through in your own car or park buses. Trowulan is believed to be the Majapahit Empire capital with remains including Tikus Temple, Bajang Ratu temple, and the Ancient Pool (Kolam Segaran). Malang and Batu are 2 hours away—Malang has preserved colonial-era houses at 400m elevation, while Batu at 1,000m is a hill resort. The Suramadu Bridge connects to Sumenep on Madura Island. For beaches, Kenjeran Beach features black sand and evening fountain shows.

From Surabaya, continue west along Java's Great Post Road to cities like Malang (2 hours) with colonial charm, or head east toward Panarukan and the Bali ferry terminal. Mount Bromo draws visitors for trekking. Sail to Karimunjawa islands via Semarang (3.5 hours by train to Tanjung Emas Port). Bawean Island is 1.5 hours by plane. Banyuwangi offers access to the Ijen Plateau and the ferry to Bali. The Suramadu Bridge leads to Madura Island and Sumenep with its own cultural heritage.