Banten
Banten is the westernmost province on the island of Java, Indonesia.
The capital city of the province is Serang and its largest city is Tangerang. The province borders West Java and the Special Capital Region of Jakarta on the east, the Java Sea on the north, the Indian Ocean on the south, and the Sunda Strait on the west and shares a maritime border with Lampung to the west. The province covers an area of 9,355.76 km2 (3,612.28 sq mi). It had a population of over 11.9 million in the 2020 census, up from about 10.6 million in 2010. The estimated mid-2025 population was 12,537,440, still increasing by over 100,000 people per year. Formerly part of the province of West Java, Banten was split off to become a separate province on 17 October 2000.
Getting to Banten
The busiest airport of Indonesia, Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (CGK IATA), is in Banten province. The main cities and towns of Banten can all be easily reached from the airport. There is a direct bus connection from the airport to the port of Merak, via the cities of Serang and Cilegon. The port of Merak is linked by very frequent ferries to the island of Sumatra.
Worth seeing
The main historic sights of the region can be found in the town of Banten on the north coast. As the town was the centre of the Sultanate of Banten, there are various historic buildings, including the old sultan palace and the 16th century mosque. In addition, the town boasts a Buddhist monastery as well as a Dutch colonial fort.
Things to do
Key activities are either at one of the beaches (surfing is popular in Sawarna, and jetskiing is popular in Anyer), or in the natural areas such as Ujung Kulon National Park (jungle trekking). The city of Cilegon has a golf course.
Where to eat
One of the dishes Banten is known for is Sate Bandeng (milkfish satay), which is deboned milkfish frilled in its skin on bamboo skewers. Another dish with milkfish is Pecak Bandeng, which is roasted fish covered spices and sambal (chili sauce), served with rice and fresh vegetables. Another type of satay that originates from Banten is sate bebek Cibeber. Cibeber is a district of Cilegon.
Getting around Banten the local way
- Get inThe port of Merak is linked by very frequent ferries to the island of Sumatra.
- Get inIt is useful to take the ferry to Banten if you are in southern Sumatra (in Lampung province), but if you are in the north Sumatra it is much quicker to take a plane to Jakarta.
- Get aroundTo get to smaller towns and more remote areas you can take an elf (minibuses on routes between smaller towns) or angkot (public minivans within the cities, and to nearby villages).
- Get aroundHowever, in all towns and villages you can rent an ojek (motorcycle taxi), which are usually available at all major street corners.
- Get aroundOther transport options in some places include becak (bicycle rickshaws), and delman (horse carriages).
From Wikivoyage: Banten, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Diego Delso (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.