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Mataram
Capital and largest city of West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia

Mataram

Mataram is a capital city of the Indonesian province of West Nusa Tenggara.

Plan a trip to Mataram→From Kuta, Badung

The city is surrounded on all the landward sides by West Lombok Regency and lies on the western side of the island of Lombok, Indonesia. It is also the largest city of the province, and had a population of 402,843 at the 2010 Census and 429,651 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as of mid 2025 was 448,780 .

The city is an economic, cultural, and education center of the province. It hosts all public universities in the province, the main airport, and also main government offices. Greater Mataram Area or sometimes also called Gumi Rinjani Metropolitan Area is a metropolitan area surrounding the city with a total population of around 3 million people as of 2015, making it one of the largest metropolitan areas in the Lesser Sunda Islands along with the Denpasar metropolitan area in Bali.

Get in

Getting to Mataram

Lombok International Airport (LOP IATA) opened on 1 October 2011 near the city of Praya on in South Lombok. It is approximately 40 km southeast of Mataram. The airport is covered in the main Lombok article. It will cost you Rp 130,000 - 150,000 to get to Mataram. = = A public bus service is available from the airport to service passengers wishing to travel to and from either Mataram or Senggigi.

  1. 01
    Terminal Mandalika

    Prefer to book online to avoid solliciting..

  2. 02
    DAMRI

    Also damri mobile app (google play store and apple store but not all regions for latter) but more international services may be easier like redbus or traveloka (but won't have all damri routes...).

See

Worth seeing

  1. 01
    Mayura Park

    A historic garden and water palace dating from the 18th century, built during the period of Balinese rule in western Lombok.

  2. 02
    Narmada Park

    A historic royal garden and retreat built in the 18th century.

  3. 03
    Museum Negeri Nusa Tenggara Barat
  4. 04
    Masjid Raya Hubbul Wathan
  5. 05
    Lingsar Temple

    One of the most unusual religious sites on Lombok, Lingsar is a Hindu temple complex built beside Kemaliq, a sacred site associated with the Sasak Wetu Telu tradition.

  6. 06
    Meru Temple
Do

Things to do

Jalan Udayana. There is a long strip of warungs and small food stalls lining both sides of the road near the airport between Jalan Gilli Gede and Jalan Adi Sucipto. The area is very popular at night especially on the weekends and is a very popular destination for couples who appreciate both lack of bright lighting and the opportunity to stroll or sit in the lineal parks that line the road on both sides.

Eat

Where to eat

Mataram is one of the best places in Lombok to try local food. Look for ayam taliwang (small grilled chicken with a hot chilli and spice paste), plecing kangkung (water spinach with spicy tomato-chilli sambal), beberuk terong (eggplant with fresh chilli and tomato), sate rembiga (spicy beef skewers), sate bulayak (grilled meat served with rice cakes and spicy sauce) and nasi balap puyung, a spicy rice dish topped…

  1. 01
    Dua Em Bersaudara

    Famed for the best ayam taliwang in Lombok.

  2. 02
    Bubur ayam 43

    Hos Cokroaminoto No.43, Monjok Bar., Kec.

  3. 03
    Warung

    Hos Cokroaminoto No.32, Monjok Tim., Kec.

  4. 04
    Blusky Pizza
How locals move

Getting around Mataram the local way

  • Get inThere are ferries every 90 minutes or so, 24 hours a day, from Padang Bai on Bali, with the trip taking 4-5 hours.
  • Get inYou can take a bemo from Lembar Harbour to Mataram during daylight hours.
  • Get inIt is also possible to access Mataram from Denpasar, which is a 4- to 5-hour drive plus ferries.
  • Get aroundBemos run many set routes in and around Mataram, Ampenan and Cakranegara.
  • Get aroundBemo can sometimes be crowded and may stop and start frequently to pick up and set down passengers or to tout for business.
  • Get aroundHorse carts known as cidomo remain a common means of transport in Mataram and they are often found operating throughout the congested streets near a pasar or produce market.
  • Get aroundPublic bemos and metered taxis are more commonly used for transport in and around Mataram.

From Wikivoyage: Mataram, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Torbenbrinker (CC BY-SA 3.0), Wikimedia Commons.