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Padang
Capital and largest city of West Sumatra, Indonesia

Padang

Padang is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of West Sumatra.

Plan a trip to Padang→From Batam

It had a population of 833,562 at the 2010 census and 909,040 at the 2020 census; the official estimate as of mid 2025 was 965,050. It is the 16th most populous city in Indonesia and the most populous city on the west coast of Sumatra. The Padang metropolitan area is the third most populous metropolitan area in Sumatra with a population of over 1.7 million. Padang is widely known for its Minangkabau culture, cuisine, and sunset beaches.

Get in

Getting to Padang

  1. 01
    Minangkabau International Airport
  2. 02
    Stasiun Padang

    There are many luxury buses from Java to Padang, mostly from Jakarta and Bandung.

See

Worth seeing

  1. 01
    Museum Adityawarman

    State-run museum exploring regional history & culture in a traditional spire-roofed building.

  2. 02
    Taman Budaya
  3. 03
    Pantai Air Manis

    It is most famed for Batu Malin Kundang (Stone of Malin Kundang), a stone shaped like a prostrating man.

  4. 04
    The Great Mosque of Ganting

    It is the oldest mosque in Padang and one of the oldest in Indonesia.

  5. 05
    Pantai Padang

    You can ride the bendi (a horse-drawn carriage) along the beach, and stop by the rows of shops to eat some rujak as you watch the waves.

  6. 06
    Siti Nurbaya Bridge

    Siti Nurbaya is the eponymous character in a classical literary novel.

Do

Things to do

Relaxing is the main thing to do here. This is a mainly administrative city. Honestly, there isn't too much to do downtown. But if you go uptown, some interesting spots await to be explored. These include Sikuai Island, Lubuk Minturun river (a 'natural jacuzzi') and Bungus Bay (crystal water river), all in southern Padang. Pool/Billiard is a popular sport to play and there are a few places dotted around.

Eat

Where to eat

Padang is famed throughout Indonesia for spicy Padang food (masakan Padang). These days nasi padang (Padang rice) restaurants can be found all over Indonesia, but of course, nothing beats eating it at its place or origin. Ordering at a Padang restaurant couldn't be easier: just sit down at a table, and watch the dishes pile up. Eat what you like, as you'll only pay for dishes you've actually consumed.

How locals move

Getting around Padang the local way

  • Get inFrom Bukittinggi, minibus Rp20,000, duration ~2h.
  • Get inFrom Harau Valley, minibus from shop/loket 'Pt.Ricky RA.
  • Get inTake an orange angkot to reach the Plaza Andalas mall in the centre for Rp5,000.
  • Get aroundCrazily-decorated angkots run along the two main roads.

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

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see file page), Wikimedia Commons.