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Palu
Capital and largest city of Central Sulawesi, Indonesia

Palu

Palu, officially known as the City of Palu, is the capital and largest city of Central Sulawesi Province in Indonesia.

Plan a trip to Palu→From Balikpapan

Palu is located on the northwestern coast of Sulawesi at the mouth of the long Palu River, whose extensive valley stretches far to the south. It borders Donggala Regency to the north and west, Parigi Moutong Regency to the east, and Sigi Regency to the south. The city boundaries encompass a land area of 395.06 km2 (152.53 sq mi). According to the 2020 Indonesian census, Palu had a population of 373,218, making it the third-most populous city on the island after Makassar and Manado; the official estimate as at mid 2025 was 400,055. Palu is the center of finance, government, and education in Central Sulawesi, as well as one of several major cities on the island. The city hosts the province's main port, its biggest airport, and most of its public universities.

Get in

Getting to Palu

  1. 01
    Mutiara SIS Al-Jufrie Airport
See

Worth seeing

  1. 01
    Sou Raja

    Oldest traditional house and former royal residence in Palu.

  2. 02
    Datokarama Park
  3. 03
    Nosarara Nosabatutu Monument

    Observation platform/monument overlooking Palu City and Palu Bay.

  4. 04
    Central Sulawesi State Museum
Do

Things to do

  1. 01
    City Forest Park
  2. 02
    Pantai Talise

    Crowded beach where steps lead into the water.

  3. 03
    Pantai Tanjung Karang

    Clean beach with clear water and some reefs and coral.

Eat

Where to eat

Try local food, kaledo, spicy and savory beef leg soup.

How locals move

Getting around Palu the local way

  • Get aroundBlue minibuses (angkot) are plying the city roads during the daytime and approximately till 10 pm.
  • Get aroundA shared ride normally costs Rp5,000 per passenger (March 2016), the driver will vary his route based on where his current passengers are going, so the same trip will likely be done using a different route each time.
  • Get aroundmake sure the driver understands you just want a shared ride, not a charter (which will likely cost much more, or even more than a taxi, especially if you didn't fix the price beforehand).
  • Get aroundAs this may be problematic for a foreigner not speaking at least some Bahasa Indonesia, catch another angkot (preferably one with many passengers), call a taxi, or just walking, if in doubt.
  • Go nextAmpana, from which daily ferries depart for the Togian Islands.

From Wikivoyage: Palu, 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.