Bogor, which is located around 45 km from Jakarta, is a great choice if you want to escape the capital. However it’s a bad option if you don’t want to deal with traffic as Bogor, Puncak and even Bandung probably have worse traffic than Jakarta on the weekend. Visiting the city during weekdays can be a wiser option.
Bogor is popularly known as “Kota Hujan,” or “Rain City” with the locals. It does have other names though, like “Kota Angkot” or “City of (loads of) small public transport vehicles,” which isn’t as nice. On the plus side is has massive botanical gardens and a huge range of culinary choices.
The easiest and fastest way to reach Bogor from Jakarta is by train, which takes around an hour-ish. The Bogor botanical gardens (or Kebun Raya Bogor in Indonesian) is more than 80 hectares and is full of big trees. The area is great for picnicking and you can bring your own food and drink (never forget to pack all the garbage and take it away with you) as well as a sarong or something that you can use to cover the grass and sit down on. If a picnic is not your style then you should give a try to visit de Daunan café. Here you can have a coffee, tea or even grab some lunch from an Indonesian and Western menu.
Besides the botanical gardens, Buitenzorg (in Dutch) has a wide range of food that you can try. One option is really famous; Roti Unyil. Just like the name, Roti Unyil is literally translated to Tiny Bread, which is a (tiny) loaf of bread with a lot of taste. People usually eat four of these tiny loaves without feeling full! I probably can put 2 roti unyil in my mouth at the same time. So yummy and yet so tiny!
Asinan Bogor, Pizza Kayu Bakar, Makaroni Panggang, Apple Pie and Martabak Air Mancur are some of the types of food that always receive positive attention from visitors from outside Bogor. During weekend, these restaurants or food stalls are guaranteed to be full of people. If you are really into the idea of a culinary adventure, you should try to stroll around Suryakencana, Siliwangi and Padjajaran Street. Along those roads you can find a lot of options that could satisfy your sense of culinary adventure!
