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Before the Americans struck oil, Pekanbaru was little more than a sleepy river port on Sungai Siak. Today it is Indonesia’s oil capital, with all the hustle and bustle of modern cities.
If you do decide to wander through, you’ll spend most of your time accepting inexplicable gestures of kindness, from cafe conversations to instant friendships.
Orientation
The main street of Pekanbaru is Jl Sudirman.
Almost everything of importance to travelers - banks, hotels and offices - can be
found here or close by. Speedboats leave from the Sungai Duku port. The new bus terminal is 5km west of town.
Information
Most of the city’s banks and ATMs are spread along Jl Sudirman. There are plenty of travel agencies around town that can book plane and bus tickets as well as tours of the local area.
3net (Jl Teuku Umar 11; h9am-9pm) Internet café and travel agency.
BCA bank (Bank Central Asia; Jl Sudirman 448)
BII bank (Bank Internasional Indonesia; Jl Nangka 4) Changes US and Singapore dollars (cash and travelers cheques).
BNI bank (Bank Negara Indonesia; Jl Sudirman)
Post office (Jl Sudirman) Between Jl Hangtuah and Jl Kartini.
Riau provincial tourist office (Jl Gajah Mada 200; h8am-4pm Mon-Thu, 8-11am Fri)
Telkom wartel (Jl Sudirman; h8am-9pm) About 1km north of the post office.
Sights
If you’ve got time to burn, you could check out the rather standard displays at Museum Negeri Riau (Jl Sudirman; h8am-2pm Mon-Thu & Sat, 8am-noon Fri). The neighboring Riau Cultural Park (Jl Sudirman; h8am-2pm Mon-Thu & Sat, 8am-noon Fri) hosts occasional performances. Ask at the tourist office for details.
In the town centre, Balai Adat Daerah Riau (Jl Diponegoro; h8am-2pm Mon-Thu & Sat, 8am-noon Fri) maintains a few modest exhibits of traditional Malay culture. The Mesjid Raya (Jl Mesjid Raya), near the river, dates back to the 18th century, when Pekanbaru was the capital of the Siak sultanate. The courtyard holds the graves of the fourth and fifth sultans.
Sleeping
Most midrange hotels line Jl Sudirman and are oriented towards business clientele. If your timing is right, you may be able to broker considerable discounts.
Poppie’s Homestay (Jl Cempedak III) Comfortable budget rooms in a converted house within a residential neighborhood. It is tricky to find, but locals will be able to point you in the right direction once you turn off Jl Nangka.
Hotel Anom (cnr Jl Sudirman & Gatot Subroto) If you’ve never before met the Indonesian mandi, you might want to climb up the price scale for more amenities.
Shorea Hotel (Jl Taskurun 100) A good-value place with clean, modern rooms, in a quiet spot off the main drag.
Hotel Rauda (Jl Tangkuban Perahu 4) A solid and centrally located midrange option. The rooms are nothing special and ultimately forgettable - a plus when it comes to all the things that could go wrong.
Hotel Dyan Graha (Jl Gatot Subroto 7) Conveniently central, this is one of Pekanbaru’s upmarket options. The bathrooms are certainly a plus.
Grand Jatra Hotel (Komplek Mal Pekanbaru, Jl Tangkuban Perahu) Visiting oil executives stay at this brand-new spot, providing international standards and décor.
Eating
There are innumerable places to eat along Jl Sudirman, particularly at night around the market at the junction with Jl Imam Bonjol.
Ayam Bakar Wong Solo (Jl Sudirman 227) Not fancy but everything you’ll need: an air-con retreat from steamy Pekanbaru and pictures of Indonesian standards.
Vanhollano Bakery (Jl Sudirman 153) You could also skip the immersion and eat safely with these cakes, pastries, hamburgers and ice cream. It also serves fresh fruit juices.
Getting There & Away
AIR
Pekanbaru’s Simpang Tiga has five direct flights to Jakarta each day with Batavia Air, Lion Air, Adam Air, Mandala and Garuda.
Flights to Medan are handled by Sriwijaya and Merpati. Garuda, Merpati and Lion Air also have flights to Batam through which you can connect to Singapore flights.
Travel agents are located along Jl Sudirman. You can also find the following airline offices:
Garuda (Garuda Indonesia; Hotel Pangeran, Jl Sudirman 371-373)
Lion Air (Mutiara Merdeka Hotel, Jl Yos Sudarso 12A)
Mandala (Jl Sudirman 115)
Merpati (Merpati Nusantara Airlines; Jl Sudirman 371)
BOAT
Pekanbaru’s Sungai Duku port is at the end of Jl Sultan Syarif Qasyim. Before flights became so affordable, many travellers bounced between Pekanbaru and Batam’s Sekupang port (8 hours, 8am departure) en route to Singapore. When all the fares are tallied up, it is a long, expensive haul compared to the flying birds.
From Pekanbaru, boats also go to Melaka, Malaysia, three times a week (8 hours; 9am), Tanjung Pinang on Bintan, Tanjung Balai on Karimun and Tanjung Samak on Pulau Rangsang. It’s also possible to go down Sungai Siak to Tanjung Buton and Selat Panjang.
Ticket agents are located at the pier.
BUS
Pekanbaru’s Terminal Nangka, 5km west of the town centre, is modern and uncharacteristically organised for Sumatra. There are posted prices and even staffed ticket booths within the terminal. If you don’t want to be ripped off, buy tickets directly from the booths rather than the freelancers roaming the terminal. Destinations include Bengkulu, Bukittinggi, Dumai (5 hours), Jambi (12 hours), Medan (12 hours), and Padang (6 hours).
Getting Around
From the port, catch a light-blue opelet to Pasar Pusat on Jl Sudirman. Green opelet on Jl Nangka shuttle between town and the bus terminal.
AROUND PEKANBARU
Some 120km downriver from Pekanbaru is Siak Sri Inderapura, site of the beautiful Asserayah el Hasyimiah Palace, built in 1889 by the 11th sultan of Siak, Sultan Adbul Jalil Syafuddin. It was the seat of the Siak sultanate until 1945. The palace was restored as a museum in 1989 but the best artefacts have been removed to Jakarta. The site also houses a dazzling white mosque with a silver dome.
You can stay at the basic Penginapan Monalisa, by the dock in Siak.
To get there take the boat from the Sungai Duku port at 7.30am (4 hours).
DUMAI
Like most of Pekanbaru’s oil, travellers enter and exit through the port of Dumai. Most are bound for the Malaysian port of Melaka. Although airfares between Malaysia and Sumatra are often more competitive, many travellers are still smitten with the idea of sailing the high seas.
If you get stuck in town, try the very basic Wisma Hang Tua (Jl Sudirman 431); Hotel Tasia Ratu (Jl St Syarif Kasim 65), a tolerable midrange option; or Royal Dumai Hotel (Jl Sudirman 58), Dumai’s fanciest place.
Melaka-bound ferries depart from the Yos Sudarso port of Dumai three times a day at 8am, 10.30am and 1pm (2 hours). You must check in at the port two hours before departure in order to clear immigration.
Ferries travel daily to Batam (7 hours). Two Pelni boats call at Dumai then Bintan en route to Jakarta.
There are frequent buses from Dumai to Padang (12 hours), Bukittinggi (10 hours) and Pekanbaru (5 hours). There are also minibus services timed with the arrivals of the boats from Batam.
