Cruise ships dock in an industrial area. Use a taxi or ship provided transportation into town.

Printable map to take along.

Cruise Schedule

Watch a destination video.

Surabaya, provincial capital of East Java and Indonesia's second largest city, served for over half a millennium as trading port for the inland empires of Java. Situated at the mouth of the Brantas River, the city was officially founded in 1293 when raden Wijaya established Majapahit, Indonesia's most glorious empire on the site of a legendary battle between a shark (sura) and crocodile (baya).

Surabaya, known as the "City of Heroes" because of its role in nation's independence struggle, has grown into an elegant city of large, colonnaded buildings bordering broad, tree shaded avenues. It serves as the commercial center of a thriving industrial and agricultural hinterland. The city's historical sites include Kali Mas harbor with its tall-mastered trading schooners and, nearby, the narrow alleyways and shops of the Arab quarter, redolent of the Middle East.

The historic Hotel Majapahit, where Indonesia's war of independence was begun, and the elegant Grahadi State Buildings, an 18th century mansion, have been restored as monuments to an era of colonial grace. Surabaya is also home to one of Southeast Asia's oldest and largest zoos. For travelers in East Java ,

Many towns have taxis, but be sure to agree on a fare in advance.

Surabaya serves as a convenient base for exploring the regions many charms, including Mt. Bromo, the cool mountain retreats of Tretes and Malang and the natural wonders of several nature reserves.

In Indonesia eating with your hand (instead of utensils like forks and spoons) is very common. The basic idea is to use four fingers to pack a little ball of rice, which can then be dipped into sauces before you pop it in your mouth by pushing it with your thumb. There's one basic rule of etiquette to observe: Use only your right hand, as the left hand is used to clean yourself in the bathroom. Don't stick either hand into communal serving dishes: instead, use the left hand to serve yourself with utensils and then dig in. Needless to say, it's wise to wash your hands well before and after eating. Eating by hand is frowned on in some "classier" places. If you are provided with cutlery and nobody else around you seems to be doing it, then take the hint.

ATMs are common in any major cities in Indonesia.

Be careful when using credit cards, as cloning and fraud are a major problem in Indonesia. Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted, but American Express can be problematic. At smaller operations, surcharges of 2-5% over cash are common.

Currency Converter

The sole official language is Indonesian, known as Bahasa Indonesia.

Internet: Prices vary considerably, and as usual you tend to get what you pay for, but you'll usually be looking at around Rp 5,000 per hour. In large cities, there are free hotspots in certain shopping malls, McDonald restaurants and Starbucks cafes. Some hotels provide free hotspots in the lobby.

mobile phones emergency number: 112

December/January Idul Fitri, the celebration of the end of Ramadan.

January 1 New Year's Day ( Tahun Baru).

March/April Nyepi, Balinese saka New Year.

March/April Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

May Idul Adha (Hajh), Muslim Day of Sacrifice.

May Waisak Day, anniversary of the birth, death and enlightenment of Buddha.

May/June Ascension Day.

June/July Muharam, Muslim New Year.

July/August Maulud Nabi Muhammad, the anniversary of the birth of Mohammed.

August 17 Independence Day ( Hari Proklamasi Kemerdekaan) celebrates the proclamation of Indonesian Independence in 1945 by Dr Sukarno.

December Ascension Day of Mohammed.

December 25 Christmas Day.

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