Belawan Sumatra Indonesia Cruise Port Guide

Location:

Distance/drive time from port/ terminal to town centerof Medan: 26 km.

Availability of Taxis at Pier: Yes

Cruise calendar for this port.

Live Nautical Chart with Wikipedia Markers

Port Location on Google Maps

Monthly Climate Averages for Belawan Sumatra Indonesia

Sightseeing:

Belawan is a port city on the northeast coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. Located on the Deli River near the city of Medan, Belawan is Indonesia's busiest port outside of Java.

SIGHTSEEING OPPORTUNITIES (SHORT TRIP/HALF DAY)

Danau Toba (Lake Toba)
Brastagi & Pasar Buah Brastagi
Peceran – Traditional Village of Batak Karo
Parapat & Samosir Island
Sipiso – Piso Waterfall
Simalungun Castle, Pematang Purba
King Sidabutar's graveyard
Tomok Village
Ambarita Village
Pematang Siantar
Tebing Tinggi (High Hill)
Toko Paten (souvenir shop from Pematang Siantar)

SIGHTSEEING OPPORTUNITIES (FULL DAY)

Maimoon Palace
Sultan Deli Palace
Lake Toba Full Day Tour
Medan City Tour (Full Day)

Tours Excursions Transportation:

A cruise organized tour is the way to go. Public transport from the port is poor and roads are not in the best of shape.

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

Nearby Places:

Medan is the fourth largest city in Indonesia after Jakarta, Surabaya and Bandung. With a population of about 2 million people it is the largest city outside of Java.

It's interesting to contrast the old, Dutch style green areas, with parks, lawns, and huge old Dutch houses (now turned into government offices or commercial business) and the hundreds and hundreds of newer, shoddy shophouses sprawled together by the hundreds in the commercial areas along with a few modern style malls.

Shopping and Food

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.

Currency:

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

Communication:

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

Opening Hours and Holidays:

Holidays in Indonesia

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