Things To Do in Palembang

You should also know that Palembang is the birthplace of the Sriwijaya empire and then following the Majapahit empire therefore the entire place is rich with culture and history.

Palembang is also known as the Venice of the East due to the many rivers that cut through the city, which is the second-largest city on the island of Sumatra. 

Most of the attractions and places of interest are also located throughout the city therefore it is easy to move around here. 

The most iconic symbol of Palembang is the Ampera Bridge over the Musi River or locally known as Jambatan Ampera which divides the Ulu and Ilir parts of Palembang.

This is also probably the most photographed place in south Sumatra which was built in 1965, and officially opened by Indonesia’s first president, Ir Soekarno. 

The total height of the two towers stand at 63 meters (206 feet) and is 1177 meters (3861 feet) long. The best time to visit the Ampera Bridge is either during sunrise or sunset.

At night, the bridge is lit up with multiple color lights, turning this into a beautiful attraction to photograph. 

There is a beautiful and tragic story that made this beautiful island which houses Palembang’s largest Chinese Temple called Toa Pekong.

As the legend goes, this temple was built and dedicated to Tan Bun An, a Chinese trader who committed suicide over a local girl named Siti Fatimah.

This temple was built in 1962 and also serves as a shrine for both their graves. Outside, a beautiful nine-story pagoda stands in the middle of the island surrounded by a Laughing Buddha statue and a Love Tree that signifies the cross-culture love from the old myth. 

Many operators run this service and for me, I took Nakoda Kapal, the company that provided a nice ferry ride which lasts about 30 minutes one way.

This unique and fascinating Chinese inspired Muslim mosque is built in honor of the famous admiral from China who sailed the region.

Once you arrive here, you will think you are in a Chinese temple, simply because of the strong Chinese architecture found throughout the temple.

The red colors are striking and the mosque is open for all to visit. This beautiful mosque was built in September 2005, replacing an older mosque here and highly recommended for those who like architecture or religion. 

In the center of Palembang city, you will find a unique looking concrete tower called Monpera which also serves as a revolution museum, reminding the people of South Sumatra about the five days and five nights of fighting between the Indonesians and the Dutch.

Inside this odd structure, there is a narrow staircase that leads you eight floors up to the rooftop though it does not look that high.

Overall, the place should be well kept by the government and do a visit to a group to be safe here. 

The Arab people have been living in Palembang for over three centuries and the best place to see this is at a traditional Arab Village called Kampung Al Munawar which is estimated to be over 250 years old.

Here, traditional Arabic and European classical homes are still standing, some all wood, and some brick and wood.

Based on the architectural designs, you can see the strong European influence in the workmanship.

The best part about this village is that the 300 odd people who live here still operate as a community, where they celebrate weddings and festivals as one village. 

The one which I visited had old traditional doors as high as 12 feet! The tourism board of Palembang also has plans to turn this beautiful village into a tourist destination and hopefully by this year (2016), it will happen and create another tourist attraction here. 

The hill is also believed to be the final resting place of king Si Gentar Alam, who is one of the Kings of Srivijaya from Mataram. 

This place houses the world’s largest wooden carvings of every page of the Quran. Formally housed at another location, they decided to bring this to a new home out of the city area. 

On the first floor of Al Quran Al Akbar

Inside the structure, you can see each page that is mounted using a revolving method. 

For any museum lover, this is probably the best museum in South Sumatra to visit and also learn about the Sriwijaya Empire.

Inside, the history of the empire is displayed with original and replica artifacts with supporting information in Indonesian and in English.

The main museum grounds are vast as the area is also gazetted as an important archaeological site. 

The Srivijaya Museum was also opened on 5th November 2008 by the Governor of South Sumatra. 

This museum showcases Palembang’s rich culture and history and is quite a huge attraction with a little walking to be done.

Inside, a lot of historical rock statues and carvings are seen while for Malaysians, you will be pleased to know that the Malacca Museum has a joint-partnership where a special dedicated Melaka Room is highlighted. All because of the two cities’ close relationship and cultural ties from centuries ago. 

Visitors are allowed to go inside this Limas house built on stilts and no nails were used. 

KI Park as it is also called, this place is a huge park around a lake and is extremely lively on the weekends.

A lot of hawkers will sell food and drinks while locals will fill the park up. Many come here to just hang out as around the park, there are many popular restaurants, cafes, and even souvenir shops. 

Suitable for those wanting to do a bit of jogging or exercise while on holidays or simply to do the park visit. 

The photos were all taken with my Nikon D5100 and a Panasonic Lumix LX-7 digital camera.

I am not a professional but more of an avid user, therefore, when I have the opportunity, I try my best to take some photos of my destination as sometimes, photos tell a thousand words. 

Also in 2018, Palembang will play host to the 18th Asian Games alongside Jakarta as the two host cities.

Conclusion

If you have any questions, comments or feedback, please do leave them below and I will try my best to answer them. I also hope you enjoyed my review of things to do in Palembang.