The complete guide to Jalan Surabaya Antique Market in Jakarta

Visiting Jalan Surabaya Antique Market is one of the top things to do in Jakarta. Jalan Surabaya is a street located within the Menteng area of Jakarta, which is close to the Monas and other top attractions in the city. Jalan Surabaya Antique Market is a great Jakarta attraction to check out for visitors sightseeing in central Jakarta.

Jalan Surabaya Antique Market Visit Overview

The original market on Jalan Surabaya began in the 1970’s and over time it has evolved into an antique market. Currently, it is an interesting market to explore because it not only has antiques but a range of other random stuff for sale as well.

While you are visiting the market, you will come across a long series of stalls along one side of the road that will be selling the following antique items: traditional Indonesian masks, wood sculptures, vinyl records (pretty cool), cameras (very interesting), compasses, telescopes, lights/lamps, swords, guns, and clothing irons among other things.

From a tourist’s perspective, it’s interesting visiting Jalan Surabaya Antique Market for the simple fact that you will be always trying to figure out which antiques are legitimate versus replicas.

Some of the goods for sale are quite interesting and definitely worthy of a second look, whereas others might make you laugh. We would assume that antique lovers that have visited antique markets before would find this particularly interesting.

The market does not only feature antique relics. Jalan Surabaya Antique Market also has tourist souvenirs and random stuff for sale like used golf clubs and airport luggage.

Navigating through Jalan Surabaya Antique Market

Jalan Surabaya Antique Market is one of the easiest markets to navigate in all of Jakarta simply because it is a straight market that takes up only one side of Jalan Surabaya.  Therefore, you won’t have to worry about twisting and turning your way through the market. We suggest starting at one end of the market and working your way down to the other end.

The vendors at Jalan Surabaya will definitely be ready for bargaining.  Many of them speak English and they have quite a bit of experience discussing prices with visitors.

Since the antique market is so easy to navigate you might want to explore the whole market first and then come back to antiques you are interested in.  This will avoid seeing something, only to find out ten minutes later that the same product was available for much cheaper further down the street.

Directly across from the antique market you will find a few good restaurants just in case you are considering visiting Jalan Surabaya close to lunch or dinner time.

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Travel Insider Tip: Used Golf Clubs

Golf clubs in Jakarta are very expensive to buy brand new, so if you are looking for a used set of clubs, the Jalan Surabaya market has a healthy selection to choose from.

Most of the clubs are for right-handed players, with only a few sets for ‘lefties’.  If you are good at bargaining it is not uncommon to be able to purchase a high-quality set of used clubs for under $200 USD including the bag!

Just remember, be prepared to bargain if you want a good deal!

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What is Around  Jalan Surabaya Antique Market?

If you plan on checking out Jalan Surabaya Antique Market, then you will be happy to hear that this is one of the best areas in Jakarta for booking a room to stay, and also for sightseeing.

Public Parks

To the west of Jalan Surabaya Antique Market, you will find three popular parks that are good for checking out the local culture especially on weekends:

• Taman Situ Lembang,
• Taman Suropati
• Taman Menteng

The antique market is only an 800 meter walk away from Taman Situ Lembang. This is the closest of the three parks. You can walk further west to access Suropati and Menteng.

Top Accommodation Options 

If you continue west you will eventually reach Bundaran HI and the Selamat Datang Monument. This is one of the most famous places in all of Jakarta.

It is surrounded by world-class hotels such as:

• Mandarin Oriental

•  Kempinski Hotel Jakarta

•  Grand Hyatt

Shopping Malls

Three popular malls (Grand Indonesia, Plaza Indonesia and Thamrin City) are also only 1-2 minutes from the roundabout.

To the west of Jalan Surabaya Antique Market you will conveniently find Cikini Station which is part of the KRL Commuter System and DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Jakarta – Diponegoro. DoubleTree is one of the best hotels in this area and it received guest reviews that are typically above 8.5/10 on major booking sites.

You can walk to both Cikini Station and DoubleTree from Jalan Surabaya Antique Market in under 7 minutes.

Museums

If you travel a few kilometers north of Jalan Surabaya Antique Market you will reach one of the museum districts of the city. Museum MH Thamrin, Taman Ismail Marzuki and Joang ‘45 Museum are only a few kilometers away.

Also in the northern direction is arguably the best hotel in the direct vicinity of Jalan Surabaya Antique Market: The Hermitage, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, Jakarta. This is an excellent property that is only 400 meters from the market! You can walk there in only 4 minutes.

This is not an exhaustive list of the sights around Jalan Surabaya Antique Market, so if you want to learn more about the surrounding areas search this site for other attractions in central Jakarta.

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The Pro’s and Con’s of Visiting Jalan Surabaya Antique Market

Why should you visit the Jalan Surabaya Antique Market in Jakarta?

The Jalan Surabaya Antique Market is very conveniently located in central Jakarta.  It won’t take you long to get there if you are staying near the Monas or in the Thamrin shopping area.  

The market itself has some really interesting antiques and stuff you probably haven’t seen at too many markets before. The old vinyl records, cameras, and telescopes are particularly interesting.

The Jalan Surabaya Antique Market is very easy to navigate making it an ideal market to check out if you are visiting with a group of people. You can just say, “Let’s meet at the other end of the market in 45 minutes!”

Since it’s free to explore it won’t cost you anything to visit unless you choose to buy something.

Why might you not want to visit the Jalan Surabaya Antique Market in Jakarta?

If you’re an antique expert who has visited many antique markets before there is the possibility that you might not like the stuff here.  Other visitors might find the mix of antique with modern a bit of a turn-off. If you don’t like bargaining for prices, then you might end up paying more at this market than someone who is willing to negotiate the price with the local vendors.

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10 Closest Hotels to Jalan Surabaya Antique Market in Jakarta

***Organized according to Star Rating

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Final Thoughts on Visiting Jalan Surabaya Antique Market in Jakarta

The Jalan Surabaya Antique Market is one of the most convenient markets to check out in Jakarta.  

It is ideal for those who will enjoy looking at all of the antiques even though no one is required to buy anything.  The cameras, telescopes, swords, and masks make for interesting window shopping.

It’s interesting how the market quickly transitions from antique to modern, but some people might not like this.  But this is Southeast Asia! If you love bargaining, this wouldn’t turn you off.

Jalan Surabaya Antique Market is interesting, easy to explore, and convenient. Vendors can improve this market by sticking to the title of being an ‘antique market’ as opposed to adding more and more modern goods over the years.