Notes on Bandung: The decolonization capital and the high-speed gateway to Java

Bandung is the capital city of West Java province in Indonesia, and about 150 km southeast of Jakarta. I was in Bandung after riding the Jakarta Bandung High-Speed Railway. The new train (known as Whoosh) is the fastest train in Southeast Asia, with a top speed of 350 km/h.

I’ve been to Bandung before, but it’s good to revisit a place to see how its changed, and to see how you have changed as a traveller.

These are notes from my visit in April 2024.

Whoosh (the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway)

[Whoosh at Padalarang (Bandung).]

The train from Jakarta to Bandung takes 30 minutes, though you lose time going from Central Jakarta to the high-speed station. The good news is that there are railways connecting the high-speed stations to the centre of Jakarta and Bandung. Padalarang (the Bandung high-speed station) is connected to the old Bundung Station by a shuttle train.

Here is my review of the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway.

Paris Van Java

Bandung isn’t on the list of cities known as the Paris of the East, but it became known as Paris Van Java for its colonial-era architecture. There is a great collection of historic buildings in the old city area.

Some of the colonial-era buildings are distinctly Dutch in style and unlike the English and French colonial styles in the region.

Bandung became a hotspot for Art Deco architecture.

[Grand Hotel Preanger]

The Grand Hotel Preanger and Hotel Savoy Homann are two iconic Art Deco hotels in Bandung that would rank among the famous hotels of Southeast Asia.

[Hotel Savoy Homann Bandung.]

Like other cities in Indonesia, most of the old shophouses have disappeared. There are some remnants of old Bandung in the market area near the train station.

There are some random old buildings that are still holding on as the city grows around it.

Legacy of the Bandung Conference

The Bandung Conference was a conference of Asian and African nations held in 1955 in Bandung. This was a time when decolonization was underway, with many of the represented nations being newly independent.

The city has marked this historic event by naming the main east-west thoroughfare as Jalan Asia Afrika.

The road features bollards with the nations of Asia and Afrika.

[Palestone on Jalan Asia Afrika.]

There is a monument to the nations of Asia and Africa on Jalan Asia-Africa.

On Jalan Asia Afrika is the Asia-Africa Conference Museum.

Jalan Braga

The most interesting street for shopping and restaurants is Jalan Braga.

There are some great restaurants on this street, and well as some popular street venders.

The main problem with Jalan Braga is it’s a narrow road and it can get jammed with traffic. To be fair, is a problem all over Bandung.

I stayed near the train station, but in hindsight I would have stay near Jalan Braga to be near more cafes and restaurants.

Onward train travel

Indonesia is planning to extend the high-speed railway to Surabaya. Even if this does happen, Bandung is an interesting place to stop while travelling around Java.

Bandung is also a good starting point for the train trip to Yogyakarta. The train from Bandung to Yogyakarta is one of the most scenic routes in Southeast Asia.

[Bandung Station.]

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