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Jakarta Train from Semarang

Jakarta Train from Semarang 🚂

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Our 3-week trip through Indonesia to the secluded tropical island of Karimunjawa concluded with a 460 km train journey from Semarang to Jakarta. There, we’d have just a day and a half in the city before taking our return flight back to Rome.

Before starting our return journey to Jakarta, we knew we would have very little time in Semarang to purchase train tickets.

We therefore decided to book our train tickets online, several months earlier. The train from Semarang can be busy, and with a return flight to Europe the following day we didn’t want to take any chances.

Highlights

 

Purchase your Jakarta Train Tickets Online

Using the 12Go.com website, we purchased 2 executive-class one-way tickets for IDR 259,000 each (€17).

There are slightly different prices based on where in the carriage you choose to sit. However the seating diagram is a little confusing, so we chose the cheapest.

Apart from this, the 12Go.com website was easy enough to use, sending us a train voucher PDF file by email. The printed voucher had a booking bar code. We understood we would have to exchange the voucher at the train station in Semarang to receive our actual train tickets.

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Tawang Train Station, Semarang

On the morning of our departure from Semarang, we arrived at Tawang train station an hour in advance. A helpful security guard scanned our voucher on one of the station’s automatic ticket dispensers, and our tickets were printed.

Jakarta Train from Semarang

Jakarta Train from Semarang

The process was all very modern and hi-tech, and so unlike our experiences on the Indian train network.

Our train was already waiting, so we were able to board and find our seats a good 45 minutes before departure. The inside carriages were clean, if a little worn.

Jakarta Train In-Carriage Experience

Unfortunately, our seats were right at the front facing a bulkhead, so there wasn’t room to stretch our legs. Obviously, we should have paid better attention to the seating plan when making our booking online.

Although it’s not clear from the seating diagrams, there’s a reason for all the different prices.

Jakarta Train from Semarang

Jakarta Train from Semarang

Each carriage has a TV screen playing movies, and you can purchase drinks from the stewards. Each seat also has its own electrical point for charging your devices.

Our journey from Semarang to Gambir station in central Jakarta took a little over 6 hours. There were just 3 or 4 stops along the way.

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If you enjoyed Jakarta Train from Semarang, check out our Central Java Travel Plan. You may also like:


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Oasis Hotel Manila

Oasis Hotel Manila 🛎️ Overlooking Paco Park

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Manila is a vibrant metropolis brimming with cultural heritage, modern energy, and diverse experiences. This bustling capital city of the Philippines beckons travelers with its rich historical landmarks and an array of attractions that fuse the old and the new.

From the iconic walled city of Intramuros to the contemporary vibrancy of Makati, Manila encapsulates a unique blend of tradition and progress.

Travelling from Panglao to Manila

Our trip back to Manila followed a 3-night stay in Panglao, at the end of a 3-week trip around the Philippines. For our 2 last nights, we booked the small Oasis Hotel in the north-central area of the city.

A trike from Panglao to the airport took around 30 minutes (250 pesos).

At Tagbilaran airport, the terminal tax is 100 pesos per person. Philippine airlines max cabin baggage allowance is 7 kilos, so we had pre-arranged to check in 1 of our rucksacks. Flight time was around 1 hour, including a small snack.

At Manila airport we walked upstairs to Departures and took a white metered taxi from there to Ermita (Paco Park: 179 pesos).

Oasis Hotel Manila - Paco Park

Taxi to Oasis Hotel Manila – close to Paco Park

Total travel time from Panglao to Manila was 4 or 5 hours. Surprisingly, the traffic in Manila was not as heavy as Cebu City.

Oasis Hotel Manila – Close to Paco Park

We chose the Oasis Hotel by Paco Park in Manila (€32).

The rooms are spacious, clean and well equipped.

The hotel has a small pool (though a little too public, in the central courtyard, with no deck space). The hotel requires a 2,000 peso deposit on check-in, and charges 25 pesos per bag if you want them to look after your luggage after checkout.

Oasis Hotel Manila - Paco Park, Manila

Oasis Hotel Manila – Deck and Pool

The restaurant and bar prices are expensive (even excluding the 10% service tax), but Robinson’s Mall is just 15 minutes down the road. This is a huge shopping complex with dozens of inexpensive eateries and a large well-stocked supermarket.

Oasis Hotel - Paco Park, Manila
Oasis Hotel - Paco Park, Manila
Oasis Hotel - Paco Park, Manila
Oasis Hotel - Paco Park, Manila
Oasis Hotel - Paco Park, Manila
Oasis Hotel - Paco Park, Manila
Oasis Hotel - Paco Park, Manila
Oasis Hotel - Paco Park, Manila
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The Paco Park Area

The area immediately around the hotel is pretty grotty, with plenty of homeless, beggars and piles of refuse. Not a place to wander around after dark. In the daytime its safe enough, but congested with people hustling and hawking stuff, incessant traffic, and noxious fumes.

At least our hotel room overlooked a very green and peaceful Paco Park.

Although we didn’t have a lot of time to explore Manila, we managed to visit the older Intramuros area and enjoyed a novel eating experience at a Shabu Shabu restaurant.

All your hotel options in Manila


If you enjoyed Oasis Hotel Manila, check out Central Philippines – Cebu & Bohol. You may also like:


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