Get In

By bus

Bus trip to Pontianak can be arranged from Kuching in neighboring Malaysia. A trip from Kuching to Pontianak or vice versa will last at least 8 hours which will pass the border area of Entikong. Some of the bus providers serving this route are Damri, SJS and Biaramas Express (www.mybus.com.my). The fares for the trip ranges from RM45 to RM75. Click Pontianak to Kuching for travel itinerary on this route. A bus trip to Brunei is also available.

By plane

Pontianak is reachable by air with Batavia Air from Jakarta, Batam (accessible from Singapore by ferry), Pekanbaru, Surabaya, Yogyakarta]. Batavia Air also operates direct international flights to Singapore and Kuching, Malaysia. The name of the local airport is Supadio. A new addition to the Pontianak to Kuching route is Kalstar..
Other airlines serving the city from Jakarta include Garuda Indonesia , Sriwijaya Air, Lion Air, Maswing Airline serve from Kuching to Pontianak.
From the airport to Pontianak city the only mean of transportation is by taxi (coupons at fixed price IDR60,000 are sold). Hotels, such as the Aston, will charge IDR100,000 for a 4 person transfer from the airport.

By boat

While being the cheapest inter-island transportation mean, it is recommended only for travellers to board on a ship to Pontianak. Tourists would do better to fly instead. The tide in Java Sea is unstable, which may make you feel sick on board, if you are not used to high tide. A trip will spend 12-18 hours to/from Jakarta. Contact nearest travel agent to conduct your trip.

By car

Pontianak can be reached by car from Kuching in 6-8 hours, although the road is not in very good shape.

Sleep

If you arrive by Pelni ferry late at night then it's better option to sleep aboard until morning as there is usually a long layover at Pontianak.

• Hotel Patrina, Jl Hos Cokrominoto no 497, ☎ 0561 736063. Quite basic but clean enough. 50,000 fan; 80,000 AC Untried  

• Hotel Sentral, Jl H.O.S. Cokroaminoto no 232 (Ten minutes walk from drop off point for most Kuching buses, turn right at traffic light.), ☎ (+62561) 744910. checkin: 2pm; checkout: 12pm. Faded rooms. Staff friendly enough. All have AC and attached bathrooms. On a busy junction between two streets so window rooms will be slightly noisy, (but non window rooms are a bit musty). Travellers have reported overpricing and demands for security deposit from the staff here From 160,000.  

Hotel Wisma Patri, Pontianak. No air, no fan, no window and fairly mosquito-ridden with no insect spray available 70,000RP.

Splurge

• Gardenia Resort and Spa, Jl. A Yani II

• Hotel Sentral, Jl. H.O.S. Cokroaminoto 232, Commercial Hotel.

• Hotel Gajahmada, Jl. Gajahmada

• Hotel Grand Mahkota

• Hotel Peony, Jl. Gajahmada

• Hotel Kapuas Palace, Jl. Imam Bonjol

• Hotel Kini, Jl. Nusa Indah 3

• Hotel Mercure, Jl. A. Yani

• Hotel Orchardz, Jl. Gajahmada

• Hotel Santika, Jl. Diponegoro,  National Chain Hotel.

Star Hotel, Jl. Gajah Mada 189,

Get Out

Pontianak is the gateway for travellers wishing to travel deeper inland. Singkawang, another one of the most Chinese-influenced town is reachable by taxi. Kuching, which lies in the Malaysian part of the island, offers some modernity you wouldn't find in the Indonesian part.

Contact

Phone Call

Most national GSM and CDMA operators have their signal towers in entire Pontianak, meaning that there should be not much problem communicating around the town and the tariffs are also reasonable, at least for tourists coming from the West. Shops selling SIM cards and their top-ups are also in abundance, even in the outskirts of town, just like in other cities in Indonesia. Fixed line phones are also available everywhere. There are also few phone stalls (Warung Telkom) offering you phone call with a reasonable fare. 

Internet Access

Internet cafe businesses are flourishing, but you'll only find a few without distracting gamers like you might find in typical East Asian internet cafes. Don't worry about the billing (that's how the locals say). An hour of internet access will cost you Rp. 3,000-6,000. But don't expect a speed-of-light one out of it, though. Many locals have internet access varying from snaily dial-up to ISDN (most notably Telkom Speedy) installed in their houses. GPRS and 3G access from your cellphone exists, but you will not necessarily find GPRS signal everywhere even in the middle of the city.

Consulates

Malaysia Consulate, Jl. Sutan Syahrir No. 21, ☎ (62-561) 732-986, 736-061.

Stay Safe

Pickpockets and motorcycle thefts are quite common in town. Exercise necessary caution even when being in a shopping mall. Be careful when travelling in a public bus (called oplet) as somebody could threaten you with a knife to hand over your valuables.

Culinary in Pontianak

Pontianak is quite popular among domestic tourists due to its wide range of food with strong cultural touch, most notably the Chinese. There are plenty of eating options for the culinary adventurers, from street hawker food to local restaurant culinary to internationally franchised fast food.

• Street Hawker Food, where you can taste the local delicacy such as Beef Rice Noodle & Beehoon (Fried, With soup, Dried), Seafood Noodle (With soup & Dried), Nasi Goreng (Fried Rice with Chicken, Beef), Nasi Uduk, Kwe Kia Theng (Teochew phrase, Rice Noodle in Soya Sauce Soup with Pork and intestines (optional), Bakso (Fish or Beef Ball Soup), Sate (Chicken or Beef Satay), Kari Peng (Teochew phrace meaning Curry Rice), Koi Peng (Teochew phrase literary "Chicken Rice", but content also include pork, cucumber, etc. also known as "Nasi Campur" or Mixed Riced), Martabak, Kue Terang Bulan, Otak-otak, Pempek, Tui Jiu He (Teochew phrase literary "Beaten Cuttlefish", dried cuttlefish are beaten until tender and flossy, woodfired until cooked, then served with belacan sauce, best to have it with friends and beer), Sio Bi (also known as Siomay, made of pork served in soya sauce with the options of chilli and mustard), Siomay Bandung (Fish cake, beancurd, potato, vegetable, egg served in peanut sauce, with the option of chilli and tomato), He Mue/Bubur Ikan (Fish Porridge), and many more. These Street Hawkers are usually found from dusk until 10pm - 12am, depending or business, but some operated from dawn to dusk or midnight. They are usually clustered around busy commercial streets such as the CBD: Jalan (Jl.) Gajahmada, Jl. Hijas, Jl. Setia Budi, Jl. Agus Salim, Jl. Diponegoro, Jl. Patimura, Jl. Nusa Indah 1, Jl. Tanjung Pura, Jl Siam or around the suburban such as Jawi (Jl. Merdeka, Jl. Hassanudin, Jl. Wahid Hasyim), Kotabaru (Jl. St. Abdurrahman), Purnama, Siantan, Sungai Raya Dalam and Sungai Raya. Price per meal ranging from IDR 5000 to about IDR 25000 (USD 0.55 - 2.77 at IDR 9000 exchange rate).

• Local Restaurants include Chinese Food such as Satria Wangi Dining; they have great local menu at very affordable price as well as average-English-speaking staff. The restaurant is centrally located at the heart of the city, Jl. Nusa Indah II No. 62. Its signature dishes such Ikan Gurame Terbang, Gulai Kepala Ikan, Ikan Jelawat Kukus have been featured and reviewed by many national TVs cooking show. Pontianak culinary experience has more to offer; some other options include Restoran Star (Jl. GajahMada), Restoran Gajahmada (Jl. Gajahmada), and Restoran Hawaii (Jl. Nusa Indah 3), Malay Food such as Dangau (Jl. Arteri Supadio), Western & Japanese Food such as Italian Steak House (Jl. Nusa Indah 3), Sari Bento (at Museum, Jl. Ahmad Yani). Papyrus Restaurant at Gardenia Resort and Spa offers all-day dining with a selection of Asian, Western, and authentic Indonesian favourites. At open deck area, you can enjoy the views of the landscaped gardens while enjoying the chef's specialties.(Jl. A Yani-5 minutes from the airport)

• Fast Food if you think you have had to much of local culinary and prefer the good ol' Fast Food then you can have it at KFC (Ayani Mega Mal, Jl. Gajahmada,Jl. Ayani and Ramayana Mal), Pizza Hut (Ayani Mega Mal, Jl. Gajah mada), CFC (Ramayana Mal, Matahari Mal), Texas Fried Chicken (Matahari Mal, Mega Mal), etc.

Do

Sungai Kapuas (Kapuas River) divides Pontianak into two different sides. Get a boat ride along the river about 5-6pm local time and you will see amazing view along this river. The locals who live along this river taking a bath in this river during these hours throughout the year. A very unique tradition that should not be missed.