Batam

Batam is a small yet charming Indonesian island, strategically located close to the Malacca Strait and Singapore. Only 45 minutes by ferry from Singapore’s Harbor-front, Batam acts as a gateway to 3,000 islands in the Riau Archipelago of Sumatra. The island is one of the most frequented tourist destinations, welcoming over one million visitors each year and is second only to Bali in popularity.

Originally, Batam was a forgotten island with coastal villages and unspoiled nature. The recent declaration of a free-trade zone has transformed it into one of the liveliest places in the Riau Archipelago. Batam city was originally intended to become one of the largest ports in Southeast Asia. Today, it is a hub for several Singaporean companies who have established factories on the island specializing in electronics and ship repairs, as well as large oil service sectors.

With several luxurious hotel and resorts, fine golf courses, and places of interest, many Singaporeans wishing to get away from the hustle and bustle come and visit this small island on weekends. Being a special economic zone in Indonesia, many people come to Batam to shop for tax-free products such as cigarettes, alcoholic drinks, perfumes, chocolate, and handicrafts from all over the Indonesian archipelago.

Attractions

Being one of the most popular travel destinations in Indonesia, Batam Island features spectacular beaches. Many sports clubs and resorts lining the Nongsa coast and Waterfront City offer exciting sea sports and outdoor activities for everyone.

Not to be missed are the Barelang Bridges, six sophisticated full swing bridges that connect the three islands (Batam-Rempang-Galang) together. There are also several religious sites and small museums in the city centre. If you have some extra time, hop on a speedboat and visit Batam’s sibling islands for a change of pace and air.

Temple of Da Bo Gong (大伯公廟) is located between Nagoya Hill and BCS. You can see a lot of sculptures of gods and goddesses.

Wihara Budhi Bhakti - Located at Jl Pembangunan Windsor.

Baitussyakur Mosque - Located at Jl Imam Bonjol, near to Hotel Harmoni.

Ocarina is the newly developed theme park. They have a beach, mini themepark, and a new water park. You can also see Shio sculptures along the way. It is about 15 minutes from Batam Centre harbour. .

Shopping

Nagoya, also known as Lubuk Baja, is the main town of Batam, Indonesia. Taxi to Sekupang costs Rp 12.000 per person if you are sharing, Rp 40.000 if chartered. Going to Harbourbay ferry terminal is about Rp 15.000 (8 mins)

Nagoya Hill is the biggest mall in Batam located centrally in Nagoya and is home to the Matahari department store. You can catch a movie at the Studio 21 cineplex here for Rp 25.000. It is full of specialty shops, ranging from clothes and shoes, sports goods & apparel, traditional Indonesian handicrafts, furniture and Batik, electronic items and household white-goods, plus there are a few furniture shops on the 3rd floor. There is a large supermarket on the 1st floor selling just about everything, and it is reasonably priced.

Batam City Square (BCS) is one of the more crowded malls in Batam. You can catch a movie there for Rp.20.000,-. The mall also has karaoke, lounge, Timezone arcade, bowling and slot machines. BCS is a large shopping center in Nagoya. It has several boutique specialty shops, selling brand name clothes for men & women, handbags and fashion accessories, brand name shoes of all kinds, for men & women, as well as plenty of jewelry stores, offering watches, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, etc. There are also furniture shops that sell household furniture, such as dinning room settings, sofas, lounge suites and bedroom suites. Individual furniture pieces can also be purchased. Restaurants and snack food outlets are available in the shopping center.

Diamond City Mall, or more commonly known as DC Mall, is in Nagoya. It is a medium sized mall with quite a few shops. Clothes, fashion accessories, shoes and jewelry shops are available, as well as a shop selling traditional Indonesian clothing (Batik). There is a computer shop selling both new and second hand computers. A beauty shop and art shop (with resident artist) are also in the mall. The mall also has a supermarket.

Center Point Mall is in the middle of Nagoya, and is a 3 storey shopping mall. Boutique specialty shops are available, selling branded clothes for men & women. There are shops offering handbags and fashion accessories, and plenty of shoe shops, as well as jewelry stores, offering watches, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, etc.

Robinson Mall located in Jodoh, Nagoya, it has several boutique shops offering clothes for men & women, handbags and fashion accessories, shoe shops, as well as jewelry stores.

Top 100 has two shopping centers, one in Jodoh and the other in Penuin. Top 100 in Jodoh sells electronic goods as well as having clothing, shoes, fashion accessory and jewelry shops. Top 100 in Penuin has more boutique specialty shops, but does not sell electronics. They both have supermarkets.

Batam has a Polo shop, selling a large range of Polo clothing, such as shirts, shorts, sporting apparel. The shop is located in central Nagoya, just behind the Pizza Hut restaurant. To locate it just ask the taxi driver to go to Pizza Hut Nagoya and to the Polo shop next door. Polo clothing is also available at Batam Center Ferry Terminal, Mega Mall, Nagoya Hill shopping center, the lobby in the Harmoni Hotel and at Batam View Beach Resort, but the Polo Shop is the best location for genuine Polo clothing.

All Nagoya Shopping Centers are approximately the following distance from these locations:
30 mins from Hang Nadim Airport
10 mins from Harbor Bay Ferry Terminal, Batu Ampar
20 mins from Batam Center Ferry Terminal, Batam Center
30 mins from Sekupang Ferry Terminal, Sekupang
35 mins from Waterfront City Ferry Terminal, Waterfront City
40 mins from Nongsapura Ferry Terminal, Nongsa

Batam Center Area

Batam Center is on the north side of Batam, and is easily accessed from other parts of Batam or from Singapore, as ferries from the Harborfront Center Ferry Terminal travel direct to the Batam Center Ferry Terminal , so it’s a convenient place to do your Batam shopping Batam Center’s largest shopping mall is connected to the ferry terminal by a walk bridge that crosses the road, so it is ideal for “day trippers” that have come to Batam just for the day to do some shopping The other nearby shopping centers can be easily reached by Batam taxis, which are available at the ferry terminal and on the roads around Batam Center. There is also numerous “mini vans” or angkot as they are locally called, that offer a cheap alternative to taxis

All Batam Center Shopping Centers are approximately the following distance from these locations:
20 mins from Hang Nadim Airport
20 mins from Harbor Bay Ferry Terminal, Batu Ampar
5 mins from Batam Center Ferry Terminal, Batam Center
30 mins from Sekupang Ferry Terminal, Sekupang
35 mins from Waterfront City Ferry Terminal, Waterfront City
30 mins from Nongsapura Ferry Terminal, Nongsa

Mega Mall

Mega Mall is a large shopping mall opposite the Batam Center Ferry Terminal, so you can walk across the connecting foot bridge and start your shopping experience!

The mall covers 5 floors so it is packed with specialty shops, fashion and clothes shops, electronic goods and furniture stores. Branded names can be bought from most of the stores at good prices, and discounted sales are held regularly throughout the year, especially during the Ramadan month and Christmas & Chinese New Year periods.

The ground floor is home to Hypermart, which is a large supermarket and sells lots of items, and has a good bakery that makes fresh bread, pastry and cakes daily

Plenty of restaurants and snack food outlets are scattered throughout the mall, offering Indonesian, Asian and Western foods and are open whenever the mall is open

Located in the 2nd floor is XXI Cineplex Movie Theatre, which has 6 screening rooms and shows the latest movies

Next to the mall there is a multi-storey car park with elevator access to all the floors within the mall, as well as a large outdoor car park. There are security posts at each of the malls entrances and taxi stands are located near all the main doors. This is another good place to do your Batam shopping.

Panbil Mall is approx 15 mins from Batam Center, over near Muka Kuning Industrial Estate. The Mall has a department store and supermarket, clothing shops and electronic goods, as well as restaurants.The Panbil Food Court is on the second floor and serves local & Asian dishes. There is also a 24 hour medical center located within the Panbil commercial area, next to the Mall.

Nearby Island

Rempang Island - rural island dotted with coastal villages on stilts
Galang Island - location of former Vietnamese refugee camp

Map