Surabaya is Indonesia's second-largest city, and the capital of the province of East Java. It is located on the northern shore of eastern Java at the mouth of the Mas River and at the side of the Madura Strait. It is known as the city of heroes, because of its role in the Indonesian War of Independence. In 2007, the population of the city was approximately 3 million.
As the main seaport and commercial center in the eastern region of Indonesia, Surabaya has become one of the largest cities in Southeast Asia. Today, Surabaya's population is around five million, and the surrounding metropolitan area houses at least 7 million. The areas surrounding Surabaya include Lamongan to the northwest, Gresik to the west, Bangkalan to the northeast, Sidoarjo to the south, and Mojokerto and Jombang to the southwest.
Currently, the Indonesian government is building the Suramadu Bridge between Surabaya and the island of Madura; when completed, it will be the longest bridge in the country. Madura is currently accessible by a ferry service that operates regularly from Surabaya's port, Tanjung Perak (which literally means: "Silver Cape" in Indonesian).
BRI Tower, BII Tower, and Graha Pena are three of the highest towers in Surabaya.
Plaza Tunjungan, Galaxy Mall, Surabaya Plaza, Supermal Pakuwon Indah, and Royal Plaza Surabaya are the famous shopping centres in Surabaya.
Surabaya is home to the Eastern Armada, one of two in the Indonesian Navy. Its strong maritime heritage is also reflected with the Submarine Monument, a real retired Russian submarine, called Pasopati, that was converted into a museum ship in the city centre.
Flooding is common in many areas of the city during the rainy season, mostly caused by clogged sewers and inept bureaucracy. The fact that Surabaya is located in a river delta and has a flat and relatively low elevation doesn't help the matter either.
PLACE TO VISIT
Grahadi. The colonial-era residence of the Governor of East Java. You can watch Reog dance, a vigorous traditional dance at the nearby 'Balai Pemuda' (Youth Hall- one historical building in Surabaya) every Sunday at 11 am.
G-Walk located in west Surabaya (Citra-raya). There are many food stalls and bazaars at night where you can find a lot of good food. It gets very crowded at night and it's a place for a lot of young people to hang out.
House of Sampoerna . Situated in "old Surabaya"‚ this stately Dutch colonial-style compound was built in 1862 and is now a preserved historical site. Cited as the top tourist destination in Surabaya, the complex offers a museum, an art gallery, a cafe as well as souvenir shops. Check out the timing for the museum's main attraction: hundreds of girls hand-rolling Indonesia's most prestigious cigarette, Dji Sam Soe, using traditional equipment. They do it at an unbelievable speed. A must see!
Kya-Kya Kembang Jepun is now defunct. At night the Kembang Jepun area in Chinatown is transformed into a street bazaar of food stalls. An interesting show of Indo-Chinese culture and atmosphere.
Masjid Al Akbar Surabaya A huge mosque (some say it's the biggest mosque in SE Asia). The mosque has a tower which is equipped with an elevator, so that visitors can see Surabaya from top of the tower, 65 metres (195 ft) above ground level.
Masjid Cheng Ho, a mosque with beautiful Chinese architecture.
Monumen Jalasveva Jayamahe A monument on Surabaya's seafront dedicated to the service of The Indonesian Navy.
Monumen Kapal Selam An old Soviet-built submarine called Pasopati, now preserved as a monument beside the river next to Delta Plaza.
Pasar Ampel A large Arab market selling carpets and all sorts of other goodies. At the end of the main narrow lane is the mosque and grave of one of the nine Muslim saints of Java, Sunan Ampel.
Surabaya Zoo (Kebun Binatang/Bonbin), 3 km south of the city centre (near Joyoboyo bus terminal). One of the largest and best in South-East Asia. You also can see the Suroboyo monument near the zoo entrance.
Tugu Pahlawan A monument dedicated to the fallen heroes of Surabaya during the Independence war of 1945-49.
WHAT TO DO
Swim and have fun with water in Ciputra Waterpark [4], a great place for swimming, it has a wave pool, slides, and more. This waterpark is located in the CitraRaya complex. It is usually crowded on Saturdays, Sundays and other holidays. The waterpark is open until 8 pm.
Enjoy the local arts at Balai Pemuda, an art center in the heart of Surabaya, near the City Hall. You can watch the Reog Dance and other art performance. The big event is Festival Seni Surabaya (FSS), held every year on June. At Dutch Colonial era, this building was a club called Simpangsche Societeit.
Get around the Old Town area (Around Kembang Jepun to the port) and enjoy the view of nice colonial buildings.
Surabaya has several golf courses. Try to golf in Bukit Darmo Golf [5]. This golf course is located in the elite housing area in West Surabaya. This course has 18 holes, designed by Jack Nicklaus II. Another alternative is Yani Golf. This course is built in hilly terrain. Otherwise, you can try Graha Famili golf course (18 holes), inside Graha Famili real estate site, near the Bukit Darmo Golf. Also Ciputra Golf found within Citraland Estate and Pakuwon Golf within Pakuwon Estate. There's also excellent Taman Dayu golf located about an hour drive south, towards Malang.
Watch movie in 21 Group cinemas, a nice cinema. 21 Cinemas have air-conditioners, and nice seat (But check your seat condition, sometimes the seat isn't clean.)You can know a cinema is a group of 21 from the last name, like Empire 21 or Tunjungan 21. Beware of other cinemas , which usually dirty, unsafe, and without air-conditioner. Vida is also available as a supermarket/cinema. It is located across from the Shangri-La Hotel.
HOW TO REACH
By plane - Surabaya's Juanda Airport (SUB) is one of the busiest in the country, with very frequent flights to Jakarta and other major Indonesian destinations, as well as some direct international flights to destinations including Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Taipei, and Bandar Seri Begawan. A new, fairly spiffy terminal opened in 2006, with all the facilities you'd expect (ATMs, car rental, etc), and international and domestic flights now depart from the same building.
By train - Surabaya has two main stations, Surabaya Pasar Turi and Surabaya Gubeng. Seats in eksekutif (first class) and bisnis (second class) for any intercity journey can be reserved up to 30 days in advance at any major railway station in Java.
Trains using the northern main line from Gambir Station in Jakarta take at least nine hours to arrive at Pasar Turi, while trains using the southern main line take no less than 15. Air-conditioned trains are available on both routes, though. The Argo Bromo Anggrek, Sembrani and Gumarang trains use the northern line, while the Bima uses the south line. All these trains have air-conditioned eksekutif accommodations.
By road - Surabaya has frequent bus connections to all parts of East Java, and to major cities in other parts of Java and beyond. The main bus terminal is at Bungurasih, about 10 km south of the city. There are frequent departures to Malang and to Probolinggo (for Mount Bromo), so just turn up. Long-haul bus journeys are best booked in advance.
Another option is to go by minibus (known in Indonesia as travel). A number of companies run door-to-door minibus services to major destinations in Java, including Malang and Yogyakarta. These services are both more convenient and more expensive than public buses. Seats can be booked in advance through company offices, and also through many hotels and travel agents.
