2012-06-11

Things to Do in Surabaya

Recommended things to do in Surabaya:
1. Eat
Local people like to eat. You can find from food stalls on the streets to high-end restaurants in hotels. In every shopping malls you can find food courts where you can choose from multi stalls.
2. Shop
As a commercial and trading city, the second in Indonesia after Jakarta, Surabaya is a good place to shop. There are a lot of shopping malls scattered around the city:
- Pasar Atum: Probably the most important shopping mall for Chinese local. It is not like a modern shopping mall, but it is rather like a market where you have to bargain for the price.
- Plasa Tunjungan: It is the most visited modern shopping mall in Surabaya. The success of the mall made the developer built the second, the third, the fourth, and the incoming fifth of Tunjungan Plaza in the same complex. You can find hundreds of shops, food stalls, cinema, fitness center, even massage parlours.
- Plasa Surabaya: It is used to the largest shopping mall in South East Asia. Located not far from Gubeng Station and Museum Kapal Selam.
- Grand Plaza: New luxurious mall located near from Plasa Surabaya and Gubeng Station.
- Ciputra World: Mega mall located in western Surabaya residency area.
3. Massage
Massage is cheap here. You can get body massage, or head massage (called "Cream Bath"), or food massage (reflexiology). You can get the massage at shopping malls too.
4. Sightseeing in Surabaya
Frankly speaking, Surabaya is not a touristic place. Tourists visit below places in Surabaya:
- House of Sampoerna: It is a museum about one of the biggest tobacco company "Sampoerna". It is one of the most recommended place to visit in Surabaya. There is free city tour of Surabaya (required prior reservation).
- Museum Kapal Selam: A museum about submarine in the city center.
- Surabaya Zoo: It is used to be the largest zoo in South East Asia.
- Masjid Al Akbar: The biggest mosque in Surabaya. Located near the bus terminal.
5. Day Trips
From Surabaya, you can take day trips to following places outside Surabaya:
- Mount Bromo: This beautiful volcano is the most famous place to be visited from Surabaya.
- Pulau Madura: It is a big island nearby Surabaya, famous for its bull race.