How to get to Bandung from Jakarta

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Bandung is a nice city, located about 180 km South of Jakarta. There is no international airport in Bandung. You have to go to Jakarta, then travel to Bandung. Now, the question is how to get to Bandung from Jakarta? There are many ways. Taxi from the airport. You can ride taxi from the airport to Bandung. Current estimate of the cost is around Rp 250.000,- (with US$1 = Rp 10.000,- so that's around US$25). Be sure to get a good taxi. Blue Bird is a reliable name in taxi. Don't use other taxi name if you can. Trains. (This is the means that I usually take.) Trains run frequently from Jakarta to Bandung and vice versa. Have a look at its schedule. Jakarta-Bandung route is very popular. If you don't get ticket, you'll going to wait a long time in a line. (More than 1 hours!) Fridays and Weekends it's almost impossible to get a ticket if you don't book ahead of time. The cost of the ticket is Rp 20.000,- to Rp 40.000,- (depending on the class). To get to the train station from the airport, you have two options: Taxi. It's around Rp 50.000,- (or Rp 80.000,- if you get a private taxi from inside the airport. It's safe.). Outside the airport you have to haggle. Again, look for Blue Bird taxi. (This is what I take.) Bus. There is a shuttle bus from the airport to train station. Look for "Gambir". It costs Rp 5.000,-/person. The bus is relatively safe and ok. You'll just have to wait a little longer (since it has a schedule). If you have plenty of time to catch the train, then bus is an ok choice. Watch your bellongings while you're on the bus. There has not been any problem with this bus. But, it's better to be concious. Shuttle. There are informal shuttles (they call it "travel") at the Gambir train station. They usually wait outside the train station and wait for people who could not get tickets. The cost is around Rp 20.000,- to Rp 30.000,-/person. This is also ok, if you can stand the way they drive. Even I fell scared with the way they drive. I don't recommend this for the faint of heart. Now ... there is an airline ("Deraya") that provides services from Jakarta to Bandung (and back to Jakarta) daily. It's Rp. 285,000 for one way trip. It takes 30 minutes from Jakarta to Bandung.

Train Schedule Bandung VV

By train

State operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia [6] offers frequent services between Jakarta and Bandung, as well as connections onward to Surabaya. Evem the fastest services take almost three hours, making this a slower option than the shuttle buses, but the scenery between Jakarta and Bandung is beautiful. The railroad passes mountains and padi terraces. Don't miss this view when traveling by train. Use the AC (air-conditioned) coach if you cannot cope with the tropical heat. Most hotels in Bandung provide free transportation from train station to the hotel.

Train services

Train names	Routes	Coaches	Duration	Price	Frequency
Argo Gede	Gambir (Jakarta) - Bandung	EKS	2h45m	Rp. 50,000	7 (M-F), 9 (Su/Sa)
Parahyangan	Gambir (Jakarta) - Bandung	EKS & BIS	3h10m	Rp. 35,000 & Rp 20,000	9 (M-F), 11 (Su/Sa)
Argo Wilis	SurabayaGubeng - Bandung	EKS	13h	Rp. 200,000	1
Turangga	SurabayaGubeng - Bandung	EKS	12h30m	Rp. 180,000	1
Mutiara Selatan	SurabayaGubeng - Bandung	BIS	12h40m	Rp. 120,000	1
Harina	Semarang - Bandung	EKS	7h10m	Rp. 120,000	1
Lodaya Malam	SoloBalapan - Bandung	EKS & BIS	16h	Rp. 130,000 & Rp. 80,000	1 (night)
Lodaya Pagi	SoloBalapan - Bandung	EKS & BIS	15h	Rp. 150,000 & Rp. 90,000	1 (daytime)
Parahyangan Cirebon	Cirebon - Bandung	EKS & BIS	4h 6m	Rp. 40,000	Mon to Fri (Start March 3)
Pasundan	SurabayaGubeng - Bandung	EKO			1
Kahuripan	Kediri - Bandung	EKO			1
Sawunggalih Selatan	Kutuarjo - Bandung	EKO			1
Serayu	Kroya - Bandung	EKO	6h 20m		2x daily
Serayu	JakartaKota - Bandung	EKO	3h 15m		2x daily
Baraya Geulis	Padalarang - Bandung -Cicalengka	BIS	1h 22m	Rp. 8,000	Daily 10x to PDL; 2x to CLK
KA Cibatu	Purwakarta - Bandung	EKO			1
KA Cibatu	Cibatu - Bandung	EKO			1
KA Cianjur	Cianjur - Bandung	EKO			2
KRD Patas	Cicalengka - Bandung	EKO	36m		9x daily
KRD Bandung Raya	Padalarang - Bandung -Cicalengka	EKO	1h 19m		9x daily

1. EKS = eksekutif (AC), BIS = bisnis (non-AC), EKO = ekonomi
2. Duration is total duration from end to end station.