Medan, capital of North Sumatra, is a city of well over two million people and the main gateway to Lake Toba. Nearly every international visitor and most domestic ones arrive at Kualanamu International Airport, east of the city, and then face a road journey of four to five hours to the lake.
Medan is hot, loud and traffic-choked, and many travellers leave within the hour. Those who stay a night discover a city built on tobacco and rubber fortunes, with a mixed Malay, Batak, Chinese and Indian population, some handsome colonial-era buildings and a reputation — fully deserved — as one of the best places to eat in Indonesia.
Top things to do at Medan
Visit Maimun Palace and the Great Mosque
The yellow palace of the Sultans of Deli, built in the late 1880s, mixes Malay, Mughal and European styles; the throne room is open to visitors. A few minutes’ walk away, the black-domed Great Mosque (Masjid Raya Al-Mashun) was finished in the first decade of the twentieth century.
Tour the Tjong A Fie Mansion
The home of a Hakka merchant who became Medan’s wealthiest citizen around 1900 is now a museum, still partly lived in by his descendants. It stands in Kesawan, the old commercial street, among shophouses and colonial offices.
Eat
Soto Medan (coconut-milk soup), noodles in a dozen styles, Indian martabak, bika ambon cake and, in season, durian at stalls that stay open late into the night. A guided city tour is an easy way to sample it.
Head for the jungle
North-west of the city, Bukit Lawang on the edge of Gunung Leuser National Park is the best-known place in Sumatra to see wild and semi-wild orangutans, and the trip most people combine with Lake Toba.
How to get to Medan
- By air: Kualanamu (KNO) has frequent flights from Jakarta and other Indonesian cities, and international services from Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Singapore.
- Airport to city: an airport train runs to Medan’s central station in around 30–45 minutes; taxis and ride-hailing cars take about an hour depending on traffic.
- On to Lake Toba: direct buses and shared cars run from the airport and the city to Parapat. Full details in our getting there guide.
Insider tips
- If you land after early afternoon, sleep in Medan or near the airport and travel to the lake next morning — you will not make the last boat to Tuk Tuk.
- Use ride-hailing apps rather than street taxis and becaks unless you enjoy negotiating.
- Medan is the place to withdraw cash and buy a local SIM card before heading inland.
- Allow generous time for the return to the airport; highway traffic is unpredictable.
Best tours & tickets for Medan
These experiences are the easiest way to see Medan:
Guided city tour from €51 Medan: Highlights City Sightseeing Guided Group Tour
A four-hour group tour of Medan, the capital of North Sumatra and the gateway most travellers pass through on the way to Lake Toba, with an introduction to the city’s culture and its food.
- The main sights of North Sumatra’s capital
- Local culture and food stops
- Group tour with a guide
Private driver from €81 per group Medan: Private Car & Driver for Excursions
A private car with driver for up to ten hours in Medan and its surroundings, priced per vehicle for up to five people. Check with the operator before booking whether a drop-off at Lake Toba is possible and what it costs.
- A car and driver for the day
- Go where you like in and around Medan
- Price is per group of up to five
Multi-day trek from €181 Sumatra: 3-Day Jungle Experience & Wildlife Exploration
Not Lake Toba, but the trip most travellers pair it with: three days of jungle trekking from Bukit Lawang in search of wild orangutans, with river swimming, local food and nights under the stars. Rated 4.8 from 140 reviews.
- Trek in search of wild orangutans
- Swim in jungle rivers and sleep in a camp
- By far the most-reviewed tour in the region
