After years of anticipation, the 2018 Asian Games 2018 will finally start this week with the opening ceremony on August 18. This year, the enormous multi-sport competition (second only in size to the Olympic Games) is being hosted by Indonesia and events will primarily be taking place in host cities Jakarta and Palembang. This guide is aimed at helping those of you who want to catch some of the action in Jakarta — whether you be visitors to the city or residents — with practical information on surviving the capital, buying tickets to the games and getting around the capital’s infamous traffic during the massive regional sporting event.
For visitors coming to Jakarta for the games
Jakarta is not known for being the most tourist friendly, but lucky for you we’ve got some resources to help first-timers visiting the chaotic capital that you should find handy. First check out our “Jakarta Survival Guide” series:
- For First Time Visitors: Covering basics like arriving at the airport, taxis, money changing etc
- Talking to your ojek app driver and other essential Indonesian language for getting around: Covering a few key Bahasa Indonesia basics that’ll making getting around the capital a lot easier (especially if you want to try using local app based ride-hailing services like Go-Jek and Grab)
- Essential Apps for Getting Around, Eating Out and Having Fun: These are the apps that can help make your time in Jakarta a lot easier
If you’re looking for fun in between the competitions, watch our video on “20 Things To Do in Jakarta”
Looking for the best places to eat while you’re here?
First, check out our list of The Most Essential Jakarta Restaurants: The Best Places for Visitors to Find the True Flavors of the Indonesian Capital.
You can also check out our food and drink section for lots of other guides to the capital’s best including the Best Burgers, the Best Sweet Martabak, the Best Dim Sum, the Best Bars and much more.
Buying tickets to the Asian Games
You can purchase tickets to all 40 Asian Games sporting events online through Kiostix, the official ticketing partner of the Indonesian Asian Games Organizing Committee (INASGOC). The vast majority of tickets are priced between IDR100,000 (US$6.80) and IDR200,000 with a few outliers for more popular sports and event finals ranging up to IDR500,000.
There are still tickets available for the opening ceremony on August 18 ranging in price from IDR750,000 to IDR5 million as well as the closing ceremony on September 2 ranging in price from IDR450,000 to IDR2 million.
If you’re a total sports fanatic who wants to see every single competition you possibly can, there’s also an all-sports pass for IDR10 million that will get you access to every event.
Tickets can be purchased through Kiostix with credit card or bank transfer. They will send you an e-voucher that you will then need to exchange for a physical ticket at the site. Student discounts are also available.
We should note that there have been some reports about people complaining about Kiostix’s system, including some who said that they have not received their e-vouchers after paying for tickets online.
If you’re more comfortable purchasing tickets in person, you can also go to one of the Asian Games Pop-Up stores at many of the capital’s malls, including: Pondok Indah Mal 2, Gandaria City, Senayan City, Kota Kasablanka, Pacific Place, Grand Indonesia, Bintaro Xchange, Lippo Mal Puri, Central Park, FX Sudirman, Lippo Mall Kemang, Plaza Semanggi, Summarecon Mal Bekasi, Summarecon Mal Serpong, Mal Kelapa Gading, Plaza Indonesia, Stasiun Gambir, Lotte Shopping Avenue, Terminal 2 & 3 Soekarno Hatta.
Getting Around During the Games
The Jakarta Government has enacted numerous policies to keep the capital’s notorious traffic at a manageable level during the games, including closing several toll gates along routes to the competition sites, closing numerous schools to decrease the number of vehicles shuttling students too and from school and greatly expanding the odd-even traffic zones and hours (including on weekends).
You should be aware of that last one in particular if you are using a ride-hailing service such as Go-Car or GrabCar to get a ride to the games. Unlike taxis, they are not exempt from the odd-even traffic rule so, if for example you get picked up by a car with a license plate ending in an odd number on an even-numbered calendar date, the driver will not be able to use the roads covered by the odd-even zones to get to your destination (which could mean a long detour).
As for public transportation, we’d recommend that non-Indonesians stick to the Transjakarta busway system for getting around. Unlike the city’s smaller buses that can be a headache even for locals to use, the TransJakarta is fairly easy to understand and will get you within walking distance to most of the Asian Games venues. It will also be totally free on the weekends for the duration of the Asian Games.
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