Pekanbaru is the capital city of the Indonesian province of Riau, and a major economic centre on the eastern side of Sumatra Island with its name derived from the Malay words for 'new market' ('pekan' is market and 'baru' is new).
It has an area of 632.26 km2 (244.12 sq mi), with a population of 897,767 at the 2010 Census, and 983,356 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as at mid 2022 was 1,007,540 (comprising 506,231 males and 501,309 females). It is located on the banks of the Siak River, which flows into the Strait of Malacca, Pekanbaru has direct access to the busy strait and has long been known as a trading port.
A settlement has existed on the site since the 17th century. In the late 19th century, the city was developed to serve the coffee and coal industries, and the Dutch built roads to help ship goods to Singapore and Malacca. This city has an airport called Sultan Syarif Kasim II International Airport, and a port called Sungai Duku that is located by the Siak River.
Pekanbaru is not a tourist destination for either Indonesians or foreigners, but does have some interesting buildings and places to visit, including some distinctive buildings constructed by local government:
Aside from eating durian at durian stalls along Jl. Jend. Sudirman, here are some recommended restaurant in Pekanbaru:
There are three major malls in Pekanbaru. The two best are Mall SKA and Mall Ciputra Seraya. The older Mall Pekanbaru is not as well appointed as the other two but is still a good mall and offer a decent selection of restaurants. The location of the three malls are locally well known so getting there shouldn't be a problem. There are several other less interesting malls in Pekanbaru, some are closer to an indoor market then a mall and are great places for bargains.
Online booking for hotels in Pekanbaru is not available, except for high end hotels as listed below.
| address= | lat=0.460833 | l101.444444 | directi | ph | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Sultan Syarif Kasim II International Airport | image=Departure hall of SSQ II.JPG | wikidata=Q938233 | cServes frequent domestic flights by all major Indonesian airlines from Jakarta (both Soekarno-Hatta and Halim airports), Medan, and Batam, and to a lesser extent from Bandung, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Palembang, and Tanjung Pinang. In addition, the airport receives flights from other cities in the province and surrounding areas, such as Dumai and Jambi. There are also direct international flights from Kuala Lumpur (operated by AirAsia), Malacca (Batik air) and Singapore (Scoot). }}
There are mikrolets (minivan share taxi), buses, ojek (motorcycle taxi), and taxis.
A new mode of transport is the Trans Metro Pekanbaru, a bus rapid transit system like the Transjakarta in Jakarta. Tickets must be bought at the bus stop before riding, and the one-way fare is Rp 4,000. Only part of the system is operational, and other lines are still under construction
The intercity/interprovincial (AKAP) bus terminal is 5km from downtown. From the bus station to town there are many public buses that stop at pre-determined stops. Tickets cost Rp 4,000 and can be purchased inside the bus stop from a ticket agent.
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