Riau Islands · Indonesia
Where to stay in Batam
Batam is a city in Riau Islands, Indonesia, home to about 1,196,000 people.
- Nearest airport
- BTH7 km · Hang Nadim International Airport
- Currency
- IDRrupiah
- Time zone
- Asia/Jakarta
- Language
- Indonesian
About
About Batam
Batam, officially the City of Batam or Batam City (Indonesian: Kota Batam, not to be confused with Batam Kota, a district within this city), is the largest city in the Indonesian province of the Riau Islands.
Located only 20 km from Singapore and 25 km from Johor in Malaysia, Batam is Indonesia's equivalent to China's SEZs (Special Economic Zones) - a place where the nation's economic planners test new economic policies and ideas. The island is an industrial hub with electronics factories, a large and growing ship repair industry and an even larger oil service sector. Quite a few expats head there for work, and pubs and golf courses have sprung up to serve them. Most tourists, on the other hand, come from nearby Singapore.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Which part of Batam to stay in
Much of Batam's accommodation is in Nagoya. There are several resorts in Nongsa. Upon arrival in the ferry terminal (Harbour Bay or Batam Centre) you can go to the Hotel Reservation Counter, they will have numerous options for the 3+ star hotels in on the island. These may give you a slightly better value than booking directly with the hotel, so it is not a scam. In addition, however, there are budget options available such as family apartments.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Hotels in Batam
139 hotels within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata; the 40 best known are shown, by the number of Wikipedia editions that cover them. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| Nongsa Point Marina | 8.9 km | |
| Turi Beach Resort | 1989 | 9.1 km |
| 89 Hotel | 5.1 km | |
| Allium Batam Hotel | 1993 | 5.6 km |
| Amaris Hotel Nagoya Hill, Batam | 4.8 km | |
| ASTON Batam Hotel & Residence | 3.9 km | |
| ASTON Inn Gideon - Batam | 4.8 km | |
| Barelang Hotel Nagoya Batam | 5.4 km | |
| BATAM 1 HOTEL | 5.2 km | |
| Batam City Hotel | 4.7 km | |
| Batam Marriott Hotel Harbour Bay | 2019 | 6.6 km |
| Batam View Beach Resort | 1986 | 6.6 km |
| Best Western Premier Panbil | 2016 | 5.9 km |
| Beverly Hotel Batam | 4.2 km | |
| Biz Hotel Batam | 5.4 km | |
| Botania Guest House Batam RedPartner RedDoorz | 5.1 km | |
| Crown Vista Hotel | 4.6 km | |
| D'Merlion Hotel | 1.1 km | |
| Da Vienna Boutique Hotel | 4.8 km | |
| ESKA HOTEL | 3.7 km | |
| Formosa Hotel | 1999 | 4.6 km |
| Four Points by Sheraton Batam | 5.6 km | |
| Ggi Hotel | 6.2 km | |
| Golden View Hotel Batam | 4.0 km | |
| Goodway Hotel | 5.3 km | |
| Graceland Inn Batam RedPartner RedDoorz | 2.3 km | |
| Grands I Hotel | 4.7 km | |
| Harmoni Hotel | 5.5 km | |
| Harmoni One Convention Hotel & Service Apartments | 0.7 km | |
| Harmoni Suites Hotel | 4.7 km | |
| Harris Hotel Batam Center | 0.1 km | |
| HARRIS Resort Barelang Batam | 16.5 km | |
| Harris Resort Batam Waterfront | 1997 | 14.0 km |
| Holiday Inn Resort Batam | 1999 | 14.7 km |
| Hotel Golden Gate | 1.1 km | |
| I Hotel Baloi Batam | 5.0 km | |
| Ibis Styles Batam Nagoya | 2016 | 4.4 km |
| King's Hotel Nagoya Batam | 3.7 km | |
| KTM Resort | 14.8 km | |
| Lovina Inn Batam Center | 1.2 km |
When to go
The best time to visit Batam
Batam has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. May is the warmest month, with average highs of 32 °C; December is the wettest, with about 381 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Batam: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Hang Nadim International Airport (BTH), about 7.4 km from the city centre in a straight line; Singapore Changi Airport (SIN, 25 km) and Seletar Airport (XSP, 38 km) are also within reach.
Getting in
All Batam ports, namely Harbour Bay (Jodoh), Batam Centre, Nongsapura, Sekupang and Waterfront City (Teluk Senimba) are visa-free and visa-on-arrival ports of entry. In addition to the usual rules, Singapore permanent residents can visit Batam for up for four days without a visa. For detailed information on visas, please refer to the Indonesia page.
Getting around
There are plenty of taxis in Batam, but there are no standard color schemes: however, licensed taxis have yellow license plates, while unlicensed ones do not (and are best avoided). As there are no meters, you will need to bargain with the drivers; the first price quoted is often silly, but if there are other taxis around, you can easily bargain them down.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
BTH · Hang Nadim International Airport
SIN · Singapore Changi Airport
XSP · Seletar Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Batam
Eat
Batam has plenty of eating out choices, including great Chinese seafood in the outdoor food courts, such as the Windsor and Nagoya Food Courts and A1 Pujasera. Local best valued Indonesian food are Daun Pisang Resto, where travellers can taste mixed of archipelagos food. Another option is Nasi Padang Sederhana; both are widely loved by local and international travellers.
Drink
City authorities claim that Batam's tap water is drinkable, but the rusty color puts some people off. It is wise to stick with bottled water anyway, about Rp10,000 for a 5-gallon jug. Carlsberg and Guinness are produced locally, as well as Bintang and Tiger beer. Most places have Heineken on tap. Imported beers, such as Corona are available, but prices are high. A normal draft beer should be no more than Rp25,000. Wine and liquor is available from the duty-free stores in nearly all of the larger malls, most bars and hotels. Batam Fresh Beer is the only microbrewery on the island, headquartered in Batam Center near the large mosque (behind Pondok Gurih restaurant).
Stay safe
Batam is generally safe during the daytime hours, but at night if you are in the entertainment areas of Nagoya you should exercise caution. Do not walk alone at night, if you want to leave somewhere and it is late, find someone else who is leaving or about to leave, or stay until it closes and then all go together. If you really have to get back to your hotel call the hotel and have them send a car to pick you up. As the taxis are not regulated or owned by a central group (like Bluebird in Jakarta) you may not be safe hiring a taxi off the street either.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Batam: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Batam?
Batam has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. May is the warmest month, with average highs of 32 °C; December is the wettest, with about 381 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Batam?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Hang Nadim International Airport (BTH), about 7.4 km from the city centre in a straight line; Singapore Changi Airport (SIN, 25 km) and Seletar Airport (XSP, 38 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Batam?
rupiah (IDR).
Nearby
Destinations near Batam
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.