Bandung, Indonesia: Shop till you drop!

Bandung is the third-largest city in Indonesia. It is the capital city of West Java province in Indonesia. Bandung has a cooler temperature compared to other Indonesian cities since it is located 768 meters above sea level.  

Bandung receives a lot of visits from locals and tourists who came here with an intention to shop until they drop. There is a swarm of markets where you can do good shopping, thriving cafes in Dutch relics and tons of restaurants, luxury hotels and traffic everywhere you look.  

With its popularity gaining each year, we visit Bandung to give it a try to taste its flavor. This is our story to Bandung.  

i) Top locations to visit  

White Crater (Kawah Putih)  

Situated 50km away from Bandung city center, this crater lake has become a major attraction when visiting Bandung. Driving to Kawah Putih will take around 1 ½ hour but sometimes it will take more due to the infamous traffic in Bandung.   

Kawah Putih is a stunning lake of turquoise water and the view will take your breath away. Although it is beautiful, the water is actually highly acidic (pH 0.5). Do not even think about dipping your toes in it!   

Tangkuban Perahu  

Mount Tangkuban Perahu is another famous spot to visit while in Bandung. This spot is actually an active volcano that is reportedly last erupted in 1983. Tangkuban Perahu which means upside-down boat gets its name due to the fact that this mountain has a distinctive shape like it.  

Located 30km from Bandung, Tangkuban Perahu offers a lot of places and things to see and explore. There are three craters which we can walk through; Kawah Ratu, Kawah Domas and also Kawah Upas. Apart from seeing its huge craters, just enjoying the splendid panoramic scenery is enough to make Tangkuban Perahu an interesting destination for everyone.  

ii) Famous spot to shop  

Rumah Mode (Mode House)  

Pronounced as Moh-day House, this factory outlet is definitely a must-visit. This place holds a lot of international brands such as Zara, Mango, Billabong, H&M and many more.   

The concept of this place differs from any other shopping malls as this place is designed like a park. There is a spacious interior inside; a courtyard with a water feature, statues and have a lovely exterior for taking pictures too.  

Opening hours: 9.30am—9 pm daily  

Pasar Baru Trade Center  

This market has been around in Bandung since 1906 and already have countless shops to quench your thirst for shopping. This store will have everything that you looking for to shop; textiles, fabrics, clothing, batik, souvenirs, snacks and a lot of others.  

This place is packed with people and it is highly advisable to come early. Since haggling is allowed, you could put your bargaining skills to test to get the best price. Based on our shopping experience in Pasar Baru Trade Center;  

• At the entrance of the Pasar Baru Trade Center, you will see a few locals asking for a small donation. When I give a small donation to one of them, in an instance, I was swarmed by others asking for a donation too. My advice is, yes, you can certainly donate to them if you feel generous but please do it very discreetly to avoid others swarming and blocking your way.  

• Inside the mall, there will be local peoples asking if you need their help to guide you around the mall (with a price of course!). Avoid their help as much as you can as the mall is easy to be explored. Hence, having people follow you around in the mall is not too comfortable, isn’t it?  

• Asking for tips is common in this place. We met with a very nice seller in this mall. He explained a lot of things to us about his items in store and we made a few purchases. Since we didn’t aware of the tipping culture in Bandung, we left the store. A few moments later, he chases us to ask for a tip. As he did a fine job, we generously give him tips.  

Opening hours: 8 am—5 pm  

Jalan Cihampelas (Cihampelas Road)  

Known as a ‘Jeans Street’ and a haven for denim lovers, Jalan Cihampelas is indeed the busiest shopping area in Bandung especially during the weekend.   

All prices are affordable and there is a wide variety of options to choose from. Among the things you could find here is; t-shirts, jerseys, jeans, jackets, and accessories. All prices are affordable and there is a wide variety of options to choose from.  

Opening hours: most stores open at 9 am—night  
   

In Parfum Fragrance Bandung  

 Another thing that makes Bandung famous is its “inspired perfume”. This ‘inspired’ perfume is a fragrance that comes from the generics of the original designer perfume and sold in a frosted glass bottle.   

There is almost everywhere you will find this glass bottle of perfume selling in the streets of Bandung. The standard price for this 35ml of inspired perfume will cost around $USD3.   

I try a lot of this perfume around Bandung but one shop that strikes the most and getting a lot of attention is ‘In Parfum Fragrance’. To get to this shop is easy. Just type the name in google maps and it will show you the exact direction. And if you are taking a taxi, just mention the name of the shop and they will most likely know the place and bring you here.  

And since this place has gotten a lot of attention, buying perfume will take your times too.  As this shop is quite small to cater to all the demand, we spend almost two hours to queue, select our perfume and waiting for it to be ready.  

Opening hours: 8.15am—8.30pm daily