All sports (especially soccer) lovers would be familiar with a stadium called GBK or Gelora Bung Karno. It even becomes one of the best landmarks in Jakarta City! Not to mention it functions as one of the tourist allures there. The location of this majestic stadium is at Tanah Abang Sub-District. Here is another fact. The stadium is able to accommodate various types of sports either! Plus, it has a great design and interesting history to learn from. With all these allures, tourists won’t miss the chance to drop by to the site, for sure!
The Nuance
As for the name, it derives from the name of the first president of Indonesia. In terms of function, as people have already recognized, the stadium facilities soccer matches in common. It was inaugurated in 1962 and was able to accommodate up to 110K people! As time went by, due to renovations, the capacity reduced but the facilities and quality improved. No wonder, these days, it has become one of the biggest stadiums in the world! Not to mention both the environment and management are superb! Also, the stadium indeed becomes more crowded during special events like Asian Games and other similar sports events.
Exploring Gelora Bung Karno Stadium
As mentioned before, the popularity of Gelora Bung Karno Stadium is quite excellent. Even FIFA has given 5-stars to it! For tourists, in this case, they can choose to visit the stadium either during regular days or big soccer events. Each of the preferences offers distinct benefits, though. For instance, tourists can explore the stadium thoroughly and more comfortably during regular days. On the other hand, they can enjoy a merry and crowded nuance during soccer matches, especially Asian Games.
Well, for those who want to explore the stadium, it is recommended to come aside from during soccer matches. The question is what they can do during exploration! Well, it can be as simple as exploring the audience seats. The fact is that the stadium features high-quality seats (which are similar to that of theaters). Each seat even comes with a number. Next, tourists must find out information about the security system of the stadium. It is said the building applies a face detection system and lots of sophisticated CCTV!
What is more? The next thing that tourists can appreciate is related to the field. The grass is indeed well-maintained. It looks both beautiful and soothing, in fact. According to the management, that grass is called Manila (which is the number one grass standard of FIFA). Here is the consideration. Sometimes, tourists need to get special permission from the keepers in order to explore the stadium freely. Thus, it is better to talk to them first before entering!
Nearby Attractions
- Krida Loka
- Youth Advancement Monument
- Kampoeng Gallery
- Langsat Park
How to Get There
The first main destination is indeed Jakarta City and tourists can get there by numerous methods, actually. The fastest one is by airplane and the destination is Soekarno – Hatta International Airport. Next, tourists should take Jakarta Inner Ring Road and visit GBK directly. The distance is 29.8 km, so the trip would take about 44 minutes.
For those coming by train, in this case, their destination would be Jakarta Kota Train Station. Later, after arriving at the station, they can use Jakarta Inner Ring Road and head to the stadium directly. This trip may take around 39 minutes, as the distance is 17.8 km.
Another common method to reach Jakarta City is indeed by bus. In this case, the destination is Grogol Bus Station. Later, from the stadium, they should take Jakarta Inner Ring Road Street and reach GBK immediately. For the information, the distance is 12.1 km, so the trip may take around 30 minutes or less.
