Guide to Tips for Going on Vacation to Banda Aceh

Banda Aceh is a city in Aceh which was made the capital of Aceh Province, Indonesia and is the oldest Islamic city in Southeast Asia. In 2004 Banda Aceh was one of the locations most severely damaged by the tsunami, and destroyed 60% of infrastructure in Banda Aceh and killed around 120,000 people.

And the long conflict between the Free Aceh Community Movement and the Indonesian National Armed Forces has been temporarily resolved by the Peace Agreement on August 15, 2005. On December 11, 2006 the province of Banda Aceh held its first direct and democratic election, and on February 8, 2007 was elected democratically, Irwandi Yusuf.

Main Region of Banda Aceh

Initially the city of Banda Aceh only had 4 districts, and was developed into 9 districts:

Meuraksa
Banda Raya
Jaya Baru
Kuta Alam
Kuta Raja
Lueng Bata
Meuraksa
Shia Kuala
Ulee Kareng

History of Banda Aceh

Banda Aceh is the capital of the Aceh Darussalam Sultanate which was founded in the 14th century which was built on the ruins of Hindu and Buddhist kingdoms, such as the Indra Purba Kingdom, Indra Purwa Kingdom, Indra Patra Kingdom, and Indra Pura Kingdom.

Banda Aceh is the capital of the Kingdom of Aceh Darussalam which was built on Friday, the 1st of Ramadan 601 H (22 April 1205 AD) which was built by Sultan Johan Syah after successfully conquering the Hindu/Buddhist Kingdom of Indra Purba with the capital city of Bandar Lamuri.

The name Banda Aceh Darussalam has been buried after 89 years and Kutaraja has been revived. In 1963 Banda Aceh was revived, based on the Decree of the Minister of General Affairs and Regional Autonomy dated 9 May 1963 No. Dec 52/1/43-43. And since that date, Banda Aceh has officially become the name of the capital of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam Province, not Kutaraja.

How to Go to Banda Aceh
1. Airplanes
All flights bound for Banda Aceh will land at Sultan Iskandar Muda International Airport (BTJ). Passenger Service Charge ( PSC ) or airport tax :

Domestic flights : Rp. 25,000
International flights : Rp. 100,000
Banda Aceh City to Sultan Iskandar Muda International Airport is about 16km away. And there are several choices of types of transportation that you can choose from:

Taxi, airport taxis do not use a meter meter, because the fare is predetermined. And the rate is charged around Rp. 80,000
Damri Bus, from the airport you can use the DAMRI bus to downtown Banda Aceh with a fare of around Rp. 20,000.

2. Buses
To go to the city of Banda Aceh by bus, it can not only be reached from the city of Sumatra, but also from the Ramawangun terminal. But if you want to depart from Medan, there are non-stop buses to go to Banda Aceh with a travel time of 9-13 hours from Medan to Banda Aceh, including: PMTOH, Kurnia, and Pusaka which are located on Jalan Gajah Mada, Medan. The price for a bus ticket from Jakarta is around IDR 500,000

3. Ships
Travel by sea to Banda Aceh from Jakarta can be done by boat departing from Tanjung Priok Port, the fare starts from IDR 150,000