Tanjung Pinang

Tanjung Pinang, the second largest town after Batam in the Riau Archipelago, today has grown into the capital city of the entire province. Tanjung Pinang sited at the strategic location at the south western coast of the Island of Bintan. This city becomes the entry port to explore the many wonders that Riau Archipelago has offered. In July 2004, Riau Archipelago is separated from Riau Province. The current Riau Archipelago includes Karimun, Batam, Bintan, Singkep-Lingga.

Tanjung Pinang is full of diversity with multiple ethnic communities. It successfully attracts migrants from outside though it is not a big town. You can easily find mosques, churches, Hindu temple, and vihara along its main road, where Malay, Bugis, Banjar, Java, and Sumatran live peace in harmony.

Tanjung Pinang is a heaven for seafood lover. “Gong gong” molluscs is worth to try. Chinese foods are almost in every corner while other Indonesian food also can be found. After tasting the local bread spread, the 'Kaya' made from coconut and egg, the Thousand Layer Cake, and Otak-Otak (fish cake baked in open charcoal fire) are worth to hand carried as a souvenirs.

Either by the land or by boat, the main attractions around the city of Tanjung Pinang are reachable and easy to access for tourists. Some of the well-known sites are the Penyengat Island, Senggarang, Chinese Pagodas.

Penyengat Island, which is reachable by boat, was once the capital of the Riau Rajahs. The ruins of the old palace of Raja Ali, as well as tombs and graveyards of Raja Jaafar and Raja Ali are clearly signposted inland.

The old part of the city is along the boulevard by the sea that faces Penyengat where the Residence of the Bupati or Regent stands. The building is easily recognizable by its colonial architecture with pillars on its front veranda.

Get There

Recently, Tanjung Pinang is easily reached from Jakarta. A number of domestic flights such as Garuda, Sriwijaya Air and Lion Air have daily flights to Tanjung Pinang from Jakarta. Tanjung Pinang is also accessible by ferry from Singapore and Malaysia. The Sri Bintan Pura ferry terminal is the main passenger port of Bintan and is used by all domestic and international services from the city.