Traditional Food
Since Bogor is located in West Java, you will find lots of traditional Sundanese food and also some traditional dishes from Bogor. Among the most well-known dishes are:- Soto Bogor or Soto Kuning
- Bubur Bogor / Bubur Sukabumi (porridge from Bogor, or Sukabumi, which is a city close to Bogor)
- Asinan Bogor (fruit pickles from Bogor)
- Pangsit pengantin (literally means: dumpling wedding couple)
- Ngohiang Bogor (Nogohiang Gang Aut is the most famous kind of Ngohiang)
- Roti Unyil Venus (Unyil is a funny Javanese puppet, 'Roti Unyil Venus' are small pieces of bread, like a one-bite cheese bread or miniature hotdog :-) )
A bit less traditional, but also popular is Macaroni schotel from Macaroni Panggang (Jalan Salak 24, Bogor, next to Rumah Cupcakes).
Shopping
Bogor is a great place for people who like cheap branded clothing as the city has many factory outlets.There's also a small mall called 'Botani Square' where you can find souvenirs, clothes, electronics, department store, fast food restaurants and coffee shops. There's also a food court on the 2nd floor where you can try all kinds of local food (mainly West-Javanese/Sundanese, not a lot of traditional dishes from Bogor).
Hotels
Novotel Bogor Golf Resort and Convention Center is a luxury hotel, not very far from Kebun Raya. Novotel is sometimes even cheaper than Salak The Heritage, so it's worth to check their room rates.I would recommend this hotel if you have your own transportation, as its location is a bit secluded.
Salak The Heritage is quite an outdated and not extremely well-maintained hotel, but definitely sufficiently comfortable for a short trip (1 or 2 nights). The hotel is located very close to the Botanic Gardens, and not to pricy. The rooms are a bit outdated though.
Transportation
You can go to Bogor by train (from Gambir Station). It's a nice train with seats and aircon. When you arrive at Bogor station, you can walk to Kebun Raya or take one of the MANY minibuses (I hate them, so I would prefer to walk).
It's quite expensive to take a taxi from Jakarta to Bogor (especially if there's traffic jam) and it's also not very easy to find a taxi in Bogor. I would not recommend this if you have other options...
If you don't like public transportation: you can try to find a private driver. Just ask the reception of your accommodation in Jakarta whether they can arrange something for you. The price is normally around 400.000 rupiah a day (max. 10 hours).
