01Tourism
As the capital of the Aceh province, Banda Aceh is home to many landmarks important to the history of the Acehnese people and the sultanates.
Baiturrahman Grand Mosque Gunongan Kerkhoff Poucut entry gate Aceh Museum Palani Andawer Temple
The Baiturrahman Grand Mosque was originally built during the sultanate of Iskandar Muda (1607–1636). It was rebuilt in 1875 after it was burnt down in the Aceh war. It has seven domes and four smaller towers along with the main tower. The mosque can accommodate up to 9,000 people. Gunongan Historical Park is a private playground and bathing place, built by Sultan Iskandar Muda, dedicated to his wife Putroe Phang. Gunongan was part of royal garden complex Taman Sari. A number of places near the center of Banda Aceh have been established as memorials of the Indian Ocean tsunami on the city in 2004. These include several mass burial centers such as the graves at Ulee Lheue, places where boats were carried several kilometers inland by the tsunami (PLTD Apung 1, or the "Floating Diesel Plant", and the "Floating Boat on the Roof"), and the Tsunami Museum. The PLTD Apung 1 had been located near the Ule Lheu beach before being shifted close to the city center by the tsunami. It has become one of the most important landmarks in Banda Aceh. Dutch Kerkhof Poucut Cemetery is a Dutch military burial ground located near the center of Banda Aceh, next to the tsunami museum. The cemetery name is a combination of Kerkhof (Dutch for churchyard or graveyard) and poucut or poteu cut (Acehnese for prince). The Kerkhoff Poucut is recorded as the largest Dutch military cemetery outside the Netherlands. There are around 2,200 graves of white Dutch soldiers as well as recruits from Ambon, Manado and Java, and several Dutch generals. The Aceh Museum is one of the oldest museums in Indonesia. The original museum was established almost 100 years ago, and it was established in 1915, after Independence in 1945, the museum became the property of the regional government. In 1969 the museum was moved from the original site at Blang Padang to the current location in Jl. Sultan Alaiddin Mahmudsyah. The museum contains a wide range of artifacts relating to the history and cultural life of Aceh. The Kuil Palani Andawer is Aceh's oldest and only Hindu temple located particularly in Banda Aceh. In 2004, eventually the temple was devastated and collapsed by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami striking Banda Aceh, however the temple was reconstructed and restored with the help of Hindu communities from Malaysia and India in 2012.
Several festivals are held annually by the city: Banda Aceh Festival Festival Krueng Aceh Peunayong Festival Geulayang Tunang (kite festival) Festival Kupi Indonesia City Expo Thaipusam.
There are three beaches close to Banda Aceh which can be reached by car or motorcycle: Ujông Batèë Beach, Lhôk Nga Beach, and Lam Pu'uk Beach, which is the most developed of the three.