Riding the KRL: bring a card or QRIS Tap, not cash

Festival Cisadane is the city's riverside festival, built around the Pehcun ritual and dragon boat races, with traditional dance, carnival acts, a music stage and stalls run by local small businesses. Entry has been free, and race days run through the day along the Cisadane banks. The dates move from year to year and…

Taman Gajah Tunggal on Jalan Taruna Raya in Babakan has a jogging track, a children's play area and scooter rental, and is listed among Tangerang's free family parks. Go early, before the heat builds, to run laps among locals. The city is humid all year and heavy rain falls from November to April, so carry a light…

Jembatan Berendeng, also called the glass bridge, spans the Cisadane between Benteng Makasar and Gerendeng, and its bright paintwork makes it one of the easiest free photo stops in the city. Locals gather on it in the afternoon and it lights up in colors at night, so arrive in the late light and stay for the glow…

On Jabodetabek commuter trains, including the line to Tangerang, the cars at the front and rear of each train are reserved for women and marked with pink door markings and a khusus wanita sticker. Check the markings before you board at a crowded platform, because the end cars are not general seating. Women travelling…

Soekarno-Hatta is inside Tangerang, but the airport train does not run to the city centre. It stops at Batu Ceper, where you change to the commuter line toward Tangerang station. Stay inside the gates and follow signs to the commuter platform instead of leaving through the airport train exit, and ask staff if the…

On the eve of Chinese New Year, Tangerang's temples fill with worshippers. At Boen San Bio hundreds of lanterns decorate the prayer area and art performances greet the crowd, while Boen Tek Bio has reported over 3,000 visitors in a season and prepares lion dance shows. Locals arrive from the afternoon with offerings…

Masjid Jami Kali Pasir stands on the Cisadane bank in Sukasari, tucked into a Chinese residential neighborhood, and is described as one of the oldest mosques in the city. Tradition dates it to 1700, and its founder's tomb lies in the cemetery of the complex. It is a working mosque, so visit outside prayer times, dress…

Kecap Benteng is Tangerang's own sweet soy sauce, and the oldest brand, known as Cap Istana, goes back to 1882. It is still the backbone of satay and snacks around Pasar Lama, where vendors say it caramelizes meat without burning. Buy a bottle in a local shop on your way out of the old quarter and ask which brand your…