Experience the best of Medan

Medan is the capital of North Sumatra and the biggest city on the island, a trading centre that grew rich in the late 19th century on tobacco and rubber plantations. The legacy is a mix of Malay, Chinese, Indian and Batak communities and of colonial architecture. The Maimun Palace, built for the Sultan of Deli at the end of the 19th century, has yellow Malay-style walls with Mughal and European touches, and the Great Mosque of Medan, with its black dome, stands nearby.

The Tjong A Fie Mansion, home of a wealthy Chinese merchant, shows Chinese and European styles, and the old Kesawan district has colonial shopfronts. Medan is the starting point for trips into the highlands: Lake Toba, a huge crater lake with Samosir Island at its centre, is about five hours by road, Berastagi, a cool market town below volcanoes, is closer, and Bukit Lawang, where orangutans live in the forest, lies about three hours west.

Soto Medan, a spiced coconut-milk soup, and bika Ambon, a spongy honeycomb cake that despite its name belongs to Medan, are local treats, and durian, the island's favourite fruit, is sold from roadside stalls. Batak, Malay, Chinese and Indian dishes sit side by side. Rain falls in every month, mostly in the afternoon, and the city is hot and humid year-round.