The city of Medan is the capital of North Sumatra island. It is the fourth largest city in the whole of Indonesia following Jakarta, Surabaya and then Bandung. There are more than 2 million people ehere and outside of Java it is the largest city. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]

Medan is known for its multi-ethnic background and culture where you could find Chinese, Javanese, Toba-Batak, Minangkabau, Karo Batak, Northern Indians, Southern Indians, Mandailing Batak as well as many other minor ethnicities too.

Due to the different types of people here, there is a rich range of tradition, culture and food which is what Medan is very much famous for. This is where you could enjoy food at almost any time of the day so if you are visiting Medan, be ready to savour any type of dish you could find.

Food-tourism is the main attraction in Medan so you could get the Minangkabau traditional cuisine, Chinese noodles and rice, Javanese dishes and many more.

To get to Medan you could come in through the Polonia International Airport which is conveniently located just about 15 minutes away from the city center. This is where you could come in direct through international flights through Air Asia, FireFly and Silk Air or by its domestic network from the likes of Jakarta and other Indonesian cities. Domestic flights are served through the likes of Batavia Air, Garuda Indonesia, Kartika Airlines, Merpati Nusantara Airlines and many others. The city is currently building a bigger Kuala Namu International Airport which is located further from the city.

In Medan, there are many ways to get around. If you are the more adventurous type, walking in Medan is easy although you could engage the becaks and taxi services here. Angkots or small minivans too are readily available here where you could experience the local ways of getting around.

While Medan is usually regarded as the hub towards other smaller towns and areas in around Sumatra island, there are also quite a lot to see and experience here, most notably its food. It has a rich influence of the Dutch and you could see this through the architecture at the Old City Hall, the Great Mosque and others. However, if you just stopping by, you could go shopping at Medan Fair Plaza or at the Grand Palladium Mall. From Medan, you could head out to other nearby tourist destinations like Berastagi, Kabanjhe, Bukit Lawang and the very famous Lake Toba.