Indonesia's gritty, proud second city — a place of colonial heritage, diverse mosques, a vintage submarine in the river, and the smoking volcanoes of East Java just a long drive away.
⚓ Docked (Tanjung Perak port)🕒 Typical call: 8–10 hrs💵 Indonesian Rupiah (IDR)🗣️ Indonesian / Javanese
Docking
Tanjung Perak terminal
Walk to center
Transfer needed (~20–40 min)
Best For
History · Culture · Religion
Don't Miss
House of Sampoerna
📄 Take this port with you
A printable port guide — key info, things to do & tips. Includes an editable “My Day in Port” box for your ship times & booked excursions.
Ships dock at Tanjung Perak, a working commercial and passenger port in northern Surabaya — not a tourist pier. The city's sights are spread across a large urban area and all require transport.
Get from the port to the city
1
Tanjung Perak terminalShips berth at Tanjung Perak port, about 5–8 km from the old city core. There is no walkable tourist zone at the pier itself — taxis, ride-hailing (Gojek/Grab), or ship shuttles are needed for every excursion.
2
Use Gojek or GrabRide-hailing apps Gojek and Grab work well in Surabaya and are significantly cheaper than taxis. Download before sailing; you'll need a local SIM or working data roaming to use them.
3
Ship excursions vs. independentThe city's main sights (Sampoerna, Monkasel, Arab Quarter, Cheng Hoo Mosque) are all reachable independently in a half-day. Mount Bromo is a very long day trip (4–5 hrs each way) and is best done via a ship excursion or pre-booked private driver.
💡 Pro move: Surabaya is a large, hot, and traffic-prone industrial city. It's rewarding for culturally curious travelers but requires realistic time planning — sights are not clustered. Budget extra time for traffic.
Piers & Tendering by Cruise Line
All cruise ships dock at Tanjung Perak port — a busy working harbor where transfers into the city are essential for every visit.
Surabaya rewards curious visitors with colonial history, religious diversity, and remarkable day-trip landscapes — but distances are real and traffic is heavy, so choose your day wisely.
Culture
House of Sampoerna
A beautifully preserved Dutch colonial complex that was once a cigarette factory — now a museum tracing the Sampoerna family's story and Indonesia's kretek (clove cigarette) culture, with a working rolling floor and art gallery.
A decommissioned Soviet-era submarine (KRI Pasopati 410) permanently docked on the Kalimas River, now a museum you can walk through. One of the most unusual monuments in Southeast Asia.
The Ampel district is one of Indonesia's oldest Islamic neighborhoods, centered on the revered Masjid Ampel mosque (15th century) and a maze of narrow lanes selling batik, dates, and perfume. Modest dress required.
The Muhammad Cheng Hoo Mosque is a striking red-and-gold Chinese-style mosque built to honor the Muslim admiral Zheng He. Nearby Kembang Jepun (Chinatown) offers a lively commercial street with old shophouses.
One of Indonesia's most dramatic landscapes: the smoldering caldera of Bromo inside the vast Tengger sand sea, with pre-dawn sunrise viewing from Mount Penanjakan. Be honest: it's a 4–5 hour drive each way — best for overnight or early-start ship excursions only.
⏱ Full day (12–14 hrs)🌋 Iconic🚗 Long drive — plan carefully
The remains of Trowulan, capital of the great Majapahit Empire (13th–15th century), lie about 60 km southwest of Surabaya. The Trowulan Museum and scattered brick temples give a rare glimpse of pre-Islamic Java.
⏱ 4–5 hrs total🏛 Archaeological🚗 ~1.5 hrs each way
Surabaya's sights aren't walkable from the port — but the old city core around Sampoerna and the Arab Quarter is compact enough for a short on-foot wander once you've arrived by car.
Old City Walk: Sampoerna to Ampel
~2 km · 1.5 hrs · easy (flat, hot)
Start at the House of Sampoerna in the Dutch colonial quarter, walk through the old harbor district past the red-brick warehouses, and continue north into the Arab Quarter to Masjid Ampel. Bring water — it's hot and humid.
Climate normals for Surabaya, Java, Indonesia (2014–2023 averages). Pack for the month you sail — highs, lows, and how many rainy days to expect.
Month
Avg High
Avg Low
Rainy Days
Sunrise
Sunset
Jan
86°F / 30°C
77°F / 25°C
30
5:23 AM
5:53 PM
Feb
85°F / 29°C
76°F / 24°C
27
5:33 AM
5:52 PM
Mar
86°F / 30°C
77°F / 25°C
29
5:33 AM
5:42 PM
Apr
86°F / 30°C
78°F / 26°C
24
5:30 AM
5:27 PM
May
87°F / 31°C
78°F / 26°C
13
5:31 AM
5:18 PM
Jun
87°F / 31°C
77°F / 25°C
11
5:38 AM
5:20 PM
Jul
87°F / 31°C
75°F / 24°C
5
5:43 AM
5:26 PM
Aug
88°F / 31°C
75°F / 24°C
2
5:37 AM
5:29 PM
Sep
90°F / 32°C
76°F / 24°C
4
5:22 AM
5:25 PM
Oct
91°F / 33°C
77°F / 25°C
9
5:07 AM
5:22 PM
Nov
89°F / 32°C
78°F / 26°C
21
5:00 AM
5:26 PM
Dec
87°F / 31°C
77°F / 25°C
28
5:07 AM
5:40 PM
Source: Open-Meteo ERA5 (10-yr daily averages)
Insider Tips
🚖
Use Gojek or Grab. Ride-hailing is cheap, reliable, and avoids negotiation hassles. Download both apps before you arrive — regular taxis can overcharge tourists.
🌡️
Dress for serious heat. Surabaya sits at sea level near the equator — expect 30–35°C with high humidity year-round. Light, loose, and modest clothing is ideal.
🕌
Dress modestly for mosques. Shoulders and knees should be covered at Masjid Ampel and Cheng Hoo Mosque. Sarongs are usually available at the entrance if needed.
💴
Cash in Rupiah is king. ATMs are available in the city center and malls. Small warung (food stalls) and markets don't take cards — bring IDR for food, transport top-ups, and entry fees.
🌋
Bromo takes a full day — and then some. The round trip is 8–10 hours of driving before you've seen anything. Only attempt it if your ship overnights or docks very early; a dedicated tour operator is strongly recommended.
🍜
Eat rawon. Surabaya's signature dish is rawon — a rich black beef soup colored with kluwek (black nut). The city is also the home of lontong balap and sate klopo. Head to Warung Rawon Nguling or any busy local warung.
Getting Around
Transport options from the pier — taxis, shuttles, transit passes, and whether ride-share apps work here.
🚗 Ride-share: ✅ Grab, GojekGrab and Gojek both operate widely in Surabaya. Set up the app before arriving; Indonesian phone numbers are not required for Grab. Expect IDR 50,000–80,000 (~$3–5 USD) to the Old City.🚍 Hop-on hop-off: ❌ No HOHO bus
🚖 Blue Bird Taxi (metered)
IDR 50,000–80,000 (~$3–5 USD)
Blue Bird is the most reliable metered taxi in Indonesia. Find them at the Tanjung Perak terminal exit; insist the meter is running. The ~10 km trip to the city center takes 20–35 minutes depending on traffic.
📱 Grab / Gojek
IDR 40,000–70,000 (~$2.50–4.50 USD)
Grab and Gojek offer upfront pricing and are widely available at Tanjung Perak port. Slightly cheaper than metered taxis; book via app and meet your driver at the terminal gate.
🚌 Damri Public Bus
IDR 3,000–5,000 (~$0.20 USD)
Very cheap city buses stop on the public road just outside the terminal. Useful for budget travelers but routes are fixed, schedules unreliable, and buses can be crowded — not ideal with limited port time.
🚐 Cruise Line Shore Excursion / Private Tour
$85–$150 USD per person
Cruise-line-organized and independent private shore excursions include round-trip port transfers with a guide. Prices vary widely; independent operators (e.g., javatourpackage.com) often cost less than onboard bookings.
Cruises Calling Here
Upcoming cruises that call at Surabaya, Java, Indonesia. Dates, prices, and ports of call change — always confirm with the cruise line before booking.
Viking Venus
Viking Cruises
Vancouver → Sydney
⚓ Calls 04 Nov 202679 nights44 portsDeparts 2026-09-04
View itinerary · 39 ports
79 days, one-way from Vancouver to Sydney
04 SepVancouver, BC Canada
05 SepInside Passage, Alaska-Canada
06 SepKetchikan, Revillagigedo Island Alaska
07 SepSitka, Baranof Island Alaska
08 SepGlacier Bay, Alaska
09 SepHubbard Glacier, Alaska
10 SepValdez, Alaska
11 SepSeward, Alaska
12 SepHomer AK, Alaska
13 SepKodiak Island, Alaska
23 Sep - 24 SepSapporo-Otaru, Japan Shiribeshi
26 Sep - 28 SepTokyo, Japan
29 Sep - 30 SepShimizu, Japan Shizuoka
01 OctKobe-Osaka, Kyoto, Japan
02 Oct - 03 OctHiroshima City, Japan Hiroshima
04 OctBeppu, Japan Oita
05 OctKagoshima City, Japan Kagoshima
06 OctNagasaki City, Japan Nagasaki
08 OctKeelung, Taipei City, Taiwan China
10 Oct - 12 OctHong Kong, China
14 Oct - 15 OctHalong Bay, Vietnam, Ha Long City
16 OctDa Nang, Hue City, Vietnam
18 Oct - 20 OctSaigon, Phu My Port-Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Itineraries and prices change — always confirm with the cruise line before booking. Some links are affiliate links that may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
