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Batam is in the Riau Islands, an archipelago below Malaysia and Singapore. The group of islands stretches between the east side of Sumatra and the West of Borneo.
In this post, we share our best ideas for things to do in Batam with kids based on our 11-night stay!
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But first…why did we go to Batam?
Batam is an island with a city of the same name. Some people asked us why we would go there. After all, it’s not what I’d call beautiful and not known for its outstanding attractions.
Well, we’ve been slow-traveling full-time for 7.5 years now. We’re low-budget travelers and generally choose the cheapest and easiest routes we can find. So, for us, this is our way of life, and we often make our travels as practical as we can. Although we love our traveling lifestyle, we will usually choose what feels easiest with the kids.
We don’t need to tick off bucket list attractions everywhere we go. Plus, there is learning to be had and beauty to be found in all corners of the world, sometimes simply by experiencing life in a new place.
We found direct, cheap flights from Kuala Lumpur (our previous destination) to Batam. And I knew we could then take an easy ferry ride to our next destination, Singapore! So that’s how we decided🤷.
We maxed out our 90-day allowance in Malaysia and knew we would do the same in Singapore because we committed to a house sit that would take up almost our total allowance. So we needed to spend 11 nights somewhere between to avoid overstaying in either country.
A chance to reset between destinations
Batam is certainly not a touristy place. Some Singaporeans like to visit for cheap spa days, but other than that, it’s not really on the radar for many travelers.
Coming to Batam was a bit of a change for our girls. We had just come from a huge, organic community in Kuala Lumpur where there were activities on offer every day. It was incredible, but Batam also offered a nice chance to reset and take a little breather!
Honestly, the girls had tons of fun with their friends in KL, but they were generally not so nice to each other. As soon as we got to Batam, they started playing together again and having fun with each other.
It’s always interesting for me to observe how our family dynamics and rhythms change as soon as we reach new destinations.
Batam presented new challenges for Romy, as she was not used to navigating the attention she received there, which offered opportunities for growth.
Our trip also opened up other observations and discussions for the kids on topics ranging from pollution to missing elevator numbers and reminded them that they can’t expect to communicate in English everywhere they go!
The best things to do in Batam with kids
Read on to discover what we got up to in Batam. We mainly explored in and near Batam city. I hope you pick up some family-friendly ideas of what to do in Batam if you’re planning a visit!
The Batam Miniature Houses
The Batam Miniature Houses is a free attraction in Batam that’s worth a quick look around with your kids. It only takes about 10 minutes to check out the mini versions of traditional houses, so combine your visit with one or more nearby attractions.
The Miniature Houses are easily accessible by foot from the Oasis Waterpark, the Illusion Museum, Batam Wake Park, and the go-karting track.
Oasis waterpark
Oasis Waterpark is a basic but fun waterpark to visit as a family in Batam. It doesn’t have big slides, but we enjoyed hanging out there for most of the day!
The waterpark features a wave pool, foam play, and water playground. The wave pool and foam play are turned on at designated times, and the wave pool has an incredibly fast and steep inflatable slide.
The waterpark also has a small cafe serving food and drinks. We highly recommend the nasi goreng!
Entry into the waterpark costs Rp 50,000, and double tubes cost Rp 25,000. So, for three tickets and a tube, it was a grand total of 11 USD!
Definitely check out the Oasis Waterpark if you’re looking for things to do with kids in Batam. We went on a weekday and had the pools almost to ourselves. Just ensure appropriate sun protection, as the pools have no shade. There’s a little shade around the pools, though, and you can also rent a cabana if you like.
The Mega Mall indoor playground
The Mega Mall in Batam has an indoor playground that can keep the kids active and entertained for a few hours. It’s best for younger kids, but our 10-year-old was okay playing there for a while!
They have a big ball pit, a playground for climbing and exploring, some little bikes, a “sand” pit (filled with something grainy), and a grocery shopping area.
The price, at RP 150,000 per person (about 9 USD), was pretty high compared with other attractions in Batam.
Next to the playground is a Time Out games arcade with a few bowling lanes if that’s more your thing. The mall also has a movie theatre and plenty of restaurants.
The Illusion Museum
The Illusion Museum is a fun place to take your kids in Batam. Honestly, they’re not usually my favorite type of place, but there are not many attractions to choose from in Batam. My kids love them, though, and you end up with some fantastic pictures.
The entrance tickets to The Illusion are rp 40,000 for kids and rp 80,000 for adults, so they’re very cheap compared with other illusion museums worldwide. The total for our three tickets was the equivalent of 10 USD.
The staff will assist you with pictures if you need it, and there are signs on the walls and floors to help you figure out where to stand and what camera orientation to use. So check out The Illusion if you’re looking for things to do in Batam with kids!
Alun Alun Batam Centre park and museum
The Alun Alun Batam Centre is a circular park near the ferry terminal and mega mall in Batam. It’s not overly interesting on its own, but the circular track is perfect for a morning or evening jog. It’s a bit of a local hangout spot, and we saw matching bands practicing there pretty much all the time.
There’s also a small, free museum in a beautiful building, which is nice to visit if you want to read about Batam’s history. And we enjoyed trying out the reflexology trail behind the museum!
The park is also next to the Grand Mosque of Batam, which has been completely refurbished and looks stunning with its blue and white exterior. They were still working on it when we visited so we couldn’t go inside.
The Welcome to Batam sign is within easy walking distance of the park, so you could combine that with a visit to the park, museum, and mosque.
Welcome to Batam sign
The Welcome to Batam sign is one of the city’s most prominent landmarks. We decided to walk to the little hill with the sign to see what we could see!
The hill is tiny but offers ok views of the surroundings. There’s just a short track to reach the sign.
There’s a lot of construction below the sign and in Batam in general, so it will be interesting to see how they develop it in the future.
Head to the Welcome to Batam sign in the evening and dine at the local food carts just below. You’ll find a good selection of street food.
There’s also an older style (slightly run-down looking) fair beside the food area. We went on the Ferris wheel and big boat, and the girls rode little cars around. It all felt a bit old and rickety, but we survived😬
One Batam Mall Ice skating rink
Batam has a nice little ice skating rink inside One Batam Mall. It’s a good place to take the kids for an active outing, especially if you find the heat difficult!
The prices are really reasonable, and the staff members are friendly. They will even help you with your skating if you like! Dolphins and penguins are available for hire if you want skating assistance or ride-on fun!
My only complaint was that there were a lot of mosquitoes at the rink😆. This is not what I expected to find at the mall, and I guess they’re attracted to the water dripping from above. So perhaps bring your mosquito repellent if you’re planning to watch your kids skate!
Coastarina
One evening in Batam, we visited Coastarina, a waterfront area. I had read that we could find local food stalls there, so we decided to visit and have dinner there.
I was surprised they charge an entry fee (Rp 25,000 per person), as the area is kinda run-down!
They have a few fairground rides that run in the evenings, a playground (only open during the daytime), and a few spots to stroll around and take photos.
There are one or two food stalls and a few drink stalls, so we managed to find some nasi goreng for dinner!
Waterpark Top 100 Batu Aji
Don’t miss visiting the Waterpark Top 100 Batu Aji if you’re looking for things to do with kids in Batam!
Ok, so it’s not the fanciest waterpark around, but where else in the world can you get a family of four into a waterpark for less than 7 USD?
Yep, the tickets were only Rp 35,000 (about 2 USD), and they also have a buy three, get one free deal! This was the weekday price, but weekends are only a little more. You do need to pay a little extra for the tubes, but overall, it’s an exceptionally cheap day out!
There are some fast, straight slides for which you don’t need a tube and a couple of tube rides. They let our 100cm kid on one of them with us. A third big slide was out of action.
The kids will enjoy the water playground with many little slides, and there’s also a regular pool. The lazy river is nice, although the water isn’t moving much, so you kind of have to do the work to get around it!
The waterpark also has a few local-style food stalls, so you can stay for lunch and enjoy the park all day.
The Goguma Cafe and Playground in One Batam Mall
The Goguma cafe and playground is a nice option for younger kids in the One Batam mall. Our 10 year old was fine playing there with her sister for a while, but generally it’s best for younger ones.
It’s a spacious playground with a big ball pit, small trampolines, areas to explore and play, and some imaginative play areas.
Check it out if you’re looking for things to do with kids in Batam!
head to the beach
Batam has a few beaches, and although they didn’t have great reviews, I figured we still wanted to check out a slice of the beach while we were there!
Batam is connected by road to a few islands further south. So my guess is that there might be some nicer beaches that way, but we didn’t want to drive for ages to get there.
So we went to the Next Level Koffie and Beachfront Bar to check it out. We went there because it’s open during the day. A couple of beach clubs are next to it and open in the evening.
You must go through the cafe or beach club to reach the beach here. It looks like these places are going for the Bali beach vibes and are doing well with the general beach setup. However, there’s just so much rubbish around, so there’s still a lot of work to do.
The Next Level Koffie and Beachfront bar has some nice drinks, and the pastries look delicious. However, it would be good to see them stop serving the drinks in plastic cups.
They also had jetskis and kayaks, which I presume you can rent.
We loved the big patch of grass there, where the girls practiced gymnastics. We saw some beautiful shells on the beach, so the girls spent most of their time playing with them since the water didn’t look appealing enough for swimming!
Things to do in Batam with kids | In Conclusion
Although Batam wasn’t one of our favorite destinations, we found enough to keep the kids entertained and happy during our stay! We hope you have great ideas for where to visit and what to do during your trip to Batam!
If you’re traveling to Indonesia you might also want to check out our top picks for things to do in Bali with kids.
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