Indonesien

One of the world’s greatest megalopolises, Jakarta is a dynamic and vibrant city. Its chaotic charm and juxtapositions can be found on every street.

Many consider Sanur 'just right', as it lacks most of the hassles found to the west while maintaining a good mix of restaurants and bars that aren't all owned by resorts.

Just across the water from Singapore, Pulau Bintan has some of the nicest white-sand beaches in Sumatra. While it markets itself as a high-end playground for well-heeled visitors from Singapore and beyond, there is some affordable accommodation too.

Maluku’s most prominent and populous island is lush and gently mountainous, indented with two great hoops of bay. Around the busy capital Kota Ambon, villages merge into a long, green, suburban ribbon. West of the airport, this gives way to a string of charming coastal villages where, if you take the time to explore, you'll discover Ambon is not just an unavoidable step on the road to the lovely Lease, Banda and Kei Islands. The bay is known for excellent muck-diving, while the southern coast has clear waters and intact coral.

Trekkingäventyr, surfing och orörda vidder. Indonesiska Lombok är ännu lite av ett oskrivet blad. Carl Larsson och Jenny Möllerström bor deltid på ön, här är deras bästa tips!

Kupang is the capital of Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT). Despite the city’s scruffy waterfront, sprawling gnarl of traffic and a lack of eye-catching architectural elements, this is a place you can get used to. Besides, there are atmospheric markets in the centre, spots to relax beside locals and a smattering of nearby natural wonders. The energy can be contagious – it's a university town, after all – even if you're just popping in and out.

Sumatra’s major metropolis, and Indonesia’s third-largest city, Medan is the first (or final) port of call for many visitors to the island. Given it's not on the coast, and there's no mountain backdrop or even a grand river, Medan is much maligned among many travelers as a soulless industrialised city, a necessary evil to reach more exciting destinations. While it does have issues with traffic and pollution, it's a city with real Indonesian urban character. If you can get over the culture shock and give Medan a bit of time, you'll discover there's more than a hint of crumbling Dutch-colonial-era architecture, plus some worthwhile sightseeing and shopping, contemporary nightlife and restaurants, and old-school backstreet food stalls.

Beaches just don't get much better: the water is warm, striped turquoise and curls into barrels, and the sand is silky and snow white, framed by massive headlands and sheer cliffs. The south is noticeably drier than the rest of Lombok and more sparsely populated, with limited roads and public transport.

Fabulous Seminyak is the centre of life for hordes of the island's expats, many of whom own boutiques, design clothes, surf, or do seemingly nothing at all. It may be immediately north of Kuta and Legian, but in many respects, not the least of which is its intangible sense of style, Seminyak feels almost like it's on another island.

For many visitors, the northern part of Sumatra bordering Aceh is their primary focus. With good air connections to Medan, from here you can trek in search of orang-utans in Bukit Lawang, climb volcanoes from Berastagi, laze away on the shores of Danau Toba, skim the waves off the Banyaks and Nias, and easily venture further north to Pulau Weh or south to Padang and the Mentawais.