Pekanbaru: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
Pekanbaru is a city of 1.2 million people in Indonesia (Riau), 19 m (62 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is Sultan Syarif Kasim II International Airport / Roesmin Nurjadin AFB (PKU), 6 km (4 mi) from the centre. Our booking partner lists 216 places to stay.
Key facts
Daylight in Pekanbaru runs from about 12 h 8 min a day in late December to 12 h 11 min in late June (computed for 0.52° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Pekanbaru is served by one airport with scheduled flights. The closest large one is Sultan Syarif Kasim II International Airport / Roesmin Nurjadin AFB (PKU), 6 km (4 mi) from the centre, with a longest runway of 7,360 ft, which limits it to short and medium-haul aircraft.
Flights to Pekanbaru: every airport, routes and times
Buses to Pekanbaru · Driving and car hire
Where to stay
Our booking partner lists 216 places to stay in Pekanbaru. Of the 204 with a star rating, the largest group is 2-star (128), and 1 are five-star. Guests have left 1,425 reviews in total.
Hotels in Pekanbaru: the full picture, and book
What people come for
| Sight | Visitors a year | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Soeman HS Library | 100,182 | — |
The busiest is Soeman HS Library at 100,182 visitors. Figures are the latest each site has published, so they are not all for the same year.
Tours, tickets and day trips from Pekanbaru
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- Singapore, 281 km (Singapore) — flights
- Kuala Lumpur, 293 km (Malaysia) — flights
- Batam, 296 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Padang, 203 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Johor Bahru, 278 km (Malaysia) — flights
- Kampung Baru Subang, 293 km (Malaysia) — flights
- Petaling Jaya, 289 km (Malaysia) — flights
- Shah Alam, 286 km (Malaysia) — flights
- Jambi City, 337 km — trains · buses · car rental
- Bukit Rahman Putra, 301 km (Malaysia) — flights
Twin towns and sister cities: Florence, Chongqing, Atlanta.
Common questions
Which airport serves Pekanbaru?
Sultan Syarif Kasim II International Airport / Roesmin Nurjadin AFB (PKU), 6 km (4 mi) from the centre.
How big is Pekanbaru?
About 1.2 million people live in Pekanbaru, across 632 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).
What time zone is Pekanbaru in?
Asia/Jakarta, currently UTC+7.
What currency is used in Pekanbaru?
The Rupiah (IDR). Traffic drives on the left.
How many hotels are there in Pekanbaru?
Our booking partner lists 216 places to stay in Pekanbaru, bookable on this site.
Which cities are near Pekanbaru?
Singapore (281 km), Kuala Lumpur (293 km), Batam (296 km), Padang (203 km), Johor Bahru (278 km).
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 13 September 2026. Hotel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.