June 18

Braga

Braga is tourist central for Bandung. It is a shopping and entertainment street that is alive from about 8AM to 2-3AM the next day. It’s where there are clubs and bars, restaurants, cafes, and shops.

One surprise is that it is really small. The entire street is about 2-3 city blocks long. There are a lot of shops and stalls packed into that space, though.

Unfortunately, there are also a lot of empty store fronts. A couple of locals told me that the street has never recovered from the downturn in tourism during COVID. While they say that there were never a lot of European and North American tourists, there are almost none now.

The nightlife is also a bit sad. A few almost empty bars and clubs that have a live band playing to no-one or a couple of customers singing Karaoke. Nightlife isn’t the reason I came to Bandung so I’m not disappointed at all by this.

Braga is closed to traffic on the weekends

Braga is closed to traffic on the weekends

There's space for live music at a lot of locations on the street

There's space for live music at a lot of locations on the street

The view down from a rooftop cafe

The view down from a rooftop cafe

Braga at night

Braga at night

These way finding signs are way out of date

These way finding signs are way out of date

Street musicians playing soft jazz. It was fun

Street musicians playing soft jazz. It was fun

Early in the morning Braga is a ghost town

Early in the morning Braga is a ghost town

There are cages with songbirds hanging from the lamp posts.

There are cages with songbirds hanging from the lamp posts.

There are party busses that ply the streets at night

There are party busses that ply the streets at night