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Padang is the capital of West Sumatra and the largest city on the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, famous as a Minangkabau port city and as the home of the Malin Kundang legend. Its top sights are Padang Beach, Air Manis Beach, the Siti Nurbaya Bridge, the Great Mosque of West Sumatra and the Ganting Grand Mosque.
Padang has been a trading port since before colonial times, first for pepper and gold and later for coffee, salt and textiles, and in 1837 the Dutch made it the seat of government of the West Coast of Sumatra. Its old town by the Muara harbour still keeps Dutch and Chinese buildings, and the city has listed 73 historic buildings as heritage.
Padang had an estimated 965,050 residents in mid 2025. It is the gateway to the West Sumatran highlands and a common stop for surfers heading to the Mentawai Islands, and it is served by Minangkabau International Airport and by a train link from the airport to the city centre.
Padang Beach, known locally as Taplau, is the city beach of Padang, Indonesia, in the dense West Padang district, running from Purus to the mouth of the Batang Arau River. It is known for its sunsets and its food stalls, and it lies about 23 km from Minangkabau International Airport.
Air Manis Beach is a beach about 10 km south of the centre of Padang, Indonesia, behind Gunung Padang in South Padang. It is popular for its small waves and its views, two small islands lie just offshore, and boats go from here to Sikuai Island; it is also home to the Malin Kundang legend.
Malin Kundang Stone is a group of rocks on Air Manis Beach in Padang, Indonesia, said to be Malin Kundang and his ship, turned to stone by his mother's curse. In the West Sumatran folktale he grew rich at sea and denied his poor mother, and the rocks, shaped in the 1980s, look like a shipwreck.
Sikuai Island is an island of about 44 ha in the Bungus Teluk Kabung district of Padang, Indonesia, with white sand beaches and natural tropical forest. A resort with 54 cottages takes up about 2.4 ha, and the island is reached by boat in about 45 minutes from the Muara port.
Siti Nurbaya Bridge is a 156 m bridge over the Batang Arau River in Padang, Indonesia, linking the city centre with Seberang Padang and the way up Gunung Padang. Built from 1995 and opened in 2002, it is named after Sitti Nurbaya, the classic novel by Marah Rusli set partly on the hill.
See Hin Kiong Temple is a Chinese temple in the old town of Padang, Indonesia. Built from 1893 to 1905 under Kapitan Lie Goan Hoat to replace the Kwan Im Teng temple of 1861, which burned in 1893, it was destroyed by the 2009 earthquake and rebuilt on a new site across from the old one.
The De Javasche Bank Building is a colonial bank on Jalan Batang Arau in Padang, Indonesia, near the Siti Nurbaya Bridge, now the Bank Indonesia Museum. Begun on 31 March 1921 and opened on 12 January 1925 as a branch of De Javasche Bank, it passed to Bank Indonesia in 1953.
The Geo Wehry Building is a Dutch colonial building on Jalan Batang Arau in Padang, Indonesia, built in 1919 to 1920 as the office and warehouse of the trading firm Geo Wehry and Co. Designed by Frans Ghijsels and about 24 m tall, it was listed as heritage in 1998 and now houses a venue.
The Great Mosque of West Sumatra is the largest mosque in West Sumatra, on Jalan Khatib Sulaiman in Padang, Indonesia, and the second largest in Sumatra. Designed by Rizal Muslimin, it was begun on 21 December 2007, and its roof is a modern take on the horned roofs of Minangkabau houses.
Ganting Grand Mosque is a mosque in Padang, Indonesia, begun in 1805 and the oldest in the city, one of the oldest in Indonesia. It survived the tsunami after the 1833 Sumatra earthquake, Sukarno spent part of his exile here in 1942, and it was badly damaged by earthquakes in 2005 and 2009.
Muhammadan Mosque is a historic mosque on Jalan Pasa Batipuh in the old town of Padang, Indonesia, near the old Muara port. Built in 1843 by the city's Muslim community of Indian origin, linked with traders from Gujarat, it is one of the oldest mosques in Padang and stands three floors high.
Adityawarman Museum is the state museum of West Sumatra in Padang, Indonesia, showing the culture of the Minangkabau and Mentawai peoples, with its main displays in a rumah gadang style building. Opened on 16 March 1977, it is named after Adityawarman, a 14th-century Minangkabau ruler.
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