//
City in Timor-Leste
Photo: Bahnfrend, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Baucau is Timor-Leste's second largest city, behind Dili. It is located near the northern coast of Timor-Leste, 130 km east of Dili. Baucau is an important administrative and agricultural centre. It is the capital of a district with the same name.
From the travel guide. Select a place for details, a map and what is nearby.
Cidade Velha
Take a walk around the colonial centre of town. The abandoned and often scorched buildings are eerie reminders of a bygone era. Many of the buildings still have architectural value, particularly the Municipal Market building (dating from 1934) and the salmon-pink Pousada de Baucau. Children play in the buildings and in the fountains and spring overflow. Walk down the road following the beautiful spring down to the beach. Watch out for mangy dogs and goats roaming the streets!
A large spring-fed pool owned by the Pousada, set in lush grounds, with a diving board and a slide. Beautiful place for a swim.
Watabo'o
Beautiful and popular white sand beach with bungalows and camping.
Visit the convent mission for a look at the valuable work the sisters are doing with the children and less fortunate of Baucau. They also have a small store with local handicrafts.
The restaurant at the Pousada aims for a fancy Portuguese and European menu but is very unreliable.
Decent restaurant in a nice colonial building with views over the old town. Portuguese and Indonesian.
Good Indonesian restaurant with a large treed terrace.
It also has a restaurant on the beach.
Built in the 1950s, the Pousada is still fanciest hotel in town and quite good by Timor standards. There are a few terraces for sitting and most rooms have balconies overlooking the old town. Previously run by the Indonesian Army and known as the Flamboyan Inn during the Indonesian occupation, it was the only hotel in town, and doubled as a military prison and torture site. It was reopened under its original name in 2002.
Basic bungalows on the beautiful beach.
By car
The drive from Dili is 3-4 hours along a windy but fairly safe road that follows the north coast. Many of the turns provide stunning views across pristine beaches to the ocean.
By bus
All long distance buses departing Baucau leave from Kota Baru (New Town), just beside the roundabout near the market.
By boat
There are no regular ship routes visiting Baucau, although viability studies for a major port development began in 2024.
Some taxis shuttle passengers around the city for US$1 (although locals pay less). Further journeys, such as to Manatuto will cost more.
Read in the guideChoose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
Baucau · Regional · BCH
Loading places around the airport…
Articles and travel topics about Baucau and Timor-Leste.
Nature & adventureScuba diving is an activity in which you swim underwater for extended periods using self-contained underwater breathing apparatus, hence the acronym scuba.
Wikivoyage
Travel tipsEurope is a continent that is relatively small but with many independent countries. Under normal circumstances, travelling through multiple countries would mean having to go through visa applications and passport…
Wikivoyage
ItinerariesFor modern-day trade in China, see Shopping in China The Silk Road (丝绸之路 sī chóu zhī lù), also known as the Silk Route, is not a single road, but a network of historical trade routes across Asia from China to Europe.
Wikivoyage
Culture & historyChristianity is the world's most prolific religion, with more than 2.38 billion followers, and churches, cathedrals and chapels on every continent including Antarctica. Many of those are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Wikivoyage
Every section of the guide. Open one to read it in full.