Museum

House of Sampoerna

4 · 106 reviews
House of Sampoernaconsigliere ivan from Bontang, Indonesia · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
Check tickets & tours

Some booking links are affiliate links. If you book through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We never let this influence which places we recommend.

The House of Sampoerna is a tobacco museum and headquarters of Sampoerna in Surabaya, housed in a Dutch colonial-style compound built in 1862. The complex includes a museum, an art gallery, a café, and souvenir shops. It is cited as the top tourist destination in Surabaya.

Don't miss

  • First-floor exhibits include photos of the founder, miniature grocery stores, kebaya collections, and vintage match collections.
  • A 1972 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow used by the Sampoerna family is parked next to the main building.
  • The second floor features galleries selling Surabaya souvenirs and demonstrations of clove cigarette making (no photos allowed).
  • The east side of the compound has been transformed into a café and an art gallery.
  • The west side building remains the official family residence.

Tickets & tours

Ways to visit House of Sampoerna

You don't need a tour to visit, entry is free. A tour is worth it if you want transport, a guide, or to combine House of Sampoerna with nearby sights in one day. That's what these do well.

Know before you go

  • The museum has been closed since the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • The complex offers a free City Sightseeing bus with an English-speaking tour guide, and also organizes its own bus tours of nearby historical sites in Indonesian and English.

A bit of history

Originally an orphanage managed by the Dutch, the building was purchased in 1932 by Liem Seeng Tee, founder of Sampoerna, to become the company's first major cigarette production facility. The central complex was restored and opened to the public in 2003 for Sampoerna's 90th anniversary.

More attractions in Surabaya

Planning your trip to Surabaya? See where to eat, more attractions, or build a Surabaya itinerary.