Thanks to a local superstition that noise drives away evil spirits, Medan's Polonia Airport lies near the town centre at the southern end of Jalan Imam Bonjol. A taxi from the airport to the main square, Lapangan Merdeka, should cost Rp4000.

Belawan Harbour is 25km to the north of the city. A complimentary bus service is laid on to meet the hydrofoil ferries from Penang; the yellow "Morina" angkuta (mini-vans) #811 or #122 (Rp1500) also ply the route.

Medan has two main bus stations . The huge Amplas terminal , 5km south of the city centre, serves buses arriving from points south of Medan. White "Medan Raya" minibuses (Rp750) leave from the bemo station next door to Amplas, travel past Mesjid Raya and on to Lapangan Merdeka via Jalan Brig Jend A Yani. The Pinang Baris bus station, 10km west of the city centre, is where buses from the north or west of the city arrive. A DAMRI bus leaves from Pinang Baris to Lapangan Merdeka every twenty minutes (Rp500). Medan is connected by train to just a couple of minor towns in North Sumatra, and the station is on the eastern side of Lapangan Merdeka.