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The name is pronounced “Jogjakarta”, with inhabitants calling their home simply Jogja. The clear draws are the city’s royal palace, colonial architecture, and traditional arts and crafts, such as gamelan music, Javanese shadow puppetry and classical dance. Away from these touristy pleasures, visitors can make the most of finding themselves among so many students, joining up for short courses in language or dance. Better still, explore the 3,200,000-population city on random excursions, shopping, eating and relaxing like a local. Beyond the city limits, the ancient temples of Borobudur and Prambanan provide a fascinating glimpse of times past. The architectural heritage of the centre was largely spared by the 2006 earthquake, but in residential areas, recovery is still ongoing.
Currency : Indonesian Rupiah (Rp).
Time zone : GMT +7.
Dialling codes
Country code for Indonesia : +62.
Yogyakarta area code : 0274.
Tourists Guide
Book ahead to learn the intricate art of batik printing at Brahma Tirta Sari (www.brahmatirtasari.org), a renowned contemporary batik studio and gallery in the south of Yogyakarta.
Transportation
Here are the means of transportation to get to Yogyakarta and to get to other sites/cities from Yogyakarta.
- Planes
- Trains
- Automobiles
Domestic Indonesian airlines such as Garuda, Lion Air, Adam Air and Batavia Air run daily flights from Denpasar (Bali), Surabaya, Balikpapan, Jakarta and Lombok to Yogyakarta’s Adisutjipto International Airport. Arrange airport transfers in advance with your hotel. Here is the complete schedule of plane flights to and from Yogyakarta :
If you’re travelling to Yogyakarta from one of Java’s major cities, and time is absolutely on your side, a scenic rail route is feasible. Tugu, the central train station, has good connections with Solo, Surabaya, Jakarta and Bandung. Ring Yogyakarta’s train information line on (+62 (0)274 514270) for details. If you’re coming from Jakarta, the Argo trains are by far the best and most comfortable, getting you to Yogyakarta in seven or eight hours, instead of the usual 10-12 hours.
To see the complete schedule of trains from Yogyakarta and Solo please visit :
http://www.joglosemar.co.id/train.html
In Yogyakarta, taxis are cheap and plentiful, but if you want to explore the villages and temples beyond the city, a car is useful; rent your wheels from the friendly people at Nanda Car Rental (+62 (0)274 433 3333/3300) and, for a little extra, you can hire a driver too.
Local knowledge
- Taxis
- Tipping culture
- Siesta and Fiesta
- Packing tips
- Recommended reads
- Regional specialities
Within the city, metered taxis are abundant and relatively easy to flag down. After dark, minimum fare is Rp 10,000. Traditional means of transport like becak (three-wheeled pedicabs) and andong (horse-drawn carts) are quaint and fun for a quick whirl. Feel free to haggle enthusiastically: tourists are overcharged, more often than not.
Major hotels add a 21 percent service and government tax to bills. Elsewhere, a tip of 10 percent is common. It’s customary to round small amounts up to the nearest convenient coin denomination.
Offices and banks generally stick to a nine-to-five, Monday-Friday working week, though art galleries and museums vary, some opening in the mornings and and others open at 5pm till 9pm; call ahead to check.
Think comfortable, loose and airy the humidity hits you as soon as you step off the plane. As ever in a destination with a significant Muslim population, revealing clothes are inappropriate away from the beach, and a particularly dim idea around temples and other holy sites. Comfy Birkenstocks or Air Rifts will see you right as you tramp around Borobudur.
Prolific Indonesian author Pramoedya Ananta Toers Arok of Java: A Novel of Early Indonesia follows Java’s 13th-century equivalent of Robin Hood. Phil Grabsky provides a gripping account of the construction and history of Borobudur in his book The Lost Temple of Java.
Street food is the only food we know? Well, not quite, but gastronomic adventurers are well served by the hawkers, dozens of whom are usually on hand when you fancy an inexpensive fix of bakso (meatballs), ayam goreng (fried chicken), sop buntut (oxtail soup) or ayam soto (chicken soup). A regional specialty (and must-try) is nasi gudeg, white rice topped with jackfruit curry and assorted side dishes. Curries, fried rice and crackers are typical, and the people of Yogyakarta are known for their collective sweet tooth, using plenty of locally abundant palm sugar.
Tips about the city
- Daily temperatures don’t vary wildly, but if you want to catch festival and other yearly events, hit the city during high season (June-October).
- shopping among the locals on Jalan Malioboro, a two-kilometre strip of retailmania, where you’ll find scores of stalls, shops, markets and malls.
Yogyakarta Hotels
Our round-up of the hippest hideaways and romantic boutique hotels in Yogyakarta
- Losari Spa Retreat & Coffee Plantation
- Amanjiwo
Style : Red hot coffee plot
Setting : Volcano-ringed plantation fields
Abandoned long ago in the Central Javan forest, Losari Spa Retreat & Coffee Plantation has now been restored and rejuvenated into a working coffee plantation, complete with luxury colonial villas and the only hammam spa in Java.
Rate : Doubles srarting from USD 280
Style : Stately pleasure dome
Setting : Forests ancient as the hills
Offering some of the most drop-dead incredible mountain views in Indonesia, Amanjiwo is a palatial limestone-built escape: a Central Java boutique resort that blends understated luxury with striking architectural grandeur.
Rate : Doubles starting from USD 650
Yogyakarta Activities
Highlights the best Yogyakarta has to offer, from art and culture to fun-packed activities; we’ve even found the most inspiring place to enjoy the views from.
- Viewpoint
- Arts and culture
- Something for nothing
- Shopping
- Ardiyanto Batik Gallery, for batik cloth and other home furnishings, located on Jl. Magelang Km 5.8 (+62 274-562777).
- The Palatial Showroom, doubles as a gallery, and is filled with antiques and paintings.
- MD Silver (+62 (0)274 375063) is the oldest silver workshop in Kotagede.
- Tarjiman Stone Carving, Tangkilan, Magelang (+62 293-782242) produces special orders for Buddhist monasteries
- Java Madura, Jl. Monumen Jogja Kembali (+62 (0)81 746 4720) is a good source for antique and reproduction furniture.
- Daytripper
- Activities
- Kotagede, a silver-artisan quarter and former commercial hub, Studio 76 on Jl Purbayan (+62 274-714-7676) organises jewellery-making classes with professional instructors.
- Yogya Go Kart (+62 274-522484), If you’re feeling extremely saturated, blow off some steam at the first and only karting circuit in Central Java, open on Friday afternoons and weekends.
- Merapi Golf (www.merapigolf.com) offers a scenic round at an 800m elevation next to fiery Mount Merapi.
By far the best views of Yogyakarta and its surroundings (including Indonesia’s most active volcano, Mount Merapi) are to be had from the top of Borobudur’s main stupa. We recommend going early in the morning for a sunrise experience before the hordes of tourists arrive.
The 200-year-old Sultan’s Palace complex, the Kraton, was revered as both capital of the ancient kingdom and heart of the cosmos. In the 20th-century, the inner walls underwent a major revamp, resulting in a unique design combining traditional Javanese with modern European. The palace is a centre for gamelan music, dance and puppetry, with wayang kulit (shadow theatre) performed throughout the night on the second Saturday of every month at Sasana Hinggil in Alun-alun Selatan. The Sono-Budoyo museum at Jl. Trikora No,2 also has performances Sunday to Friday, 11am-1pm.
Visitors to the Kraton can watch classical Javanese dance performance, 11am daily. Many art galleries in Yogyakarta hold free exhibitions: try the French Cultural Centre (+62 (0)274 371105), Kedai Kebun Forum’s Gallery (+62 (0)274 376114) or Cemeti Art House (+62 (0)274 372105). Outside the city, Prambanan temple is stupendous, and costs nothing to visit.
Borobudur Temple, Built during the ninth century (some 300 years before Angkor Wat), Borobudur is a Buddhist shrine some 40km northwest of Yogyakarta, built with more than a million stone blocks, and 500 stone Buddhas. It was probably abandoned when Buddhism gave way to Islam during the 14th century, and subsequently became buried beneath layer on layer of volcanic ash from Mount Merapi. The fabled temple was rediscovered in the 19th century and, archaeological looting notwithstanding, Borobudur has been restored and listed as a Unesco world heritage site.
Cafés and Restaurants
We’ve tracked down some of the best cafes for people-watching and the most accomplished restaurants and liveliest local nightlife in Yogyakarta.
- ViaVia Cafe
- Dixie Easy Dining
- Gajah Wong
- Gabah Resto
- Sekar Kedaton
- Jimbaran Restaurant
A series of worldwide cafes originating in Belgium, ViaVia Cafe is an unpretentious place for travellers to relax and swap stories, and has a good vegetarian selection. Spacious, with cane chairs and games, the cafe has a youthful atmosphere and also hosts events and exhibitions.
Address : Jl.Prawirotaman No. 30 Yogyakarta INDONESIA
Telephone : : +62 274-372874, Fax : +62 274-372874
A reasonably priced modern restaurant whipping up Indonesian and Western favourites, Dixie doubles as a coffee bar that also serves smoothies and icy drinks.
Address : Jl. Affandi (Gejayan) No.40 B Yogyakarta 55281.
Telephone : +62 274-560746, 560745. Fax. +62 274-564389.
E-mail : info@dixiejogja.com
One of Yogyakarta’s most famous eateries, Gajah Wong is an excellent outdoor restaurant where guests can sit in one of three differently themed areas, naming Javanese, traditional and colonial with corresponding music: there’s gamelan in the Javanese zone, and Jazz in the colonial one. The menu features Chinese and European dishes, as well as Indonesian specialities.
Address : Jalan Gejayan No.79, Condongcatur. Yogyakarta – Indonesia.
Telephone : +62 274-588294. Fax: +62 274-4362089
Popular with the Jogja expat crowd, Gabah serves Western cuisine in a rambling colonial house near Gadjah Mada University.
Address : Jl. Dewi Sartika No. 11 A Yogyakarta INDONESIA 55223
Telephone : +62 274-515626, Fax: +62 274-515626
A three-level restaurant decorated in traditional Javanese and colonial style, serving the classic Dutch rijstaffel and other Javanese dishes on the first floor; the second floor is a lounge and wine bar; on the third, fruit and tea are served in a Javanese-style room.
Address : Jl. Tegalgendu No 28, Kotagede Yogyakarta
Telephone : +62 274 386868, Fax: +62 274-386005
A swanky place for seafood, eaten to the accompaniment of gamelan music in an open-air layout modelled on a Sultan’s palace. Also popular choice with visitors to the Ramayana Ballet at Purawisata.
Address : Jl. Ireda, Komplek Purawisata Yogyakarta INDONESIA 55152
Telephone : +62 274-375705, Fax: +62 274-417619
