There are over 60 articles on Discover Your Indonesia about Yogyakarta. It’s three years worth of content about the city. With so much information about the city on this site it would be easy to miss the best articles. So to solve this I thought I’d write a Discover Your Indonesia Yogyakarta Travel Guide.
Our Yogyakarta guide covers everything from where to stay, how to get around and the best places to eat in town. We’ve created some shortcuts below. Press them to go to the relevant section of the guide.
1 – Transport: Find Out More
2 – Hotels: Find Out More
3 – Attractions: Find Out More
4 – Restaurants: Find Out More
5 – Tours: Find Out More
Still with us? That’s great. We’ll start from the beginning (if you follow all of the links below I promise you’re going to be an expert on the city).
Yogyakarta Transport
Yogyakarta a population of 3.5 million people Yogyakarta is a large city. Built on a river basin the city sprawls out in every direction. It’s tentatively surrounded by the Yogyakarta ring road, which loops around the city. That makes the city difficult to get around.
As a budget travellers I’d recommend using a mix of public and private transport. The Trans Yogya bus system will get you to most parts of the city and there’s Grab (same just like Uber) and Gojek now operating in the city, which are reasonably cheap. For more information about what’s available read our guide to getting around Yogya.
If you want a set of wheels for yourself we’d recommend arranging a private car or renting a scooter. The standard car rental agreement is for 10 hours and includes a driver and gas. You can find out more about our service on our Yogya car rental page (there’s a range of vehicles available). Larger groups might need to arrange a Yogya bus rental, which is a service that we also provide.
Yogyakarta Hotels
There are two main tourism areas in Yogyakarta. One area is around Jalan Prawirotaman and the second is Jalan Malioboro. Personally I prefer Jalan Prawirotaman as there are a large number of bars and restaurants that you can visit in the area. There are hotel options for all budgets. You can find my recommendation for the best hotel to suit your budget below:
Luxury Hotel – The Phoenix Hotel
Mid Range Hotel – Greenhost Boutique Hotel
Budget Hotel – Kampoeng Djawa
You can find more accommodation ideas on where to stay in our guide to the best 5 Star Hotels in Yogya. We created a separate guide that covers the best hotels around Malioboro, which is the backpacking area as well. For hotels around Malioboro, which is the tourist heart of Yogya, you should check out this article. Lastly we wrote an article on the best hotels near Borobudur.
Yogyakarta Tourism Attractions
Yogyakarta has a lot of tourism attractions. There are so many things to do around the city that it’s easy to get overwhelmed when trying to plan your holiday. Of course most people come to Yogya to visit Borobudur Temple. The best way to visit the temples is the Sunrise Manohara Package. Find out what to expect and how to make a booking for Borobudur Manohara here. I would recommend in taking a cycling tour in Yogyakarta or in Borobudur area (we can help to arrange that for you). It is one of the best ways to see local daily activities. If you like being artsy during your holiday, go join a Batik Workshop.
Of course that’s not all you can do in Yogya. My two favourites are Goa Jomblang and Mount Merapi. Goa Jomblang is a natural cave located in Gunung Kidul Regency. The caves are quite incredible. You can read about them here and book a day tour to the caves through this link.
For some of the best views around Yogyakarta I highly recommend hiking Merapi Volcano. You can climb Merapi Volcano for sunrise and it offers beautiful views over the surrounding countryside. Getting further afield you can also do day tours to Dieng, which are in the highlands a few hours drive from the city.
Yogyakarta Restaurants
Yogyakarta has a great restaurant scene and the food here is very cheap (so cheap that I used to eat out every day). I used to live in the South of the city, the area has some of the best restaurants in town. If you’re looking for inspiration on where to eat I’d recommend reading the guide to the best restaurants in the South of Yogyakarta.
Yogyakarta Travel Itineraries
To help you plan your Yogyakarta holiday,we’ve created a selection of travel itineraries for you to use. The different itineraries cover the best Yogyakarta tourism attractions (an essential part of any Yogyakarta Travel Guide). We’ve got 9 different one day tours and eight custom travel plans ranging from 2-Day 1-Night through to 5-Day 4-Night.
Make sure to check the individual itineraries to double check what is and is not included in the cost of the tour. We are happy to offer assistance adapting any itinerary to fit your needs.
Final Thoughts
I hope that you found this Yogyakarta Travel Guide useful. I’ve tried to cover all of the essential information that you might need for your Yogyakarta holiday in one place. As you can see, with over 60 articles on Discover Your Indonesia there are plenty of helpful resources on the site you can access when planning your holiday.
What do you think of this Yogyakarta Travel Guide? Is there anything that I’ve missed that should be included on this list? Let me know in the comments below.
What a great resource. Thanks.
Nice tips. Thanks for sharing!
i like Yogyakarta
Hi Adam,
Yes, it is a lovely city 🙂
I like yogya.
Hm whats favorite food in yogya?
Gudeg is probably the most famous local dish. Should give it a try when you are in Yogya 🙂
Wah, foto Diengnya bagus tuh yang di Batu Pandang masih ada kabutnya 🙂
There is no doubt that Yogyakarta is one of the best city in Indonesia for travelers ^_^
Always remember malioboro with “lesehan”nya..
Jogja Jogja, Jogja istimewa. Travel guide yang istimewa 🙂
may one day i can to visit jogja
Hope so to Rojak
some time i think Jogja is never ending asia..
because i was there for 2 years
It’s a great city. One of my favourites in Indonesia.
amzing, jogja is very beautiful city…
It’s a lovely place to explore. I agree Aznit 🙂
Jadi inget bule yang pernah ditemui di borobudur
“Jogjakarta Bagus”
I really love Yogyakarta, especially in Gunungkidul Region. so many hidden beautiful beaches.
Yes it is. I need to go back and explore more of Gunung Kidul.
Which puppet show theatre would you recommend? We are here for another three nights and would love to see one. Thanks!
Hi Dan,
Can try the puppet show at Sonobudoyo Museum. It is available every night at (perhaps) 8 PM. Hope you are having a great time in Yogyakarta.
tempat yang selalu dirindukan hiks……
Memang selalu bikin kangen dan ada terus alasan untuk main ke Yogya (lagi).
Hi Firsta! I can across ur ideas for Yogyakarta and luved them. I’m wondering if u can share your thoughts on other parts of Indonesia. I am planning on going next year and will travel alone. This was on my bucket list and I turn 60. I’ve picked out a few places then crossed then off as they don’t have rates for single tourist so they charge you for 2 ?
I plan on 30 days and want to also do Borneo, Ubud (spa retreat ), Komodo/rinca, Flores and finally Bali. Any suggestions??? Probably will have to hire a private driver as many people are telling and I definitely don’t want to drive. Let me know your thoughts if you can. Any information will help as the Indonesia book from Lonely Planets is what too much information!
Thanking u in advance
Anne
Hi Anne,
I have sent you an email. Look forward to hearing back from you.
Hi Firsta,
My name is Susanna, I visited to Bali last year and I love this country since then ! People are very friendly & it is a awesome country for adventure but I am a bit hesitant to join a tour as the tour in Bali charge me also double price and I do have a limitation in my budget. Anyway, I had a good time. Next month, I planned to have a quick visit to Yogyakarta for around 3-4 days, would u recommend any rock climbing place for me? I also want to go Borobudur, Goa Jomblang. I want to do scuba diving, sea kayaking, stand up paddle boarding, kite surfing, zip lines & canoeing.
I believe you are honest person & have full of passion of traveling & your blog shown how much u love your country! I really admire that !! Thank you so much for your help.
Susanna
Hi Susanna, I have sent you an email.
Hi Firsta, I will be traveling solo to Yogyakarta from Denpasar in May 2017 for 7 days. I’m hoping you can help me figure out the best route / itinerary encompassing the following: Pramban, Borobudur, Goa Jomblang, Sunrise treks for Boromo and Ijen. Would you recommend ferry ride return to Bali via Ketapang Harbour to Gilimanuk? I appreciate your help.
Maria
Hi Maria,
You can do Yogyakarta (Prambanan, Borobudur, Jomblang cave) in 2 days. Bromo and Ijen in 3 days 2 nights. I never take public transport from East Java to Bali (by bus), but I did a road trip with motorbike and the ferry was fine.
Dear Firsta
This is Frida from China and I am a TV industry professional. My team are thinking to go to Yogya to flim several episodes for our travel TV programme. I am doing research of the fancy spots we may shoot now and your blog do me a huge favour. Thanks for that.
And may I ask you something about Yogya to fulfill my understanding to your countriy, please. It’s about Kris,one of the traditions of Indonesian but become less popular in the modern time. It’s said the real way of making Kris could be seen in Bantul village in Yogya. Does the village teem with the Kris makers and is it easy for us to find one.
Another thing is Taring Padi which is also in Bantul. I wonder what’s that kind of art about. Is it popular in Indonesia now?
Could you tell me more about those important culture from the angle of a local citizen so that i could get a better general idea of it.
Hi Frida,
I am not sure about Keris maker village in Bantul. I can try to ask one of my friends, if I get any info, I’ll send you an email.
Taring Padi is a community of artist in Yogyakarta. Their arts usually contain political/social messages. Taring Padi always has a special place in the art communities in Indonesia.
Hi, Firsta, thanks for efficent reply and hope for more information from you about Kris. And we expect any interesting unordianry spots around Yorga becasue , you know, the tv or video viewers are picky to the shots on screen and we really wanna make something different to shock them. Keep in touch, if smooth, hope to see you there.
And I really appreciate if you have some other cool suggestions for us to shoot.
This is the link of the episode we shot before and I”m not sure if you could open it in Indonesia. http://www.iqiyi.com/v_19rra6q5c4.html
Best,
Frida
Hi Frida,
Have you read this article about things to do in Yogyakarta? A great start to learn on what you can do/some of cool stuff or activities in Yogyakarta.
The Keris’s maker village in Bantul is Mbanyu Sumurup, it is close to Imogiri Royal Tombs. If you need a car rental arrangement and a driver while you in Yogyakarta, we can help 🙂 check this page.
I am in Malawi, Africa at the moment and will not come back to Indonesia until August. Have a good day!
[…] you can visit. If you need more help arranging your trip to Yogyakarta I’d recommend reading this guide. There are pre-made itineraries, tips on where and what to eat, what to see and where to stay in […]
Is it possible to go by motorbike to the sights and have a guild give us the history and tours of the unesco sights
Dear Ally,
We are not arranging a tour with a motorbike, but it is possible to rent a motorbike (you can rent a motorbike through your hotel) and go there by yourself. You can easily hire a guide at each temple. Hope you have a great time in Indonesia.
ijin share ke Facebook ya Sist.
Makasiiih…
Hai Omar,
Boleh 🙂 Terima kasih.
hye Firsta,
This is rava from india and i want to explore jogyakarta and i will be reaching there on 17.10.18 and will stay 3 days and want to try some local delicious food and explore some beautiful place
so can u tell me some place of beautiful place in jogykarta.
Thanks
Rava
Dear Rava,
I think you can find all the answers on my blog 🙂 I’ve plenty of articles about Yogyakarta. The highlights of Yogya that you shouldn’t miss (according to me) are: Borobudur, Prambanan, the Royal Palace area.
Food that you should try: Gudeg, Mie Jawa (noodle) and Bakpia. Hope you have a great time in Yogyakarta.
Greats!, jogja is very beautiful city..!
It is indeed.
Hi Firsta,
You really have a nice blog, which is very helpful.
I am traveling to Indonesia in August, 2019 with my family. We are planning take a train from Yogyakarta to Surabaya for Bromo Area.
I’ve been trying to book the train , but couldn’t do it.
Could you please help me on this or recommend any agent who can help us on this?
Thank you,
Arund
Dear Arund,
Apologies for the late reply. May I know what is the problem? Are you trying to book through Traveloka or Tiket. com?
I don’t have any recommendation for an agent, but we can help you to book the train tickets if you are booking the Bromo trip with us.
Please contact us through email: info@discoveryourindonesia. com.