My Yogyakarta Travel Guide will help you with transportation, accommodation, places to eat, places to go to, and activities you can do. I am sharing with you a 5-day itinerary from the time we embarked on a road trip from Jakarta.

Transportation

As a point of reference, our take-off is from Jakarta. You can go to Yogyakarta by plane, bus, train, or car. If you want the shortest travel time, you can take the plane, of course. It takes just a little over one hour to fly from Jakarta to Jogja. You can also choose to travel by bus. There are tourist buses, and there are local buses you can choose from. Tourist buses are faster as local buses will go through the normal route of local commuters. Train travel has three options: economy, business, and executive.

We opted for a road trip using our car. You can see the details of the road trip here: Jakarta to Yogyakarta Road Trip. It has all the details from our route, cost, and stopovers until the time we arrived in Yogyakarta.

Accommodation

My friend and I booked at Java Village Resort. The price is very affordable and we were thinking we will only stay during the night. True enough, we hardly stayed there so we didn’t use the facilities. We can also hear crying from other rooms, lol. You can also take into consideration the distance from the city center. The Java Village Resort is 20-25 minutes from the Jogja center.

If I may recommend it, you can check out ViaVia. It is a one-stop shop for your Yogyakarta experience and it has its own guesthouse.

Places to Eat

Gudeg is a traditional Javanese dish from Yogyakarta and Central Java. So, have a taste of this authentic Javanese dish while you are in Yogyakarta. There is a place in Jogja called Jalan Wijilan where the narrow street is lined up with tiny restaurants serving gudeg dishes.

Aside from gudeg, you can also treat yourself to royalty cuisine at Bela Raos. Bela Raos is a restaurant inside the Kraton, the sultanate palace of Yogyakarta. I had lunch here with my son and you can check out the video:

If you have children who crave Western food (we understand not everyone is adventurous with food), there are at least two restaurants we went to which I highly recommend. Roaster and Bear became our comfort restaurant. Our children ended up full and satisfied each time we ate here. It is also located in the middle of Jogja, very near to Tugu Jogya.

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We also had a feast at DeCeline. It is not just beautiful at night, we also ended the day with our stomachs full and content.

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Places to go to

There are two very important temples in Yogyakarta representing two different beliefs. So, while you are here, you should take the time to go to the Borobudur Temple and the Prambanan Temple. I don’t think I will ever be at ease if I left Yogyakarta without going to these two temples.

Malioboro is a very well-known street in the Jogja center known for its dynamic nightlife. I was surprised to see so many people out every night from the Tugu Jogja (Jogja Monument) all the way to Malioboro. As Yogyakarta is the center of education, there are many universities here. So, it is alive with young blood. Feel the vibe here plus you can do some Batik Tulis shopping and get yourself a Jogja Batik print.

Since Yogyakarta is the only place in Indonesia that has an existing royal family, take the time to go and explore Kraton, or the Sultanate Palace. It is good to get to know the history of the place you go to and have a feel of their cultural history as well. Here in Kraton, I noticed the senior citizens acting as tour guides. I personally think this is an excellent idea! That’s giving work to the senior citizens plus adding authenticity to their knowledge of the palace and its history.

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I may have my own biases when I went to the Heha Skyview, but its charm might work on you. Who can resist sunsets? And the Heha Skyview possesses the geographical advantage of a beautiful sunset. I may have been overwhelmed by the number of people when we visited. Or the idea that I needed to pay for every photo spot. Again, you might enjoy being here so you may choose not to mind my own biases.

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Things to Do

Aside from the sightseeing above under the places to go and the food that you have to eat, it is a must that you go and experience the Merapi Lava Tour Adventure! This is going to be a highlight of your trip. It is a very scenic experience.

And it just has the right amount of adrenaline for the young ones. You can check the itinerary of the Merapi Lava Tour in my website or you watch it on my YT channel: Merapi Volcano Jeep Adventure.

For a more calming experience, try the pottery at Klipoh Village. Klipoh Village is known for its pottery and is being promoted by the Yogyakarta government as part of its arts and culture program. I personally met Pak Markoni in his shop and my friend and I bought some to take home with us.

And the most therapeutic you can do is… shopping! My friend, Carmela and I enjoyed shopping Batik for our husbands… and ourselves, too. I have to admit, I grew more appreciation for Batik on this trip. I have great respect for the art of Batik Tulis or handmade Batik. Aside from shopping for clothes, I took time out to shop for Batik Wall Art. I went to this Batik Art Gallery located just outside the walls of Kraton and met with a Batik artist, Pak Hery. You can watch my visit here and hear for yourself how he gives much value to his art and culture.

There’s more you can do and more places you can go to, even more food you can eat but I hope this guide helps you a bit when you plan your trip to Yogyakarta.

All that is left for you to do is, enjoy!

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