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Next Stop: Yogyakarta 📍 15 Places a Local Sends Every Friend To
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items I live in Yogyakarta, and these are the 15 places I send every visiting friend to: the royal palace and old city first, then the great temples, beaches, caves, waterfalls and volcano just outside town. Each card says who it suits and one thing to kno...
Sections
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Royal Jogja & the Old City
Temples, Merapi, Caves & Beaches
Royal Jogja & the Old City
Start in the heart of town: the Sultan's palace, the old royal water garden, Malioboro and Beringharjo market for batik and souvenirs, a Javanese dinner at Raminten, and sunset over Prambanan from Tebing Breksi.
Not a museum of a lost kingdom: a Sultan still lives and rules here, in a palace dating to the 1750s. Go in the morning for the court performances.
Keraton Yogyakarta (Sultan's Palace)
The old royal bathing garden, where the Sultan's court once swam. Quiet, green and very photogenic. Walk the alleys behind it too.
Taman Sari Water Castle
If you only have one evening, spend it here. This street is half of Jogja's soul: souvenirs, street music and food stalls till late.
Malioboro Street
Where locals buy their batik too, so it's the real deal. Bargaining is expected; bring a local friend or guide for the best prices.
Beringharjo Market
Incense, flowers and Javanese decor everywhere, so dinner feels like a show. Order nasi kucing, the tiny rice packs of Jogja's street stalls.
The House of Raminten
An old limestone quarry turned into carved cliffs. Climb up at sunset for a view of Prambanan temple and Mount Merapi in one frame.
Tebing Breksi
Jogja before Jogja: the old Mataram capital, older than the palace, and still the city's silver town. Watch silversmiths at work and buy straight from the workshop.
Kotagede
Temples, Merapi, Caves & Beaches
Day trips just outside the city: Prambanan and Borobudur, a jeep ride across Merapi's old lava flows, cave tubing at Pindul, the light beam of Jomblang, a blue-white waterfall, surf at Wediombo and fresh seafood at Depok Beach.
For the adrenaline lovers: an open jeep over the hardened lava paths of an active volcano. The air is cool up there, but still bring sunscreen.
Merapi Lava Tour (Kaliurang)
Float through a cave on an inner tube along a calm underground river. Easy and fun even for first-timers; wear clothes that can get wet.
Goa Pindul Cave Tubing
You're lowered down a vertical shaft by rope to see a beam of light pour into the cave. Book a guided trip; all gear is provided.
Goa Jomblang (Light of Heaven)
When the city gets too busy, come here. The water has a unique white-and-blue gradient, and the forest is wonderfully quiet.
Kembang Soka Waterfall
No need to fly to Bali: Jogja's surfers ride the waves here. Non-surfers can swim in the natural rock pool at the edge of the bay.
Wediombo Beach
Seafood lovers, this is your stop: pick fresh South Sea catch at the market and have it cooked right there by the beach. Cheap and so good.
Depok Beach Seafood Market
Soaring 9th-century Hindu temples just east of the city. Stay for the Ramayana Ballet: open-air May to October, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday nights.
Prambanan Temple
The world's largest Buddhist temple, about 1 to 1.5 hours' drive away in Magelang. Buy the ticket that includes the climb; they hand you special upanat sandals to protect the stones.
Borobudur Temple