DAY 1 – Introducing Yogyakarta

1200-1500: Hotel Check-In; freshen up

15:00: Visit the Tugu, Jogja’s most famous landmark:

For some people the Tugu might look familiar, as there is a bigger version in Jakarta. It has quite some stories to tell with an age of almost 300 years. The legend goes, that when students graduate from any university in Yogyakarta, they will come over to hug the Tugu and being thankful for passing all exams and for future success in life and on work.

Price: FREE

Motor scooter rental: IDR 50.000 for 24 hours

Taxi: ca. IDR 25000 for 15 minutes

15:30: Visit the Vredeburg Fortress:

Leave the Tugu via Jalan Malioboro, the hub of Yogyakarta. Have a short glimpse of bicycle-rickshaw drivers, shops in various sizes, fast food chains next to Warungs (small local restaurants).

The Vredeburg Fortress was a former Dutch fortress, but serves now as museum. Learn about the Dutch colonization of Indonesia until 1949.

Entry fee: IDR 3000 per person (US$ 0.30)
Opening times: Tue-Thu: 08.30-13.30, Fri: 08.30-11.00, Sat&Sun: 08.30-12.00
Tel.: +62 274 586934 and +62 274 510996
Web: /
Address: Jalan Jenderal Ahmad Yani 6

17:30: See colonial Dutch architecture:

Now it is time to explore the surroundings by walking. Leave the Vredeburg Fortress and stroll around its neighbourhood; visit the nearby ‘Bank Indonesia’ or ‘POS Indonesia’ and see the colonial buildings which are in fantastic shape. On the opposite you can find lots of hawkers, selling silver jewellery at affordable prices.

Price: FREE

19:00: Indulge into Indonesia’s cuisine:

It’s time for an early dinner, since we have to leave early for Borobudur in the morning. Yogyakarta boasts all kinds of restaurants, from street food to splurge.

Recommendation: Start with Indonesia’s national dish, “Nasi Goreng” (fried rice), caution: It might be spicy! Tell the waiter: “Sedikit panas” (slightly spicy).

Price: start: IDR 10.000 (US$ 1) per meal

DAY 2: Borobudur Temple, Pawon & Mendut

04:00: Leave Yogyakarta in the early morning by a pre-booked bus or via private driver towards Borobudur, the single largest Buddhist structure on earth. Arrive right before sunset and climb up the top to see the sun rising.

Location: approx. 40km from Yogyakarta
Entry: IDR230.000, ca. US$ 20 per person
Transport: private car-with-driver rental recommended; Prices for full day (8-10 hours):
Web: www.borobudurpark.com

12:00: Only located 2 kilometres away from Borubudur, lays the Pawon Temple, the midpoint of the Three Buddha Temples. It is located right on the axis lines connecting Mendut and Borobudur.

Location: 1.75 km northeast of Borobudur
Entry: IDR 3300 per person for Mendut and Pawon Temple
Opening Hours: Mon-Sun from 07.00 – 18.00

13:30: Visit the third important Buddhist temple, the Mendut Temple. Different from Borobudur, which faces the rising sun, Mendut is faced westwards.

Location: 1.15 km to the southwest of Pawon
Entry: IDR 3300 per person for Mendut and Pawon Temple
Opening Hours: Mon-Sun from 07.00 – 18.00

16:00: Back to your hotel

DAY 3: Candi Prambanan Complex

09:00: Start your day by exploring Yogyakarta’s famous road Jalan Malioboro by trishaw, the tricycle-/ rickshaw combination.

You will find them all over. Don’t forget to haggle down the price you first get offered, it should cost not more than IDR 10.000-15.000 per ride.

12:00: Check out from your hotel in Yogyakarta and leave towards the impressive Prambanan temple complex. Check-in new hotel.

15:00: Start with yet another UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Hindu Temple of Prambanan, built in honor of Lord Shiva and explore its compound of more than 200 temples. See the very interesting similarities between the previous visited Buddhist temple Borobudur and the Hindu temple of Prambanan. Once finished exploring the grounds, book a ticket for the Prambanan ballet at night.

Location: about 17km south west of Yogyakarta
Entry: IDR 210.000 per person
Transport: Taxi: ca. IDR 50.000, around 20 minutes
Opening Hours: 06.00 to 18.00, ticket sell closes at 17:15.
Ballet at Prambanan: Tickets range between IDR 100.000 – 350.000, depending on seat location
Food: – Local food hawkers selling traditional Indonesian everywhere around the temple
– Abhayagiri Restaurant: Address: Dusun Sumberwatu, Sambirejo, Prambanan; Tel.: +62 446 9277 and +62 821 3453 5000
– Kali Opak Restaurant: Address: Bokoharjo village, Ngablak, Prambanan; Tel.: +62 274 652 2976

DAY 4: Candi Sewu Complex

09:00: Start the day by visiting Candi Bubrah a Buddhist temple now in ruins and Candi Lumbung (Javanese: “Rice Barn Temple”), a temple which dates back to the 9th century.

The main temple is surrounded by 16 smaller temples. Both temples are located just a few hundred meters away from Prambanan.

Then head over to Candi Sewu, located only 800m north of Prambanan and easily reached by walking. Candi Sewu means 1000 temples, but has in fact 253 buildings. It is the second largest Buddhist temple in Java, Borobudur being the largest.

13:30: Get energized! Have lunch at the ‘Abhayagiri Restaurant’ which offers casual dining with stunning views towards the Prabanan Temple and Mount Merapi.

Entry fee Candi Sewu, Bubrah, Lumbung: Included in Prambanan ticket.

*Note: No up to date information about whether Prambanan offers multiple day passes like Angkor in Cambodia does. The guests might purchase every day a new ticket or ask for information in advance at [email protected]
Opening times: Mon-Sun 06.00-17.30

Lunch: as per consumption

15:30: Take a short drive towards Banyunibo – The temple in the middle of the field. The complex consists of one main temple and six supplementary temples. Banyunibo is situated in Cepit Hamlet, Bokoharjo Village.

Entry fee: FREE

18:30: Back to your hotel

DAY 5: Candi Kalasan, Candi Sari and King Boko Palace:

09:00: Now it’s time to visit Candi Kalasan, also known as Tara Temple. Though not considered as the most famous temple around Yogyakarta, Borobudur, it is the oldest Buddhism heritage site in Yogyakarta.

The building also inspired Atisha, a Buddhist from India who once visited Borobudur and spread Buddhism to Tibet. Candi Kalasan is located approx. 2km from the Prambanan Temple and reachable by walking.

Opening times: Mon-Sun 06.00-18.00
Entry fees: IDR 2000 per person

11:30: Visit Candi Sari, an interesting temple from the 8th century, which also served as dormitory for Buddhist monks. It is only 130 metres northeast from Kalasan Temple.

Opening times: 09.00 to 17.00
Entry fees: IDR 2000

13:00: Lunch

15:00: King Boko Palace was a luxurious building which is now a large archaeological site located almost 200m above the sea level and covers almost 15 ha. Its distance to Prambanan is about 3km. You are further able to see and visit Candi Batu Putih and Candi Pembakaran and the Pendopo (audience hall), which also features a number of small temples / shrines in its surrounding.

Opening times:
Entry fees: IDR 150.000 per person, special package prices available
Web: www.borobudurpark.com and [email protected]

18:30: Back to your hotel

 DAY 6: Candi Plaosan

09:00: Check out from your hotel. (Option 1)

09:30-15:30: Today you will visit yet another impressive complex: Candi Plaosan. Located 1km north of Prambanan, the complex is divided into north -and south temple. Since both temples look very similar to each other, they are often called ‘twin temples’.

Candi Plaosan is surrounded by rice paddies, offering a picturesque landscape. It is made up of 116 stupas and 58 shrines. Take your time to discover the temple.

16:00: Back to Yogyakarta and hotel check-in (Option 1) or remain at the hotel near Prambanan until tomorrow (Option 2) >> This option is best if you would like to see/experience/buy anything from Yogyakarta.

19:30: Dinner in Prambanan (Opt.1) or time for a special cup of coffee in Yogyakarta (Opt.2)

Visit Angkringan Malioboro, next to the famous road Jalan Malioboro for a so called Kopi Jos. Sidewalks with carpets spread on are turned into coffee shops at night and you can see locals from all walks of life sipping coffee and eating Gorengan (tasty small fried snacks, e.g. fried tofu or banana). Tip: try Tape, a fermented rice drink!

Afterwards you can stroll on Jalan Malioboro for some last impressions and to buy souvenirs for family and loved ones.

Entry fee Plaosan: IDR 3000
Opening Hours: Mon-Sun 06.00-17.30
Prices Kopi Jus: Around IDR 25000 for 2 persons.

DAY 7: Candi Sambisari & transfer to airport

08:00: Check-out from your hotel >> if you are still in Prambanan, it would be best to check out by 07.30.

08:30: Before flying out of Yogyakarta, you will visit the Sambisari temple, located close to the airport. Actually a Hindu temple, it was buried about five meters underground and only accidentally discovered by a farmer in 1966. It took an impressive 21 years to reconstruct the temple piece by piece.

Entry fee: FREE
Opening Hours: Mon-Sun 09.00 – 16.00

10:00: Departure towards the airport

Recommended Hotels in Yogyakarta:

The Phoenix Hotel Yogyakarta –Mgallery Collection*****
www.mgallery.com
Jalan Jenderal Sudiman 9, 55233 Yogyakarta
Tel.: +62 274 566617; Fax: +62 274 566856; email: [email protected]

Jambuluwuk Malioboro Boutique Hotel****
www.jambuluwuk.co.id
Jalan Gajah Mada No 67, 55112 Yogyakarta
Tel.: +62 274 58 56 55; Fax: +62 274 58 56 15

Recommended Hotels near Prambanan:
Hotel Tentrem****, 1.2km from Prambanan
www.hoteltentrem.com
Jalan AM Sangaji No 72a, 55233 Yogyakarta
Tel.: +62 274 641 5555, Fax: +62 274 641 5588; email: [email protected]

Recommended Transport:

Driver + private vehicle:

ADAM Jogja Transport, standby at the airport
Tel.: +62 823 2389 7555, +62 858 7834 6106, +62 877 3936 5095
Example:
Toyota Avanza 1.3 M/T, 7 seater, 12 hours = IDR 325.000
Excluding: Fuel, entry fees
Fuel: IDR 6500 per litre

Motorbike:

Honda Vario or similar: IDR 50.000 per 24 hours
Note: There are many shops renting motorbikes, best to ask the concierge / front desk staff (who might put commission on top).

Article research and text: Kian

Photo selection via Creative Commons CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 – please contact us for amendments and attribution improvements.