8 reasons to visit Yogyakarta

Yogyakarta, also called Jogja, is one of the most popular town on Java Island, particularly known for her traditional art and javanese cultural heritage.

Capital of Indonesia: Jakarta

Language: Indonesian

Religion: Islam (83%)

Currency: Indonesian Rupiah (1 $CAD = 11 000 IDR)

Time Zone: + 11 hours from Québec

From Jakarta to Yogyakarta (red dot), we took a plane for about 1h10 (~60 $US).

Here is my top 8 things to do in Yogyakarta in 3 days.

1. Watch the sunrise on top of Bukit Punthuk Setumbu

We left early in the morning to get to Kerahan, Karangrejo village with a shuttle bus that we had reserved the night before for about 20 dollars for two people. On top (400m), we found a spot to watch the incredible sunrise and the beautiful view from the hill.

2. Borobudur & Prambanam Temples

We reserved a tour guide through an agency next to our hotel to visit two of the many buddhist and hindouist temples in Yogyarkarta (~ 20$ CAD). They are located about 40 minutes from the centre of Yogyakarta and are both part of the UNESCO World Heritage. We did not go early enough to see the sunrise from Borobudur, since we had already watch a sunrise the day before at Bukit Setumbu, but I would recommend it if you have the time!

P.S.: These temples are full of locals and school groups, so you will quickly become one of the attraction on site for Indonesian children that will want to take selfies with you!

The Borobudur buddhist temple was built in the shape of a mandala, with a circle in the middle representing the universe, creating a space for prayer and meditation for the monks away from bad spirits. This incredible temple of the 9th century took 70 years to build, in 5 different steps and contains 504 representation of Buddha.

The Prambanan temple is a great representation of the indo-javanese art, constituted of high silhouettes forming an hymn to the India's gods. Finished in 856, this temple was unfortunately mostly destroyed by an earthquake during the 11th century. It is part of the biggest and prettiest Hindu sanctuary of Indonesia.

3. Street Food on Jalan Malioboro

The street restaurants where you sit on the ground on the main street will allow you to taste the javanese culinary specialties while discovering their unique language!

Here is a little food guide in Indonesian to help you choose what you want in your plate!

Chicken = Ayam, Fired = Goreng, Rice = Nasi, Noodles = Mi, Duck = Bebek, Eggs = Telur

4. Becak Ride on Jalan Malioboro

We then enjoyed a becak ride (taxi-bike that costs almost nothing) to visit the main street of Yogyakarta, of over a kilometer, to get to Kraton.

5. Kraton and its Royal Palace

Once in Kraton, we took a tour guide in a becak around the neighbourhood, and we stopped to visit local art workshops and the Taman Sari palace.

6. Taman Sari (Water Castle)

Next to Kraton is the Taman Sari, an ancient garden of sultans that served as a place to rest and meditate next to the royal palace. There are locals in the castle that will certainly take pleasure in explaining to you the history and meaning of this castle and help you visit it's every detail.

7. Batik Art

Local javanese craft industry is very particular and impressive! The locals will want to bring you in the workshops and show you how they create to hopefully make you buy some of their amazing work. It is really worth it to go see how the art is done to discover more of their culture, but they will obviously be disappointed if you don't buy anything from them...

8. Legian Garden Restaurant

If you are staying around Malioboro, this restaurant is on the second floor of a building with a view on Malioboro street and will definitely charm you with its garden ambiance and delicious typical food.

Hotels: We arrived in Yogyakarta at the beginning of May, when it was a national holiday in the country, therefore the hotels were already pretty full and the prices were higher. We ended up paying a little bit more for the first night at Grage Ramayana (110$ CAD/night). For the two other nights, we found an hotel for a little bit less in the same neighbourhood, the Summer Season (50$ CAD/night). I suggest you reserve in advance in this town to pay a lot less and not be in stressed about finding somewhere to sleep once you get there.

Tip: Yogyakarta is a town where there are fewer tourist than Bali for example, therefore the locals are not used to seeing non-veiled women or wearing less covering clothes, which I didn't really know before getting there. So I suggest you wear more covering clothes if you want to avoid weird looks and respect the Indonesian culture.

To add to your schedule: We didn't stay in Yogyakarta long enough to hike the Mount Merapi (30km north from Yogyakarta) which takes about 8 hours u and down, but be sure to add this activity to your schedule if you like adventure and breathtaking views!