By rail
Yogyakarta Tugu, express trains from Jakarta, ~7–8 h
Southeast Asia · Indonesia
Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Borobudur, Prambanan and Javanese arts
Getting there
By air
Yogyakarta International (YIA), ~45 km from the city
Best time to visit
May to September — the dry season
Don't miss
Borobudur
Prambanan
The Kraton (Sultan's Palace)
Taman Sari water castle
Things to do
Sunrise over Borobudur
The Ramayana ballet at Prambanan
Batik workshops
Jomblang Cave
Where to eat
What to pack
Sun hat, modest clothing for temples, a torch for sunrise at Borobudur
A quieter corner
Ratu Boko at sunset, an old palace plateau above Prambanan
Questions travellers ask
Can I take the train to Yogyakarta from Jakarta?
Yes, express trains run from Jakarta to Yogyakarta Tugu in about 7 to 8 hours. By air, Yogyakarta International (YIA) is about 45 km from the city.
When should I visit Yogyakarta, and what should I pack?
May to September is the dry season. Pack a sun hat, modest clothing for temples and a torch for sunrise at Borobudur.
Which local dishes should I try in Yogyakarta?
Try gudeg, a young jackfruit stew, and the lesehan stalls along Malioboro Street at night.
Where can I watch the sunset near Prambanan?
At Ratu Boko, an old palace plateau above Prambanan. Prambanan is also where you can see the Ramayana ballet.
About Yogyakarta
- Inland
Where it is
Yogyakarta is a city in central Java, Indonesia, and the capital of the Special Region of Yogyakarta, set on a fertile plain between the active volcano Mount Merapi to the north and the Indian Ocean coast to the south.
History
The plains around Yogyakarta were the heart of the 9th-century kingdoms that built Borobudur and Prambanan. The present city was founded in 1755, when the Treaty of Giyanti divided the Mataram sultanate and Prince Mangkubumi became its first sultan and built the Kraton. It served as the capital of the Indonesian republic during the war of independence in the late 1940s, when the sultan backed the republican cause.
People
Yogyakarta's people are Javanese, speaking Javanese, with its levels of formal and informal speech, and Indonesian. The city is a centre of Javanese court culture, from gamelan and classical dance to wayang kulit shadow puppetry and hand-drawn batik, and its many universities have earned it the name of Indonesia's student city.
Known for
- Borobudur and Prambanan temples nearby
- The Kraton, the Sultan's palace
- Batik, and silverwork in Kotagede
- Gudeg, the slow-cooked jackfruit stew
- The Ramayana ballet and gamelan
Did you know?
Yogyakarta is the only province-level region of Indonesia still headed by a hereditary monarch: by law, the reigning sultan serves as its governor.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.