Solo travel · Yogyakarta · Indonesia
Solo travel in Yogyakarta
How to enjoy Yogyakarta at your own pace.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
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Quick answer
Yogyakarta is one of Indonesia's easiest cities for solo travellers: friendly, affordable, compact and full of students, with plenty of group tours to the temples. Many solo travellers base themselves in Prawirotaman.
Key facts
- Base
- Prawirotaman
- Getting around
- Ride-hailing
- Emergency number
- 112 general emergency, 110 police, 119 ambulance
- Language
- Indonesian and Javanese
Solo travel tips
- Stay in Sosrowijayan or Prawirotaman for hostels and travel agents that run shared temple trips.
- Join a shared Borobudur sunrise or Merapi jeep tour to split costs and meet others.
- Use Grab or Gojek rather than negotiating with becak drivers if you want fixed prices.
- Politely decline invitations from friendly strangers to a 'last day' batik exhibition; it is a long-running sales trick.
- Angkringan stalls are relaxed places to eat alone and chat with locals.
Where to stay
$$ · Best for solo travellers, couples, food lovers and nightlife
Prawirotaman
South of the Kraton, Jalan Prawirotaman and its side streets have long been Yogyakarta's main traveller area, now with boutique hotels with pools, coffee shops, international restaurants and a few bars. It is a 10-minute ride to the Kraton and convenient for tour pickups to Borobudur and Prambanan.
- Good
- Good-value boutique hotels; Cafés and Western food options; Easy tour pickups
- Watch out
- Feels geared to visitors; Not walking distance to Malioboro
- Nearby
- Kraton, Alun-Alun Kidul, Taman Sari
Great on your own
Religious site · Magelang (40 km northwest)
Borobudur
Arrive as early as possible to see the temple in soft morning light, and combine it with the smaller Mendut and Pawon temples on the same road.
- Time needed
- Half a day including travel
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- History
- Architecture
- Views
- Photo spot
Religious site · Sleman (17 km east)
Prambanan
Visit in the late afternoon for warm light on the towers, then stay for the Ramayana Ballet next door.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- History
- Architecture
- Photo spot
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Palace · Kraton and Taman Sari
Kraton (Sultan's Palace)
Go in the morning to catch a performance and hire one of the official guides at the entrance to explain the symbolism.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- History
- Architecture
- Art
Experience · Sleman (17 km east)
Ramayana Ballet at Prambanan
Book open-air seats on the side facing the temples, and bring a light layer and insect repellent.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- After dark
- Art
- Couples
- Iconic
Historic site · Kraton and Taman Sari
Taman Sari Water Castle
Find your own way through the lanes to Sumur Gumuling rather than following touts, and go early before groups arrive.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Architecture
- Photo spot
- Couples
- Kids
Historic site · Sleman (17 km east)
Ratu Boko
Time your visit for late afternoon and watch the sunset from the gateway before heading to the Ramayana Ballet.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Views
- History
- Couples
- Photo spot
Meeting people
- Angkringan night — Sit on mats or benches at an angkringan cart near Tugu station, pick skewers to be grilled, eat nasi kucing and finish with a hissing glass of kopi joss.
- Gudeg breakfast — Gudeg is traditionally eaten early; join locals at a stall in Wijilan or a market for a sweet-and-spicy breakfast on banana leaf.
- Prawirotaman — Bars, cafés with live acoustic music and rooftop terraces popular with travellers.
- Malioboro and Tugu — Street musicians, lesehan food stalls and angkringan around Tugu station late into the night.
Sensible precautions
Yogyakarta is generally safe and relaxed, but watch for batik-gallery scams on Malioboro and pickpockets in crowds. Mount Merapi is an active volcano, so follow official alert levels and exclusion zones, and do not swim at Parangtritis or the southern beaches, where rip currents are strong.
- Emergency number
- 112 general emergency, 110 police, 119 ambulance
- Staying connected
- Prepaid SIM cards and eSIMs are easy to buy, and most hotels, cafés and many warung have free Wi-Fi.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Yogyakarta good for solo travellers?
Yogyakarta is one of Indonesia's easiest cities for solo travellers: friendly, affordable, compact and full of students, with plenty of group tours to the temples.
+Where should solo travellers stay in Yogyakarta?
Prawirotaman: Traveller street of cafés, bars, boutique hotels and pools.