Things to do · Yogyakarta · Indonesia
16 best things to do in Yogyakarta
16 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Christopher Michel, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
The essential sights in Yogyakarta are Borobudur, Prambanan and Kraton (Sultan's Palace). Of the 16 picks below, 4 are free, 4 work on a rainy day and 5 suit children. Allow about 4 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Borobudur
- Free sights
- 4
- Good on a rainy day
- Sonobudoyo Museum
- Time to see the highlights
- 4 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Borobudur | Magelang (40 km northwest) | Half a day including travel | Mid-priced |
| Prambanan | Sleman (17 km east) | 2–3 hours | Mid-priced |
| Kraton (Sultan's Palace) | Kraton and Taman Sari | 1.5–2 hours | Low cost |
| Malioboro Street | Malioboro | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Ramayana Ballet at Prambanan | Sleman (17 km east) | 2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Taman Sari Water Castle | Kraton and Taman Sari | 1–1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Ratu Boko | Sleman (17 km east) | 1.5 hours | Mid-priced |
| Plaosan Temple | Sleman (17 km east) | 45 minutes | Low cost |
| Sonobudoyo Museum | Kraton and Taman Sari | 1–2 hours | Low cost |
| Kotagede | Kotagede | 2–3 hours | Free |
| Mount Merapi jeep tour | Jalan Kaliurang and north Jogja | 2–3 hours | Mid-priced |
| Fort Vredeburg Museum | Malioboro | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Beringharjo Market | Malioboro | 1 hour | Free |
| Alun-Alun Kidul | Kraton and Taman Sari | 1 hour | Free |
| Ullen Sentalu Museum | Jalan Kaliurang and north Jogja | 1.5 hours | Mid-priced |
| Batik workshop | Kraton and Taman Sari | 2–4 hours | Low cost |
The 16 best things to do
Religious site · Magelang (40 km northwest)
1.Borobudur
Built in the 8th and 9th centuries, Borobudur is the world's largest Buddhist monument: nine stacked platforms with more than 2,600 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues, crowned by a central stupa. The surrounding park looks out to the volcanoes Merapi and Merbabu.
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
- Book ahead
- Access to the upper terraces is limited by a daily quota with timed tickets; book online well ahead in peak season.
- Iconic
- History
- Architecture
- Views
- Photo spot
Religious site · Sleman (17 km east)
2.Prambanan
Indonesia's largest Hindu temple compound dates from the 9th century; its central Shiva temple rises about 47 metres, flanked by temples to Brahma and Vishnu, with Ramayana reliefs carved around the galleries. The same park includes the Buddhist Sewu temple complex.
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
3.Kraton (Sultan's Palace)
Built in the 1750s, the Kraton is the working palace of the Sultan of Yogyakarta, a complex of open pavilions, courtyards and museums of royal heirlooms, gamelan sets and photographs. Palace retainers in traditional dress still serve here, and short gamelan, dance or puppet performances are held on many mornings.
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
Street · Malioboro
4.Malioboro Street
Yogyakarta's main street runs from Tugu station towards the Kraton, lined with batik and souvenir shops, Beringharjo Market and Fort Vredeburg. Its wide pedestrian pavements fill with street musicians, becak rickshaws and food stalls in the evenings.
Walk it in the evening, when it is cooler and the street-food stalls set up, and politely ignore anyone offering to take you to a 'batik exhibition'.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Shopping
- After dark
- Food
Experience · Sleman (17 km east)
5.Ramayana Ballet at Prambanan
Dozens of dancers and a full gamelan orchestra perform the Ramayana epic without dialogue, using classical Javanese dance. In the dry season it is staged on an open-air stage with the floodlit Prambanan temples as a backdrop; otherwise it moves to an indoor theatre.
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
- Book ahead
- Shows can sell out in July and August; reserve seats a few days ahead.
- After dark
- Art
- Couples
- Iconic
Historic site · Kraton and Taman Sari
6.Taman Sari Water Castle
The 18th-century royal pleasure garden has restored bathing pools surrounded by ornate gateways, plus tunnels leading to Sumur Gumuling, a circular underground mosque with crossing staircases. Around it, the Kampung Taman lanes hold batik workshops and murals.
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)
7.Ratu Boko
The ruins of a hilltop palace complex from the 8th century include a monumental gateway, bathing pools and terraces on a plateau overlooking Prambanan and, on clear evenings, Mount Merapi. It is a popular sunset spot.
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
Religious site · Sleman (17 km east)
8.Plaosan Temple
A pair of 9th-century Buddhist temples a short drive from Prambanan, surrounded by rows of small shrines and rice fields. Fine reliefs of male and female figures decorate the interiors, and the site is usually quiet.
Visit at sunrise for mist over the fields and the temples to yourself.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Off the beaten path
- History
- Photo spot
- Architecture
Museum · Kraton and Taman Sari
1.Sonobudoyo Museum
On the north square opposite the Kraton, this museum displays Javanese and Balinese art, masks, krises, gamelan and shadow puppets, and stages wayang kulit shadow puppet performances in the evenings.
Check whether the evening wayang kulit performance is on; a short version is staged for visitors.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
- After dark
Neighbourhood · Kotagede
2.Kotagede
The former Mataram capital has walled lanes of old Javanese houses, the royal cemetery of Mataram's founding kings, where visitors wear borrowed Javanese dress, and the Kotagede Great Mosque. Jalan Kemasan's silver workshops let you watch filigree work.
Visit the silver workshops on a weekday morning, when artisans are at work.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- History
- Free
- Shopping
- Off the beaten path
Nature · Jalan Kaliurang and north Jogja
3.Mount Merapi jeep tour
Open-top jeep tours from Kaliurang drive along lava riverbeds on Merapi's slopes to villages buried in the 2010 eruption, including a small museum of melted household objects, and to viewpoints of the summit when clouds allow.
Go at sunrise for the best chance of a clear summit; access depends on the volcano's alert level, so follow official guidance.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Active
- Outdoors
- Nature
- Views
- Kids
Museum · Malioboro
4.Fort Vredeburg Museum
A Dutch colonial fort from the 18th century at the southern end of Malioboro, now a museum with dioramas of Indonesia's independence struggle in its old barracks around a grassy courtyard.
Combine it with Beringharjo Market across the road and the Kraton a short walk south.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
- Kids
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Market · Malioboro
5.Beringharjo Market
Yogyakarta's main traditional market sells batik by the metre and as clothing on the ground floor, with spices, herbs, jamu ingredients and snacks deeper inside and upstairs.
Compare batik prices across several stalls, and look for hand-drawn batik tulis, which costs more than printed fabric.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Shopping
- Food
- Free
Landmark · Kraton and Taman Sari
6.Alun-Alun Kidul
The southern palace square comes alive at night with LED-lit pedal cars, food stalls and the masangin tradition of walking blindfolded between two sacred banyan trees, said to bring good luck to those who pass between them.
Try masangin yourself; blindfolds are rented at the edge of the square for a small fee.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- After dark
- Kids
- Free
- Food
Museum · Jalan Kaliurang and north Jogja
7.Ullen Sentalu Museum
Set in gardens on Merapi's cool lower slopes, this private museum tells the story of the Javanese royal courts through portraits, batik and letters, on guided tours through underground galleries and garden pavilions.
Combine it with a Merapi jeep tour in Kaliurang; photography is not allowed inside the galleries.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Art
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
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Experience · Kraton and Taman Sari
8.Batik workshop
Workshops around Taman Sari and Prawirotaman teach the wax-resist batik technique using a canting pen, dyeing and boiling off the wax, so you leave with your own small piece of cloth.
Choose a half-day class, as the dyeing and drying take time, and ask to see hand-drawn batik tulis being made.
- Time needed
- 2–4 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- Rainy day
- Kids
- Couples
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Kraton (Sultan's Palace), Ramayana Ballet at Prambanan, Sonobudoyo Museum and Fort Vredeburg Museum |
| History | Borobudur, Prambanan, Kraton (Sultan's Palace) and Taman Sari Water Castle |
| Views | Borobudur, Ratu Boko and Mount Merapi jeep tour |
| Outdoors and nature | Mount Merapi jeep tour |
| Food and markets | Malioboro Street, Beringharjo Market and Alun-Alun Kidul |
| After dark | Malioboro Street, Ramayana Ballet at Prambanan, Sonobudoyo Museum and Alun-Alun Kidul |
| With children | Taman Sari Water Castle, Mount Merapi jeep tour, Fort Vredeburg Museum and Alun-Alun Kidul |
| On a rainy day | Sonobudoyo Museum, Fort Vredeburg Museum, Ullen Sentalu Museum and Batik workshop |
What to book ahead
- Borobudur: Access to the upper terraces is limited by a daily quota with timed tickets; book online well ahead in peak season.
- Ramayana Ballet at Prambanan: Shows can sell out in July and August; reserve seats a few days ahead.
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Yogyakarta?
Borobudur. Built in the 8th and 9th centuries, Borobudur is the world's largest Buddhist monument: nine stacked platforms with more than 2,600 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues, crowned by a central stupa.
+What can you do for free in Yogyakarta?
Malioboro Street, Kotagede, Beringharjo Market and Alun-Alun Kidul. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Yogyakarta when it rains?
Head indoors to Sonobudoyo Museum, Fort Vredeburg Museum, Ullen Sentalu Museum and Batik workshop.
+What is there to do in Yogyakarta at night?
Malioboro Street, Ramayana Ballet at Prambanan, Sonobudoyo Museum and Alun-Alun Kidul are best after dark.