Question:
What’s the other most recommended area in Indonesia that is worth visiting?
Answer:
The answer to this question is actually a lot! Indonesia is an archipelago country and Bali is only a small part of the whole nation. We’re not gonna lie, speaking of tourism and hospitality, Bali has the most established one compared to the other parts of the whole nation. But if you want to explore more parts of Indonesia, we recommend you to visit Java.
Before continuing to read this article, you might want to check How to Travel from Bali to Java in this article, click here!
Geographically, Java lies between Sumatra to the west and Bali to the east. It’s divided into four provinces and two special regions. The closest area to Bali is East Java with Surabaya as the capital city, then there’s Central Java with Semarang as the capital city, Special Region of Yogyakarta, West Java with Bandung as the capital city, Banten with Serang as the capital city, and last and the most important one, Jakarta the capital of Republic of Indonesia.
We’re not going to give you some geographic lecture here. Now let’s jump to the most recommended places in Java that are worth your time to visit after Bali. Let’s start with Yogyakarta on this first page!
Explore Yogyakarta
If you love the richness of culture that you find in Bali, then we recommend you visit Yogyakarta! This region is really special. It has amazing historical attractions, warm and vibrant culture, friendly people, and delicious street food. In fact, Yogyakarta is ruled by Yogyakarta Sultanate, the only official monarchy in the government of Indonesia! The Sultan is ruled as the governor of Yogyakarta. Now let’s stop with the technicality, and find out what place you should visit when you’re in Yogyakarta.
Taman Sari Water Castle
Taman Sari Water Castle is one of the iconic places to visit when you’re in Yogyakarta. It was a residence and also a playground for the Sultan and his family. This place has various pools (not suitable for a casual swim, obvi!) with traditional figures engraved in every stone in it. You don’t want to miss visiting the Sumur Gumuling, where there are 4 meeting staircases inside the area. It’s a perfect place to snap your Instagramable pictures!
Kraton Yogyakarta
Kraton Yogyakarta is the palace of Sultan Yogyakarta, we mentioned Yogyakarta is still a monarch region in Indonesia, right? Even though it still functions as a private residence for the sultan and his family, people can still visit several areas there.
You can explore the museum inside Sultan’s palace. It shows you so many pictures, a treasury collection, and the heritage of the Royal family. You can also visit the Batik Museum, where you can authentic and traditional patterns of batik from years ago. If you’re lucky, you can also see traditional performances like gamelan performances, storytelling, puppet shows, and many more. This special performance is different each day and only happens at a specific time, so you want to ask once you got there.
Visit Prambanan Temple
The Prambanan temple is the largest Hindu temple of ancient Java. The first building was completed in the mid-9th century. Since the reconstruction in the 90s, this temple has been reclaimed as an important religious center for Hindu rituals and ceremonies. Balinese and Javanese Hindu communities in Yogyakarta and Central Java revived their practices of annually performing their sacred ceremonies, such as Galungan, Tawur Kesangan, and Nyepi. It takes 40 minutes to drive from Kraton Yogyakarta to visit Prambanan Temple.
Yogyakarta also has other temples that are worth your time to visit, such as Kalasan Temple, Plaosan Temple, Sari Temple, Ijo Temple, Sewu Temple, and Barong Temple. The good news is these temples are located not really far from the site of Prambanan Temple, so you can visit a couple of places at once!
Malioboro Market
Do you want to feel the vibes of night scenes in Yogyakarta? Try to visit Malioboro Street at night! Nope. Don’t try to imagine a hardcore party like in Bali here. Malioboro is a street in Yogyakarta where you can find food and art. It serves as a public space that is rich in cultural activities, and economic and social interaction. You can find cheap batik (even cheaper than any market in Bali!), souvenirs, and various street foods.
Across the road, you can find the Vredenburg Fort, a Dutch barracks in colonialized times that now turn into a center for arts and painting exhibitions. You can also check the Beringharjo market, the main market for Yogyakarta. If that’s not enough we suggest you visit the Garuda Hotel, the oldest hotel in Yogyakarta. It was built in Dutch colonial times with the old architectural landscape is still intact.
Culinary Hunt
Yogyakarta is also famous for its great food. With a large international community and great local recipes, the city offers plenty of culinary options for visitors. We recommend you try the traditional food of Yogyakarta, such as Gudeg and Satay Klatak. Gudeg is made from young unripe jack fruit stewed for several hours with palm sugar and coconut milk. It’s commonly served with rice, egg, and chicken. If you’re a vegetarian you can always ask to be served only with rice and gudeg, since already a vegetarian type of menu.
On other hand, Satay Klatak is a traditional dish made of goat or lamb meat. This menu is usually served with coconut milk soup. People usually enjoy this menu with Kopi Joss (Joss Coffee). Coffee Joss is traditional coffee in Yogyakarta and it’s served with hot charcoal. Hot charcoal is put into steeping black coffee and sugar and then served. You can find various sellers of Gudeg, Satay Klathak, and Coffee Joss all over Yogyakarta. But the best spot to enjoy it is in the Tugu monument, where young local people usually gather at night. What a unique way to expand your knowledge of culture through the goodness of the dish, right?