Semarang
This large provincial museum houses an interesting collection of antiquities, crafts including batik and wayang puppets, and assorted fossils and curios…
Must-see attractions in Central Java
Yogyakarta
The 16th-century founder of the Mataram kingdom, Panembahan Senopati, is buried in the small graveyard of an old mosque located in the suburb of Kota Gede…
Yogyakarta
Yogya’s main market is a lively and fascinating place to visit. Batik, catering for tourist tastes and mostly of the inexpensive batik cap (stamped batik)…
Semarang
While Jl Pemuda, Semarang's premier boulevard in Dutch times, remains an important artery and shopping street, Simpang Lima is the sociable hub of modern…
Semarang
This factory, near the bus terminal, is one of two outlets in Semarang that produces jamu, a herbal medicine that has been highly sought-after for…
Central Java
Kawah Sileri, 2km off the main road and 6km from Dieng village, is a smoking crater with a hot lake that makes a fascinating sight from the hill above…
Yogyakarta
This fun, bohemian space is a key haunt for Yogya's arts community. The gallery curates mixed-media exhibitions and hosts pop-up shops, film screenings…
Yogyakarta
Yogyakarta's premier contemporary art gallery is located within a brutalist concrete block that was built as an art faculty back in the 1950s. Today it…
Central Java
Proudly sitting atop its own processional staircase, Candi Bima is unique in Java, with kudu (sculpted heads) peering from each alcove of this elaborately…
Central Java
Part of the nearby Arjuna Complex, Candi Gatutkaca is a small Shiva temple (a yoni was found inside) with a square base.
Semarang
Jamu Jago, 6km south of the city on the Ambarawa road, is a large manufacturer of the herbal medicine for which Semarang is famous. The outlet offers…
Semarang
This brightly painted temple, with its elaborate tiled roofs decorated with dragons, dates back to 1746 and remains an active place of worship. Two…
Central Java
This character-filled fish and produce market is housed in some old Dutch godowns (warehouses) on a bridge close to the sea. The main attraction is really…
Yogyakarta
Located about 3km southwest of the kraton, this elegant space hosts contemporary exhibitions and includes an attractive cafe where local artists gather…
Semarang
In the middle of the old quarter, this wonderful art gallery occupies an old Dutch warehouse and is dedicated to Indonesian contemporary art. Some of the…
Yogyakarta
The old Dutch fort, with its impressive moat, is a popular destination for school outings, as it communicates Indonesia's recent history through engaging…
Central Java
The hilltop mausoleum of former president Suharto occupies a commanding position, 34km southeast of Solo. Suharto planned this monument well in advance of…
Central Java
This volcanic crater with steaming vents and bubbling mud ponds is a major local tourist attraction, marked by rows of warung food stalls and…
Central Java
Close to the ferry port, this is Jepara's most popular beach. With funfair rides, souvenir stalls, tethered goats, shell shops and mosques, it's a good…
Yogyakarta
Due to a schism in the ruling royal family, there is a small portion of the kraton, overlooking the northern alun-alun, that is walled off from the main…
Central Java
Jepara has some fine white-sand beaches, including Pantai Bandengan, 7km northeast of town. It's one of the best beaches on the north coast – an arc of…
Central Java
The mosque and tomb of Ratu Kali Nyamat, the great warrior-queen, are in Mantingan, 4km south of Jepara. Kali Nyamat twice laid siege to Portugal’s Melaka…
Central Java
This museum displays an array of Hindu statues and cultural artifacts in two buildings. It is perhaps of only passing interest but there are a few gems,…
Central Java
Around 65km from the city, this beach is pounded by a less frenetic sea than at other points along the coast south of Yogya. There's not much to do here…
Central Java
Nine kilometres from Dieng village is the pleasant 1.5km trail through fields to Kawah Candradimuka. A spur of the trail branches off to two lakes: Telaga…
Central Java
South of the geothermal station, the paved road leads to Sembungan, which, at 2300m, is said to be the highest village in Java. Potato farming has made…
Borobudur
This museum, dedicated to the importance of the ocean and sea trade in Indonesia, houses an 18m wooden outrigger, a replica of a boat depicted on a stone…
Central Java
Over the last 50 years, the stonework of this once-substantial fort has been pillaged, but the site has good views across town to the Java Sea. The small…
Yogyakarta
In the northwest of the city, this museum honours the Indonesian hero, Prince Pangeran Diponegoro, who was leader of the bloody but futile rebellion of…
Yogyakarta
This small museum includes a pendopo (large, open-sided pavilion) that can hold a full gamelan orchestra. One of the main attractions here is the pretty…
Yogyakarta
When it comes to street art, Yogya is one giant gallery with every wall covered in graffiti, stencils, murals and paste-ups. A good spot to see some of…
Semarang
Built in 1753, this elegant church is graced with a huge cupola and marks the centre of the old colonial quarter of Semarang. The interior sports a…
Yogyakarta
This wonderful old carriage house exhibits the opulent chariots of the sultan. The leather-upholstered and intricately painted carriages tell their own…
Central Java
The remains of this 9th-century Buddhist temple are 1.5km southeast of Prambaban. Around the temple’s base are carvings from the Jataka (episodes from the…
Solo
On the western side of the alun-alun, Mesjid Agung, featuring classical Javanese architecture, is the largest and most sacred mosque in Solo.
Semarang
Semarang harbour is worth a look to see the pinisi (schooners) and other traditional oceangoing vessels that dock at Tambak Lorok.
Semarang
Facing the Pasar Johar market, Semarang's Grand Mosque is the main, although obviously far from the only, focus of worship in the city.
Yogyakarta
This central, open-air mosque, built in a traditional Javanese architectural style, is the largest in the city.
Central Java
The restored Candi Dwarawati is on the northern outskirts of Dieng village.
Central Java
This lonely, shabby old compound has some exhibits on the history of kretek (clove cigarette) production, including some old photographs and machinery…
