Central Java · Indonesia
Where to stay in Surakarta
Surakarta is a city in Central Java, Indonesia, home to about 552,000 people.
- Nearest airport
- SOC9 km · Adisoemarmo International Airport
- Currency
- IDRrupiah
- Time zone
- Asia/Jakarta
- Language
- Indonesian
About
About Surakarta
Surakarta (Javanese: ꦯꦸꦫꦏꦂꦠ, Pegon: سوراكارتا), known colloquially as Solo (Javanese: ꦱꦭ, romanized: Sålå), is a major city in Central Java, Indonesia. The 46.72 km2 (18.04 sq mi) city adjoins Karanganyar Regency and Boyolali Regency to the north, Karanganyar Regency and Sukoharjo Regency to the east and west, and Sukoharjo Regency to the south.
Solo lies some 100 km south of Semarang and some 60 km east of Yogyakarta. As the 'twin' brother of Yogyakarta, this city looks much like the latter. But because Solo is not a provincial capital, this city has preserved much of its Javanese character. This also means that Solo is less touristy than Yogyakarta. The town is a centre of art and education and offers some good shopping. It is said to be the least westernised city in Central Java. The formal name for the city is Surakarta. Less formal but widely used is Solo. From time to time you may see it written as Sala.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Surakarta
See
- Northern alun-alun
- Keraton Kasunanan
- South Alun-alun
- Museum Keraton
- Puro Mangkunegaran
- House of Danar Hadi
- National Press Monument
- Radya Pustaka Museum
- Sangiran Early Man Site Museum
- Pabrik Gula Colomadu
- Fort Vastenburg
- Taman Monumen 45 Banjarsari
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Hotels in Surakarta
151 hotels within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata; the 40 best known are shown, by the number of Wikipedia editions that cover them. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| Lorin Solo Hotel | 1996 | 5.9 km |
| Novotel Solo Hotel | 1996 | 0.1 km |
| Sahid Jaya Solo Hotel | 1965 | 0.4 km |
| Adhiwangsa Hotel and Convention Hall | 3.5 km | |
| Alila Solo | 2015 | 3.5 km |
| Amarelo Hotel Solo | 0.8 km | |
| Amaris Hotel Sriwedari | 0.4 km | |
| Anugrah Hotel Syariah | 9.0 km | |
| ASTON Hotel Solo | 2.0 km | |
| Ayom Java Village Solo | 6.6 km | |
| Best Western Premier Solo Baru | 3.4 km | |
| Brothers Inn Solo Baru | 5.0 km | |
| Cakra Homestay Solo RedPartner RedDoorz | 1.1 km | |
| Chrome Hotel & Resort Solo | 6.7 km | |
| Collection O 90774 Homi Stay OYO Rooms | 1.0 km | |
| De Solo Boutique Hotel | 0.7 km | |
| Dinasty Smart Hotel | 1.8 km | |
| Djuragan Kamar Priority Inn | 0.4 km | |
| EXPRESS O 90929 Homestay Syariah Arjuna OYO Rooms | 3.9 km | |
| favehotel Manahan - Solo | 2011 | 2.8 km |
| Favehotel Solo Baru | 2012 | 4.7 km |
| Front One Boutique Brani Solo | 0.6 km | |
| Front One Hotel Airport Solo | 9.0 km | |
| Graha Adi Karya Syariah Kartasura RedPartner RedDoorz | 8.8 km | |
| Grand Amira Hotel Solo | 2.3 km | |
| Grand Mercure Solo Baru | 2014 | 3.4 km |
| Grand Orchid Solo | 0.1 km | |
| Grand Sae Hotel Solo | 2.5 km | |
| Griya Shinta Syariah Solo RedPartner RedDoorz | 3.0 km | |
| Harris Hotel & Conventions Solo | 2.0 km | |
| Horison Aziza Solo | 2.0 km | |
| Horison Aziza Solo | 2.0 km | |
| Hotel Asia Solo | 2.3 km | |
| Hotel Brothers Solo Baru | 4.8 km | |
| Hotel Dana | 1953 | 0.1 km |
| Hotel Grand HAP Solo | 1.5 km | |
| Hotel POSE IN Solo | 1.1 km | |
| Hotel Sahid Kusuma | 1976 | 2.6 km |
| Hotel Solo | 2007 | 2.6 km |
| Hotel ToSAN Solo Baru | 4.5 km |
All 151 hotels in Surakarta, with their history and operators
When to go
The best time to visit Surakarta
Surakarta has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. October is the warmest month, with average highs of 32 °C; February is the wettest, with about 367 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Surakarta: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Adisoemarmo International Airport (SOC), about 8.6 km from the city centre in a straight line; Adisutjipto International Airport (JOG, 49 km) and Jenderal Ahmad Yani Airport (SRG, 82 km) are also within reach.
Getting around
The city's main avenue, Jalan Slamet Riyadi has pavements (sidewalks) courtesy of Mayor Jokowi (who is now the president of Indonesia). On Sundays, it is closed to traffic between 06:00 and 09:00 for various leisure activities for the town's citizens. Many hotels, restaurants, shopping malls and tourist attractions are on this street. At the end of the street is the entrance to the alun-alun (palace square) and the royal palace complex. Because it is still quite small, travelling within Solo is relatively easy, but quickly getting frustratingly slow due to the weight of traffic.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
SOC · Adisoemarmo International Airport
JOG · Adisutjipto International Airport
SRG · Jenderal Ahmad Yani Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Surakarta
Eat
The food of Solo can be typified through the use of frying, coconut milk, and a mix of sweet and savory flavours. Some dishes may be plant-based (e.g. pecel) but being vegetarian cannot be guaranteed due to the widespread use of shrimp paste (terasi). The selection of meat available, and the preparation, will be based on halal precepts. Solo's culinary life is 24 hours, with some stalls only opening at 02:00 and being sold out by 05:00. Nasi Liwet, similar to "Nasi Uduk" from Jakarta or West Java, is rice cooked in coconut milk. Jl Keprabon is famous for it, particularly Bu Lemu.
Drink
Because of Islamic dietary laws, most eating places do not offer alcohol, and only few licensed hotels and restaurants will offer national and international brands of beer and wines. Solo's local alcohol is called ciu, a local adaptation of Chinese wine, made from rice. Drink it at your own risk. The folks of Solo love sweet drinks combining natural fruits with coconut water or coconut milk, and palm sugar. Dawet (known as cendol in West Java and Jakarta) adds little green jelly worms into the mix. Usually served with ice. Gempol plered is made from coconut milk with rice flour balls, with a sweet and slightly salty taste.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Surakarta: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Surakarta?
Surakarta has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. October is the warmest month, with average highs of 32 °C; February is the wettest, with about 367 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Surakarta?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Adisoemarmo International Airport (SOC), about 8.6 km from the city centre in a straight line; Adisutjipto International Airport (JOG, 49 km) and Jenderal Ahmad Yani Airport (SRG, 82 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Surakarta?
rupiah (IDR).
Nearby
Destinations near Surakarta
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.