Where to stay in Yogyakarta

Yogyakarta is the capital city of the Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by a monarchy, Yogyakarta is regarded as an important centre for classical Javanese fine arts and culture such as ballet, batik textiles, drama, literature, music, poetry, silversmithing, visual arts, and wayang puppetry.

Yogyakarta is a bustling town of some 375,000 people (2020) and the most popular tourist destination on Java, largely thanks to its proximity to the temples of Borobudur and Prambanan. The city is a centre of art and education, offers some good shopping and has a wide range of tourist facilities. It is named after the city of Ayodhya in India, where Rama, an avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu is said to have had his capital, and whose rule is considered by Hindus to be the epitome of good governance and a moral society.

There are hundreds of hotels in Jogja. All the major international and national chains are represented — Accor, Sheraton, Hyatt, Melia — but there is much of local interest at all budget levels. Most of the budget accommodation is on Jl Sosrowijayan (adjacent to Jl Malioboro) and in the Jl Prawirotaman area, about 3 km to the south of the centre. Many backpackers find places to stay on the alleys around Gang Sosrowijayan, close to the Tugu train station and Jl Malioboro. Gang-3 is a red light area. The 'losmen' tariff is from Rp100,000 a day in low season and up to Rp250,000 a day for a losmen with facilities: aircon, en-suite bathroom and TV.

Getting around

Yogyakarta is a relatively small city, so travelling around town should not be too expensive. If you are travelling on foot, a street sign facing you at a corner indicates the name of the street you are entering, not the cross street. Medium and small buses are the main public transport in Yogyakarta. The TransJogja rapid transit system operates from 05:30 to 21:30 and stops only at designated shelters. They are air-conditioned and generally safe. Tickets can be bought at the kiosks, and the cost for a single trip is Rp3,600.

Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.