Yogyakarta Indonesia – Top-10 Tourist Attractions

If you plan to visit the serene city of Yogyakarta then you can spend your time exploring the centre of the city and checking out all the historic sites that it has to offer. Many people come to Yogyakarta to use it as a base to check out more famous attractions such as Borobudur Temple and Candi Prambanan, but if you want to stay local then you will be spoiled for choice as Yogyakarta has some of the best museums, galleries and workshops in the country. Here is out top-10 of tourist attractions in Yogyakarta.

1. Kraton Yogyakarta

Kraton Yogyakarta is one of the main tourist attractions in Yogyakarta and is made up of a main court as well as the residence of the royal family. In the Main Court you can check out a range of exhibits that tell the story of the Sultan here and the royal family and you can also see how they would have lived in the days of old. You can visit every day in the morning but the Kraton closes at 1 pm. There are often a range of musical performances here but make sure that you avoid the local guides if possible as they are known for taking you to a batik workshop on the premises and trying to get you to buy overpriced batik, so if you do decide to use a guide then make sure you make it clear in advance that you don’t want to buy anything.

2. Taman Sari

Also part of the official Kraton complex is Taman Sari which is also known as the Water Castle or Waterkasteel in Dutch. This is now a series of ruins but it would have been designed a set of bathing pools for the Sultan in 1765. You can check out where the different bathing pools would have sat in the days of old and you can also see the original entryway into this waster castle. Also less well known is the series of tunnels behind the water palace which you can also visit as part of a trip here.

3. Museum Affandi

Museum Affandi is located on Jalan Laksda Adisucipto and is dedicated to telling the story of Affandi who was one of the most famous painters in Indonesia. If you like art then make sure you head to this museum and take in the galleries which have a large collection of his worked in the impressionist and expressionist styles. You can also find memorabilia belonging to the artists here as well as some works by other family members.

4. Gembira Loka Zoo

If you want to see some animals on your trip to Yogyakarta then head to Gembira Loka Zoo which is around 20 minutes outside the city centre. Here you will find a huge array of animals from Indonesia such as orang utans as well as animals from other parts of the world. They also have reptiles such as fearsome Komodo Dragons and a large number of colourful birds. Note that you will need to bring insect repellent when you visit if you want to avoid being bitten.

5. Museum Batik

Yogyakarta is known for its batik textiles so with that in mind you can’t come here and not visit the Museum Batik which is also known as Wisma Batik and is located on Jalan Dr. Sutomo. This museum has a collection of different batik items from the 1880s onwards and you can see works by some of the most famous batik artists in Indonesian such as Lie Djing Kiem. There are also weavings on show here and you can also see batik and woven prints of famous Indonesians like former presidents Sukarno, Suharto and Megawati.

6. Monument Yogya Kembali

Monument Yogya Kembali means the ‘Monument of the Recapture of Yogyakarta’ in Indonesia but it is also referred to in the city simply as Monjali. The museum tells the story of the Indonesian Revolution and you can find some 10 dioramas which will fill you in on all the history. This takes you from the colonial period through to Indonesia’s declaration of independence in the 1940s and there is a memorial room here dedicated to all those who lost their lives in the struggle.

7. Pasar Pasty

One of the best known ‘attractions’ in Yogyakarta is called Pasar Pasty and this is the local bird market which is located in Prawirotaman. One thing to note here however is that the market showcases a huge number of species such as endangered owls and other birds and the cages that many of them are kept in are small and cramped. With that in mind, we would suggest giving this a miss even if you are encouraged to go there by local guides who will extol its virtues.

8. Fort Vredeburg

Fort Vrederburg is located on Jalan Jend. A. Yani and would have been a fort that was constructed in 1760 under Sri Sultan Hamengku. This is also known as Vredeburg Benteng in Indonesian and you can come here and see how the building would have been constructed and also check out some galleries that will tell you all about the Indonesian struggle for independence in the 1940s. To that end you will find a range of antiques here as well as photographs and paintings.

9. Sonobudoyo Museum

One of the nicest museums in Yogyakarta is the Sonobudoyo Museum which is sometimes also called the Sono-Budoyo Museum. This is the place to come if you want to check out several excellent galleries which are dedicated to Javanese art works. These will take you on a journey through the various art forms in Indonesia and there are displays of puppets as well as ornate face masks and textiles including batik.

10. Candi Sambisari

Many people come to Yogyakarta to check out the famous temples of Borobudur and Candi Prambanan although you should note that both of these are actually not located in Yogyakarta and are part of other cities such as Magelang. With that in mind, if you want to see a temple in Yogyakarta proper then you need to head to Candi Sambisari which is one of the prettiest temples in the area and is said to date from the 9th century. This is also an unusual temple as it is actually a sunken temple that is located around six meters below the surface of the ground. There is one main temple here as well as three smaller temples and you can also take in amazing Hindu statues here in the form of Ganesha, Agastya and Dewi Durga.

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One of the great things about Yogyakarta is that there is plenty to do in the city, even if you don’t have time, or just don’t want to venture out to some of the main attractions on the outskirts such as Borobudur and Candi Prambanan. With that in mind, there is plenty to keep you occupied and in particular Yogyakarta is known for its high concentration of museums and this is somewhat unusual in Indonesia so it is a good idea to make the most of it and learn more about the unique culture in this part of the country.