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…
Must-see attractions in Java
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…
Karimunjawa Islands
This beautiful beach is hemmed with palm trees and, beyond the lilac and emerald water, white horses charge across a coral reef. Small warungs serve basic…
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…
East Java
Looking more like an extravagant city gateway than a mosque, Sumenep’s 18th-century Mesjid Jamik is notable for its three-tiered Meru-style roof, Chinese…
East Java
Three hundred metres southeast of the turn-off to the Panataran Hindu temples, the Museum Panataran has an impressive collection of statuary from the…
East Java
At Sentul, 2km north of the town centre, former president Sukarno’s grave is marked by a massive black stone and an elaborate monument of columns and…
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…
Jakarta
Literally in the shadow of the rarefied upscale world of the Grand Indonesia and Plaza Indonesia malls, this kampung (traditional neighbourhood) is…
East Java
The turtle hatchery at Ngagelan is set in a protected, fenced-off plot behind the beach, where rangers who have collected the eggs keep them piled and…
Jakarta
A kilometre north of Taman Fatahillah, the old port of Sunda Kelapa still sees the magnificent Makassar schooners (pinisi). In some respects the dock…
West Java
The impressive bubbling yellow crater is just below the peak and clearly visible from the Garut valley on clear mornings. From the car park it is an easy…
West Java
In the northwestern corner of the botanical gardens, the summer palace of the president was formerly the opulent official residence of the Dutch governors…
West Java
This volcanic crater, 30km north of Bandung, has a flat, elongated summit that resembles an upturned boat (prahu). It's a huge attraction and certainly a…
East Java
Songgoriti, 3km west of Batu, has well-known hot springs and a small, ancient Hindu temple on the grounds of the Hotel Air Panas Songgoriti. The temple,…
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…
Bandung Institute of Technology
Bandung
Opened in 1920, the ITB was the first university open to Indonesians – Sukarno studied here, and it has a reputation for political activism. In 1998, in…
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…
Jakarta
The Kali Besar is an 18th-century canal built along the Ciliwung River, connecting the port to the old city of Batavia. It once thrived with commerce, and…
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…
Jakarta
Indonesia's independence was proclaimed on 17 August 1945 at the former home of Sukarno, which stood on the site of this large public square at Jl…
Surabaya
Originally the old city was divided along ethnic lines, with Europeans on the west side of the Kali Mas river and Chinese, Arabs and Javanese on the east…
West Java
The Batutulis is an inscribed stone dedicated to Sri Baduga Maharaja (1482–1521), a Pajajaran king credited with great mystical power. The stone is housed…
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,…
East Java
Occupied by the present bupati of Sumenep, the kraton and its pleasure garden were built in 1750 by Panembahan Sumolo, son of Queen Raden Ayu Tirtonegoro…
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…
Bandung
Around 7km north of the centre, Villa Isola is a landmark art deco building, a four-storey villa built by a Dutch media baron in the 1930s as a private…
Surabaya
Surabaya’s foremost stretch of renovated waterside real estate centres on the iron hulk that is Pasopati, a massive Russian submarine commissioned into…
Merdeka Square & Central Jakarta
Gedung Pancasila is an imposing neoclassical building built in 1830 as the Dutch army commander’s residence. It later became the meeting hall of the…
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…
Jakarta
Set in the centre of a fountain on one of central Jakarta's most prominent alun-aluns (public squares) is the Salamat Datang, or Welcome Monument. Built…
Jakarta
Dating from 1695, this is the oldest remaining church in Jakarta. Also known as Gereja Portugis (Portuguese Church), it was built just outside the old…
East Java
The tombs of the royal family are at the Asta Tinggi Cemetery, which looks out over the town from a peaceful hilltop 3km northwest of the centre. The main…
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…
Bandung
The Museum Konperensi inside the Gedung Merdeka (Freedom Building) is dedicated to the Asia-Africa conference of 1955, which Bandung hosted and the echoes…
