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Central Java

As home to the great world-class monuments of Borobudur and Prambanan, this is the must-see region of Java. Jakarta may be the nation’s capital, but the Javan identity is at its strongest here, in the island’s historic heartland. This is where Java’s first major Indian-inspired civilisation originated and it served as the stronghold of the great Islamic sultanates centred on the kraton (walled city palaces) of Yogyakarta and Solo. Today, Central Java (Jawa Tengah) remains the province where the island’s cultural traditions are most readily observable.

Although Central Java has a reputation for having a short fuse when contending with religious and political sentiments, it’s a relaxed, easy-going province for visitors. Yogyakarta (at the centre of its own quasi-independent ‘special region’ stretching from the south coast to Gunung Merapi) and Solo, just 65km to the northeast, are Java’s most interesting cities. But even Semarang, the province’s busy, maritime capital, has some charm.

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Central Java.

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Borobudur Temple
Dating from the 8th and 9th centuries, and built from two million blocks of stone, Borobudur is the world's largest Buddhist temple and one of Indonesia's most important cultural sites. The temple takes the form of a symmetrical stone stupa, wrapped around a hill and nestled in a compound of trimmed lawns fringed with tropical hardwoods. Remarkable for the detail of the stone carving, this beautiful monument looks particularly enigmatic at dawn and dusk – a sight worth the extra entry fee. Borobudur was conceived as a Buddhist vision of the cosmos. Rising from a square base, it comprises a series of square terraces topped by three circular platforms, linked by four stairways that thread through carved gateways to the summit. Viewed from the air, the structure resembles a 3Dl tantric mandala (symbolic circular figure) through which Buddhist pilgrims could thread a path from the everyday, represented in stone relief, towards a contemplation of nirvana at the monument's crowning stupa. Paralleling the spiritual journey towards enlightenment, the 2.5km of narrow corridors lead past rich sequences of stone reliefs that can be read as a textbook of early Javanese culture and Buddhist doctrine. The main entry point is via the eastern gateway; from here a clockwise rotation around the lower terraces reveals a carnal world of passion and desire; some friezes here are deliberately hidden by an outer covering of stone, but they are partly visible on the southern side of the monument. Bad deeds are punished through lowly reincarnation, while good deeds are rewarded by reincarnation as a higher form of life. Nearly 1460 narrative panels and 1212 decorative panels grace the monument's six terraces and a guide can help bring this pageant – the ships and elephants, musicians and dancing girls, warriors and kings – to life. Some sequences are played out over several panels. On the third terrace, for example, the dream of Queen Maya, involving a vision of white elephants with six tusks, is represented as a premonition that her son would become a Buddha, and the sequence crescendos in the birth of Prince Siddhartha and his attainment of enlightenment. Many other panels are related to Buddhist concepts of cause and effect or karma. Little guidance is needed to feel the impact of the upper platforms with their multiple images of the Buddha. A total of 432 seated statues and 72 further images (many now headless) adorn the latticed stupas on the top three terraces. The very top platform is circular, signifying the eternal. Whatever one's beliefs, the view from the monument's summit, especially on a humid day when mist rises from the surrounding paddy fields, is sublime – and made all the more spectacular if anticipated by slowly ascending through each of the terraces in turn. Admission to the temple includes entrance to the Karmawibhangga Museum, featuring 4000 original stones and carvings from the temple, and the Borobudur Museum, with more relics, interesting photographs and gamelan performances at 9am and 3pm. The Museum Kapal Samurrarska houses a full-size replica of an 8th-century spiceship, which was remarkably designed and built based on an image depicted in one of the panels that adorn Borobudur Temple. Tickets for the temple, which include a free audio guide, can be purchased online. A combined Borobudur–Prambanan ticket is only valid for two days and does not include the sunrise or sunset surcharge. Families take note that even high school children need to show a student ID card (or a letter from the school) to get the student discount rate.
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Kraton
Beside the southern alun-alun (main square), Yogya's enormous kraton (palace) is the cultural and political heart of this fascinating city. Effectively a walled city, this complex of pavilions and residences is home to around 25,000 people and encompasses a market, shops, cottage industries, schools and mosques. Around 1000 of the inhabitants are employed by the resident sultan. Although it's technically part of the kraton, there's a separate entrance (and ticket) for the Pagelaran Pavilion, overlooking the northern alun-alun. The kraton comprises a series of luxurious halls, spacious courtyards and pavilions built between 1755 and 1756, with European flourishes, such as Dutch-influenced stained glass, added in the 1920s. There were originally separate entrances to the kraton for men and women, marked by giant male and female dragons (although it's hard to determine which are which!). Although this segregation is no longer practised, an appreciation of history runs deep here, and the palace is attended by dignified elderly retainers, who wear traditional Javanese dress. The innermost complex is off limits as the current sultan still resides here, but visitors can enter some of the surrounding courtyards. Alas, the treasures of the palace are poorly displayed, but it remains a fascinating place to wander. At the centre of the kraton is the reception hall, the Bangsal Kencana (Golden Pavilion). With a fine marble floor, intricately decorated roof, stained-glass windows and columns of carved teak, it makes a suitably imposing statement for the reception of foreign dignitaries. The gifts from some of these illustrious visitors, including European monarchy, are housed within two little museums in the same courtyard complex. Interesting exhibits here also include gilt copies of the sacred pusaka (heirlooms of the royal family) and gamelan instruments, the royal family tree, old photographs of grand mass weddings and portraits of the former sultans of Yogya. A modern memorial building dedicated to the beloved Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX, with photographs and some of his personal effects, occupies some side rooms. Outside the kraton, in the centre of the northern square, there are two sacred waringin (banyan trees). In the days of feudal Java, white-robed petitioners would patiently sit here, hoping to catch the eye of the king. In the alun-alun kidul (southern square), two similar banyan trees are said to bring great fortune to those who can walk blindfolded between them without mishap; on Friday and Saturday nights the youth of Yogya attempt this feat to a chorus of laughter from friends. Daily performances in the kraton's inner pavilion are included in the price of the entrance ticket. Currently, there’s gamelan on Monday and Tuesday (10am to noon), wayang golek (puppetry) on Wednesday (9am to noon), classical dance on Thursday (10am to noon), Javanese poetry readings on Friday (10am to 11.30am), leather puppetry on Saturday (9am to 1pm) and Javanese dance on Sunday (11am to noon).
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Old City
Semarang’s atmospheric old quarter, often referred to by its Dutch name, the Outstadt, is well worth investigating. Until recently, most of the area’s colonial buildings were abandoned as city authorities focused on new-builds rather than shoring up past legacies. Today, however, a revived interest in the area with its obvious potential for tourism has led to a new investment, and coffee shops, stylish restaurants and other attractions now occupy the tastefully renovated townhouses. While it is fair to say that the revival project has some way to go, there are still worthwhile attractions here and kids love DMZ: Dream Museum Zone, the 3D museum near Gereja Blenduk church. Built in 1753, this elegant church with its large cupola forms the centre of the old quarter around which are a number of delightful places to eat. A street market sells a few modestly priced antiques and memorabilia and there's a well-respected modern art space, the Semarang Gallery. The old city is prone to flooding and during the rainy season some of the backstreets are impassable.
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Sangiran Museum of Ancient Man
With the largest collection of Homo erectus fossils in the world (the bones of 70 individuals), Sangiran is an important archaeological excavation site. This was where ‘Java Man’ (Pithecanthropus erectus) was unearthed by a Dutch professor in 1936 – a discovery celebrated in this excellent museum, Krikilan's only attraction. On display are skulls (one of Homo erectus), various pig and hippopotamus teeth, and fossil exhibits, including mammoth bones and tusks. Large dioramas suggest the fossils' prehistoric context. One key exhibit is the recently completed model of 'Flores Man', fashioned using the techniques of forensic reconstruction by Élisabeth Daynès, the celebrated French sculptor. Her work helps to bring alive the image of this ancient early ancestor. Guides offer to take visitors to the area where fossils have been found in the crumbling slopes of a hill. To reach the museum, Purwodadi-bound buses from Solo’s bus terminal drop passengers off at the Sangiran turn-off (5000Rp), 15km from Solo. It's then a 4km journey to the museum (around 10,000Rp by ojek motorcycle taxi).
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Taman Sari
This once-splendid pleasure park of palaces, pools and waterways, built between 1758 and 1765, functioned as the playground of the sultan and his entourage. It's said that the sultan had the Portuguese architect of this elaborate retreat executed, to keep his hidden pleasure rooms secret. Today the complex is in ruins, damaged by Diponegoro’s Java War and an earthquake in 1865, but enough has been restored to recapture its former glory. Surrounding Taman Sari is a fascinating residential district of traditional Javanese houses, each of which seems to be vying for the most gorgeous bloom or vine, or for the most vocal songbird. The area is home to a community of around 2000 residents, some of whom have set up shop in their front room, selling crafts or offering coffee and snacks. In the middle of this district, via a labyrinth of small lanes, there's a unique underground mosque with a central open-to-the-sky atrium accessed via an Escher-esque stairway. It's become a popular place for a selfie, and watching locals queue for the privilege of posing on the central stair is part of the experience.
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Mendut Temple & Monastery
This exquisite temple, around 3.5km east of Borobudur, may look insignificant compared with its mighty neighbour, but it houses the most outstanding statue in its original setting of any temple in Java. The magnificent 3m-high figure of the Buddha is flanked by Bodhisattvas: Lokesvara on the left and Vairapana on the right. The Buddha is also notable for his posture: he sits Western-style with both feet on the ground. Admission includes entry to Candi Pawon, a Buddhist temple, 2km west. The temple is particularly evocative at night, when spotlit against the evening sky, as the soaring inner chamber feels charged with an almost supernatural energy. Guards here will allow visitors to enter Mendut after dark if accompanied by a local guide; speak to Jaker. Next to the temple is the leafy and prim Mendut Buddhist Monastery, studded with palms and clumps of golden bamboo. Guests are welcome to join the group meditations here at 7pm daily. You can also stay for three-day, three-night meditation retreats.
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House of Danar Hadi
Danar Hadi is one of the world's finest batik museums. The handpicked favourites from the owner's private collection (1078 pieces from a collection of 11,000) are magnificently displayed on wooden trellises throughout 11 rooms of this grand old colonial building. An obligatory guided tour, helpfully tailored to the visitor's time and interest, covers the highlights among the antique and royal pieces on display. A demonstration of the craft is included in the tour and there's a shop. No photography.
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Pantai Annora
This public beach on the east coast of Pulau Karimunjawa is the gateway to the island's most exquisite ocean view. A rough path leads along the headland to a series of stunning vistas, where the sea appears as a patchwork of interlacing blues from deep indigo to aquamarine. A couple of simple swings at the end of the promontory give the best vantage point, but go soon: developers have their eye on the spot.
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Sono-Budoyo Museum
This treasure chest is one of the best museums in Yogya. It is only small but is home to a first-class collection of Javanese art, including wayang kulit puppets, topeng (masks), kris and batik. The courtyard houses some Hindu statuary and artefacts from further afield, including superb Balinese carvings. Wayang kulit performances are held here.