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Often considered the Javanese cultural capital of Indonesia, Yogyakarta is a world on its own. Although it might not be the largest city in the country, there is a lot to discover. Unfortunately, our flight from Singapore got delayed by a day, leaving us with little more than half a day to explore the city. All the while we had so many things planned to spend at least one day in Yogyakarta!
While we had an amazing day in Singapore, as soon as we landed in Yogya we sat down for lunch to discuss our plans for the day. After having another action-filled day in the city, we had a good list of what you should and should not do here with limited time. Below you will therefore find a detailed itinerary of what you can do in Yogyakarta in 24 hours. From breakfast to afternoon activities, here is everything you need to know.
How to Get There
Train travel is truly the best way to travel around Java in my opinion. The train network is extensive: you can get from Merak in the west to Ketapang in the east in twenty-four hours. From these cities you can also travel by boat to Sumatra and Bali, meaning no flying is necessary if you choose this travel route! But it is important to book your longer train trips a couple of weeks in advance as seats sell out quickly. We booked them at Traveloka, which is an official agent for the railway company KAI. You can check the best travel routes on Omio or 12Go.
While we left Yogyakarta by rail we arrived there by plane. We found the cheapest tickets from Amsterdam via Singapore through Skyscanner, which is one of my favorite tools to save money on travel. Our flights were operated by Singapore Airlines and Scoot and were very comfortable. The food on the plane was also great for airplane food, and they made sure my gluten free dietary requirements were met. Even though they changed our flight, meaning we had to explore Yogyakarta in 24 hours, I would fly with them again just for their service.
Getting Around Yogyakarta in 24 hours
Once we landed it was still an hour drive to our hotel. While there were buses and many taxi drivers trying to sell you their best fares, we sat down at the Grab stand at the airport and booked a cab with their discount code. After this first ride with Grab, we were hooked: in Indonesia, you can book an affordable taxi anywhere you go, making it easy to see Yogyakarta in 24 hours.
While Grab is amazing, you do need Internet for it to work. That is why we tried out Airalo for the first time this trip. Let’s say we never want anything else ever again when traveling outside of the European Union. Payment and set-up were super easy and saved us a trip to the local telephone service provider, which usually takes forever if you need headshots too. Furthermore, whenever our data was finished, we could easily top it up in the app.
Where to Stay
Doing research on accommodation is always one of the most fun things to do before going on a trip. Especially when you have to explore Yogyakarta in 24 hours, it is important to have a place where you can relax. That is why I have listed a couple of what I think are the best places to stay in Yogyakarta for any budget below.
Top 6 Hotels in Yogyakarta
I love hotels. From the creativity in their design to the care and craftsmanship that is put into their hospitality, a great hotel can make your stay. That is why I have made a list of what I think are the two best options per price-range in Yogyakarta:
- Low-range hotels: On a budget but still looking for a little bit of glamor? Then the Javanese style Griya Wijilan Syariah with comfy-looking double beds in a great location is a great option. A little cheaper but modern and clean is the Puri Pangeran Hotel in the Pakualaman district in central Yogyakarta. Both are great if you are looking for affordable accommodation but still value the privacy of a hotel room.
- Mid-range hotels: We stayed at the beautiful Adhistana Hotel in the Prawirotaman area, of which the rooms were built around the emerald pool. This one was on the lower end of the mid-range section, but if you are looking for something a little fancier I would suggest checking out The Phoenix Hotel which strongly resembles our hotel in Malang with its classic charm. It has a spa and is very close to Malioboro Street: a good location is key if you want to explore Yogyakarta in 24 hours.
- High-range hotels: For those of us who like to be pampered on their holiday, Yogyakarta has some stunning high-range hotels as well. The best part? Most of them are terrains offering private villas for the ultimate comfort, like the Garrya Bianti Yogyakarta which offers villas with a private pool, or the Villa Blue Steps with both a pool and a splendid view.
Top 3 Hostels in Yogyakarta
When I still traveled solo, I found hostels a great place to both relax and meet new people. Staying in a dorm gets you that extra travel experience, while staying in a private room gives you the best of both worlds. Here are my top three hotels for your Yogyakarta in 24 hours trip.
- Snooze Hostel is not just a place to sleep, it is a place to relax! Just take a look at their tranquil garden that they even brought indoors with the hundreds of plants hanging around. Their rooms and dorms have that same natural feel and will make you feel right at home.
- Wonderloft Hostel has a hot tub. While for some that is enough to book the place immediately, others need a little more convincing. But just reading the great reviews would be enough for me: most travelers say staying there felt like coming home. And who can disagree when you look at the warm interior and cozy rooms?
- The final hostel on my list is Ranasa Hostel, which not only has homey dorms, but a private room located in a tiny house with a loft as well. Together with the first two hostels, it is also one of the best ranking places to stay on Hostelworld and therefore a must-stay!
Yogyakarta in 24 Hours: An Itinerary
Morning
The best way to start your day in my opinion is either with a workout or breakfast in my opinion. As you will be walking a lot during this Yogyakarta in 24 hours itinerary, I recommend skipping the workout and starting with breakfast. At ViaVia to be exact. For my gluten free travelers their bakery is a must visit, as you can order gluten free bread in advance.
Their restaurant even has gluten free chocolate cake that is celiac-safe. If you want to head somewhere else for a gluten free breakfast, just try to find a café where they sell Indonesian rice porridge or other Indonesian style breakfasts, as European and American style restaurants usually do not have a lot of gluten free options.
Trying to see Yogyakarta in 24 hours means you want to see as much as possible during the day! That is why you will book a Grab to the temple complex Borobudur. The drive will take you about an hour and once you are there you can book your tickets directly at the counter. You could also opt for a guided tour of the temples, to learn more about this Buddhist marvel just outside of Yogya. If we had an entire day in the city, we would definitely have visited the Borobudur, so, if you get there, send me pictures and make me jealous!
Afternoon
Once you have seen the Borobudur temple complex from top to bottom, you will probably need a bite to eat. We had lunch at ViaVia – can you tell I love the place? – which was amazing: they were very knowledgeable about my dietary requirements, and we had the best meal. I ordered the fancy version of nasi goreng and a local drink with cardamom, cloves and other spices. A friend also recommended Pizza Aroma to us for gluten free pizza, but I think Indonesian food is too good to skip on your trip. If you have been traveling for a while though, a change is nice, and this is a good place to go.
If you are not templed out, I suggest you take another Grab of 40 minutes to the Prambanan Temple Complex. Seeing Yogyakarta in 24 hours to me means seeing both the major Buddhist temple in the morning, and the major Hindu temple in the afternoon. Do not swap them around, however, as the Borobudur closes a lot earlier than the Prambanan, which is why we only got to see the latter.
Our time at the temple was well spent, however! We got to see the complex at golden hour, snapped too many pictures and had the place almost to ourselves an hour before it closed. We bought our tickets at the ticket counter, but you can also go on a guided tour here, which I would recommend as its history is fascinating.
Besides the light being perfect, our visit became extra memorable as we were chased by hundreds of high school kids on a field trip there. Wessel is two meters tall and therefore drew a lot of looks. These kids kept asking us for pictures, but as there were so many of them and they all texted each other about our whereabouts, we had to tell them no. Still, we did get to talk to them, which was lovely!
Evening
Once you have seen enough temples for the day, it is time to go somewhere a little less traditional. Raminten is a warehouse located on Malioboro Street which not only sells batik shirts, but also has a theater on the top floor where they host one of the only drag shows in Indonesia, called Raminten Cabaret.
Do not do what we did, namely show up at the start of the show to buy a ticket. This show is wildly popular among both travelers and locals, so you need to reserve a table far in advance via their Instagram. We had to stand through the show and could not order any food as we ran out of cash. But, if you prepare yourselves a little bit better than we did, you get to enjoy their food as you watch the show.
Besides a wonderful drag show where they weave traditional Javanese and queer culture together, you should make sure to show up a little earlier to see the supporting act. The band that played before the show we went to existed of a couple of extremely talented musicians and a sassy lead singer. While the entire show was in Bahasa, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and think this is the best way to end your night on your one day in Yogyakarta!
Final Thoughts on Yogyakarta in 24 hours
Where seeing Yogyakarta in 24 hours is a challenge, we only had twelve hours and therefore have so much left to see. We still think our time in the city was well-spent, but next time we will make sure to spend at least three days here.
The day after we landed in Yogyakarta, it was time to visit Malang, which will be the subject of the next blog you will see on here. Make sure to follow me on Instagram or sign up to my newsletter so you do not miss my travel updates. In the meantime, there are plenty of blogs to catch up on, like this one on our layover in Singapore. See you next time!
