How to get to Yogyakarta

Yogyakarta is the most popular tourist destination on the island of Java, and transport is well developed here. You can get here by plane, train or bus from almost all the more or less large cities of the island of Java, as well as from Denpasar on the island of Bali. From other countries, you can get to Yogyakarta through the local Adusitjipto International Airport, but it's better to do it through the international airports of Jakarta or Surabaya, which will be much cheaper. Here are all the ways to get to Yogyakarta on your own:

By plane

Nearby is the Adusutjipto International Airport (Yogyakarta Adisutjipto International Airport, also spelled Adisutjipto, code – JOG). It is located just 7 kilometers from the center, almost within the city (airport on the map). The airport is small, but it has all the necessary infrastructure, including currency exchange and ATMs. The exchange rate in exchangers is unprofitable.

Domestic flights are operated here:

• From Jakarta - more than 15 daily, 1 hour on the road;
• From Denpassar on the island of Bali – more than 5 flights daily, 1 hour and 30 minutes on the way;
• From Surabaya, Balikpapan, Makkazar, Bandung and other cities of Indonesia.

International flights:

• From Kuala Lumpur daily one flight, on the way 2 hours 35 minutes.
• From Singapore there is one flight daily, 2 hours and 10 minutes on the way.

It is worth noting that international flights, although operated to Yogyakarta by budget airlines, are still too expensive, and it is much cheaper to get through Jakarta (see how to get to Jakarta). And in general, the route by plane from the cities of the Russian Federation or the CIS countries is much cheaper to make up yourself by buying tickets to Jakarta and from Jakarta to Yogyakarta separately. Just keep in mind that some airlines do not fly from Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, but from the old Halim Perdanakusuma Airport (Halim Kuzuma, Halim Perdanakusuma International).

Prices for flights from Moscow to Yogyakarta:

ЦЕНА	ПЕРЕСАДКИ	АВИАКОМПАНИЯ	ДАТА ВЫЛЕТА	ДАТА ВОЗВРАЩЕНИЯ
Купить от 95570 ₽	3 пересадки		27.10.2023	18.11.2023
Купить от 90724 ₽	3 пересадки		09.11.2023	18.11.2023

Minimum prices for flights from Russia to Yogyakarta:

ЦЕНА	МАРШРУТ	ПЕРЕСАДКИ
Купить от 90063 ₽	Москва ⇄ Джокьякарта	3

How to get from the airport to Yogyakarta

The airport is located 7 kilometers from the tourist area (airport on the map). Right next to the airport there is a whole area with hotels, which, if desired, can be reached from the terminal even on foot, but this will not be the best location, it is too far to the main tourist street Malioboro.

To get from the airport to other areas in the city, you can use a taxi. An official airport taxi is about a third more expensive than the same trip on a regular city taxi meter. There is an official taxi stand near the arrival terminal. There you need to name the place (hotel) where you need to get to, pay the named price (it is determined by distance), get a ticket and go with it to board the car. Depending on the place you need in the city, the trip will cost about 80,000 rupees (5.2 USD, the currency of Indonesia, its exchange rate). The driver does not need to pay anything.

To save money, you can catch a taxi that drops off passengers near the exit from the arrival Terminal (Departure Terminal). Well, another option is to get off the terminal onto the main road, for which you will have to walk 300 meters and catch a car there.

But there are also much more economical ways to get there. Within walking distance from the exit of the terminal there is a bus of the city system TransJogja (see more about these buses below on this page), from where you can leave for just 3600 rupees. Routes depart from the airport:

• 1A – goes to the tourist area of Yogyakarta along Malioboro Street, to the railway station, and to the bus station of the Prambanan temples (see hotels and areas to stay in Yogyakarta)
• 3A – goes to the tourist area of Yogyakarta along Malioboro street, to the railway station, to the southern district
• 1B – goes to the railway station and the Kraton Palace.
• 3B – goes to the southern district, to the railway station and the Kraton Palace.

Well, another inexpensive way is to use the train. Maguwo railway station is located near the airport (railway station on the map) (code – MGW), from where trains depart approximately every hour to the station in the city center. The fare to the center is 8000 rupees. And, by the way, this is a great option to get past traffic jams, especially if your hotel is located within walking distance from the main railway station in the city.

If you need to get from the airport not to the city center, to other places:

• Surakarta (Solo) can be reached by train from Maguwo Station near the airport. Trains depart according to the schedule approximately every 1-2 hours, cost from 40,000 rupees, 1 hour on the way.
• To the temples Prambanan (Prambanan) can be reached by bus TransJogja, route 1A, cost 3600 rupees.
• Borobudur Temple can be reached by Damri buses for Rs 75,000. They are sent every hour during the day.

By train

The main railway line of the island of Java passes through Yogyakarta, which allows you to get here from Jakarta, Surabaya, Malang, Jember, Banwangi, Probolingo and other cities. Traveling by train is more expensive than by bus, but at the same time they are much more comfortable and faster.

See the train schedule on the website https://en.tiket.com. It is better to purchase tickets in advance, which can also be done online. Learn more about traveling by train in Indonesia, how and where to buy tickets and other questions here.

Here are the popular routes:

• Jakarta. 24 trains daily, 8-9 hours on the way
• Malang. 6 trains daily, 7-8 hours on the way
• Banyuwangi (ferry to Bali). 1 train per day, 12 hours on the way.

Please note that trains arrive/depart at two stations in Yogyakarta. You can determine the station you need according to the schedule at the link above:

• The main railway station is Tugu Yogyakarta (YK). Is located in the center, from it to the tourist area within walking distance, and Jalan Malioboro street starts almost from the exit from the station (railway station on the map). Almost all trains from long-distance destinations arrive here, with the exception of the train from Banyuwangi (ferry to Bali).
• Lempuyangan Railway Station (LPN). Located one kilometer from the main station, and also not very far from the tourist area (railway station on the map). Most trains departing from Tugu Station stop here, but not all. For example, the only train from Banyuwangi stops only here. Also some economy class trains to Surabaya, Surakarta, etc. in the eastern direction, make a stop only on it, without stopping at the Tugu Yogyakarta (YK) station.

By bus

We would not recommend traveling long distances on the island of Java by bus. It is better to use trains because they are more comfortable and in most cases faster. But not all cities on the island can be reached by train to Yogyakarta, so sometimes there is simply no alternative to buses.

The main bus station of the city is called Giwangan, located 4 kilometers from the center on the southern outskirts of the city (station on the map). It can be reached by taxi or TransJogja city buses of the following flights:

• 3A – from the railway station, tourist street Malioboro, southern district, airport
• 3B – from the railway station, airport
• 4A and 4B – from Lempuyangan railway station

Buses depart/arrive from this station:

• Denpasar (Bali). 3 daily, 19 hours on the road
• Jakarta. They depart every hour, 12 hours on the way

There are also buses from Surabaya, Bandung, Probolingo, Malanga, Banyuwangi, Surakarta (Solo), etc.

Bus tickets from Yogyakarta can be purchased at the station itself, or at travel agencies on the streets with a small commission. Also, travel agencies offer minibus tickets to popular tourist destinations on the island of Java with delivery to the door of the hotel.

By bus to Borobudur

If you need to take a bus to Borobudur Temple, you will need the local Jombor bus station in the north of the city (station on the map). Buses depart every 30 minutes from early morning to 17:00, cost 15,000 rupees, an hour and a half on the way. The station can be reached by city buses 2A (from the railway station and the tourist street Malioboro), and 2B (from the Kraton Palace).

Transport schedule to Yogyakarta

Transport, how to get around Yogyakarta

The center of Yogyakarta is compact and most of the attractions can be explored on foot. For trips to interesting places in the vicinity, including the temples of Borobudur and Prambanan, you can purchase excursions, use the rental of transport, or get to them by commuter buses.

• City buses

  Regular buses and special TrasJogja buses (also known as Patas) run around the city. It is preferable to use TrasJogja.

  • Regular buses cost from 2500 rupees(0.16 USD) depending on the distance. Payment is made to the conductor or driver. Usually this transport is very crowded, without air conditioning. There are many routes, but they rarely go. The working period is from 06:00 to 17:00.

    Yogyakarta City Shuttle Bus

  • TrasJogja Buses is a modern and more comfortable bus system. They run from 06:00 to 21:00 every 10-15 minutes along the established routes, making stops at special stops with an electronic ticket system. Tickets are bought at the ticket office at the bus stop, and then you can use them to get to the buses. The fare is 3600 rupees (0.23 USD) for any route.

    TrasJogja Yogyakarta City Bus

    These buses are more convenient, because they can be used to get from the airport, to bus and railway stations, to the tourist area, to the Prambanan temples, and with them there is at least some clarity on the routes. There are 17 routes in total (there were 8 before 2017). They are indicated by numbers and letters: 1A, 1B, 7, 8, etc. To understand the routes, you can download a map on your smartphone, or get a paper map at the tourist information center on Jalan Malioboro Street, 16. There are also route diagrams at the stops. All routes are circular.

    • Abbreviated route map in jpeg format
    • Full route map in jpeg format
    • Abbreviated route map in pdf format
    • Complete route map in pdf format

• Transport rental

  In order to move around Yogyakarta itself, it is better not to rent a car, because urban traffic is very dense and unusual. It will be much more convenient to travel on a rented bicycle, the average cost is 30,000 rupees per day. But if you are going to go around the neighborhood, you can rent a car or a motorcycle /motorbike. It is possible to drive transport in Indonesia using the national driving license of the Russian Federation, since the country has joined the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic of 1968, and undertakes to recognize the national driving licenses of other parties to the convention, including Russia. But on the other hand, the country has not ratified it, and therefore, in practice, traffic inspectors require the availability of international rights executed in the form of a special book. If such a situation happens to you, do not rush to solve the problem on the spot with money in the hands of the inspector, but try to prove your case. For more information, see the whole truth about driving licenses abroad.

  Do not forget that the management of motorcycles and mopeds by insurance companies is at increased risk, and is not covered by standard travel insurance. To safely drive a motorcycle or car while traveling, it is better to issue a travel medical insurance policy with the options "motorcycle driving" and "civil liability". You can find such a policy and issue it online through the following insurance search and comparison services:

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  Car rental in Yogyakarta can be easily found at the airport, near the railway station, and on the streets of the city. The rental price starts from 350,000 rupees per car per day, but you can bargain. It is recommended to rent a car with a driver, which will cost from 500,000 rupees per day.

  Motorcycle rental can also be found near the railway station on Jalan Pasar Kembang Street, on Jalan Malioboro Street and the alleys perpendicular to it. To rent a motorcycle, you are usually asked to leave a passport as a deposit, but you can also agree to pledge a national passport, credit card, or other document, in this matter you need to bargain. The cost starts from 60,000 rupees (3.9 USD) per day for a motorcycle with a semi-automatic gearbox (without clutch), and from 80,000 rupees(5.2 USD) for an automatic scooter (price in 2019). When renting for a few days, you can get a discount, but you need to bargain, because prices are not fixed.

  Rent a motorbike in Yogyakarta

• Taxi and motorcycle taxi

  Taxis in Yogyakarta work by meters, and there is basically no problem with drivers refusing to use them and offering more expensive trips at a fixed price. A short-distance trip will cost from 20,000 rupees. There are not a lot of cars on the street, a call by phone or using applications is more common. It is almost impossible to order by phone without knowledge of the Indonesian language by phone, so you should contact the hotel reception for this. If you have mobile Internet, you can use the applications of local taxi companies My Blue Bird, Saytaxi, Go-Jek, or traditional Uber.

  A motorcycle taxi costs almost two times cheaper than a car taxi, but the prices for tourists are called too high, so you may well pay the same price for a motorcycle taxi as for a trip by a regular taxi on the meter. Therefore, you should always bargain, assuming that you have already been called twice the price. For reference, a trip within the city center should cost no more than 15,000 rupees, and from the airport to the center no more than 40,000. If you have mobile Internet, you can install Go-Jek, Grab or UberMotor applications. What is convenient, even without a constantly connected Internet connection, while staying at the hotel with WiFi connected, you can calculate the cost of planned trips in these applications in order to bargain with motorcycle taxi drivers on the street up to about this price.

• Bicycle rickshaws and carriage rides

  These two types of transportation are more focused on tourists as entertainment than as a real form of transport. They mainly offer walks around the palace and trips to nearby attractions. The price is called higher than a taxi ride, but you can bargain. The price of a trip within the center is 10,000-15,000 rupees (0.65 USD).

  Yogyakarta Carriage
  Yogyakarta Bicycle Rickshaw