Hotels in Yogyakarta

Yogyakarta is the cultural capital of Java, a low-rise city of batik workshops, gamelan music and the Kraton, the still-functioning sultan's palace complex that anchors the old town. It's the obvious base for Borobudur, the vast ninth-century Buddhist monument that sits within easy day-trip range, and most visitors pass through for exactly that reason.

Beyond the temple circuit, Yogyakarta has its own pull: Prawirotaman and the streets around Malioboro are dense with cheap food stalls, silver and leather workshops, and student energy from the city's many universities. Be honest: the main drag around Malioboro is touristy and traffic-choked, with hawkers and batik-tour touts working every corner, and the heat and pollution can wear you down fast. Roads out to Borobudur get jammed on weekends and holidays. Stay in Prawirotaman for a walkable base with better food and fewer touts than the Malioboro strip.