The best things to do in Yogyakarta fall into five groups: two huge temples, a royal palace that is still a residence, an evening street scene, hands-on crafts, and one outdoor day on a volcano, in a cave or on the coast. This shortlist gives each pick with its opening days, a foreign-visitor ticket price where we found one and the time to allow. Everything was checked on 14 October 2026. We run Merapi jeep tours, so that part is not neutral, and we say so when we get there.
Things to do in Yogyakarta at a glance
| Place | Hours (per source) | Foreign adult ticket | Monday |
|---|---|---|---|
| Borobudur climb | 08:30 to 15:30; grounds 06:30 to 17:30 | IDR 455,000 | Grounds only |
| Prambanan | 06:30 to 17:30, last entry 17:00 | About IDR 400,000 | Main temple closed |
| Keraton (palace) | Opens 08:00 or 08:30; closes between 11:00 and 17:00 depending on the guide | IDR 25,000 per entrance | Closed per two guides, open per one |
| Taman Sari | 09:00 to 15:00 | About IDR 25,000 | Closed per one guide, daily per another |
| Vredeburg fort-museum | Tuesday to Sunday on the official page | IDR 100,000 | Not listed |
| Merapi jeep | 07:00 to 18:00 (one operator) | IDR 500,000 to 700,000 per jeep | No closed day stated |
Sources for the table are in the sections below. Hours differ between guides, so treat them as a guide to the day, not a timetable.
Things to do in Yogyakarta: the two big temples
Borobudur. The UNESCO-listed Buddhist temple sits about an hour and a half from the city according to Snoezels on the Road. Since the temple reopened in 2023 you can climb only with a guide, in timed slots: 1,200 people a day and at most 150 per hour, with about one hour on the monument. The foreign structure ticket is IDR 455,000 and includes the special Upanat sandals and a guide, per InJourney. Tickets can be booked only seven days ahead.
For sunrise there is a separate, pricier package, covered in our Borobudur sunrise ticket price guide, and Roaming Renegades names Setumbu Hill, around an hour’s drive from the city, as a popular sunrise viewpoint over the temple. Full logistics are in our Borobudur day trip guide.
Prambanan. A Hindu temple complex about 45 minutes from Yogyakarta by road, where a ticket costs about IDR 400,000. Snoezels recommends two to three hours and an afternoon visit until closing, so you catch the first sunset light. The Ramayana Ballet is staged next to the complex, not inside it, according to Backindo. The official schedule lists open-air shows on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 19:30 to 21:00 for May to October 2026, with a different venue from November to April. Backindo also warns against buying tickets from strangers in Instagram comments.
Things to do in Yogyakarta in the royal city: Keraton, Taman Sari and museums
Keraton. The Sultan’s palace is both a museum and a working residence. Entry for foreigners is IDR 25,000 per entrance according to Cestee, and Backindo suggests one to two hours. Museum of Wander reports a daily performance in the inner pavilion, included in the ticket: gamelan on Monday and Tuesday, wayang golek on Wednesday, classical dance on Thursday, poetry on Friday, shadow puppets on Saturday and Javanese dance on Sunday. Because the same guide lists a Monday show while two others say the palace is closed on Mondays, confirm the day before you go.
Taman Sari. The former royal bathing complex is about 13 minutes on foot or 9 by becak from the Keraton, per Backindo, which also recommends a guide because the lanes connect directly to local homes. Backpackmoments says to look for the underground mosque.
Museums. Backpackmoments describes Vredeburg as a Dutch fort turned museum about the independence struggle, and Sonobudoyo as the keeper of most Javanese written records. Sonobudoyo costs IDR 20,000 for international visitors according to Backindo, while Vredeburg charges foreigners IDR 100,000 on its official ticket page.
Things to do in Yogyakarta at night
- Alun-Alun Kidul. The southern square fills with food stalls and pedal-powered neon cars after dark. Backpackmoments counts over 100 stalls, and Museum of Wander lists IDR 40,000 per lap for a whole car.
- Malioboro. The main street runs 2.5 km, lined with stalls and shops according to The Travel Author. Backindo points to angkringan stalls selling kopi joss, coffee with a piece of charcoal, in the northern part of the street.
- Wayang at Sonobudoyo. Backindo lists shows at 20:00, with tickets from IDR 50,000 to 100,000.
- Ramayana Ballet. See the Prambanan schedule above.
Things to do in Yogyakarta for food, crafts and street art
Heyexplorer names gudeg (unripe jackfruit stew), sate klatak (mutton skewers), kopi joss and bakpia as signature foods. For crafts, Kota Gede is a former town now inside the city, with silver workshops: The Crowded Planet describes narrow lanes and carved house panels, where a lotus marks Hindu-era houses, Arabic script Muslim houses and a crown the colonial era. Heyexplorer links a two-hour batik course, and Roaming Renegades points to the murals around Kampung Code and Kampung Cyber.
Things to do in Yogyakarta: volcano, cave and coast
Merapi jeep tour. An open 4×4 follows lava-flow tracks on the southern slope, with stops at the Kaliadem bunker, Alien Rock and the Sisa Hartaku mini museum. One operator, TLCM at Kaliadem, quotes foreign visitors IDR 500,000 per jeep for a short route of about 1.5 hours and IDR 700,000 for the long one, and a sample of local operators runs IDR 400,000 to 750,000 per jeep for up to four people (our price file, October 2026).
The same page says photos with Merapi behind you work best before 08:00. Merapi has been at Level III (Siaga) since 5 November 2020 according to the provincial disaster agency, and jeeps stay on the lower slopes; see is Mount Merapi safe to visit, Merapi jeep tour cost and is a Merapi jeep tour worth it.
Goa Jomblang. A sinkhole cave entered by rope. Discover Your Indonesia gives about 90 minutes from the city centre and advises leaving at about 07:00 to arrive by 09:45. Backpackmoments says the descent happens just before noon, when a ray of sunlight reaches the floor.
South coast. Parangtritis is about 28 km from the city per the Indonesian tourism board, and Heyexplorer says swimming there is not recommended because of hazardous currents. Timang Beach has a hand-drawn gondola to a rocky island, Backpackmoments reports. Rain makes Merapi, Timang and Jomblang harder to visit, the same guide adds.
Dieng. Erika’s Travels drove nearly four hours each way and suggests at least two days, so we would not treat it as a day trip.
What not to miss in Yogyakarta?
This is our view, not a ranking from the sources. Of all the things to do in Yogyakarta, for a first visit we would keep Borobudur, the Keraton with Taman Sari, one evening on Alun-Alun Kidul or Malioboro, and one outdoor day. Together the first two cost IDR 455,000 + 25,000 + 25,000 = IDR 505,000 in entry fees for a foreign adult, before transport. Which outdoor day depends on weather and taste: Merapi suits early risers, Jomblang suits people who like caving, and the coast suits a relaxed day.
Plan Monday around the closures in the table. Our 3-day Yogyakarta itinerary orders these stops by opening day, and the Yogyakarta private day tour or our Merapi jeep tours cover the logistics. Questions about dates are welcome on the contact page.
