Yogyakarta

Yogyakarta, known locally as Jogja, is Indonesia's most important center of Javanese culture and home to two of the world's great UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Located in the southern part of Central Java on the island of Java, the city serves as a base for visiting Borobudur — the 9th-century Buddhist monument regarded as one of Southeast Asia's most remarkable architectural achievements — and Prambanan, the vast Hindu temple complex dating from the same era.

The city itself remains the seat of the Yogyakarta Sultanate, whose ruler also serves as the region's governor under Indonesia's special regional status. The Kraton (Sultan's Palace) at the heart of the old city is a living royal court, still inhabited by the sultan's family and staff, with museums and pavilions open to visitors most days. The Kraton's axis runs south to the silver cone of Gunung Merapi volcano and north to the Indian Ocean, a cosmological alignment maintained in Javanese tradition.

Malioboro Street is the commercial and social artery of the city, lined with batik shops, street food stalls, wayang puppet sellers, and silver jewelry vendors. The street runs north to south from the railway station toward the Kraton, and the surrounding neighborhood of Prawirotaman has developed into a hub of boutique hotels, art galleries, and cafes. Nearby Kotagede was once the capital of the Mataram Sultanate and still has a functioning silver-smithing industry.

The arts are central to life in Yogyakarta. Wayang kulit (shadow puppet performances), gamelan music, classical Javanese dance, and batik weaving all have established schools and regular public performances in the city. The Prambanan outdoor amphitheater hosts the Ramayana Ballet against a backdrop of illuminated temple towers on evenings around the full moon.

Mount Merapi, at 2,930 meters one of Indonesia's most active volcanoes, looms just north of the city. Trekking to the summit or to the volcano observation points on the slopes is a popular activity, as is visiting the Merapi Museum and the hardened lava flows from past eruptions. The Parangtritis beach on the Indian Ocean coast is about an hour south and provides a dramatic alternative landscape of dark sand dunes and strong waves.