Best Alternative To Bali In Indonesia

Just about everyone loves Bali, from its unique culture to its world class beaches and resorts. But what if you are looking for destination alternative to Bali? I highly recommend Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

Location of Yogyakarta

The city of Yogyakarta is conveniently located between the two major gateways into country, Jakarta and Bali Island. Once you land into Suharto Hatta International Airport in Jakarta or Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali, Yogyakarta is about an hour to an hour thirty minutes away. Very short plane ride.

BONUS INFO: If you land in Jakarta, I will strongly recommend you taking the train from Jakarta to Yogyakarta. The 6 hours train ride is simply stunning and one of a kind. Expect a future post on that experience.

Airport to the City Center in Yogyakarta is quick, affordable, and easy!

To get from Yogyakarta International Airport to the City Center is quick, affordable, and easy via the airport train. There is a train in the terminal that take you to the city center within 40 minutes. Compare that two a taxi that would cost more and will take as much as an hour and thirty minutes depending on traffic.

Note: Exchange rates between US dollar and Indonesia Rupiah varies day by day but this is an accurate estimate amount.

Yogyakarta is famous for traditional Indonesian art of Batik

Have you heard of Batik? It’s a beautiful art fabric famous in central Java where Yogyakarta is located. It’s also recognized by UNESCO as part of Indonesia cultural heritage. If you are into bringing back unique souvenirs from Indonesia that will impress your inner circle and that you would wear on a regular basis, you can’t go wrong with Batik.

To put simply, the art of batik uses unique patterns, and the artist uses a wax pen to design the pattern. This can take many hours to complete. There are many batik factories in Yogyakarta where you can watch the artist design shirts, bags, and other clothing for free.

What is so addicting about batik is not only its beautiful and comes at a variety of price points but there are literally  thousands of designs.

Yogyakarta is a compact city

Unlike Bali where you need to rent a motorbike, go on an expensive tour or rent a driver to get from one place to another, Yogyakarta is very compact. Just about everywhere in Yogyakarta is walkable. The main train station is located at the heart of the city.

In the center of Yogyakarta city, lies the famous street of Malioboro. Here is where you get off the train or your taxi ride and here is where most hotels, malls, street food, street performances, cultural buildings are located. A night, Malioboro gets extra crowded as locals come to hang out with friends and family. If you aren’t a fan of super crowded situations, Malioboro in Yogyakarta at night may not be your cup of tea.

Yogyakarta is home to some of the world’s greatest temples

Bali does have great and memorable temples but none of which are at the scale as those in the Yogyakarta region. Two temples that I highly recommend everyone to experience at least once in their life is the Borobudur Temple and the Prambanan Temple.

Below shows short galleries of these two temples.

What makes these two temples so amazing is their sheer size, they are huge! Also both of them are rich in history and I would recommend getting a local guide at the ticket booth to tell you a bit of history about them. Borobudur temple for example is the single largest Buddhist temple in the world. The view from the top, overseeing the rainforest is simply majestic. Prambanan Temple is a complex group of structures made from several tall towers, each with unique Hindu designs. Both temples will make you feel like you are back in time, several hundreds of years ago.

For spectacular Instagram photos, these two temples will be on the top of your list.

Best alternative to Bali

Yogyakarta should be on anyone’s list if they want an Indonesian destination that is different from Bali and has just as much charm. Yogyakarta is easily accessible by plane or public transportation, very compact city to walk about and has many cultural and history spots to see. For people who loves to bring home unique, beautiful souvenirs and for those who love to take that special Instagramable photo, Yogyakarta is a city worth visiting.