Bali To Yogyakarta, From Beaches To Batik, And Everything You Have To Know Before You Decide To Go On Vacation

Bali to Yogyakarta – Yogyakarta is a very interesting tourist destination. Yogyakarta is one of the centers of Javanese culture that you should take advantage of on your trip to Indonesia.

Yogyakarta is called a unique city because you can witness a wide variety of Javanese cultural traditions that are still alive and well in the city and its people.

You’ll find batik (cloth made with special patterns and made by hand painting or stamping), silver crafts, puppet shows, and gamelan (traditional Javanese music). 

In the city of Yogyakarta, you can also visit the royal palace of Yogyakarta where the Sultan and his family live to this day.

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How To Get To Yogyakarta

From Bali to Yogyakarta, you have several options based on your budget. You can use flights, cars, buses, trains, and ferries.  

By train, car, and ferry

You depart from your hotel to Gilimanuk Harbor by car. You can utilize car rental services to take you to Gilimanuk and Ketapang or Banyuwangi City.

You can get these car rentals all over Bali. If your hotel is around Denpasar, Ubud, Kuta, Jimbaran, and the southern areas of Bali, you will easily get a car rental with various types of cars and prices that vary depending on your budget.

The journey from Denpasar to Gilimanuk takes about 3 hours and 20 minutes. At Gilimanuk, you will board a ferry to cross to Ketapang, Banyuwangi.

The crossing from Gilimanuk to Ketapang only takes about 60 minutes as it is a short-distance route. You can check the ferry schedule here.

After getting off the ferry in Ketapang, Banyuwangi, you can continue your journey to Yogyakarta by train. You can take the train directly from Ketapang station.

There are several train options that you can take, namely Wijayakusuma (economy class) down at Tugu Station Yogyakarta and Sri Tanjung (economy class) down at Lempuyangan Station Yogyakarta. For more details, you can check the schedule and ticket prices here.

By flight  

The transportation option most often chosen by tourists is by plane. There are many flight options from Denpasar to Yogyakarta. You just need to adjust to your budget.

Airlines such as Lion Air, Air Asia, and Garuda Indonesia have flights that operate from Denpasar to Yogyakarta every day.

If you decide to take a flight to Yogyakarta, you should pay attention to the schedule and ticket prices.

When you’re traveling during the holiday season, you’ll need to book your tickets well in advance because there’s a chance that prices will go up if you book your tickets close to the day of your departure.

By bus and ferry 

The next transportation option on the Bali to Yogyakarta trip is to use buses and ferries to cross to Ketapang, Banyuwangi.

There are several options for this bus such as Pahala Kencana, Gunung Harta, and Wisata Komodo which operate serving the Denpasar to Yogyakarta travel route. These three buses have a seating capacity of 30 seats and are all executive class with air conditioning.

Bus prices are offered in the range of IDR 350,000 – IDR 500,000. You can check the price options and departure schedules of each bus from Denpasar here. Looking at the price comparison, it’s certainly much cheaper than flying.

You’ll be traveling by road for almost 14 hours from Denpasar to Yogyakarta. But don’t worry, you’ll see some beautiful scenery along the way.

In addition to using buses to travel overland, you’ll use ferries to cross into Java.

Before you choose which operator you will use, you should also compare the prices and facilities you will get during the 12-14 hour journey.  

By car and ferry 

The next option is to rent a car from Denpasar. There are many car rental options that you can choose from with various types of cars depending on your budget.

For trips to Yogyakarta that take more than 12 hours, you will need to rent a car for a 24-hour day with a driver ready to take you to Yogyakarta.

One of the benefits of renting a car is that you can be flexible with your departure time without having to stick to a strict schedule like when you use a plane or bus.

Another advantage is that you are in the same car with your family and friends, making the trip more comfortable.

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Vacation Planning

There are two types of trip planning you can use here.

DIY 

DIY or Do It Yourself means that you are independently organizing your vacation including arranging your transportation that will take you from Bali to Yogyakarta.

One of the benefits of planning everything yourself is that you can save on travel costs. But you have to do your research and make sure everything is in order, including accommodation, transport, meals during your vacation and travel.

Besides saving on travel costs, you have more freedom to decide where you want to go. You can explore places that may not be offered by tour and travel agents.

However, you will need to do some careful planning for this to make the most of your vacation.

By Tour and Travel 

One of the vacation alternatives that you can use in your Bali to Yogyakarta trip this time is to use a tour and travel agent.

Using a tour and travel agent will give you an advantage in terms of guaranteed convenience and comfort.

The tour and travel agent will help you plan your vacation and take care of everything, including transportation and accommodation while you are on vacation, to tourist destinations that you can visit.

The tour travel agent has arranged everything. This is very helpful and easy for you. Another thing that makes tour and travel agents very attractive is that they provide guides along your tour and provide interesting information for you.

Accommodation in Yogyakarta

Yogyakarta offers various types of hotels depending on your budget. Besides hotels, you can also choose guest houses or hostels.

In the Prawirotaman and Mantrijeron areas, you can choose budget accommodation with a price range from IDR 350,000 – 500,000.

The location of these areas from the city center is not too far, approximately only about 2-3 km and you can travel on foot while walking along the streets of southern Yogyakarta.

These two areas are also not far from the Yogyakarta Palace, the old town of Kotagede, Malioboro, and several cultural centers in Yogyakarta.

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Top Sights in Yogyakarta 

When it comes to Yogyakarta, many options can make it onto your list. Yogyakarta has cultural, historical, beach, mountain, and culinary attractions. Some landmarks should be on your bucket list, as follows:

Keraton Yogyakarta 

Keraton Yogyakarta is the residence of the Sultan and his family. Inside you can see the richness of Javanese culture and also the history of the palace.

For your information, the Yogyakarta Palace is a cultural heritage and is still being maintained and preserved to this day.

Taman Sari Water Castle

In ancient times, Taman Sari Water Castle was the resting place of the king and the king’s family. Inside there is a large pond that used to be used for princesses and the king’s wife to bathe.

Taman Sari was also a place of refuge for the king and his family when the enemy attacked because in this place there is an underground passage where to escape if at any time Yogyakarta is attacked.  

Taman Sari is located not far from the Yogyakarta Palace, only about 1 km away.  

Prambanan Temple

Prambanan Temple is one of the masterpieces of the Ancient Mataram Kingdom in the 9th century. This temple is the largest Hindu temple in Indonesia and is very beautiful. It is located in the east of Yogyakarta. The distance is about 17 km from the city center of Yogyakarta.

Borobudur Temple

Borobudur Temple is a very famous Buddhist temple and probably the largest in Southeast Asia. Borobudur is located in Magelang, Central Java approximately 41 km from Yogyakarta or about 1 hour drive.

Kotagede

Kotagede is one of the old towns that witnessed the history of one of the forerunners of the Kingdom of Yogyakarta. Here you can see the old palace and the ancient city layout in the 15th or 16th century. You can stroll through the old town to recapture the aura of the past.

Kotagede is only about 7 km from the center of Yogyakarta and can be reached within 15 minutes by motorcycle.

Sono Budoyo Museum

 Sono Budoyo Museum is one of the museums you should visit if you are interested in Javanese culture. It is a museum of Javanese history and culture.

It houses a collection of objects related to Javanese culture and history and is one of the most comprehensive.

The museum is located in the center of Yogyakarta and is accessible from anywhere.

Ullen Sentalu Museum

Ullen Sentalu Museum is a museum that showcases Javanese culture and the lives of the nobles of the Mataram Dynasty palaces (Yogyakarta, Surakarta, Mangkunegaran, Pakualaman).

The museum has a large collection of batik cloth, gamelan, paintings, sculptures, and Javanese furniture. The museum is located on the slopes of Mount Merapi, about 26 km from Yogyakarta.

 Mount Merapi

Mount Merapi is one of the most active volcanoes in Indonesia. It is located north of Yogyakarta. The area around Merapi offers incredible views and is often used as a retreat and tourist spot.

Ramayana Ballet 

Ramayana Ballet is a dance performance that takes place on the open stage of Prambanan Temple. This dance performance tells the story of Ramayana.

Malioboro 

Malioboro is one of Yogyakarta’s icons that cannot be missed during your visit to Yogyakarta. This 2 km long street stretches from the Yogyakarta Palace to Tugu Station.

Along this road, there are several places you can visit such as Chinatown Ketandan, Beringharjo Market, Fort and Vredeeburg Museum. You can also stroll through the streets of the villages behind Malioboro.

Nglanggeran Ancient Volcano 

Nglanggeran is an ancient volcano in Gunung Kidul. This ancient volcano is one of the best trekking spots. You can watch the sunrise or sunset here. The estimated trekking time required is usually around 2 hours.

Nglanggeran is located 30 km from the city center of Yogyakarta and can be reached within 50 minutes by car or motorcycle.

Parangtritis Beach 

Parangtritis Beach is one of the iconic beaches in Yogyakarta and is located in the south of Yogyakarta. The distance from the city center is about 26 km or about 40 minutes away.

This beach has very rare and very beautiful sand dunes.

Closing 

The Bali to Yogyakarta trip is one of the trips you can take on your vacation. Yogyakarta is one of the tourist destinations that you should not miss when you visit Indonesia.

Yogyakarta is one of the famous centers of Javanese culture and history. If you are still unsure about the Bali to Yogyakarta trip, visit our website or contact us. We will help you design your vacation into a memorable experience.

So what are you waiting for? We’re waiting.