The Ultimate Java Week Itinerary
Java is an island in Indonesia, located between Sumatra to the west and Bali to the east. It is the most populous island in the world, with over 151 million people living there. Java is also the geographic and economic center of Indonesia.
While we personally are not the biggest fans of the cities in Indonesia (or crowded cities anywhere), the nature on Java is absolutely breathtaking. With waterfalls, volcanoes, rainforests, and more, Java has it all. What you’d expect to be a boring bus or train ride can turn out to be a magical passage through rice patties and palm trees.
Tip: When in Indonesia, always pay in cash. If you use a credit card, most if not all places will charge you an extra 3%. Also, when you take money out, make sure that you choose “Accept without Conversion” when prompted with a question about currency conversion. Selecting “Accept Conversion” will charge you more.
I want to preface this itinerary by saying that if you have more time, you should certainly spend more than a week on Java as there’s so much to see and trying to cram the highlights into one week can be quite exhausting. Nevertheless, I know not everyone has the privilege of time, so here’s how Cullen and I spent our one week in Java!
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Day 1: Arriving in Yogyakarta
When starting a trip to Java, we recommend flying into Jakarta and catching a quick flight to Yogyakarta. We didn’t spend any time in Jakarta, as I’m not a big city person and we hadn’t planned to do anything there. The flights to Yogyakarta are often and cheap, so you shouldn’t have a problem getting one for the day you choose!
Yogyakarta, also known as Jogja, is a city in Indonesia located on the southern coast of the island of Java. Yogyakarta is a popular tourist destination due to its rich culture and history, as well as its natural beauty.
When you’re in Yogyakarta, I highly recommend eating at Tjemara Noodle Bar – Prawirotaman. The noodle bowls here were incredible and unbelievably cheap – we ate here twice during our time in Yogyakarta!
Did You Know: Indonesia is a majority muslim country, with over 87% of the population identifying as Muslim. When you visit, you’ll notice the call to prayer, which is broadcast from mosques five times a day.
Day 2: Borobudur
Today you’ll go to see the world’s largest Buddhist temple: Borobudur. This temple was built in the 8th and 9th centuries AD and is considered to be one of the most important Buddhist monuments in the world. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is a massive stone structure that is covered in intricate carvings and statues that tell many Buddhist stories.
Check out our post about how to get to Borobudur and what to expect during your visit
Day 3: Prambanan & Night Train to Malang
Today, you’ll be heading off to see Prambanan. Prambanan is a 9th-century Hindu temple complex that is the largest of its kind in Southeast Asia. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is another popular tourist destination in Indonesia.
Note: You can choose to visit Borobudur and Prambanan in the same day if you want to, but if you decide to do this I would recommend doing this as part of a tour or rent a car because they’re in opposite directions. And honestly, unless you really want to see Borobudur at sunrise and Prambanan at sunset, I really don’t see the need to squish them into one day or to do a tour. It’s much cheaper to use the bus or get a grab than it is to take a tour.
Overnight Train to Malang
Tonight (or early tomorrow morning), you’ll hop on a train to Malang. These trains leave at 9:06 PM, 12:14 AM, or 1:31 AM. There’s unfortunately no great option, because the 5.5 hour train ride either leaves you waiting until early in the morning to get on the train, or has you arriving in Malang at 3:28 AM if you took the 9 PM train.
Tip: Book your train tickets in advance! We didn’t realize that trains in Indonesia get fully booked, so I recommend booking tickets as early as you can (and at least two days in advance). The best site I found for train tickets is here, but do note that you’ll want to use the Indonesia (English) language to translate in order to book tickets within Indonesia.
Day 4: Arrival in Malang
Depending on what train you took, you’ll arrive in Malang around 3 AM or 6/7 AM. If you’re hoping to go right to sleep when you arrive in Malang, you should definitely book an extra night wherever you’re staying, because you’ll likely not be able to check in until around 2 PM.
Where to Stay in Malang
In Malang, I highly recommend staying at Mador Hostel. This hostel was super nice and the location was great; we loved our stay here.
A Note on the Rest of the Itinerary
The second half of this itinerary is about visiting Mount Bromo and Mount Ijen, so if you would prefer a multi-day organized tour over planning the trip yourself, that is certainly an option (although a more expensive one!). Most of these tours take off from either Malang or Surabaya (just north of Malang). Here are some options for tours that will bring you to both:
If you prefer to do most of the planning yourself, please continue reading!
Day 5: Sunrise at Mount Bromo
This morning will be VERY early, as you will be heading to Mount Bromo for sunrise. Most of the tours to Mount Bromo leave around 12:30 in the morning, so hopefully you’ll be tired enough after the night train to head to bed around 6/7 the night before. Mount Bromo is an active volcano that is one of the most popular hiking destinations in Java.
Our Experience
Unfortunately, Bromo National Park was closed when we visited due to wildfires. Therefore, our tour looked a bit different than it would have had the park been open. For sunrise, we went to the Seruni Point rather than the more popular Penanjakan Bromo or King Kong Hill. There was a little bit of a walk up to the Seruni Point viewing area, but it was very easy (and also very crowded). I highly recommend wearing a few layers for this because it’ll be quite cold until the sun rises.
Visiting Madakaripura Waterfall
Because Bromo National Park was closed, our tour brought us to Madakaripura Waterfall as a bit of a consolation. This is certainly not the most popular waterfall in the area, but the lack of tourist crowds made this a great spot. If you decide to visit this waterfall, I highly recommend bringing a raincoat or poncho as I PROMISE you that you’ll get wet.
Tours
We recommend visiting Mount Bromo with a tour – here are a few good options!
Day 6: Train to Banyuwangi
Today will be a chill travel day to help you get over the tiredness you likely are still feeling after your busy night at Bromo. When we traveled from Malang to Banyuwangi, we had to take two different trains with a a layover in Pasuruan. We also had to book these tickets separately, so make sure both trains you need have availability before booking! Also note that you’ll need to put the arrival station as Banyuwangi (Kota) to find the correct trains.
Tip: Once again, book your train tickets in advance and book them here using the Indonesia (English) language translation.
Where to Stay in Banyuwangi
For your stay in Banyuwangi, we cannot recommend Snooze Hostel enough. This hostel was beautiful and the staff were incredibly attentive and helpful. Definitely stay here if you have the chance!
Banyuwangi Accommodations
Day 7: Mount Ijen & Banyuwangi
Head to bed around dinner time and set your alarm for midnight because you have to be up early to head to Mount Ijen! Pick-up should be sometime around 12:30 AM, and you’ll return sometime around 8:30.
Read all about visiting Mount Ijen
With the early return time, you have the option to not stay another night in Banyuwangi and move on when you return to your accommodations, but I highly recommend staying another night to relax and take a nap.
If you decide to explore Banyuwangi a bit, I recommend visiting Pantai Boom Beach – the beach has black sand and is quite beautiful (though it is a bit polluted).
What’s Next?
Hopefully your holiday is long enough to afford at least a few more days in Indonesia, as Banyuwangi is a great jumping off point for Bali. On Bali, you can do some yoga, lay on the beach, and unwind from your crazy week of Java highlights before you fly home from Denpasar (or continue on, if time permits!).
Transportation from Banyuwangi to Bali
Getting from Banyuwangi to Bali is not very difficult, but it can seem that way if you’re used to booking bus tickets in advance!
One option to get to Bali is to take a Damri bus. When we were there, Damri had two buses that ran from Banyuwangi over to Bali leaving at 11:20 and 12:20. Damri has an office in Banyuwangi here; I definitely recommend going there and double checking the bus times. These buses will pick you up right in Banyuwangi, board the ferry in Ketapang, and then stop in multiple locations on Bali. You’ll have to figure out the best spot to get off depending on where you’re going.
If the Damri bus times don’t work for you, I recommend taking a Grab to the Ketapang ferry port and boarding the ferry as a pedestrian. Once you get to Gilimanuk, there will be plenty of people asking you where you’re going, and will help you get onto a bus to your destination. We were heading to Denpasar and were on a bus there within 15 minutes of landing on Bali. It was certainly not the most comfortable bus, but it got us to our destination and it was cheap!
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Accommodations: We use Booking.com for hotels and HostelWorld for hostels. We also use VRBO or TrustedHousesitters for longer stays.
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Activities: GetYourGuide and Viator are the best websites for booking organized tours.
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