One Week Java (Indonesia) Itinerary and Guide
- Margaux
- Jun 1, 2025
- 6 min read
Updated: Jun 9, 2025
Java was one of my favourite places in Indonesia, and compared to Bali, was so much more authentic and not as overcrowded with tourists. It is gaining in popularity though, and rightly so: it was absolutely incredible. The nature and scenery there was out of this world. Here is how I spent a week in Central and East Java, including the best things to do, where to stay, and places to eat.
Contents
Logistics: Making Bookings and Moving Around
Getting around Java was really simple. I flew into Surabaya and from there booked buses through 12Go Asia. Cititrans have really nice and comfortable minibuses that run between all the major cities in Java. Because they are smaller, you will need to book these about a week in advance to ensure a spot. If you can’t get one, then the train is also a good option. You can also book theis on 12Go Asia. For shorter distances, get the Grab app for taxis and motorbikes.
You don’t need to book accommodation that far in advance, although to secure the best hostels, you will want to book at least 3 days beforehand. Activities vary, and I will go through these in the itinerary below, but generally you do need to book these in advance.
Yogyakarta
Stay at least 2 nights in Yogyakarta so that you have one full day here to explore the famous temples.
Things to Do
Borobudur Temple
Borobudur Temple is the largest single Buddhist temple in the world, and is really impressive. I booked a tour through my hostel, which I recommend doing in advance, because tickets to go up to the top of the temple sell out. It was also cheaper this way; I paid 150,000 IDR (approx. £6.80) for the return tour, and Grabs from Yogyakarta go for 215,000 - 250,000 IDR (approx. £9.75 - £11.35) one way.Â
The ticket to enter costs 455,000 IDR (approx. £20.65), which includes a guide, shoes, a water bottle, and an hour on top of the temple. The guide we got was really great - he showed us around and told us all about the history of Borobudur which was very interesting.
Street art in Yogyakarta
Walking around Yogyakarta is another great thing to do. There is a lot of really cool street art, some art galleries, and shops. This is authentic Indonesia and I would highly recommend everyone visit to experience this.
Where to Stay
I stayed at Wonderloft hostel and loved it - it was in a great location and had nice rooms and bathrooms, a rooftop terrace, and a little plunge pool!
Where to Eat (vegan friendly places)
Yogyakarta has a vegan restaurant called Black Forest Café which has really good vegan takes on Indonesian food. I also went to Warung Heru and enjoyed that.
Malang
Move on to Malang and stay another 2 nights here.Â
Things to Do
Rainbow Village
The Rainbow Village is one of the main attractions of Malang, with its colourful houses and streets. It costs 10,000 IDR (approx. 45p) to enter, but beware this is only for one side of the river. If you cross the bridge to the other side, you have to pay 5000 IDR (approx. 25p) more. In my opinion, the better side is the right hand side (from your perspective standing on the bridge), so it isn’t worth paying that 5000 IDR extra.Â
A lot of people will probably try and offer you a tour or ask you to show your ticket. Showing the ticket is fine, but you definitely don’t need a tour, so be persistent when you politely decline.
Blue Village
The Blue Village is free to enter and much more relaxing to walk around. No one harassed me for money on this side of the bridge. It was also much quieter and I really liked it.
Kayutangan Heritage Area
This area in general has some lovely streets to walk around. The main heritage area costs 10,000 IDR (approx. 45p) to enter, but it didn’t look like it offered much more than the surrounding streets.
Where to Stay
MADOR Malang Hostel is the most popular place in Malang. This is partly because of its East Java tour which I’ll tell you about next. It does have triple decker bunks (!) but is otherwise fine.
Where to Eat (vegan friendly places)
I had some great food in Malang, and it was incredibly cheap. Here are three recommendations:
Depot Djempolan
Tahu Lontong Lonceng
Ikan Bakar 52
East Java: Tumpak Sewu, Mt Bromo, and Mt Ijen
From Malang, I highly recommend booking onto the 3D2N tour of East Java with MADOR Malang Hostel. It makes visiting Tumpak Sewu Waterfall, Mt Bromo, and Mt Ijen very simple, cheap, and a lot of fun. It was incredibly well organised, the accommodation was great, and it was really good value for money. These places are difficult to get to solo, so it is definitely worth it.
I would recommend booking around a week in advance by sending a Whatsapp to the hostel. You don’t have to be staying there to book, but most people do. The cost depends on how many people sign up, but I paid 1,950,000 IDR (approx. £88.50) for the three days, which includes transport, the guide, all accommodation, all food (apart from one dinner), entrance fees, rental equipment for Ijen, and a ferry transfer to Bali afterwards.
Day 1: Tumpak Sewu Waterfall
You’ll leave Malang in the morning to drive to Tumpak Sewu Waterfall. This is an absolutely unreal place that I am still thinking about today. There is a viewpoint at the top, and then you walk down to the bottom of the falls. You’ll have time there before walking to another set of waterfalls and a cave. Come prepared to get absolutely soaking wet! You then will have to climb back up but it is so worth it.
After that, you drive to the hostel near Mt Bromo and spend the night there. It’s in a beautiful location and is really nice accommodation.
Day 2: Mt Bromo
You’ll wake up on day 2 at 1:40am and drive in the van to Mt Bromo, where you then switch into jeeps. As you arrive, you are given snacks, tea, and coffee, before walking around 10 minutes to the viewpoint to watch the sunrise, which is absolutely magical.
From there, you’ll get back in the jeeps and drive to the ash desert to climb Mt Bromo to its crater. It will take about 20-30 minutes to climb up there.
You will be driven to Bondowoso to spend another very short night before day 3.
Day 3: Mt Ijen
I had to create an alarm for this. We left the hotel at 11:45pm to drive to Ijen. It was a 2 hour drive to the base camp, where you are given snacks, drinks, and a gas mask and headtorch. You will start the climb which is steadily uphill but not too strenuous. When you reach the crater rim, you descend into it. This part is slow because there are a lot of people trying to climb down in the very small window when the blue fire is active (2-4am). However, at the bottom, the blue fire is unlike anything you’ve ever seen. The gas stings your eyes but it’s an incredible experience.Â
After that, you’ll hike back up to the crater rim for sunrise over the blue lake, which is another spectacular view. From there, you’ll walk back down to the bus which will transfer you to the ferry port which takes you to Bali. We got picked up by a bus on the other side which drove us to our next destinations in Bali (or close by).
It’s an absolutely exhausting three days and you don’t get much sleep, but it is also some of the best scenery I have ever seen and I would recommend it to anyone!
Budget
My daily average in Java was £45, which includes food, accommodation, transport, tours, activities, my SIM card, and visa. This was on the higher side because it was a busy few days, but so worth it!
Hostels in Java are much cheaper than in Bali, ranging from £3 to £10 a night. Food was incredibly cheap, around 50p - £3 for a meal.
I hope this inspires you to get over to Java. I wish I had been able to explore it some more. These places are incredible, so please take care of them. Seeing how some people treat nature in Indonesia is heartbreaking, so lead by example and only leave your footprints behind.
