Malioboro is the name of the street which stretches around 2km from the main yogyakarta’s train station to zero point of yogyakarta. It lies before the intersection of main street and the first street of the city. The area is renowned for its lively shopping experience and cultural attraction. It keeps buzzing 24 hours offering different activities and wonders. Malioboro, is the melting pot between affordable lodgings, shopping and cuisine. This post will tell you various activities you can do and what to expect from this festive neighborhood.

What can you do there?

A lot. First, Shopping, the sidewalks of both sides are overcrowded with stalls selling mostly apparels, including the famous Indonesian traditional clothing, batik. Second, Sight-seeing Chariot and tricycle are readily available to give you tours around the area and nearby. Riding the chariot is a perfect way to spend the afternoon while seeing the sky turned its color. Third, Eating, as you hop off from the chariot ride, there will be open-street air side eating place called “ lesehan” offering authentic local cuisine at a reasonable price. While enjoying your meal, you will be entertained by street performers who danced happily singing and playing indonesian traditional music. Finally, experience the local hospitality, as the night is getting darker, you can enjoy “kopi arang”,coffee infused with hot and dark charcoal and experience Yogyakartan’s hospitality.

Are there any interesting tourist attractions I can visit?

Plenty. From market to historical sites around the neighborhood to instagrammable place in yogyakarta, here are some you can try exploring around :

• Vredeburg Fort
• Beringharjo Market
• Sonobudoyo museum
• Hamzah batik (cabaret show)
• Taman Pintar (science park)
• Yogyakarta Zero point (instagrammable spot)
• Chinatown
• Commemoration of General offensive 11 march

When should you go?

Malioboro is all year round market. It opens daily almost 24 hour. But ideally, it is best to go around 9 AM- 10 AM when the seller starts to open their stalls. Important shopping tips : it’s best to shop when the seller has just opened their stall as they believe the first sale will bring good luck and profit. They’re more than happy with the price you’re haggling. Seasonal wise, it’s best to go outside the monsoon time, since you can enjoy the utmost experience exploring the area.

What can I buy there?

Need new wallpaper for your house? Art piece? New clothes? Food? Malioboro has it all. There are vendors even mid-sized to a shopping mall located in the area. Cheap jewelleries, bracelets, accessories, wallets, sandals,you name it, they have it. Getting lost won’t be a problem since it’s small area. If you find yourself getting lost, try to ask around where the train station or mall malioboro. It will take you to the heart of this bustling area.

Wallets and pencil case in batik print

Can you haggle?

Definitely. Most vendors will even tell you up front “ you can haggle.” It might surprise you since the price offered for locals is always under 10$ but still, why not exercise our communication and dealing skills. Despite everything is already cheap, being a foreigner might have certain disadvantages. As a foreigner you will be charged 10x more than the locals.Try to use a bit of indonesian to woo the sellers. Here are some useful words you can use “ berapa?” (how much), “ saya mau satu” (I want one). It’s also great to know how to count from one to ten cause the less likely you’ll get ripped off.

What Do You Recommend in The Area?

Gudeg and Ronde. Gudeng is traditional yogyakarta’s cuisine that you won’t find anywhere except in yogyakarta. It is made of sweet unripe jackfruit with various additional spices and palm sugar. This sweet jackfruit is often served with chicken and eggs. Meanwhile ronde is hot based drinks made of ginger served with peanuts, rice flour mixed with palm sugar and sugar palm fruit. These two are must have around the area.

How To Get There?

Since Malioboro is a known destination spot, it’s very easy to get there. Yogyakarta is also supported by decent mass transportation. So, you can go to this area using TransJogja, a mass inner-city bus connecting different famous tourist attraction. It will cost 3000 idr for one way trip. Another way to get into the area is by using online transportation called Grab or Gojek. Traditional taxis are also readily available to take you into this bustling area and the driver will instantly know where “ Malioboro” is.

Transjogja inner-city bus

Jl. Malioboro No.52-58, Suryatmajan, Kec. Danurejan, Kota Yogyakarta, Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta 55213

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Personal Note and More pictures

For the starter of my 2020 trip, I went to this place with my mom. It has been a while since we both get to travel together. We explored Malioboro to buy Gudeng and sekoteng. Not to mention, my grandma was already asking for souvenirs long before we hopped on the train. So, we visited the area to shop. Also, the pictures was optimized for instagram canvas, so it's much smaller than regular size.

BNI old architecture
Malioboro has been renovated and much cleaner. It is very convenient to travel around the neighborhood. There are seats around the area and it’s getting pedestrian friendly, unlike years ago. It remains a must visit when traveling to Yogyakarta. Other than that, I also visited the post office to send my friend a postcard. The post-office building is also a great spot to take selfies. Overall, it was great and I got bitten by the travel bug once again !

There will be more places and tips that I will share from my 2 days 3 nights journey. Let me know if you enjoy the read by leaving a comment. Stay safe and happy travels !

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