Yogyakarta, The City of Cultural and Heritage

Yogyakarta, the most fascinating historical and cultural destination in Indonesia located in the center of Java Island. It is a perfect place where you can savor the fusion of scenic wonder and cultural heritage. An abundance of magnificent buildings, wonderful temples and glorious old streets always draw amazement to every people who visit this city. It is one of the most famous tourist destinations in Indonesia and a preferred location for traditional and antique lovers.

The special Region of Yogyakarta, usually called Jogja, is the smallest province of Indonesia. Although being the smallest province, Jogja is the only province in Indonesia which still formally governed by a pre-colonial Sultanate, the Sultanate of Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat. Jogja known for its enchanting historical and cultural heritage and it is clearly evident on its street names and building architecture. The traditional impression it selves clearly described by the hospitable local people, local transportation with various cultural activities that surely will offer you a unique traveling experience. You will find various tourist attractions as well such as traditional markets, historical places and great performing arts like Ramayana Ballet or Wayang Kulit.

A visit to this famous city can be a cultural experiences; one of the reasons is because of its famous unique place called 'Kraton Yogyakarta'. Kraton Yogyakarta or Keraton Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat is currently as the palace of Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X, the Sultan of Yogyakarta and also the governor of Yogyakarta province. The palace was built by Sultan Hamengku Buwono I in 1755. It consists of seven complexes where you can find many interesting artifacts from the 17th century of kingdom . The palace court with its glorious and elegant Javanese architecture lies in the center of the city. This building also became the centre of Jogja's governance and as a hallmark of Yogyakarta city for centuries.

For you who love past inheritance, you can visit both Hindu and Buddhist temples that can be found in several locations in Yogyakarta. There are three famous temples such as Mendut, Kalasan and the Prambanan. The Prambanan temple is the one that famous with the tale of legendary Ramayana. You can watch the Prambanan's relief stone bathed in sunset's golden glow in the afternoon. If you are lucky to visit this temple in full moon, you will be able to watch Ramayana Ballet, a traditional Javanese dance by local people at the most magnificent temple on central Java and became a masterpiece of Hindu culture from the ninth century. A great building architecture stand up to 47 meters with a glorious panorama and outstanding natural beauty cartainly made Prambanan as a visited place in Yogyakarta.

Tourist vacations are feels incomplete without the fulfillment of shopping pleasure and Yogyakarta has every place to satisfy your shopping spree. The center of shopping market in Yogyakarta is Malioboro Street. The streets are lined with beautiful historical buildings with two kilometers length and became a centers of hundreds store and street-stalls which offer you various kind of Javanese handicrafts and any other exclusive souvenir. Batik, rattan ornament, leather puppet, bamboo handicrafts, blangkon (Javanese traditional cap) and silver goods are common little things that you may find in this place. You can walk along the arcade of Malioboro Street and enjoy the scene of traditional trading activity while hunting for Jogja's souvenir for your own. Another unique thing about this market is the bargain price where you can have best quality of local product with a third or even half price offered depends on your bargaining ability.

The greatest part in visiting Yogyakarta, you can find yourself exploring classic traditional markets while enjoying unique taste of its genuine culinary as well. One of the most popular and also one of Indonesian genuine food from Yogya is Gudeg. Gudeg is a vegetable dishes made from jackfruit served with boiled egg, tofu and rice. The dominant flavor of gudeg is a sweet taste that obtained by Javanese sugar. The sweet taste of gudeg absolutely will complete your memorable trip to the cultural city in Yogyakarta. There in Jogja, you can easily find Gudeg in every center of crowd or even in the corner of pathway, this is why Jogja often called a 'Gudeg City'.

The most important thing, if you are planning your trip to Yogyakarta, then it's best to have some information about its climatic conditions. Since Yogyakarta has a tropical climate, the temperature throughout the year is no more less than 26 degrees Celsius. The dry season starts from April till September and the wet season from October till March. The best time to be there is from May to August, when the sun shines bright and the uninvited drizzle keeps the climate cool.