Worth getting out of bed for...

Viewpoint

By far the best views of Yogyakarta and its surroundings (including Indonesia’s most active volcano, Mount Merapi) are to be had from the top of Borobudur’s main stupa. We recommend going early in the morning for a sunrise experience before the hordes of tourists arrive.

Arts and culture

The 200-year-old Sultan’s Palace complex, the Kraton, was revered as both capital of the ancient kingdom and heart of the cosmos. In the 20th-century, the inner walls underwent a major revamp, resulting in a unique design combining traditional Javanese with modern European. The palace is a centre for gamelan music, dance and puppetry, with wayang kulit (shadow theatre) performed throughout the night on the second Saturday of every month at Sasana Hinggil in Alun-alun Selatan. The Sono-Budoyo museum at 2 Jl Trikora also has performances Sunday to Friday, 11am–1pm.

Something for nothing

Visitors to the Kraton can watch classical Javanese dance performance, 11am daily. Many art galleries in Yogyakarta hold free exhibitions: try the French Cultural Centre (+62 (0)274 371105), Kedai Kebun Forum’s Gallery (+62 (0)274 376114) or Cemeti Art House (+62 (0)274 372105). Outside the city, Prambanan temple is stupendous, and costs nothing to visit.

Shopping

For batik cloth and other home furnishings, head to Ardiyanto Batik Gallery at Jl Magelang Km 5.8 (+62 (0)274 562777). The palatial showroom doubles as a gallery, and is filled with antiques and paintings. MD Silver (+62 (0)274 375063) is the oldest silver workshop in Kotagede. In Magelang, Tarjiman Stone Carving, Tangkilan Rt 04 Rw 18 (+62 (0)293 782242) produces special orders for Buddhist monasteries. Java Madura, Jl Monumen Jogja Kembali (+62 (0)81 746 4720) is a good source for antique and reproduction furniture.

Daytripper

Built during the ninth century (some 300 years before Angkor Wat), Borobudur is a Buddhist shrine some 40km northwest of Yogyakarta, built with more than a million stone blocks, and 500 stone Buddhas. It was probably abandoned when Buddhism gave way to Islam during the 14th century, and subsequently became buried beneath layer on layer of volcanic ash from Mount Merapi. The fabled temple was rediscovered in the 19th century and, archaeological looting notwithstanding, Borobudur has been restored and listed as a Unesco world heritage site.

Activities

In Kotagede, a silver-artisan quarter and former commercial hub, Studio 76 on Jl Purbayan (+62 (0)274 714 7676) organises jewellery-making classes with professional instructors. If you’re feeling culturally saturated, blow off steam at Yogya Go Kart (+62 (0)274 522484), the first and only karting circuit in Central Java, open on Friday afternoons and weekends. Merapi Golf (www.merapigolf.com) offers a scenic round at an 800m elevation next to fiery Mount Merapi.