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Zagreb Travel Guide: What to do and where to eat

Zagreb is a beautiful city that we both really enjoyed! There’s loads of things to do and see and some great places to eat. This Zagreb travel guide is based on our experiences during our 5 days spent in Zagreb. We will not add the most touristy spots in this guide, as these are easy to find in any guidebook. All places are added on our Croatia travel map.

Beautiful views over Zagreb

Things to See and Do in Zagreb

There is a ton to see and do in Zagreb, and we did not have time for all we wanted to do unfortunately. But these are some of our highlights listed:

Walk around Old Town

Yes, it is touristy, and we try to not do too many touristy things when travelling. But, the old town of any city is nice to stroll through to get glimpses of history. Just don’t eat here, as the prices are much higher than other parts of the city.

Walk around old town and explore all beautiful architecture it has to offer

Zagreb is full of cute streets to explore

The Memorial Centre of the Rocket Attacks on Zagreb 1991/1995

This was probably the most interesting thing to do in Zagreb for us. It was quite emotional, but very interesting. The staff was super helpful and really want to explain what happened and why. We didn’t know much about the war or the bombings of Zagreb, so we learned a lot. But again, it was super emotional and many very strong and graphic photos and videos.

It was a little bit tricky to find as it was just in a normal doorway without any big signs. When you find the right door, go up one stair and ring the doorbell on the door with the sign and the staff will let you in.

Entrance: free

Door to The Memorial Centre of the Rocket Attacks on Zagreb 1991/1995

Mirogoj Cemetery

This cemetery is very beautiful. The beautiful arcade is the highlight of Mirogoj, with it’s beautiful architecture and the resting place for many famous Croats. It’s definitely worth going up to just walk around the arcade and the rest of the cemetery. Take a bus from the cathedral or walk up the hill.

Entrance: free

The beautiful Arcade at Mirogoj Cemetery

Ceiling of the arcade at Mirogoj Cemetery

Church in Mirogoj Cemetery

Tunnel Gric

This former bomb shelter during WWII and in the 90s is today a pedestrian tunnel under the city centre. It is a super cool place to walk through and almost completely empty when we were there. There are a five entrances, some a little tricky to find, but we used google and got to the right place.

Entrance: free

Inside Tunnel Grič

Park Maksimir

If you need to get out of the city centre for a bit and see some nature, head to the biggest part in Zagreb, Maksimir. It’s only a short tram ride from the centre. This is the perfect place to stroll around for an afternoon. It’s also where the city’s Zoo is located.

Entrance: free

Museum of Broken Relationships

It’s a whole museum about brake ups, some funny, some sad. Overall I think it was worth spending some time there but Sam didn’t enjoy it as much, so it depends on what you’re interested in.

Entrance: 40 kuna (ca. €5, October 2018).

Museum of Broken Relationships, Zagreb

Botanical Gardens

The Botanical Gardens was a nice place to walk around. None of us are really into flora and fauna, but it was still a nice walk in the sun. It was also very empty when we were there, and not many tourists at all.

Entrance: free

Botanical Garden in Zagreb

Wooden house in the Botanical Garden

Explore all graffiti

Zagreb is full of beautiful, cool graffiti. Just walk around and explore and you will see loads, like a huge open air Art museum.

Graffiti in the Art park, and one of the entrances to the Grič tunnel

Street art at the Art Park in Zagreb

Drink coffee

As anywhere we go, we try to find the best coffee spots. There are loads of places to sit and relax with a hot cup of coffee and watch the world go by. See Sam’s guide to the best coffee in Zagreb.

Where to Eat in Zagreb

There are so many restaurants in Zagreb, as there is in any big city. Below are some places we found and really enjoyed. See our Zagreb travel map for exact locations.

Bistro Špajza

A small neighbourhood bistro owned by a super sweet older couple. They serve home made really good food. They have a daily menu, so it varies a bit depending on season etc. When we were there you got a soup and/or salad and could choose between three mains, risotto, pasta bolognese and beef cheeks with mashed potatoes.

Price: we paid €15 in total for 2 salads, 2 mains, water and 2 glasses of wine (October 2018).

Magazinska klet

This place is a typical BBQ restaurants, like the food you would find in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We had the mixed meat plate which was great – all fresh from the BBQ. It has a very homely feel to it and the staff was very friendly and helpful.

Price: we paid €30 in total for a huge plate of mixed meat, fries, mushrooms, a salad, bread, beans, 2 beers (big) and one baklava (October 2018). Mind you, it was enough food for 3-4 people.

Big meal at Magazinska Klet

Pithos

A very nice little lunch restaurant (only open until 17.00). You can choose from a daily menu with 3-4 dishes. It was all h0me made nice food.

Price: the most expensive dish was €5 (October 2018).

Lašćinska Klet – Restoran – Ferenčina

This restaurant is a bit out of the city centre, next to Mirogoj Cemetery. It’s a very local place in a residential area, which we just stumbled upon after visiting Mirogoj. The food is very well made and home cooked, super delicious. Definitely worth a visit, especially if you combine it with Mirogoj.

Price: we paid €27 for two mains, a salad, a glass of wine and a beer (October 2018). It’s not the cheapest place to eat, but still worth a visit due to the quality.

More Croatia!

Make sure to see our Croatia page with tips about travel in Croatia, map and all our blog posts about Croatia.

October 4, 2018
What to Do in Pula

Pula is the biggest city in Istria, Croatia, and the eighth biggest city in the country. It’s located at the southern tip of the Istria peninsula. Pula is known for its large number of old Roman structures, the most acclaimed of which is the Pula Arena, a standout among other preserved Roman amphitheaters. The city has a long tradition of wine making, angling, shipbuilding, and tourism. It used to be Istria’s authoritative focus since antiquated Roman times, until the point when Pazin turned into its regulatory focus in 1991.

All places listed below are listed on our Croatia map.

View over Pula shipyard

What to Do in Pula?

The city center is quite small with paved winding walkways, dozens of restaurants catering to the mostly day-time tourists which means in the evening it’s pretty quiet.

The Roman Amphitheater

The amphitheater is small enough to walk around in a half hour. You get a good view inside without having to pay the entrance fee. Infact Pula’s ampitheatre is more intact than it’s cousin in Rome, boasting a near complete ring of walls. It is also in regular use, staging the Film Festival, the opening night of electronic music bash Outlook, Dimensions and other big-name concerts.

The Amphitheater in Pula

Pula Triumphal Arch

The Arch of the Sergii remains the main gateway into what is now Pula’s historic center, virtually intact after more than 2,000 years. Today’s pedestrians walk below its portal to access ulica Sergijevaca. You can still see details relating to the events of 31BC, the names of the Sergii clan inscribed on the columns, and a chariot on the frieze.

Fort Monvidal

There is the old Fort on the hill, again no need to walk in and pay any entrance fee if you’re not really into forts and history. You can walk around the whole fort on the outside and get the same views of the historic center and the cranes of the nearby shipyard for free.

View from Fort Monvidal

Pula Market

As well as the outside free market there is also the undercover market. It is housed in a historic building with a distinctive architectural style. Constructed out of wrought iron. Traders fill two floors with fish, meat and other local sundry produce, while local fresh fruit, vegetables, honeys, wines and oils can be found in abundance.

Most tourists will happily see all there is to offer in a day.

By the harbour in Pula

More Croatia!

Make sure to see our Croatia page with tips about travel in Croatia, map and all our blog posts about Croatia.

October 1, 2018
How we Decided to Travel Full Time

We are going to be very honest in this post. Life is not always sunshine and rainbows, as social media wants us to believe. Yes, we have content that tells that story as well, but that’s not gonna be the case here. This is my story and the story about how we came to the decision to sell all our stuff and travel full time. Sam had some similar problems with not being happy at work, knowing what to do with his life etc. but decided to not share that here.

The last few years have been rough for me, and the last year I haven’t really felt happy. I lost my purpose in life and wasn’t sure what to to do with my life. This was really hard for me, as I’ve had a goal in life since I was about 10 years old. All my life I’ve been working towards this, and now I was lost.

Last year we travelled back and forth to Stockholm to help take care of my sick dad. I was working long hours at a job I didn’t like, doing something I wasn’t passionate about. I was trying to fit into a life that I thought I should have, but knew I didn’t want. I tried to be that good girl, doing everything I was supposed to do.

During the fall last year I just got worse and worse. But I didn’t see it myself. I thought it was normal to cry everyday in the bathroom at work. I thought it was normal to never have energy to do anything else than work. I told myself it was just the weather, or I was just a bit overworked. The anxiety came, stronger and more often. I went to the doctors about headaches, and broke down completely when she asked me how I was feeling. There and then I realized I wan’t doing very well. I got an appointment with a psychologist and went on sick leave from work on my doctors order, diagnosed with depression.

My sick leave lasted until the end of my contract, in April. I was starting to feel a little bit better, the worst of my anxiety disappeared and I started to have energy do a few things. Sam and I went to Indonesia for 2 weeks, got engaged, and I started to heal.

During our trip to Indonesia my dad died. I had to go to Sweden, first thing after we came back to deal with funeral stuff and everything else you need to deal with when someone dies, which is A LOT! I took a turn to the worse again. It felt like I broke on the inside. My dad is dead, the man who I always turned to when I wanted to discuss something or whenever I had a problem. He was just gone. I felt empty. Tired. Lost.

We started looking for a house in the Netherlands, and I was about to start looking for a job. But we both felt like we were working towards something we didn’t want, a life we didn’t want to live.

In all of this, I got scared. Is this the point of life? Am I just on this earth to work and earn money for unnecessary things? I was on my way down a black hole at this point, and it scared me. I knew I had to make a big change.

What about if we just sell all our stuff, end the contract on our apartment and just leave?

As none of us were happy in the life we were living, we started talking. What can we do to change this? Neither of us are from the Netherlands and there’s not really anything keeping us here. None of us want to go back to our home countries. None of us were sure what we want to do with our lives, where we want it to take us, where we want to live, do…

What about bringing the absolute minimum and go out in the world for an indefinite time? Travel full time?

There was something in us both that lit up talking about it. All of a sudden I felt an urge to do something, I felt excitement for the first time in a long time. But also fear. Can I really do that? What about all the shoulds? job, apartment, all those grown up things you should do? What about security? Having a place to call home? Can I just leave? Can I travel full time?

Of course I can. But I am scared as hell and not sure if I could actually do it. Am I a person who can do it? Am I just trying to escape? or would it actually help me to finally heal?

All these questions. All these fears. I am so scared of letting myself go into something unknown, where I don’t feel like I have control.

But maybe that’s just what I need? What we both need. Not being in control, not having things planned, just be for a while. A chance to breath, trying to figure out what is important in life, what I want to put my time and energy on, who I am.

All these questions. No answers.

If you don’t know where you’re going you can’t be lost, right?

I talked to my dad about this last summer. He told me to go travel the world after he died, he knew I wouldn’t do it before. He also knew it was something I’ve always wanted to do and he too loved to travel. Even with cancer storming in his body he went on a bike cycle trip on Cuba, visiting Vietnam and came to visit me in Indonesia. I know I would regret not taking this chance. And you know what? If I hate it I could just stop at any point.

After talking about it more, thinking about it – we decided that we are the only ones who can take control over our own happiness. There’s no short cuts. And if we are not happy with the life we live, why stay in it if we don’t have to? What is there to loose? So we made a decision to just sell our stuff and travel full time. See where the world takes us.

I really do believe anyone can do this if they just put their mind to it. We were lucky, economically, but we would have made it happen anyway. You just need to set your mind to it and be economical.

I hope this will be a way for me to find myself again. To figure out what’s important in life. To get away from the western way of living with all stress that it includes, get offline more, being in my feelings. A way to heal from loosing my dad, my guide in life. Healing my mind.

I want to believe that you do not need to go through something awful to get to this point. The point where you decide to change your life drastically. And I know there are cases, where people just do it cause they want to. But I believe there are even more cases, where people change their lives because of something big happening in their life. It might be the wake up call you need. For me it was just that, the wake up call I needed to understand that this is not the life I want to live. And I had the guts to make the needed change. This change can look different for everyone, but for us, it was to travel full time and see as much as possible of our beautiful world!

Why travel full time?

We have both always loved to travel. See new places, experience different cultures, new food. So for us there wasn’t any other plan for change than this. We have both travelled quite a bit before. And it was just the natural choice for us. We have both always wanted to travel the world, experience every bit of our planet so it came as a natural thing for us to do when I needed to make a drastic change in our lives.

“Travel is like love, mostly because it’s a heightened state of awareness, in which we are mindful, receptive, undimmed by familiarity and ready to be transformed. That is why the best trips, like the best love affairs, never really end” — Pico Iyer.

Follow our journey and see where we are now.

July 27, 2018
Best Indonesian Food

Trying to list top 5 best Indonesian food is not easy, and I realised that most of our favourites are Javanese dishes, but it makes sense, we have spent most of our time on Java when being in Indonesia, as most of our friends live there, and we absolutely love Java and still have so much to explore on this Island alone.

Indonesian food is amazing! I could go to Indonesia just to eat. Saying Indonesian food includes a lot of different food tho. All regions, all cities, have their own cuisine and speciality. Whenever I go somewhere in Indonesia and talk to my Indonesian friends about it, they tell me what to eat in that place. Food is very important in Indonesia and you will never have to go hungry!

Between the two of us, these were the top 5 Indonesian dishes we agreed upon:

1. Bakso

We both absolutely love this simple noodle soup with meatballs – it’s both of ours favourite Indonesian dish! The best Bakso, you will find on the street. I’ve only seen it once in a restaurant, and it wasn’t very good. It’s a central Javaneese food, so the really amazing ones, you will find in Central Java, around Yogyakarta. M favourite Bakso place is in Mendut (see blog post about it here LINK!). It’s not a spicy dish in itself, but at all Bakso stalls there will be sambal (chili), which you are supposed to add in the soup to your liking as well as kecap manis (sweet soy sauce). So if you find yourself in central Java make sure to try Bakso at a street stall, it’s super cheap and yummy!

Bakso at it’s best at street stall Pak Min Wonogiri in Mendut.

2. Tongseng

Tongseng has been a favourite of mine from my first trip to Indonesia. It was the first street food I tried at a stall outside my work in Jakarta. From that moment I was sold on street food in Indonesia and Tongseng! Again, this is a central Javanese dish, from Solo I think, and also a soup. Tongseng is made with a coconut milk base and traditionally with goat or lamb, but in most places you can choose chicken instead. I prefer it with lamb, while Sam usually goes for the chicken. It’s also super spicy and so rich in flavour! The best Tongseng you will definitely find at the street, and as with Bakso, you won’t find many restaurants serving it, and if they do it won’t be as good as on the street. Trust me!

A beautiful bowl of Tongseng!

3. Ayam taliwang

All chicken in Indonesia is pretty fantastic, but Ayam Taliwang is one of Sam’s favourite dishes. A very spicy chicken dish with loads of chili on top, originally from Lombok. This is more of a restaurant or warung dish rather than something you will find in street stalls.

Not a traditional Ayam Taliwang, but still really good!

4. Sate

You won’t be able to travel to Indonesia without seeing sate stands. On Bali or in Manado they will most likely serve pork, chicken or fish, on Java and Lombok you will instead find beef, chicken and fish sates. This is the ultimate street food. You can find it anywhere and it will probably be great anywhere.

Chicken sate at Sate Taichan Senayan in Yogyakarta.

5. Nasi uduk

Nasi Uduk is not really a dish in itself, it’s rice cooked in coconut milk and spices. But you will see Nasi Uduk Komplit at many restaurants, where you will get chicken, tempe etc. and Nasi Uduk. It’s originally from Jakarta, but you will find it across Indonesia. I absolutely love this super fragrant rice. I’m a rice person in general, and love rice – but Nasi Uduk is playing in it’s own league of rices.

6. Extra: Sambals

Sambal is basically a sauce based on chili. There are so many different types of sambal, and all regions, cities, places have their own local version. We love trying different types of Sambals when we travel in Indonesia. My favourite sambal is Colo Colo – from Maluku, I haven’t seen it in many places outside Maluku. Should be served with fish, but works as good with chicken! We could probably make a whole blog post about sambals alone, but we will spare you that, for now.

Three different types of sambal at restaurant Bebek Bengil, in Jakarta.

So difficult to choose just 5 dishes.. there are so many other great dishes, I mean just all the pork and duck dishes you find on Bali, or the super spicy kitchen of Manado. Mmm…

More Indonesia!

Make sure to see our Indonesia page with a map to all our tips on where to go and eat these dishes!

July 20, 2018
What to Do in Borobudur off the Beaten Path

When you think of Borobudur you think about the temple. It is a truly magnificent temple for sure, beautiful and definitely worth a visit. It’s also quite romantic, and where Sam proposed to me. Make sure to do the sunrise tour if you come, it is very beautiful! Even if it might be full of people, it’s still definitely worth it!

Sunrise from Borobudur temple

Sunrise at Borobudur temple

Most tourists just go to their hotels for a night and do the sunrise tour of the temple, but I definitely think this area is worth staying in for longer. But there is so much more to this area than the temple. It’s actually one of my favourite areas in Indonesia, with loads of greenery and small villages to explore, and extremely friendly people.

Earlier this year, we stayed in this area for a week. We did do a lot of relaxing by the pool as well during this time, as we needed some rest, but we did explore quite a bit as well. I’ve been to Borobudur twice now, but for Sam it was the first time. The first time I was there, I did what most people are doing, 1 night at a hotel, the sunrise tour of Borobudur, a horse carriage ride around the closest village of Borobudur temple and then left. But I really felt like I wanted to come back to this place. I saw so much beauty during this trip so I was very happy to come back and spend some more time.

What to Do in Borobudur off the Beaten Track

This area is so beautiful, the nature, the people – it’s all a but magical. Don’t be afraid to venture out from the hotel areas into the villages. My favourite thing to do is just to stroll through the village around the temples, walk on the small back streets. You will meet people who will talk to you and it’s super easy to interact with anyone you meet. They might not speak English but gestures and a few words in Bahasa will help. When we did this we ran into all sort of things happening, like a little local festival, some nice coffee places etc.

You can also rent a bicycle at some places and bike around the villages. Don’t do this midday like we did… it’s going to be too hot and you will burn. I managed to burn my hands for the first time in my life.

Also check out the small temple, Mendut. Many tourist do this on their way to and from Borobudur. It’s super small, just one room with a huge Buddha in it. But it is quite pretty.

Inside Mendut temple

Where to Eat Like a Local, Borobudur off the Beaten Path

We had some of the best food we’ve ever had in Indonesia here, especially Bakso and Tongseng (see our blog post about Indonesian food for more info). There places are all close to the Mendut Temple, for exact location see our Indonesia travel map.

Bakso & Mie Ayam Pak Min Wonogiri

This little street stall styled Bakso place is where we had lunch everyday. It’s the best Bakso I’ve tried to so far in Indonesia and it will only set you back around 0,60Euro for a portion. Don’t be scared by the very rough interior, we ate there plenty of times without having any issues with our tummies. The staff doesn’t speak English but are super helpful and friendly.

Interior of Pak Min

Amazing Bakso!

Rumah Makan Sate Dan Tongseng Mbak Ning

Possibly the best Tongseng in the area! It’s a very local restaurant, but again, don’t be scared by the look from it. The food is well prepared and the Sate is made on order. It’s very cheap and you won’t leave hungry!

Making Sate

Nak Djadi

This place serves Tongseng and Sate. The man running it is super friendly and came up to check we had a good time and enjoyed the food, which we did! This place looks a little bit nicer than some of the other places on this street and if I don’t remember wrong it was also a little bit more expensive than Mbak Ning for example. However, this does not mean much, as for a Westerner it is still very cheap.

As with many places, the best thing to do is just to walk around and see what you stumble upon. That’s how we like to travel, and when we do that – that’s when we have the best days! Rather than trying to plan everything.

Where to Stay

There are loads of options of where to stay around Borobudur for all budgets. Try to choose an option in one of the villages to get a more real feel how it is to live here. We stayed at Amata Resort Borobudur, which was great! A midrange option, with great value for money. We really enjoyed our time there and the staff was super friendly and helpful.

The pool at Amata Resort Borobudur

More Indonesia!

Make sure to see our Indonesia page with tips about travel in Indonesia, map and all our blog posts about Indonesia.

July 14, 2018
Where to Eat in Yogyakarta

We had some really amazing food in Yogyakarta, and will share them with you in this guide of where to eat in Yogyakarta. We also ate at some random street food stalls, which we cannot remember the name of. But they all had really good food. In general, I would say that street food in Yogyakarta is safe to eat. But follow your instinct, and the locals.

Travel Tip – Never walk past a bunch of people queuing up for street food. ALWAYS take a look at whats being cooked up, use your eyes and your nose. If it looks good and smells good and 50 other people are ordering it and sat around eating it, it’s probably going to be not only OK to eat, but one of the best dishes you’ll experience on your travel.

There are a few dishes you should definitely try that are typical from Yogyakarta. One of them being Gudeg. Gudeg is a coconut milk based stew with Jackfruit in it. It also has palm sugar in it, and I find it a bit too sweet. It’s hard to describe the taste of this, you will just need to try it! You will find places that serves Gudeg all of the city, so just pick one.

All the places below are listed on our Indonesia map.

Waroeng SS

On the South side of Yogya we found Waroeng SS Special Sambal, purely by chance as it was just round the corner from our hotel. You can choose to sit around a table or down on the floor. If you choose the raised floor, make sure to take off your shoes. Service is fast, so grab an ice-tea straight away and get comfy with the menu.

A happy Sam at Waroeng SS

There is a HUGE range of Sambals here (33 in all I think). The menu is, traditional Indonesian, which is a bit like a tapas menu, just lots of stuff either grilled, fried or steamed. The staff speak great English and can help you with what you order. We found that ordering about 4 sambals and another 8 main dishes with a portion of steamed rice would be enough (well for us). But you can just keep ordering if you are still hungry for more.

This place is renowned for their Special Sambals, so be adventurous. There are hundreds if not thousands of sambal recipes in Indonesia, some are famous in their own right like colo colo (pronounced Chollo Chollo), from Maluku, which is intense Sweet Soy sauce called Ketjap with fresh Indonesian chilies, traditionally served with fish.

All the yummy food and sambals at Waroeng SS

Read more about sambals and Indonesian food in the blog post “Best Indonesian food“.

Sate Taichan Senayan Yogya

Just down the road from Waroeng SS is Sate Taichan Senayan Yogya set up on the sidewalk with two sate grills and about 10 staff working service, delivering food and drinks. It cost 18k IDR or about €1 for 10 Sate Sticks and Thai Tea for 5k IDR or about €0.30.

Chicken sates and amazing spicy sambal at Sate Taichan Senayan Yogya

We also found this place by accident. When walking around we saw all these locals queuing up, and decided we had to check it out. We were the only non Indonesians, and got many smiles when we ordered in broken Bahasa mixed with English and sat down. The sates was amazing, by far the best chicken sates either of us has had in Indonesia so far.

Sitting area at Sate Taichan Senayan Yogya

I have no clue if this was a pop up thing or if it’s always there, but if you walk pass it make sure to stop for some sates. We added where it is on our Indonesia map.

More Indonesia!

Make sure to see our Indonesia page with tips about travel in Indonesia, map and all our blog posts about Indonesia.

July 14, 2018
Things to Do in Yogyakarta

Yogyakarta, Yogya, or Jogja (Kärt barn har många namn*) is a cool laid back city. We only spent two nights in Yogyakarta, and didn’t hit any of the main tourist attraction. So our guide will not feature any of these, but more off the beaten track things to do in Yogyakarta. It’s quite small and easily accessible by foot. If you like to get a bit lost, like we do, just start walking in a random direction, or towards a simple destination like a coffee house or ATM and you will find something interesting.

Most people only stay a night or two in Yogya, like we did, to head out to Borobudur temple and/or Merapi volcano. But you could definitely stay for longer in Yogyakarta and have loads of things to do and see.

All the places below are listed on our Indonesia map.

*Swedish expression, roughly translated to “Loved child has many names”.

Graffiti Walk

You will see street are everywhere in Yogyakarta. But there is one area that has more of it. Head down to the Cemeti – Institute for Art and Society to see some great work by upcoming and well established artists. All round this area is plastered in graffiti everywhere. Follow your eyes and and don’t be afraid wander off the beaten track, into the small paths in the residential areas.

Street art in a small alley way in a residential area

Street art in Yogya

Talking With the Locals

School children who interviewed us, and as a thank you we got a gift

When you walk around a city where you are obviously a tourist, the chances of being talked to are quite high. Indonesians love to get to know tourists and get a selfie with you, of course. It’s lovely, most people don’t want to actually sell you anything, they’re just interested in why you want to visit their city/country and where you’re from. Yogya, like most of Indonesia is super friendly and the locals love speaking with tourists. As it is a university city, people are, in general, really good in English as well.

However, if you are on Malioboro street, people will more likely try to sell you stuff or take you to a batik shop where they get commission. But it’s all done in a nice way, and you can always have a chat without taking the offer.

Batik Shopping

Yogyakarta is a batik heaven. There are loads of shops and galleries around the city. You will meet manypeople on the streets, especially in very touristy areas, such as Malioboro street, who wants to take you to a specific batik gallery. Most of the times, these people gets a commission if you buy something there. Which can mean that the price is a little higher than normal.

Batik heaven in Yogyakarta

There is one gallery on a back street, which does not pay out any commission to anyone, Purnomo Batik art group. It’s actually a really nice place to just go around and look at the thousands of paintings. There are also women showing you the process of how they make batik paintings, which is quite interesting. And of course, you can buy any of the paintings. The prices depends on the painter, and not the size, if you buy from a student, it’s cheaper, and if you buy from a master it will cost you more.

Both times I’ve been there, the people working there has been super friendly and nice. They have no problems showing you around and showing you different paintings, without being annoyed if you don’t buy anything in the end.

Souvenir Shopping

Jogja has loads of shops. Many of them filled with batik clothes and Indonesian souvenirs. If you want a lot of soverniers for your buck, make sure to head to Hamzah Batik on Malioboro street. The ground flood is filled with batik clothing and the upper floor only sells Indonesian souvenirs. You can walk for hours looking around and you will probably end up buying a mask or two.

More Indonesia!

Make sure to see our Indonesia page with tips about travel in Indonesia, map and all our blog posts about Indonesia.

July 13, 2018
Jakarta to Yogyakarta by Train

Both of us absolutely loved the train ride, a chance to relax for a few hours and enjoy the beautiful views outside the window. This is our experience of going from Jakarta to Yogyakarta by train.

Distance: 530km
Time: 8h 40min
Cost: €25 (Executive class with air-con)

Beware – Different trains leave from different stations, this was our experience with the Executive class train travelling from Jakarta Gambir to Yogyakarta Tugu by train.

Enjoy the stunning countryside of Java from the train

Buy your Tickets

You can buy a train ticket at Gambir Station (best to buy at least a day in advance). OK don’t be scared. There’s a bunch of people sitting around waiting for a ticket window… completely ignore that queue. That is for people who wish to buy tickets at a discount (service men/pensioners etc). Turn around and look behind you, there’s an air conditioned office with ‘Service Center’ written above it, inside will be two nice ladies who will sell you your train tickets and tell you what you have to do. They take Cash or Credit Cards and don’t charge anymore than the normal ticket price, and you will need your passport as identification.

Once you have your ticket you must ‘Check-in’, which you can do from 24 hours before you depart until 2 hours before departure. There was a machine where you just show it the bar code and it confirms your seat. After that, we headed back to town to pack for the early start the next day.

The Journey

We booked a blue-bird taxi via the app to collect us at 6am, even though the journey was 10 minutes from our apartment, this is Jakarta and traffic always has the potential to mess with you. So make sure to plan in sufficient time to get to the train station.

When we arrived at the train station we first grabbed a few supplies, coffee, cakes, ice-tea. Then showed our tickets and passports at the gate and headed upstairs to the platform. We found our seats very easily, nice wide, reclining and it’s all air-cooled. It’s not modern by any means, but it’s clean, pretty quiet, the toilets are acceptable (mind your head for the hooks on the inside of the toilet door!). In the main carriage there’s a small TV up front or behind which plays random TV shows and adverts. Train staff come round and check your ticket.

Restaurant Car on the train from Jakarta to Yogyakarta

After about 20 mins a cart come’s round with two staff asking if you want drinks or food… None of it is great, so I hope you packed some supplies. After we exhausted the pastries we bought we headed for something hot and found the dining car and some instant noodles, which are pretty awesome in their own right. Staff are super friendly and super smiley, and yes they wanted a selfie.

There’s a couple of stops along the way if you want to stretch your legs for 5 mins or get some air, but he journey is really nice, rolling though the country side. For the best view, get the seats on the right (you can choose them when you book), as you’ll be passing through stunning green natural beauty, rice fields and volcano’s. It’s not fast, but if you catch the early train you arrive in Yogya at about 16.30.

Livia enjoys the peaceful journey through the Java countryside

Interestingly enough, the train we caught is the same train we saw a year earlier on our Hidden Jakarta Tour.

Gambir to Tugu train passing the slums

solobackpacker.com also has a great page on travelling this route.

More Indonesia!

Make sure to see our Indonesia page with tips about travel in Indonesia, map and all our blog posts about Indonesia.

July 12, 2018
Why you Should Visit Jakarta!

Many people ask themselves “Should I visit Jakarta?”. In the end, most tourists might have a layover in Jakarta on their way to Bali, or skip Jakarta completely, just staying at the airport. Don’t! In this post I will argue why you should visit Jakarta.

Jakarta is an amazing city! I know it has a bad rep – smelly, big, non tourist friendly, bad traffic, etc.. some is true, the traffic can be bad, it can be a bit smelly, but so are most cities. Jakarta does not deserve it’s bad reputation and it is definitely worth a visit.

Yes, it can be difficult coming as a tourist to Jakarta, I will be honest, my first impression with Jakarta wasn’t great, and it took me a while to understand it and see the beauty of this city. However, this was mainly because I ended up in the wrong area and stayed on the main roads. If you know where to look and have some adventure in you, you will experience the beauty Jakarta has to offer. It is not just about malls, I do admit, there are a lot, and they’re hard to skip completely, but there is so much more to “The Big Durian”. These are some of my reasons why you should visit Jakarta:

The People

Indonesian people in general are extremely friendly, at least from my experiences. In Jakarta, they are too, but they’re not ’on you’ like on Bali for example. You don’t get hassled walking down the street. People will try to talk to you, or at least say hello. Younger people will probably want to take a selfie with you. But you’re not bothered by sellers or tour guides, just people who are genuinely interested in you. This is, for me, a big argument for why you should visit Jakarta.

The Atmosphere

Jakarta might not be architecturally beautiful, or visually beautiful.. the beauty of Jakarta lies in its people, in the atmosphere of the city. It’s difficult to explain a feeling, but it’s just such a nice feel to this city. Even if it’s huge and noisy, I never feel stressed in Jakarta, and there’s always time to exchange some polite words with people you walk by.

Meeting the locals in Jakarta, always with a smile.

Walking Around

This ties in with my previous point, just walking around in Jakarta (yes you can walk in Jakarta), is such a treat! This is my absolute favourite thing to do when visiting, just choosing an area and walk around, interact with people, see life go by, eat at street stalls, just be in it, experience the different atmospheres in different areas of this huge city.

The Food

Indonesian food is great! Food in Jakarta, amazing! Especially the street food and ’Warungs’ which you can find everywhere. What’s also great about Jakarta is that you can find food from all over the country. Don’t be scared to go to local places, just use your common sense, eat where the locals are eating.
We have a special post for just food in Jakarta, check it out here.

The best way to enjoy Indonesian food is at a street food stall.

The Diversity

Jakarta has everything. You can find 5 star hotels, restaurants and nightclubs, but also local joints. Western and asian places. There is food and accommodation fitting every wallet and there’s more to do and see than you have time for. Enjoy skybars and modern skyscrapers or get into one of the small areas tucked in between the skyscrapers and got lost in the alleys, eat at local warungs and watch life go by.

For more specific tips on what to do in Jakarta, check out this blog post.

I have been back every year since I moved from Jakarta, and planning on going back many, many more times. Not just to see my friends, but to experience more of this amazing city.

The Jakarta skyline – overlooking Thamrin

If you came this far, I guess you have some interest in visiting Jakarta, and I hope I might have convinced you why you should visit Jakarta. It really is worth a visit, just have some patience and when you start to scratch the surface, you might fall in love with this city as I have.

More Indonesia!

Make sure to see our Indonesia page with tips about travel in Indonesia, map and all our blog posts about Indonesia.

July 11, 2018
Where to Eat in Jakarta

For anyone who knows us, or has read our other blog posts, you know that we love food and especially Indonesian food. You can find any type of food and standard of restaurant in Jakarta, from street food to 5 star restaurants. I have far from tried all restaurants in Jakarta, also new ones are popping up all the time. But in this guide to where to eat in Jakarta I have listed some of my favourite places to eat, which I usually go back to every time I’m in the city.

All places below are added on our Indonesia map.

Street food

Street food can be found anywhere in Jakarta, it’s hard to pinpoint these as they move around and are not always there. Therefore I won’t come with any specific tips on tips, more than follow your nose and don’t be scared of trying street food, follow the locals. There are many street food areas, everywhere where many people are passing you will find street food stalls with different types of food.

Warungs

Warungs are local restaurants, very simple. At street food stalls and warungs is where I’ve had most of my best meals in Indonesia. In general warungs are very cheap to eat at, a little bit more expensive than street food, but still very cheap. Here are some of my favourite warungs in Jakarta:

Bakmi Cong Sim

Located in Mangga Besar, between Glodok and Thamrin is this little place. It serves Bakmi, noodles. Simple but oh so tasty! Still dreaming about these noodles.

Bakmi at Bakmi Cong Sim

Nasi Uduk Kebon Kacang Zainal Fanani

Great little local place in a small alley in Thamrin. Their specialty, Ayam Goreng (friend chicken) and Ayam Bakar (grilled chicken).

Warung Nasi Uduk Kebon Kacang Zainal Fanani in Jakarta

Warteg Gang Mangga

Located in Glodok, simple warung with many dishes to choose from. We got to walk behind the counter and point on what we wanted and got huge portions of food for a very very cheap price.

Warteg Gang Mangga in Jakarta

Warung MJS

This place in Kuningan is on the fancier end of a warung. Make sure to sit in the smoking area, as this is a lovely outside garden with a small pond and loads of colourful lights. The non-smoking are on the other hand is a boring small room inside.

At this place you point/tell them what you want when you get in and then get seated. There’s loads of choice of Indonesian food, and it’s all really delicious, make sure to order many different things, as this is how you eat in Indonesia. Almost like tapas, you order many different things and share them between you. Although, when we were there we over did it and couldn’t finish it all.

It’s a very popular place, so you might have to queue for a bit if you come in rush time, but it’s definitely worth it.

The garden at Warung MJS, Jakarta

Restaurants

Restaurants are the next step up from warungs. However, there are loads of varieties in restaurants in Jakarta. From local Indonesian places to Western 5 star restaurants. Here are some of my favourite restaurants in Jakarta, most of them Indonesian food:

Restoran Garuda Sabang

This is a Padang restaurant, with food from, well yeah, Padang in Sumatra. There’s no menu and you won’t be asked what you want to eat. All the food will just appear on the table without you ordering anything. Don’t be scared tho, this is how it’s done, and you will only pay for what you eat.

It can be a bit tricky to know what is what if you don’t have an Indonesian with you, but on the other hand you can just try what looks good or ask the people working there. The padang cuisine do have some food that is not common in the west, such as brain, so if you don’t fancy that you might want to ask someone.

This place is still cheap to be a restaurant.

Padang food at Restoran Garuda Sabang, Jakarta

Bebek Bengil

Whenever I crave Balinese food whilst in Jakarta, I head to Bebek Bengil in Menteng. It’s so nice to walk in here through their lush little garden with Balinese music playing in the background. Try their speciality, grilled duck!

This restaurant is a bit pricier, but still ok.

Sambals at Bebek Bengil in Jakarta

Sate Khas Senayan

This place started off as a street food stall, which turned into restaurants. There are a few different locations around Jakarta. They serve the classic Indonesian street food dishes, such as Sate, Tongseng, etc. but in a restaurant setting. It’s still a local place and with good prices and very popular among Indonesians.

THREE BUNS

This is the only western place that made it onto this list. I am a huge hamburger fan, and if you find yourself craving burgers in Jakarta, this place in Senopati is where to go. It’s a cool space with an industrial feel.

It’s on the more expensive side, located in a rich area with many expats visiting. However, still worth a visit and it’s not more expensive than European prices.

Livia at Three Buns in Jakarta

Three buns, Jakarta

Plataran Dharmawangsa

This is a more luxurious restaurant, however, I would say it’s still worth a visit. And depending on what you compare it to it’s not super expensive. It’s a very nice restaurant with a lot of artefacts and beautiful architecture. This restaurant in south of Jakarta is serving well made Indonesian dishes.

Restaurant Plataran Dharmawangsa, Jakarta

More Indonesia!

Make sure to see our Indonesia page with tips about travel in Indonesia, map and all our blog posts about Indonesia.

July 10, 2018

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