The Ultimate 10 Day Java Travel Itinerary!

Cazzy Magennis
Written By:
Cazzy Magennis
Last Updated:
October 17, 2024
Looking for the ultimate 10 day Java Itinerary? Then look no further! This itinerary will take you through all the best places to visit and where to stay..
10 day Java itinerary

Java is one of my favourite islands in Indonesia.

It has so much to offer, from amazing volcanoes, beautiful beaches, surfing, stunning tea fields and country sides, epic waterfalls and much more.

It’s an island that will allow you to experience a variety of amazing things to do in Indonesia, all in one epic island!

We spent 10 days in Java, so I thought it would be perfect for me to write a 10 day Java Itinerary to help you plan your adventures. 

So let’s get to it! 

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Interactive map of our Java itinerary

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Our Awesome 10 Day Java Itinerary 

bandung sightseeing

Stop 1: Jakarta: 1 night 

Jakarta, Indonesia

Jakarta is actually the capital of Indonesia, and it’s a great place to start your Java adventures. Since it’s the capital, flights from all over the world are possible here. Plus I actually think Jakarta is a good place to start as you can pick up a sim card, and stock up on any last minute items you may need. The shopping is amazing in Jakarta! 

You’ll only be flying “into” Jakarta, you won’t need to return. You can check Skyscanner for the best flights. 

Where to stay: Pop! Hotel

Stop 2: Bandung: 2 nights 

Bandung, Indonesia

It’s super easy to get to Bandung from Jakarta. 

You’ll be pleased to hear that Java has a very very well established train network, so getting through the whole country is easy, cheap and super convenient. As far as trains go, they are modern, comfortable and clean! (much better than the trains I experienced in India). 

We left from Gambir station in Jakarta and it took around 3.5 hours to Bandung, costing around 100,000 IDR (approx $7). 

Bandung is very different to Jakarta. It’s located in West Java, but really the charm in Bandung is once you get out of the main city and head to the highlands where it’s a colder climate which means it’s got some unique and amazing sights. 

Bandung offers beautiful tea fields, an active volcano that you can literally drive up to…..(awesome!), a pretty cool floating market, flower gardens and much much more. It’s the perfect place to rent a moped and just explore the stunning countryside of Java. There are also some really cool “glamping” spots in Bandung, which I didn’t know about before I visited, otherwise I would have stayed in one of those, so now that you know, take full advantage! 

I’ve done a whole guide on great things to do in Bandung. 

2 nights is sufficient to see Bandung, but you’ll probably have to choose between seeing the north or south, if you want both, you may need another night. However, I think north Bandung offers you more. 

tea fields bandung

Stop 3: Yogyakarta- 3 nights 

temples in yogyakarta

Next up, it’s time to visit probably the most famous backpacker destination in Java, Yogyakarta, also known as Jogjakarta. 

You can get to Yogyakarta from Bandung via train, but it does take around 8 hours. I actually found the journey to be quite pleasant, and we just watched movies and relaxed. Now we did our train journey in the day time, so we “lost” a day of sightseeing as such, but that’s included in the itinerary, however you can get an overnight train if you wish. The train costs around 260,000 IDR (approx $19)

Another option is to fly from Bandung to Yogyakarta, which will be more expensive than the train, but it’s actually quite cheap for an internal flight, so if you are short on time, that is another option. 

Yogyakarta is one of my favourite places in all of Java. It’s bursting with amazing things to see, and you’ll need a whole day just to dedicate time to seeing the amazing temples: Borobudur temple and Prambanan temple. I suggest you do a sunrise tour at the former and visiting the latter in the evening. In between you can check out some of the other sights in Yogyakarta city centre. 

You’ll definitely need another day (or more) to explore the countryside of Yogyakarta. Once you rent a moped and drive outwards you’ll discover stunning views, amazing rice paddies, beautiful mountains, beaches and so much more.

Read my guide on the best things to do in Yogyakarta for more inspiration. 

Stop 4: Malang- 3 nights 

jodipan rainbow village

Malang is the final stop on our 10 day Java itinerary. Malang is located in East Java and it’s my favorite place to visit in Java. It was amazing. 

Getting to Malang again is very easy from Yogyakarta by train. It takes around 7 hours and costs around 165,000 IDR (approx $12). You can either do an early morning train like Brad and I did, or do an overnight train (although I’m not 100% sure they’re possible!) 

When you get to Malang you’re going to be super busy! You can visit the amazing Jodpian rainbow village, and other city centre sights, but what you really want to do is rent a moped and drive to the amazing waterfalls that surround the city.

A full day is needed to explore Tumpak Sewu Waterfall, and there are many other small waterfalls, tea fields and flower gardens to the east of Malang which require a full day of sightseeing, and then you’re going to want to do an epic Mount Bromo sunrise tour. 

If you only do one thing when you go to Malang, the Mount Bromo sunrise tour should be it, trust me. You can book your tour from Malang right here! 

bromo sunrise

Read Also: Ultimate Guide On The Best Things To Do In Malang

Total: 9 nights= 10 days in Java! 

LIMITED TIME OFFER (40% off!)
Fed up with planning your trip to Indonesia? Check out The Ultimate Indonesia Blueprint!
This is a done-for-you Indonesia itinerary stretching up to 30 days. And fully customizable for lengths of anywhere from 7- 30 days.
PLUS it also includes a fully pinned route map so you already know where all of the main sites are including what to see, where to eat, how to get around, where to stay + more!
Save time, money & stress by grabbing your copy today.

You may need to incorporate a few overnight trains into your 10 day Java itinerary, but Bradley and I managed to see it all in this time frame too, so you can too. We were exhausted by the end of it, but it was amazing to get to see and experience so many amazing things on the island of Java. 

Based on our itinerary you can fly out of Malang to your home destination, or even get a train to the city of Surabaya and fly from there.  

If you’re only looking for a 7 day Java Itinerary, then add on a Mount Ijen tour too which is known for the famous “blue crater”, this requires typically an overnight tour to visit this, so I would only suggest this if you’ve got time for 2 weeks in Java. 

mount bromo tours

Getting around Java

getting around java

I’ve actually done a post on getting around Indonesia which will help you plan your Java itinerary. However what I will discuss some of your best options for Java below:

  • Train travel: 100% the best way to get around Java is by train. It’s cheap, it’s comfortable, it’s modern, and it’s easy. Everything is electronic based too, so you can book your tickets via an app, scan the app at the train station, get your tickets then pop on the train to your chosen seats. For booking train tickets in Java, we used a website called Tiket which was modern, fast and cheap. Or you can check 12Go Asia who are also brilliant for planning your 10 day Java itinerary. 
  • Bus travel: You will be able to get buses to and from different destinations around Java, but since I didn’t use a single bus, I can’t really give you any advice on the experience. I wouldn’t understand why you would choose the bus over train as it will be longer, and whilst it could be slightly cheaper, it would be less comfortable. But if you do want to travel by bus, you can get 12Go Asia to help find seats. 
  • Flying: If you’re short on time, or money isn’t an option, then you could fly between destinations. All of the major cities of Bandung, Yogyakarta, Surabaya and Malang all have airports, and you can fly internally within Java and to other Indonesian islands (and beyond for some airports). Of course flying like that won’t do anything for your carbon footprint, but if you’ve only got a 1 week Java Itinerary in place and want to see it all, then it is an option. Check Skyscanner for the best flights. 
  • Moped: One of our initial plans was to rent a moped in Bandung and hopefully drive it all over Java, unfortunately there are laws in the individual states that prevent you from taking a moped out of a particular area, so that dream was crushed! :P But when you are in each destination, you can easily rent a moped to get around. There are places to rent mopeds in all the places I’ve listed on this 10 day Java itinerary. 
  • Grab: Grab is available all over the island of Java and it’s an easy way to get around each individual area. Whether you need a lift to your hotel from the train station, or to sights within the city centre, Grab is a great choice. 
Our 10 Day route in Java

I hope you’ve found this 10 day Java Itinerary useful and hopefully it will help you plan your trip! If you’ve got any questions then please drop me a comment below. 

Read Also: 26 Best Things To Do In Java

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