A few bits about Yogyakarta written following the Wikitravel article structure.
Hover your mouse over a price to see a tooltip showing the price in USD.
Yogyakarta (also Jogja) is a town in the middle of the Java island. It is quite touristic, offering a lot to see and do in and around the town (e.g. Borobudur, Prambanan, Ramayana ballet, Sultan's Palace, shopping for batik). The climate can be very muggy in May.
Take a 8h train from Jakarta. The train is quite comfortable and there is a wide selection of food (for extra charge). In the beginning the radio plays the song "I'm a barbie girl" by the group Aqua, repeating it again and again for 30 minutes or so. It's very irritating, but eventually they stop. Look out of the window and enjoy views to the rice fields.
The main sight in Jogja — Kraton — is probably in walking distance from the hotel where you are staying, but it's more fun to go there and to other places by a becak (bicycle taxi) or an andong (horse-drawn carriage).
Much cheaper are city buses but their destinations and schedules are (probably) difficult to find out. They have elevated bus stops which look quite new and modern.
For the out-of-town sites (such as Borobudur and Prambanan) consider joining an organized tour.
Becak is a 3-wheel bicycle with the driver on the back and the passenger(s) sitting in the front in a big basket with a roof. Yogyakarta is a relatively flat city, in only a few occasions must the driver climb off his seat and start pushing. Should one come out of the basket then and help him push, or would it harm his reputation?
A 10 minute becak ride can cost anything between 3000 and 15000, depending on your bargaining skills. It's very easy to bargain though as there are many becaks around (most drivers just sleep all day in the passenger basket, seemingly never having any customers), and you can alternatively take an andong or just walk.
One of the most impressive temples anywhere in the world are just an hour's drive from Jogja. The Buddhist temple Borobudur and the Hindu temple Prambanan were both built around the 9th century and now after being re-discovered and re-built are UNESCO World Heritage sites. Tour agencies offer various tours to see both or either one of these temples.
For example, the 9h tour which visits both temples starts at 5am with a drive to Borobudur reaching there at the opening time of 6am (before the schoolchildren arrive). One has then about 2h to visit the temple after which breakfast is had and the tour continues to Mendut where the largest statue of Buddha (in Indonesia?) is in a small temple. A 1.5h drive then follows to Prambanan. It is possible to visit a silver processing shop to take a break from the drive. At Prambanan one has another 2h before the tour returns to Jogja. The price of such a trip is 310000 (including the entrance tickets to Borobudur and Prambanan, and a small breakfast at Borobudur).
This 9h tour feels a bit rushed. Both sites deserve a bit longer time especially since a lot of time is spent on practicing English with local visiting students. Also, just walking from the gate (parking lot) to the actual temple (and coming back afterward) takes a considerable time. Therefore, consider spending a separate day on each site.
The visit to the Sultan's Palace (entry 12500; "Fotograf and video permit except Batik museum" 1000) includes a gamelan+puppet show and entry to various small museums: batik museum (photography is not allowed for some reason), Sultan's porcelain collection, etc. One does not learn much as all the descriptions are in Indonesian (and Javanese?). Judging by the photos and paintings, Sultan likes to wear pointy ear decorations, reminding a bit the elves from Lord of the Rings. Why?
Pakualaman is a smaller kind of sultan (also wears elvish ears). Need to research its function more on Wikipedia, the adjacent museum had all the descriptions in local languages. Donation is expected. The guards are friendly and don't speak any English.
The Biology Museum (entry for an outrageous 10000) not far from the Pakualaman Palace displays many stuffed local animals, incl. Cynocephalus variegatus (Malaysian Flying Lemur). There is also a skeleton of a dugong.
The Bird Market has recently been relocated to Jl. Batul, some 4km away from the center. According to the locals, the sultan will use the previous location (which is right next to the palace) to build a fancy hotel.
The new bird market is large and clean. Many different birds and cages are traded. In addition to birds, also many geckos, bats, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, cats, dogs, crickets, snakes, worms have been stuck into tiny cages. The bats are the most impressive, hanging either from their feet or their wings from the ceiling of the cages.
Shows the production of these flat shadow puppets that one can also see in the Wayang Museum in Jakarta. One artist cuts the figure out of the buffalo skin and makes the holes, the other paints, the third one attaches the stick to the back and to the hands of the figure.
Sooner or later you will end up in a batik-shop. Better ones serve you jasmine tea, show the batik-technique, and demonstrate that the paint does not come off if you wash the canvas. Only then do they offer you the "best price" and make you feel obliged to buy something. More established places show you the prices up front. The prices range from 30000 to 1000000. Student work is cheaper, teachers charge more. Also, the price depends on the amount of colors and detail. Size doesn't matter that much.
During the dry season months, the Ramayana story is told via an open air ballet taking place after sunset at the Prambanan temples. Tour agencies offer the ticket and transport to Prambanan for 110000 (for the cheapest seats).
The story itself is boring — two guys (a good guy and a bad guy) fight over a woman. The bad guy starts it by stealing the woman from the good guy, but the good guy (helped by a white monkey called Hanuman) eventually wins. It would be impossible to follow the story unless you know it already (at the entrance gate you can pick up a sheet of paper with the synopsis).
The costumes and make-up of the actors are beautiful. Their dance is interesting, sometimes resembling the robot-style break dance. Their arrow shooting skills are excellent: fights are performed with real bows and arrows which are shot to hit the target from some 20m away.
Hope that it doesn't rain, as then the performance would be taken indoors and one would lose the background of the Prambanan temples.
The Malioboro Mall is a large Western-style mall with escalators, ATMs, air-conditioning and food courts. If you run out of ideas of what to do in Jogja then you can always visit the Malioboro Mall and play Dance Dance Revolution.
If your last name is only a small edit distance away from the name of this highland resort then consider visiting it.
Buy water and drink it (see also the Drink and Stay healthy sections) in order not to de-hydrate.
Every local seems to want you to buy a batik. But don't buy it unless you really want to.
There are loads of restaurants and food stalls. The cheapest are street vendors who offer a bakso-soup or chicken-satay for just 2000, but the whole environment around them looks a bit dirty. The main dishes in the cheaper tourist-oriented restaurants are between 15000 and 25000. The food court at the Malioboro Mall is a tiny bit cheaper.
The food is the standard Indonesian food: nasi goreng (fried rice), mie goreng (fried noodles), with ayam (chicken) sapi (beef), or tahu (tofu), etc. The tourist-oriented restaurants also offer Western food (burgers, spaghetti, pizza) but it's more expensive, (probably) not as good as in the West, and as the local food is tasty it hardly makes sense to eat the Western food (unless you are really bored with the nasi goreng or are interested how they prepare rösti).
Bedhot Resto is located in Gang 2 at Jalan Sosrowijayan. Mostly tourists come. Seems to be cheaper than other tourist-oriented places at Jl. Sosrowijayan. Serves beer (20000 during Happy Hour).
Siomay Jakarta Kang Ujang is located at the old bird market, between the Sultan's Palace and the Water Castle. One can compose his/her own meal by picking out items of food (each item 1000) from a set of pots. The choice includes prawns, squid, potatoes, tofu, and rolls of cabbage and beans. The selection is deep-fried if wished and served together with a plate of peanut sauce. Delicious. The owner visited Oulu, Finland for 4 months 11 years ago. So if you decide to introduce yourself as coming from Finland be prepared to converse on topics ranging from sauna and grillimakkara to kirputori and ice fishing.
Drink bottled water that is sold at every street corner. Price for 1.5l ranges from 3000 to 8000.
Most restaurants offer cheap and tasty fruit juices. It's not clear where their water and ice come from, but it seems to be OK.
A 500ml bottle of the local Bintang beer costs at least 20000, i.e. even more than a main dish in a tourist-oriented restaurant. The price is the same in a store and in a restaurant. Drink it never-the-less.
There are numerous hotels, especially around Jalan Sosrowijayan. One option is Hotel Merbabu, where 130000 can get you a double room including a bathroom (cold water), a fan, WiFi, and breakfast. The WiFi signal barely reaches your room, the reception is better at the rooftop terrace where breakfast is served. As the climate is hot and humid, consider upgrading to a room with a proper AC.
Jogja can be very hot and humid making you sweat like a pig. You must constantly drink water to stay hydrated.
Entering air-conditioned rooms (e.g. the Malioboro Mall) while covered with sweat can make you easily catch cold. Always carry a thick fleece with you and wear it if needed.
Yogyakarta feels very safe, also after sunset. Locals often talk to you in an attempt to drag you into a batik shop, but you can politely refuse to go.
Traffic is horrible. Take care when you cross the road.
One popular option is to take a 10h shuttle bus to see the Bromo volcano. The price of such a trip is 160000.