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Photo: Crisco 1492, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
This is a partly-ruined complex built as a pleasure garden by the first Sultan in 1765. One of the bathing pools was dedicated to the sultan's harem, and he had a tower overlooking the area so he could take his pick. Towards the back is the original entrance to the pools, a small dock connected to a long-since-vanished river; a bit of snooping beyond this entrance will get you to a back street, where one can visit a fascinating network of tunnels and rooms, including an Escher-like series of interlacing staircases over what looks like a disused well.
Taman Sari Water Castle, also known as Taman Sari, is the site of a former royal garden of the Sultanate of Yogyakarta. It is located about 2 km south within the grounds of the Kraton, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Built in the mid-18th century, the Taman Sari had multiple functions, such as a resting area, a workshop, a meditation area, a defense area, and a hiding place.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Museum Kereta
Houses the Sultan's horse-drawn carriages, including two beautiful carriages imported from the Netherlands and known as Golden Carriages (kereta kencana).
A calm and elegant example of Javanese heritage with two separate entrances; the Main Court (Pagilaran and Siti Hinggil) and the Residence. The Main Court showcases the grandeur of the Sultan's monarchy, while the Residence is more homely, showcasing the royal family's luxurious lifestyle. There are regular free performances of music and dance. Check out the times when you arrive in Yogajakarta. (Every Sunday at 11:00 as of Oct 2015). There are three gamelans in the palace, and the pavilion nearest the entrance houses one of them. If it is being played, feel free to take a seat and enjoy it for a while. Residence museum has both Indonesian and English texts, and AC. Temporary exhibition Mar-Aug 2024 on Abhimantra or life rites of passage (part where no photo allowed). Small exhibition on the history of tea in Indonesia too (Indonesian text only). Without guide, no map or sign to help explore the larger grounds.
One of the oldest and largest mosques in Yogyakarta. Located on the west of Alun-alun Utara, this mosque was where the Sultan performs his religious rites and ceremonies.
Alun-alun utara
Built for training the Sultan's army, it was opened to the public during the reign of Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX. Now used for the quarterly Garebeg parade held in the months of Maulud, Besar and Sawal, according to the Javanese calendar. In the parade, the Sultan's servants carry huge cone-shaped offerings to the alun-alun. After the parade, attendees scramble to get a scrap of the offering as it is believed to bring good luck. Prior to the month of Maulud, a popular public fair is held here for 30 days, offers many kinds of goods from traditional handicrafts to Chinese ceramics. A snack associated with the fair is the doughnut-like galundeng. On weekend or holiday nights, pedal cars decorated with lights (gowes) can be hired to make a circuit of the square.
Fine art and modern art exhibitions, book discussions and performances.