You might have ever heard about this famous street, Jalan Malioboro. Yup, this street is a must-visit destination when you visit Yogyakarta. This street is a bustling place that never sleeps, it opens day and night, so if you want to enjoy a stroll, day or night you can go to Jalan Malioboro. At first, it does not function as a commercial place, but it was used as the main street that was usually passed through by the Sultan from Kraton during the ceremonial. But now, this street is open to the public and anyone can pass through it. There was a history behind the name Malioboro. It came from the word “Marlborough,” the name of the British Governor when Britain ruled Java island between 1811-1816.
Another story is from the book The Origin of the Name Yogyakarta and Malioboro written by a British historian, Peter Carey, who mentioned that the name Malioboro was derived from the Sanskrit word that is “Malyabhara” and it means “decorated with garlands.” According to Indian tradition, this royal street, Malioboro, was decorated with “Malya” or strands (flowers), especially on festive days. Those are the histories of where the name Malioboro came from. That’s why this street is so fascinating and famous because of its historical things. You should put Jalan Malioboro on your bucket list because you can do many activities here. As we have concluded, below are some interesting things you can do on this well-known street. Let’s find out!
- Strategic Location
Do you plan to walk to go to Jalan Malioboro? We suggest you not to do it because Yogyakarta is not pedestrian friendly. Many roads are full of cars, becak (cycle rickshaws), and andong (horse-drawn carts), and the pedestrian areas are crowded with street vendors. Therefore, you cannot walk freely and safely on the streets here, better to use a car or motorcycle, or if the distance is not that far, you can use a becak or andong or ride a bike. The fact that Jalan Malioboro is in a strategic area makes this street easy to access from every corner in Yogyakarta. Jalan Malioboro is in the heart of Yogyakarta and extends for 2.5 km from north to south, and it is surrounded by historical Dutch colonial era architecture and modern building architecture mixed with Chinese and contemporary styles.
From this street, you can go to the mighty Mount Merapi in the north and Parangtritis Beach in the south and you can draw a straight line between these places where you will find out that Yogyakarta is placed right in the middle. In the center of this line, you can see lies the Sultan’s Palace (Kraton) and Tugu Monument. The tourist striking destination, Jalan Malioboro, starts on the north at the railway intersection and ends on the south where you can see the Post Office crossroad. As you can see, there are some tourist destinations you can visit while strolling down this street, you can find out more in this article on point number three.
- Affordable Shopping
What is the point when you go to Jalan Malioboro but you do not go shopping? Of course, you should not miss this. Especially, things sold in this place are the most affordable, so you do not have to splurge too much money on shopping. On Jalan Malioboro, you can have a plethora of souvenirs to buy, like keychains, t-shirts, hats, batik shirts, sandals, shorts, batik trousers, statues, silver jewelry, bags, knick-knacks, and many other variants. The price from street vendors is negotiable meanwhile the department stores have fixed prices. We suggest you bargain the price from the street vendors, so you can get a good price.
One of the good recommendations you should not miss is Hamzah Batik (before known as Mirota Batik). It is an air-conditioned one-stop shopping place where you can find everything you need. When you enter this shopping place, you can see a three-story building and smell the burning incense throughout the rooms. You can also enjoy some paintings and unique decorations displayed in the rooms. The nice thing is they sell those kinds of unique things they displayed so you can have them and put them in your house or apartment.
Apart from the shopping parade, you should book a schedule to enjoy the Raminten cabaret show. It is a funny show that plays every Friday and Saturday at 7 pm on the top floor of Hamzah Batik. The cabaret troupe saves a cross-dressing tradition initiated by the owner, Hamzah Sulaiman, who performs as a Javanese lady called Raminten. You will be dazzled by the drag queens as they perform lip-syncs from various divas, namely Mariah Carey to local Dangdut singer, Ayu Ting Ting. You will love the show because the costumes and make-ups are fabulous, and the performances are downright hilarious, so prepare yourself to be entertained and enjoy some giggles. Please remember to book ahead as the venue has limited seats.
- Top Sights
You can visit some places at the same time when you go to Jalan Malioboro. As its strategic location, this street heads to some interesting tourist destinations. Not only enjoy a shopping spree on Jalan Malioboro, but you can also visit the Palace of Yogyakarta (Kraton), Taman Sari (Water Castle), Fort Vredeburg Museum, Pasar Beringharjo (shop for cheap Batik), and Tugu Monument. All these places are easily accessed from Jalan Malioboro, so do not miss them out. As Yogyakarta still applies a monarchy system, that’s why they have Kraton in this province. Ever since ancient times, all monarch activities are centered here, in Kraton. Nowadays, Kraton is utilized only for religious, cultural, and monarchy internal events and they allow visitors to enter and look around at Kraton’s impressive construction.
Moreover, you can also learn about the sovereignty of the historic items displayed in several buildings here. Occasionally, they hold a wayang performance (traditional shadow puppet) in Kraton and you can enjoy it. The next destination you can stop by is Taman Sari. Taman Sari is an ancient water castle used as a resting place and as a bathing complex by the monarch in the past. The stunning carved buildings will take your breath away, and it is a good spot for some nice pictures that are so Instagramable. One photo will not be enough for you, snap more as you like.
Another top sight to see is Fort Vredeburg Museum. The Fort Vredeburg is located at the south end of Jalan Malioboro. This fort was erected in 1970 by the Dutch Military and used as the center of Dutch government and defense during the Dutch colonial period. If you are looking for shopping in Yogyakarta, Pasar Beringharjo might be the right place to go. This market is the oldest in the Kraton area and it has been operating as a trading place since 1758. Previously, this market was also known as Pasar Gedhe since it was the biggest market in Yogyakarta at that time. This market is recommended because of its strategic location from Jalan Malioboro. It is located right off the main street, Jalan Malioboro, and officially located on Jalan Margo Mulyo No.16, Yogyakarta. You will love this market because you can find everything you need here, and they offer you reasonable prices, so it can be a stroke of luck for you.
Pasar Beringharjo offers you a wide array of items, namely batik, clothes, fabrics, handicrafts, decorations, bags, accessories, jamu (a traditional herbal drink), and many other things. Once you visit this market, you probably get a bit overwhelmed because you feel like everything is beautiful and affordable, and leave you wanting to buy more and more. You should prepare your budget for shopping here and do not forget to bargain to get the best price and list this place in your itinerary, so you can have enough time strolling and shopping here.
Finally, the must-see destination for you is Tugu Monument. Because of its historical background, Tugu Monument has become a historical icon of the city of Yogyakarta. This monument is located right in the middle of the intersection between Mangkubumi Street, Sudirman Street, A.M. Sangaji Street, and Diponegoro Street. Tugu Monument was built in 1755 by Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono I. Previously, this monument was known as Tugu Golong-Gilig (Golong-Gilig Monument) and was built in the spirit of unity of the people. That’s why it is so iconic and many people including residents like snapping pictures here.
- Culinary Delicacies
What is not more interesting than food when you travel? Of course, food is
said can be the best medicine for illnesses or even bad moods. When you travel somewhere, it is a must to try some signature dishes from the area. Yogyakarta, especially on Jalan Malioboro, is famous for lesehan (street food stalls) selling Indonesian street food. There are many options of food you can enjoy when visiting Jalan Malioboro, such as gudeg (a jackfruit-based sweet and savory dish), tempe or tahu (tofu) bacem (tempe and tahu cooked and soaked in sweet soy ketchup), bakpia (a disc-shaped pastry with a flaky exterior and variants of fillings like chocolate, mung beans, cheese, and durian), onde-onde (fried rice cakes with gooey mung beans fillings), and other food. You should taste gudeg because it is a signature dish from Yogyakarta and buy bakpia as a take-home gift because it is a famous souvenir from Yogyakarta and many people like it.
You can also possibly find nasi kucing around Jalan Malioboro. This dish is called “nasi kucing” because of its small portion just like food for a cat (kucing). When you eat nasi kucing, this dish is usually complemented with some other types of satays, like sausages, chicken intestines, chicken livers, chicken gizzards, snails, and many other options. These satays are usually cooked in a barbeque or spicy flavor and they complement the taste of nasi kucing and can make you full. Nasi kucing is usually served at lesehan (street food stall) where you can sit on the carpet or the benches or the chairs. One important thing is you should be careful with the prices, do not eat at a pricy lesehan or food stall, find the one with reasonable and fixed prices, or do a little survey of lesehan places so that you can get the best experience of it.
- Engaging Festivals
The richness of culture that Yogyakarta has allows you to experience many activities during a vacation. Not only shopping sprees and culinary delicacies but also cultural festivals that you can enjoy when visiting Jalan Malioboro. One of the cultural festivals you can enjoy is the Selasa Wage festival. This festival is held every thirty-five days in a year or it is called “selapan” in the Javanese language. The vice governor of Yogyakarta, Heroe Purwadi, said that Selasa Wage is the day of “Ngarso Dalem” (internal employee) of Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X to go to the market to buy some necessities. And the number of “selapan” or thirty-five was based on a good day for going to the market in the Javanese calendar, that’s why Selasa Wage is held every thirty-five days.
This kind of tradition has been started since September 2017 and it was held coinciding with the 261st Anniversary of the City of Yogyakarta and it keeps running until now as Selasa Wage Festival. At this festival, you can see many performances from flash mob dancing, musical performances, and traditional dances to workshops. Jalan Malioboro usually turns into a pedestrian-only area (streets closed for cars and motorbikes) and there are no street vendors as well when the Selasa Wage festival is held because many people flock to the area. You can walk freely during this festival, but make sure you watch your belongings carefully. It is an all-day event where the streets are closed off from 6 am to 10 pm. You can enjoy any kind of show performed here while snapping some interesting photos for your collections.
Jalan Malioboro is the place where you can experience one-stop shopping, you can have both necessities and food, all in one place. The mixture of shopping paradise and cultural exhibitions creates a good combination and makes Jalan Malioboro becomes well-known among many residents and tourists. For this reason, you should book your schedule to visit Yogyakarta, especially Jalan Malioboro. Go get yourself some wonderful vacations and shop for nice batik.
