How to Visit Borobudur and Prambanan In 1 Day

Borobudur and Prambanan are the two most famous temples near Yogyakarta in Java, Indonesia.

They are not close, and there is a lot of traveling involved, but if you’re short on time, you can visit both within the same day!

Whether you’d like to use public transport and go independently or book a tour and have transport organized for you, this guide has you covered with precise and detailed information about your options.

Nonetheless, I recommend you spend more time in Yogyakarta (3 days is adequate) and thus visit the temples on two separate days.

But if you’re in a hurry, this guide is for you.

Borobudur and Prambanan in 1 day at a glance

This is how a 1-day itinerary from Yogyakarta to Borobudur and Prambanan looks:

Where are Borobudur and Prambanan?

Borobudur is around 45 km northwest of Yogyakarta, near the town of Magelang.

Prambanan is on the outskirts of Yogyakarta, about 16 km east of the city center.

Java’s geography is such that the best route from Borobudur to Prambanan is via Yogyakarta. It’s not like you’re taking a shortcut by going straight from one to the other.

Simply put, they are close enough to be possible to visit both in a day, but far enough that it’s better if you do it in two days.

Entrance fees

Entrance to Borobudur Temple costs:

• Locals: 50.000 IDR on weekdays or 65.000 IDR on weekends.
• Foreigners: 455.000 IDR (~27 USD), any day

The sunrise/sunset experience at Borobudur costs (breakfast/dinner included):

• Locals: 500.000 IDR
• Foreigners: 1.000.000 IDR (~60 USD)

Entrance to Prambanan Temple costs:

• Locals: 50.000 IDR on weekdays or 65.000 IDR on weekends.
• Foreigners: 400.000 IDR, any day.

No extra charge for watching the sunset at Prambanan.

Combined discounted tickets for Borobudur and Prambanan have been discontinued!

How to visit Borobudur and Prambanan in 1 day

There are four methods:

• By public transport (cheapest)
• By driving a scooter/car yourself (maximum flexibility)
• As part of an organized tour (best mix of convenience and price)
• By hiring a private driver (most relaxed)

I will walk you through all four with the best recommendations and practical details.

Option 1: By public transport (step by step)

Do you want to experience some local culture? No better way than diving straight into the confusing public transportation in Java.

The island is notorious for heavy traffic, lack of timetables, and crazy bus drivers. It’s confusing, but it’s possible.

I’ve been to both Borobudur and Prambanan using public transport, and here’s how.

Step 1: Borobudur in the morning

Since you are going by public transport, you won’t be able to catch the sunrise. It’s just too early, and buses don’t run before first light.

If you’d like to learn more about catching sunrise, sunset, or other details, follow this full guide about Borobudur.

You still want to go around 8-10 AM to have enough time for everything in one day.

First, take bus #2B, #8, or #9 from Malioboro or Prawirotaman (check their exact routes on Google Maps to find the stop nearest to you) to Terminal Jombor. Tickets cost 3600 IDR (0.25$) purchasable on the bus.

As Terminal Jombor, take a direct bus to Borobudur. It leaves about once every hour and costs 30.000 IDR (2$).

Voila, you’re walking distance from the temple. Explore at your leisure.

After that, you can also visit the nearby Mendut Buddhist Monastery and the massively bizarre Chicken Church. The latter is around a 30-minute walk away, or you can take a Grab taxi, which will cost you ~15.000 IDR (1$) for a motorcycle or ~30.000 IDR (2$) for a car.

Step 2: Return to Yogyakarta around lunch

Borobudur is a massive temple, but it’s only one building. Visit it, marvel at it, walk around it, visit the nearby museum where the rest of the artifacts are stored, and you might spend less than 90 minutes there.

As a matter of fact, entrance to the temple is at regular intervals and limited to 90 minutes anyway.

Around lunch, go back to Yogyakarta with the same bus you came with. It will drop you off at Terminal Jombor again. Since I mentioned lunch, why don’t you check out these Indonesian snacks to try during your trip?

There is no direct public bus from Borobudur to Prambanan.

Step 3: Prambanan for sunset

Back in Yogyakarta, you have enough time for lunch. Why not go grab a bite at one of the authentic places to eat in Yogyakarta?

There are two ways to get from Yogyakarta to Prambanan using public transport: by bus or by train.

Option 1: Bus from Yogyakarta to Prambanan

From Terminal Jombor, take bus #K2J to Malioboro Street. From the same halte (bus stop), take bus #K3J or #1A. There are three bus stops on Jalan Malioboro: 1, 2, and 3. All of them are okay. This bus will take you straight to Prambanan Temple.

The K3J/1A buses run every 10 minutes.

Note that you will have to change buses at the Adisutjipto Airport bus stop (Bandara Adisutjipto). You’ll take another bus #K3J or #1A that leaves immediately. Follow the assistant’s instructions there.

There’s a minor problem with the buses going to Prambanan: K3J / 1A is a Teman Bus, NOT a TransJogja bus, and it DOES NOT accept cash as payment.

There are a variety of options to pay with, most of which are suitable only for locals with local bank cards. The easiest for backpackers is to add credit to a GoJek Pay account at an Indomaret / Alfamart store and then pay with the GoJek app inside the bus.

Yeah, talk about making it as difficult as possible for tourists. Confusing AF, I know.

Option 2: Train from Yogyakarta to Prambanan

The Commuter Train Line between Yogyakarta and Surakarta is another convenient way to reach Prambanan.

Frequent trains depart from Yogyakarta Tugu Station and make a stop at Prambanan Train Station.

You can check the schedule at the official KAI Commuter website. There is, on average, 1 train per hour, with the first one as early as 06:50.

The ticket costs 8.000 IDR (~0.50$), but you must use a special card that you can buy at the counters of Yogyakarta Station. No need to book in advance.

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Prambanan is a large complex of 240 temples, which takes a bit more to explore than Borobudur. I recommend around 2 hours to walk around the temple grounds, take pictures, explore the museum, and enjoy the ancient architecture.

Most visitors stay in Prambanan for the sunset. Watching it hide behind the ancient temples bathed in orange, red, and purple hues is a sight to behold.

Depending on the day, you can stay at Prambanan longer to watch the Ramayana Ballet, which takes place on a stage just outside during the dry season or in a nearby building during the rainy season.

Learn all about the Ramayana Ballet here.

Step 4: Return to Yogyakarta

To go back to your hotel in Yogyakarta, it’s as simple as following the last step in reverse.

Note that the last public buses back to the city leave around 8 PM and the last trains about 10 PM. If you’re staying for the Ramayana Ballet, you may have to take a taxi back.

Option 2: Driving a motorcycle/car

Of course, I only recommend that if you can actually drive.

Traffic in Java is notoriously hectic, and you don’t want to be in an accident, so at least some experience is required.

Other than that, this option is very straightforward. You can rent a scooter from numerous places in Yogyakarta. Several shops are concentrated around Lempuyangan Station. Most hotels and hostels offer this service too. Day rentals cost around 75-150k IDR for motorcycles.

If you can, avoid renting a car. I did once, to go to Tumpak Sewu waterfall in Java, and it was exhausting, to say the least.

Driving time to Borobudur is around 90 minutes. From there to Prambanan it’s around 2 hours. To go back to Jogja from Prambanan, it’s around 30 minutes.

Option 3: Go on an organized tour

If this whole thing with taking public buses, changing in Terminal Jombor, going back and forth isn’t really for you – I understand.

A tour is infinitely more convenient. You won’t need to worry about which bus to take, from where, how to pay, where to get off, when the last bus to go back is, etc.

I’ve done the research – THIS TOUR is the best option. It is totally customizable – you can pick whether you want the sunrise experience or not, and if you want it all inclusive or not!

Option 4: Hire a private driver

This option is pretty much self-explanatory. You get a local driver to bring you to both temples and any other places you’d like for a daily fee of around 700.000 to 1.000.000 IDR (40-60 USD) per car (NOT per person). This is only for transport and does not include entrance fees.

Book a private driver for Yogyakarta, Borobudur, Prambanan, and other places.

Are Borobudur and Prambanan the only temples in Yogyakarta?

NO!

Yogyakarta has the highest concentration of ancient Buddhist and Hindu temples in all of Indonesia!

Other temples in Yogyakarta include Sewu, Plaosan, Ijo, and dozens of others, as well as the mysterious palace Ratu Boko.