Java’s—and arguably Indonesia’s—signature sight, the tiered temple of Borobudur is one of the world’s most important Buddhist monuments and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Things to do in Borobudur depend on what ticket you have: Entry-level tickets let you admire the structure from the outside, but you’ll need an additional timed ticket to admire the thousands of wonderful reliefs and climb to the stupas on the summit. Nearby attractions include the subsidiary temples of Mendut and Pawon, the bizarre Chicken Church, and a range of rice-field walks.
Java’s dry season (roughly May to October) is the most popular time to come to Borobudu, but visit in shoulder seasons rather than the July-August peak if possible. Until recently, watching a Borobudur sunrise as dawn illuminates the summit stupas and mist-shrouded volcanos was a magical experience. But sunrise trips now involve watching the dawn from a nearby hilltop, and the first tickets for the structure are available at 8:30am, well past the sunrise.
Borobudur lies outside Magelang, a small city in Central Java, and the limited public transportation mainly follows routes useful to locals, not travelers. While you can generally find rideshares with Grab and Gojek, it’s generally quicker and easier to join a tour or book a driver for the day, particularly if you’re traveling from Yogyakarta. Mendut Temple is about a 2-mile (3-kilometer) walk from Borobudur, which can feel like a long way in the heat.
Head to the Chicken Church (formally known as Bukit Rhema) for a coffee with a view. One man built this weird and wonderful structure as a multifaith place of worship, and it has been used as a rehabilitation center for some time. Tickets include a drink in the café, and the views from the beak across to Borobudur are spectacular. It might not be obvious, but its creator intended the building to look like a dove.
