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The are frequent flights to the city of Solo from Jakarta. Tickets are reasonably priced. You can also access Solo from Yogyakarta via bus, but it’s a long and somewhat ponderous trip.
Solo was a royal city that was controlled by the Surakarta Sunanate from the 1700s through 1945. Though Surakarta is the formal name of the city—the city uses the Javanese name “Solo” meaning “one and only” indicating the centrality of the city to the people of the former Sunanate. The palace itself is in the center of town and is easily accessible. Tourists are required to hire one of the private guides at the entrance. Mine was a student of tourism at a local university and provided lots of great information. Please give your guide a nice tip (at least 50,000 IDR) beyond the small cost of the service.
The Palace is still home to remaining members of the old royal family who maintain private quarters. The rooms that can be accessed display artifacts from the royal family used during their reign. The palace provides an amazing glimpse into Central Javan culture and history.
Sukuh is the strangest temple I’ve ever visited in any country. It is called a “fertility” temple, but it really has functions that haven’t been fully explained by scholars. What is clear are the sexually explicit images and artifacts that are scattered across the site.
Candi Sukuh was built around 1400 just as Islam was taking over the region from its previous Hindu dominance. The temple is also unique because of its pyramid shape—the only one of its kind in Indonesia. Visitors are required to hire a guide, but this is very worthwhile as guides provide interpretations of the temple and an introduction to Hinduism beyond what guidebooks furnish. It’s a fascinating, one-of-a-kind place that’s well worth a visit if you aren’t easily offended by explicit sexual imagery.
I hired a taxi from Solo (GoCar) for the trip up into the mountains; make sure you negotiate your trip back before you depart, because there aren’t any easy transportation options back to Solo if you only book a one-way trip. It takes about an hour to get there. It’s a lovely drive through the mountains to the village of Berjo, which is situated at about 1000 meters. Don’t forget to bring rain gear as you are likely to encounter a downpour at some point during your visit.
This is the signature dish of Solo. It’s a stew, usually made of beef tongue, surrounded by a molded ring of steamed rice. There are also usually some raw vegetables and crackers around the side of the rice ring or on an accompanying dish. The Nasi Jemblung I had was quite flavorful and a dish I would recommend for non-vegetarians/vegans.
I always enjoy visiting the prominent mosques of a city, as I am fascinated by religious architecture of all faiths. This particular mosque is interesting because it is built in the local Tajug style. Indonesian constructs of holy spaces often rely on local traditions and create distinct places of worship that reflect the indigenous culture. Masjid Agung was constructed in the 1760s and is worth a visit.