Yogyakarta Pub Crawls
Yogyakarta has a student-heavy nightlife that runs cheaper and louder than most Indonesian cities outside Bali. The main zone for travellers and the local university crowd is along Jalan Prawirotaman I and Jalan Prawirotaman II, south of the kraton: a strip of bars, live music venues, and restaurants that runs until 1am most nights. This area is more interesting than the area near Malioboro Street, which is tourist-facing and closes earlier. The Kaliurang Road corridor to the north has the university-adjacent bars that the Gadjah Mada students frequent; cheaper and louder but further from most guesthouses.
All Pub Crawls in Yogyakarta
The Yogyakarta Nightlife Scene
Yogyakarta has a student-heavy nightlife that runs cheaper and louder than most Indonesian cities outside Bali. The main zone for travellers and the local university crowd is along Jalan Prawirotaman I and Jalan Prawirotaman II, south of the kraton: a strip of bars, live music venues, and restaurants that runs until 1am most nights. This area is more interesting than the area near Malioboro Street, which is tourist-facing and closes earlier. The Kaliurang Road corridor to the north has the university-adjacent bars that the Gadjah Mada students frequent; cheaper and louder but further from most guesthouses.
What You'll Pay
Beer (Bintang or local Prost) on Prawirotaman: IDR 35,000–60,000. Cocktails: IDR 60,000–100,000. The Kaliurang bars run cheaper: IDR 25,000–40,000 for beer. Live music venues have a cover charge of IDR 20,000–50,000 on nights with a band. A full Prawirotaman evening with live music entry, food from a local warung, and four drinks comes to IDR 200,000–400,000. Yogyakarta is among the cheapest cities for a night out in the region.
Best Nights
Wednesday and Thursday are the nights the student crowd is out on Prawirotaman; the bars are full but not packed. Friday brings more out-of-town visitors from Jakarta (a one-hour flight or overnight train). Saturday is the busiest. Sunday is quieter across the board. Live music on Prawirotaman is concentrated on Thursday and Friday; check venue boards on the day as programming isn't always posted online.
Practical
Yogyakarta has becak (cycle rickshaws) and Grab operating across the central areas. A Grab from Prawirotaman to Malioboro is IDR 10,000–20,000. Motorbike rental is IDR 50,000–70,000 per day. The Prawirotaman area is walkable within itself. Cash is standard at most venues; the nicer restaurants on Prawirotaman I accept cards. No dress codes.