Along with Borobudur Temple, one of the most famous sights in all of Indonesia should be your "must-see" when visiting Yogyakarta. Although these are pretty touristy places, we definitely recommend visiting both famous temples.
Prambanan is a 9th century Hindu temple and within the grounds you will also find, in addition to the main temple, the smaller temples of Sewu, Bubrah and Lumbung, all accessible on one ticket.
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Prambanan is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the largest Hindu temple in Indonesia and the second largest in Southeast Asia after Cambodia's Angkor Wat.
It will take you about 90 minutes to visit the entire site, but thanks to the large park with resting places, you can easily spend much longer here.
Architecture and design of the temple
The appearance of the complex is vastly different from Borobudur, where there is only one temple.
The Prambanan complex has the typical Hindu architecture of individual slender tall black stone buildings richly decorated with ornaments.
The main temple has three buildings, the tallest of which is 47 metres high. Inside each temple are statues of Hindu gods - Ganesha, Brahma and Vishnu.
You can enter all the interiors of the temples without any added charges.
You can also visit the Sewu Temple (the second largest) or the small temples of Lumbung, Bubrah and many others in the vast park under the single entry fee.
In between each temple is a large park, which is a very pleasant place to relax and stroll.
Opening hours
All Prambanan temples are inside a single complex and thus have the same opening hours.
It is open every day from 6:30 am to 5:00 pm.
Sunrise or sunset - visit Prambanan Temple
Early morning is the best time to visit Prambanan, as the entire structure of the main temple is best accessed from the east, where it will be beautifully lit.
The sun rises between 5:30am and 6:00am all year round and the nice light lasts until about 8:00am.
Prambanan lit by the setting sun is difficult to photograph from a distance.
The entire opposite side of the grounds is occupied by the Ramayana Stage and a very expensive restaurant, which can only be accessed for events.
You can also walk around Prambanan from the west side within the official grounds, however, you will have the buildings quite close to the lens.
Admission - do I need to book a ticket online?
Unlike Borobudur, access to all the temples in the Prambanan complex is free of charge and without a guide.
You will therefore only pay for entry to the grounds of the complex itself.
There are no daily visitor quotas and hence no need to book a ticket online. However, if online booking is more convenient for you, you can do so through the official website: ticket.borobudurpark.com/prambanan.
Online booking is only possible about 7 days in advance.
- 400 000 idr - foreign visitor
- 50 000 idr - local visitor
Tickets purchased on site can only be paid for by credit card.
Combined ticket Prambanan + Ratu Boko
We recommend purchasing this ticket option if you are visiting Prambanan in the afternoon.
In that case, it would be a great shame to miss the Ratu Boko temple, about 4 km away, located on a hill that offers the most beautiful sunsets in the whole Yogyakarta area!
- 690 000 idr - Foreign visitor (save Rp 90,000)
- 85 000 idr - Local visitor (save Rp 5,000)
This ticket can only be purchased locally and includes a complimentary shuttle minivan that will transport you directly from the Pramaban grounds to Ratu Boko or vice versa.
However, the downside of this shuttle service is the operating hours of 8am-2pm, so if you intend to go to Ratu Boko at sunset, you would have to wait for about 3.5 hours (the van ride takes 15 minutes and the sun sets around 5:20pm).
Combined ticket Borobudur + Prambanan
There is also a combined ticket available for entry to the Prambanan temple and the Borobudur grounds.
The ticket price is 690 000 idr and you will save only Rs 25,000.
The ticket is only valid on one calendar day, so you would have to be able to visit both temples, which is realistic, but you really have to allow for a full day.
If you want to visit the Borobudur temple structure as well, the combined ticket is not available for this option! If you bought the Prambanan + Borobudur combined ticket and you would like to climb the Borobudur temple at the same time, you will have to pay a new full price ticket to Borobudur 455 000 idr.
Transportation Yogyakarta - Prambanan
Prambanan is located about 17 km from the centre of Yogyakarta and is therefore significantly more accessible than Borobudur.
We have tried all ways to get from Yogyakarta to Prambanan Temple.
Grab / Gojek
The most convenient option, and if you're travelling with more than one person, then the classic mobile taxi apps Grab or Gojek are a relatively cheap way to get around.
At any time of the day, it's no problem to find an available driver. The app will confirm your ride usually within 5 minutes.
The price is calculated according to the current demand and is around 100 000 idr.
Public transport - TransJogja bus
By far the cheapest option is the local public transport.
From the centre of Yogyakarta, line 1A runs to Prambanan, which you can use when travelling directly from the centre (railway station, Tugu monument, Malioboro).
Line 1A is one of the lines where you cannot pay with cash, but only with electronic cards (TransJogja, E-money Mandiri, KMT, BNI Tapcash, Brizzi and others).
- 3 600 idr per ride
On some services you will need to change buses at Adisutjipto station, but in this case you will not pay any fare on the second journey.
The Prambanan stop is about 900 metres from the entrance (see route map). Alternatively, you can take a tricycle ride between the bus stop and the temple entrance for 10 000 idr.
Suburban train
Less than 800 metres from the entrance (see route map) is the "Brambanan" railway station, where the Y line suburban trains stop.
This route connects the cities of Yogyakarta, Klaten and Solo (Surakarta), with trains running about 12 times a day.
The fare from Brambanan station to all other stations (Yogyakarta, Solo, Palur and others) is uniform and costs 8 000 idr. Fares can be paid as for buses with E-money Mandiri, KMT, BNI Tapcash, Brizzi and other electronic cards.
The exact timetable can be found in a pdf file along with a map of all train and bus routes in Yogyakarta at this address: dishub.jogjaprov.go.id.
DAMRI Bus Yogyakarta - Prambanan - Borobudur
Starting in 2021, DAMRI will operate a direct minibus service from downtown Yogyakarta (stopping in front of Bank Indonesia) via Prambanan and on to Borobudur Temple, 60 km away.
We recommend checking information locally, especially at the DAMRI booth via Bank Indonesia. It is not yet possible to find reliable information online. Our experience is from 2025.
So in one day you can easily visit both temples plus the cliff. The fare is paid separately for each route:
- Borobudur - Prambanan for 35 000 idr
- Prambanan - Tebing Breksi for 20 000 idr
- Tebing Breksi - Yogyakarta for 20 000 idr
The current timetable (year 2025) is as follows. We always give the departure time and, in the case of the last station, the approximate time of arrival.
Timetable from Yogyakarta and Prambanan to Borobudur:
| Malioboro (Bank Indonesia) | 4:30 | 5:30 | 8:30 | 12:30 | 13:30 | 16:30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tebing Breksi | 5:10 | 6:10 | 9:10 | 13:10 | 14:10 | 17:10 |
| Prambanan | 5:30 | 6:30 | 9:30 | 13:30 | 14:30 | 17:30 |
| Borobudur | 7:00 | 8:00 | 11:00 | 15:00 | 16:00 | 19:00 |
Timetable from Borobudur to Prambanan and Yogyakarta:
| Borobudur | 5:00 | 8:30 | 9:30 | 12:30 | 16:00 | 17:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prambanan | 6:30 | 10:00 | 11:00 | 14:00 | 17:30 | 18:30 |
| Tebing Breksi | 6:50 | 10:20 | 11:20 | 14:20 | 17:50 | 18:50 |
| Malioboro (Bank Indonesia) | 7:10 | 11:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:30 | 19:30 |
Times are approximate and depend on the current traffic situation. However, if the bus happens to arrive early, it usually waits for its regular departure time.
Transfer with a travel agency
If you do not wish to travel by taxi, an option is to use the services of one of the many travel agencies operating in Yogyakarta.
Usual prices include a guide in addition to transport and are around 200 000 idr.
You can compare travel agencies, for example, via getyourguide.com.
Accommodation in the area
We recommend staying in the area around Prambanan only if this temple is your main destination in Yogyakarta or if you want to visit Prambanan early in the morning.
There are only very cheap local guesthouses in the area and no traditional hotels. For example, we would recommend these great rated guesthouses:
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