cathedral
Prambanan
A 9th-century Hindu temple compound in Java with towering spires dedicated to the Trimurti of Hinduism.
43 km · about 50 min drive
AsiaIndonesiaCentral Java
Surakarta
Central Java, Indonesia · Asia
About Surakarta
Surakarta sits on the route: 10 minutes from Grogol, 43km from Mount Merapi.
Surakarta is in Central Java, Indonesia, with about 530,000 people. You drive on the left here. The nearest town is Grogol, about 5 km away.
Surakarta (Javanese: ꦯꦸꦫꦏꦂꦠ, Pegon: سوراكارتا), known colloquially as Solo (Javanese: ꦱꦭ, romanized: Sålå), is a major city in Central Java, Indonesia. The 46.72 km2 (18.04 sq mi) city adjoins Karanganyar Regency and Boyolali Regency to the north, Karanganyar Regency and Sukoharjo Regency to the east and west, andRead more
Sukoharjo Regency to the south. On the eastern side of Solo flows Solo River (Bengawan Solo). Its metropolitan area, consisting of Surakarta City and the surrounding six regencies ("Greater Solo Area", formerly Special Region of Surakarta), was home to 6,899,402 inhabitants according to the official estimates for mid 2025, 529,079 of whom resided in the city proper (comprising 260,347 males and 268,732 females).
Surakarta is the birthplace of former President of Indonesia Joko Widodo, as well as his son and current Vice President of Indonesia, Gibran Rakabuming Raka. The former served as Mayor of Surakarta from 2005 to 2012, as did the latter from 2021 to 2024.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Surakarta?
Within an hour or so of Surakarta: Prambanan (43 km), Mount Merapi (43 km), Yogyakarta Kraton (Sultan's Palace) (58 km).
Where is Surakarta?
Surakarta is in Central Java, Indonesia, about 5 km from Grogol.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 526,870
- Continent
- Asia
- Country
- Indonesia
- Region
- Central Java
- Timezone
- Asia/Jakarta
- Coordinates
- -7.5561, 110.8317
Tags
Worth the detour from Surakarta
3 notable places within an hour's drive.
natural wonder
Mount Merapi
Indonesia's most active volcano north of Yogyakarta, with jeep tours and viewpoints on the Kaliurang approach road.
43 km · about 50 min drive
landmark
Yogyakarta Kraton (Sultan's Palace)
The living royal palace of the Sultan of Yogyakarta, a center of Javanese culture with traditional dance performances and fine arts.
58 km · about 65 min drive
When to drive here
Year-round
Tropical latitude: plan around the wet season rather than temperature.
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