Salatiga travel guide

Salatiga, Indonesia

By the Travel Wiki editorial team

Salatiga

Introduction

Salatiga is a city in Central Java, Indonesia, sitting between Semarang and Surakarta and forming part of the Semarang metropolitan area. Though administratively independent, it is enclaved within Semarang Regency, and its position at the foot of Mount Merbabu and Mount Telomoyo gives it an elevated setting and a relatively cool climate.

Before you go

Salatiga sits at the foot of Mount Merbabu and Mount Telomoyo, and it is this setting that earned it the Dutch nickname De Schoonste Stad van Midden-Java — the most beautiful town in Central Java. The altitude brings cool weather, which is why the Dutch settled here and built their luxurious houses along Diponegoro Street. Plan for that cooler climate rather than the heat you might expect elsewhere in Central Java.

The city has a reputation as one of the most tolerant in Indonesia, shaped in part by students from many parts of the country who come to study at Satya Wacana Christian University. Expect a university-town atmosphere alongside the colonial-era streetscape.

Getting there

Salatiga is well connected by bus from the surrounding major cities. Frequent services run from Yogyakarta, Solo and Semarang, along with "travel" services — minibuses that will pick you up and drop you off. The journey takes around an hour from Solo or Semarang, and around three hours from Yogyakarta. Bus operators serving the Semarang–Solo route include Rajawali, Safari, Taruna and Ismo. Ask the bus driver's assistant, the person who checks your ticket on board, to wake you up or let you know when you reach Salatiga. Buses arrive at Tingkir Terminal in the southern part of town, while minibuses to Kopeng stop at the Pasar Rejosari intersection.

By car, Salatiga sits on the main road connecting Semarang and Solo. If you are coming from Semarang via the Semarang–Solo Toll Road, take the Bawen exit, as the Salatiga exit is too far south from the town centre.

Getting around

Salatiga has no rail, metro or tram network, so getting around means road transport and your own two feet. The main public transport is the angkota, a numbered minivan service; minibus number 5, for instance, runs from the southern town border to Plaza Taman Sari. Note that no public transport is allowed through the main market road, Jalan Jenderal Sudirman, because it is so crowded, but the market and the shops along that street are within walking distance of the minibus routes. A full list of angkota routes is published on the city government website, worth checking before you set out.

Ride-hailing is the most straightforward option: with your smartphone you can hail a GoJek or Grab, so a local SIM card with data is worth having. Because the maps in the apps are not always reliable, drivers tend to call shortly after accepting the job, so it helps to have enough Indonesian to say exactly where you are waiting, describe a useful landmark, and mention the colour of your clothes. Walking covers a good deal of the compact centre, and given the city's elevated position and cooler climate, on-foot exploration is comfortable for much of it.

Where to stay

Salatiga's accommodation spreads from simple town-centre rooms to resort-style stays along the main road. For a budget base, look to the centre of town, where Plaza Salatiga Hotel sits tucked inside an enclave of shop houses rather than facing the main road directly; rooms here come with a fan and hot water, breakfast included. Hotel Surya Indah, a two-star option on Jalan Diponegoro in Sidorejo Lor on the way towards Kopeng, offers WiFi and breakfast. If you would rather stay in a village setting, Sitinggil Muncul lies just up from Rawa Pening Lake in an agricultural area backed by rice fields and mountains, with a 150-year-old traditional Javanese home, a farm-to-table lunchtime restaurant, simple rooms with shared bathrooms, a campsite with hot-water showers, eco-huts in the jungle behind the property, and a modern house that sleeps up to eight.

Mid-range and splurge choices cluster along Jalan Jenderal Sudirman. Hotel Le Beringin is a mid-range option on that road, while the splurge bracket includes Laras Asri Resort and Spa, also on Jalan Jenderal Sudirman. Grand Wahid Hotel stands on the same street, south of the clock tower roundabout, and has a swimming pool. Further out, Kayu Arum Resort is reached by following the signs from the three-way intersection known as "ABC" on the road from Salatiga to Solo.

Food & drink

Eateries are spread out around town, and those near the university tend to be the cheapest. Tumpang koyor, a beef and brisket-fat dish cooked with various spices, is a local staple you can find almost anywhere in Salatiga; Sambel Tumpang Koyor Banjaran in Mangunsari is one place to try it. Mie Bandung on Jalan Pemotongan serves chicken noodles and nasi tim, a soft steamed rice with chicken and soy sauce topping. For dessert, Ronde Sekoteng Jago on Jl. Jend. Sudirman is a popular choice, made with nine ingredients including ginger, ronde (sticky rice balls filled with crushed peanut), dried fruits, sagu delima, kolang-kaling and seaweed. Other local favourites include Soto Esto, whose coconut-milk broth makes it distinctly yellowish and is served with rice, shredded chicken and bean sprouts; Bakso Sari Roso ABC on Jl. Jendral Sudirman, known for its simple beef bakso; and Sate Sapi Suruh, skewered beef grilled over charcoal and served with peanut sauce and lontong or ketupat. Bakpao Luber on Jl. Sukowati offers Chinese steamed buns with fillings, chocolate and cheese being the most popular, while Singkong Keju D-9 in Ledok seasons cassava with spices and cheese.

If you head out towards Tuntang, near Rawa Pening lake, you'll find a cluster of lesehan grilled fish restaurants — traditional spots with small gazebos where you eat sitting cross-legged on the floor. Within the city, 1 Biztro in Dukuh, Sidomukti, tucked into a residential area, runs a long menu of pizza, pasta, Mexican, steak, chicken, Chinese and Indonesian dishes, with friendly service and a choice of spaces to sit, including a garden. Waroeng Joglo Bu Rini on Jl Mawar serves traditional dishes, especially ribs, with a view over rice fields and Mount Merbabu, and Sitinggil Muncul, a Javanese restaurant on Jalan Raya Muncul, offers farm-to-table rural Central Java cooking with rice-field and mountain views and a choice of venues including a garden and a lesehan-style Joglo. To drink, non-alcoholic options are served in most small eating places and medium to large restaurants, and they tend to be sweet; try es campur, a mix of tape, pearl balls, black cincau cubes, agar-agar and sometimes mung beans, served with syrup, crushed ice and sweetened condensed milk.

What to see and do

Salatiga is a small town, so its sights are modest and spread out. In the centre, Lapangan Pancasila sometimes hosts a night market or carnival. Bukit Cinta, or Love Hill, looks out over Lake Rawa Pening and is popular with young couples; there is a playground for children and boats for hire on the lake. On the Salatiga–Ambarawa road you can turn off to Candi Dukuh, a temple said to have been a meditation place for Brawijaya V, king of Majapahit, while Candi Klero in Tengaran is a Hindu temple. Prasasti Plumpungan, an inscription in Ancient Javanese script believed to be the origin of Salatiga, sits in Dukuh Plumpungan in Kauman Kidul. Gereja Katolik Santo Paulus Miki, a Catholic church built in 1935, is on Jl Diponegoro.

For activities, head to Agrowisata Salib Putih on Jl Hasanudin, where you can camp, swim with a view over the town and Lake Rawa Pening, tour coffee, tea and clove plantations and a dairy farm, and learn about planting crops, making organic fertiliser and milking cows. Atlantic Dreamland on Jl Soekarno Hatta is an amusement park with water rides, a flying fox, carousel, 4D theatre and ATV. Havana Horses in Tegalwaton, Tengaran, is a riding school whose horses live outside in herds and are ridden without bit or spurs. Further afield, Saloka Theme Park lies on the road to Semarang, with rides themed around Central Javanese legend and a science centre. Above the town, the inactive volcano Merbabu rises over 3,000 m, and most people head for nearby Kopeng, about 20 minutes away by car.

Three days in Salatiga

Day one: Base yourself in Salatiga, a hill town in Central Java known during the Dutch period as De Schoonste Stad, and get your bearings on foot. Diponegoro Street and Jalan Jenderal Sudirman are the main spines for wandering, with Plaza Taman Sari and Pasar Rejosari giving you a feel for everyday life in the town. Satya Wacana Christian University anchors the student side of Salatiga, so expect a young, easygoing atmosphere around its edges. If you want a view over the surrounding country, the slopes of Mount Merbabu and Mount Telomoyo rise nearby.

Day two: Head out of town toward Kopeng for cooler air and the mountain scenery between Mount Merbabu and Mount Telomoyo. The roads climb through the countryside of Semarang Regency, so plan your transport in advance. Ask locally about buses and angkot-style services, or use ride-hailing apps such as GoJek to fill the gaps. Tingkir Terminal is the main bus hub if you are arranging onward or return journeys.

Day three: Use Salatiga as a springboard for the larger cities of Central Java. Frequent buses run to Semarang and Surakarta, also known as Solo, and the Solo Toll Road via Bawen makes the trip quicker by car. Bus operators serving these routes include Rajawali, Safari, Taruna and Ismo, and you can also reach Yogyakarta by bus. If you would rather stay local, spend the day between the town's streets and markets before moving on.

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