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Jepara
Town in Central Java, Indonesia

Jepara

Jepara is a town in the province of Central Java, Indonesia.

Plan a trip to Jepara→From Semarang

Jepara is on the north coast of Java, northeast of Semarang, not far from Mount Muria, with a population of 85,970 in mid 2024. It is also the main town of Jepara Regency. The metropolitan area of the town had 227,062 inhabitants at the 1990 Census. Jepara is known for the Javanese teak wood carving art as well as the birthplace of Kartini, a pioneer in the area of women's rights for Indonesians.

Get in

Getting to Jepara

Small, mostly non air-conditioned, buses leave Semarang's Terboyo bus terminal daily 05:00–17:00 and cost Rp15,000–20,000. Expect to pay twice if you put your backpack on an empty seat (there are no luggage compartments on small buses). There are more comfortable air-conditioned shuttle vans (known as travel) from Semarang, Yogyakarta, and Solo, mostly departing from the various agencies' offices.

  1. 01
    Jepara Bus Station

    It is served by buses to various locations including Jakarta and Surabaya.

  2. 02
    Bejeu Bus

    09 Ngabul Tahunan Jepara 59428, +62 823 1401 5946.

  3. 03
    Daytrans
  4. 04
    Rimba
See

Worth seeing

  1. 01
    Troso
  2. 02
    Bandengan Beach
  3. 03
    Kartini Beach

    There are boats to Karimunjawa and Panjang Island.

  4. 04
    Panjang Island

    White sand beach and clear, shallow water.

  5. 05
    Museum RA Kartini
  6. 06
    Pungkruk Beach

    Mlonggo, Kabupaten Jepara, Jawa Tengah, Indonesia.

Eat

Where to eat

Blenyik/tempong, raw anchovies that are salted and formed into small fists and then dried. Bongko mento, stir-fried shredded chicken breast mixed with ear mushrooms, glass noodles, and coconut milk, then wrapped in banana leaves. Bontosan, the mashed grouper meat is mixed with rice flour and then wrapped in banana leaves, and then steamed. Horok-horok, made from palm tree flour.

  1. 01
    Yam Yam Resto

    Jl Pantai Karang Kebagusan Km 5 (in the complex called Joglo Putu Inten),.

  2. 02
    Cipto Roso

    Famous for the Jepara specialty called pindang serani, a clear, fresh, spicy fish soup.

How locals move

Getting around Jepara the local way

  • Get aroundThe Hotel Segoro at the north end of town (near the gas station) has a travel service and can also charter cars.
  • Go nextHead out to the Karimunjawa islands on the fast or slow ferry services that service the port.

From Wikivoyage: Jepara, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-03.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see file page), Wikimedia Commons.