Surakarta
Surakarta, known colloquially as Solo, 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, and Sukoharjo Regency to the south. On the eastern side of Solo flows Solo River. Its metropolitan area, consisting of Surakarta City and the surrounding six regencies, was home to 6,899,402 inhabitants according to the official estimates for mid 2025, 529,079 of whom resided in the city proper.
Getting to Surakarta
The Surakarta area is served by Adi Soemarmo International Airport (SOC IATA) in Boyolali. You may use electric multiple unit from Yogyakarta. The train run to schedule daily.
Worth seeing
See kraton (Javanese palace) in Solo and a UNESCO World Heritage List, Sangiran early man site in Sragen, as well as ancient temples in Boyolali and Tawangmangu.
Things to do
Climb Mount Lawu through Tawangmangu and Mount Merbabu through Boyolali. Swimming in natural springs in Klaten. Strolling and jogging on dams around Sragen.
Where to eat
Javanese food is abundant in the area. You may eat mie ayam (chicken noodle soup), tongseng (spicy goat soup), and sate buntel (minced meat wrapped in fat satay).
Getting around Surakarta the local way
- Get inYou will arrive at: From Jepara, multiple companies have minibus to Solo like Bejeu and Rimbaraya.
- Get inabout Rp 120,000, 5h duration, multiple times a day but if after ferry, only departure around 17:45.
- Get aroundThe ojek ride-sharing service, such as Go-jek and Grab, are available in Solo, with booking through an app.
- Go nextThe easiest is by car, or charter a taxi (approx.
From Wikivoyage: Solo, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see file page), Wikimedia Commons.