15 Best Sights in Semarang, Indonesia

One of the world's most-photographed Buddhist shrines and a UNESCO World Heritage site, the massive temple of Borobudur is the ultimate symbol for the journey to enlightenment. Shrouded by shady forests and trimmed with lush gardens, the mountainous, gray stone structure sprawls through some of Java's most scenic countryside in an undulating vista of soaring towers, thick walls, and collapsed steps. It took nearly a century to build, from around 780 to 850 AD, and it was nearly a millennium before it was discovered by foreign eyes. In 1814, Thomas Stamford Raffles stumbled on the site while on expedition as Lieutenant Governor of Java—but even after two restorations and millions of annual visitors, Borobudur still retains an ethereal ambience, a sense that you're being transported back to an ancient, mysterious world. Borobudur's layout resembles a mandala, rising in cakelike layers of six concentric square terraces and three circular platforms. Tours begin at the eastern stairway, and continue through 5-km (3-miles) of walkways if done to full length. Stroll clockwise around the lowest square, taking time to observe the slight variances in 432 Buddahs and more than 1,500 images of Siddhartha's life. The three circular levels are dotted with 72 Buddha statues, each tucked into an enormous latticework stupa (dome-shaped temple). At the top, amid a scenic backdrop of emerald forests and smoky volcanoes, is a final stupa emblematic of the highest level of enlightenment. Also on the grounds is a small museum following the history of Borobudur's construction, rediscovery, and renovations. Guides are readily available for hire. Souvenir and food vendors around the monument can be persistent. Just smile and say "No, thank you" if you're not interested. The trip by road from Semarang takes less than two hours.

You can combine Borobudur sightseeing with a visit to this temple complex, a vestige of Java's Hindu past spread over a broad plain. Built just after Borobudur, this UNESCO World Heritage site contains 237 gray stone temples in the classical tall, pointed Hindu style, the largest rising 154 feet. The complex was reduced to ruins through centuries of neglect and earthquakes. Reconstruction efforts began in 1918, with the main shrine completed in 1953. The 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake led to the closure of some building interiors due to safety concerns, but what's visible, inside and out, remains extraordinarily impressive.

When Java's railroads were about to retire some of the island's classic engines in the early 1970s, a group of train enthusiasts created this public education center. Housed in the original Ambarawa train station, a main train-shipping point along the tracks from Kedungjati to Yogyakarta, the museum is surrounded by 21 Dutch, German, and Swiss locomotives built between 1891 and 1928. Inside, exhibits include antique bells, signaling equipment, old telephones, and a Morse Code machine. Groups can charter a train for an 18-km (11-mile) round-trip journey to Bedono.

An estimated third of Semarang's residents are Chinese, making it Java's most Chinese city. The Kota Lama neighborhood features a maze of slender alleys and small, colorful shops. Main attractions are Pasar Cina (Chinese Market) on Gang Pinggir and Tay Kak Sie Temple (Gang Lombok), built in 1772. Followers of Confucianism come daily to burn incense and offer prayers, and it's the site for vibrant lunar year celebrations.

The copper-crowned church (Gereja Blenduk means Domed Church), which was built in 1753, is the second-oldest Christian church in Java and still conducts services.

The extensive Sultan's Palace, itself a town of 25,000 residents, includes museums, ancient artifacts, and exquisitely crafted royal buildings. Yogya is also a celebrated shopping destination for batik items, artworks, and antiques.

This working farm, set among some of Java's most verdant hills and surrounded by eight volcanoes, dates to the 1920s and still raises Indonesia's characteristic robusta coffee, now grown organically, along with other produce for the plantation's luxurious resort and spa. A one-hour tour explains coffee-growing and processing, and ends with a chance to sample a cup of Java—yes, that slang term for coffee traces to this island—and other plantation-grown delicacies.

More than 150 animals from Southeast Asia are on exhibit at this small zoo. Activities include elephant rides, paddleboat rentals, and a miniature train.

Jamu (herbal medicine) is a major industry in Indonesia, and Nyonya Meneer is one of the country's leading manufacturers. More than 250 varieties of natural drinks and medications are made here and exported to Europe and the United States. The production area is open for tours by request, and there are displays of ingredients and their curative powers.

You may think you've landed in Europe amid the colonial homes and buildings of this picturesque but collapsing slice of old Amsterdam. The broad, tree-trimmed main thoroughfare, Jalan Pemuda, was once known as "Java's Champs-Élysées."

The provincial museum exhibits antiques, arts, crafts, photographs, and artifacts from around the region. It's 2 km (1 mile) southeast of the airport.

Honoring Admiral Cheng Ho (alternatively Zhang He and Sam Po Kong), the famed Ming dynasty Chinese-Muslim leader and adventurer, this temple complex was refurbished for the 600th anniversary celebration of his landing here in 1405. Although a eunuch, Cheng Ho is considered the patriarch of the Indonesian and other Southeast Asian Chinese communities. Amid shrines and festival platforms, the brightly painted main structure, called Gedung Batu (Stone Building), is a cave containing a statue of the hero, guarded by dragons.

The park, often shortened to TBRS, is a favorite local strolling venue by day and a setting for wayang orang, wayang kulit, and ketoprak puppet performances several nights a week.

The rocket-shaped Youth Monument stands in stone as a memorial to those who fought off the Japanese during a five-day siege in October 1945. Just beyond is the elegant but desperately dilapidated Lawang Sewu (Building of 1,000 Doors), built for the Dutch Indies Rail Company in the 19th century, that served as Japanese headquarters during World War II.

Pronounced Johg-ja-karta—Johg-ja for short—this city is the center of traditional Javanese culture, still ruled by a sultan, as well as an intellectual hub of modern Indonesia.