Yogyakarta is an enchanting medium-sized city offering cosmopolitan comforts such as five star hotels, fine dining, and shopping malls. But at its core are time-honored traditions and philosophies that have lasted for generations thanks to its respected sultan and his royal family. While gamelan, classical Javanese dance and shadow puppetry remain as they have been for centuries, the paintings, fashions and handicrafts produced by Jogja artists are visual examples of the effortless blending of the old and the new.

Although the formal spelling of the city's name is "Yogyakarta", for many years it has been fondly called "Yogya". In recent years the spellings have been modernized to reflect the true pronunciations "Jogjakarta" and "Jogja". Nowadays, most people use "Jogja" when talking about the city and reserve "Yogyakarta" for formal occasions or when referring to Yogyakarta Special Province.

Offering so much more than the famous tourist attractions covered by guidebooks, Jogja meets the needs of all, from luxury travelers, adventure-seekers, and religious pilgrims to low-budget backpackers.

We invite you to read on to get a glimpse of the most complete picture of Jogja ever published.