The two are Indonesian’s most famous ancient temples, both listed as UNESCO official World Heritage Sites.
- Candi Prambanan
Built in the 9th century, originally there were 240 temples in the complex but most of them have crumbled and been looted, leaving only the six main temples in the central court.
This complex of ancient Hindu temples is not that far from the city center and easily reachable by the Trans Jogja bus service. Just take the one heading to Prambanan Station and you’ll find the entrance 200 m from there.
Also if you have some time to roam around, don’t miss the Candi Sewu complex located 1 km North of the Prambanan entrance.
- Candi Borobudur
This is the biggest Buddhist stone monument in the world, built in 8th century as a religious site during the golden age of Hinduism and Buddhism in Java. Even as of today it is still an important place of worship and pilgrimage for Indonesian Buddhists.
Borobudur is actually located in Magelang, outside of Yogyakarta. But it’s still quite easy to reach with public transport. First you need to go to Jombor bus terminal (can be done using the Trans Jogja bus service) and then take another bus going to Borobudur bus terminal.