Borobudur Tips and Info for First Time Visitors

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When I was planning my trip to visit Yogyakarta in Indonesia, my main reason for going was to see Borobudur Temple. Not because it’s one of the greatest Buddhist monuments in the world—even though it is. Not because it’s a UNESCO World Heritage site—even though it is. I went because it was featured on The Amazing Race.

If you’ve never seen the show, it follows teams racing around the world, completing challenges in some seriously incredible places. I think it’s part of the reason I love travel so much.

Years ago, my sister and I even submitted an audition video. We didn’t make it past that first step. So now, I figure, if I can’t be on The Amazing Race, I can at least visit some of the same spots and pretend I am!

But you didn’t come here to find out about why I visited Borobudur Temple. So, let’s talk about what you need to know when you visit so that you can have your own AMAZING time! (See what I did there? Ha.)

Table of Contents

History and Design of Borobudur Temple

Before I get to the tips, I have to admit—I’m not a big history buff, but I do think it’s wild that Borobudur was buried under volcanic ash and jungle for centuries.

It was built way back in the 9th century as a Mahayana Buddhist temple and is actually the largest Buddhist monument in the world. The whole design is meant to represent a mandala, with nine stacked levels (six square ones and three circular) leading up to a big central dome.

It’s covered in thousands of detailed carvings and hundreds of Buddha statues, which show everything from religious stories to scenes of everyday life back then.

The temple was eventually abandoned when the area converted to Islam, and it just sat there, hidden, until it was rediscovered in the early 1800s. UNESCO did a big restoration in the 1970s, and now we’re able to visit it today.

Borobudur Tips to Know Before you Visit

When you’re planning your visit, there are three things you really need to know before you go.

First, the temple is closed on Mondays for maintenance. You can still walk around the grounds, but you won’t be able to go up on the temple itself. Keep that in mind as you make your travel plans.

Second, access is timed and limited—only 1,200 tickets are available each day, and they’re spread out so no more than 150 people are on the temple at once. You’re also only given a one hour window to explore the temple structure. That means you shouldn’t just show up and hope for the best. You have to buy your ticket in advance and be on time or you’ll likely miss out.

And third, there is no shade. The whole temple is out in the open with zero shade. There is no inside to Borobudur Temple either, so you can’t even go inside to cool off. Make sure you dress accordingly, bring water, and a hat or even a fan if you’re anything like me in the heat.

Borobudur Tips: Buy tickets online early because they do sell out, especially during peak tourist seasons.

Borobudur Ticket Options

When visiting Borobudur, you’ll have two ticket options available for purchase. One for the grounds only, and one for the grounds and temple.

Temple Grounds Only

The temple grounds ticket lets you see everything up to the perimeter of the actual temple. You just won’t be able to walk or climb up the steps of the temple. You get pretty darn close though.

Cost: 400,000 IDR ($25)

Temple Structure Access

This temple structure ticket lets you access the grounds as well as the actual temple of Borobudur. If you want to walk through the nine different levels of the temple and get up close to the carvings and stupas, this is the ticket you want to get.

Cost: 455,000 IDR ($28)

Borobudur Tips: If you are also visiting Prambanan Temple, you can purchase a combination ticket and save a few bucks.

A Guide is Required to Visit Borobudur Temple

To access Borobudur Temple, and walk along the different levels, you are required to join a guided tour. Don’t worry though, you don’t have to find a private tour guide yourself. When you purchase your temple access ticket, you will automatically be assigned a tour group with a guide, at no additional cost.

The guide is only required to access Borobudur Temple. A guide is not required if you are only visiting the Temple grounds.

When we went, there were about 12 people in our tour group. A few stayed with the guide the whole time they were in the temple but most of us separated from the group and explored on our own.

If you choose to leave the group, please respect the 60-minute time limit.

Borobudur Tips: On the walk to the temple, your tour guide will stop at an umbrella vendor. If you’re regretting your lack of sun protection, now’s your chance – get an umbrella!

You Only Have 60 Minutes on the Temple

If you purchased the ticket to access Borobudur Temple and walk the different levels, you’ll be given a wristband to wear. Your wristband will be scanned when you enter the temple, and it will be scanned again when you exit the temple.

With an allotted time of 60 minutes to stay on the temple, the scanned wristbands help to monitor who overstays the time limit.

I really didn’t think that one hour would be enough time since I wanted to see every square inch of every single level. Let me tell you, one hour was plenty of time. We were able to take our time climbing the steps, stop for constant water breaks, take tons of pictures, and see each of the nine levels all within one hour.

There are Special Shoes for Borobudur Temple

A recent change at Borobudur, starting around 2023, was the requirement to wear Upanat sandals during your visit.

Being the largest Buddhist temple in the world, Borobudur gets some serious foot traffic. The sandals are specially designed to minimize the wear and tear on the stones.

When you purchase your ticket, they’ll give you a cloth bag and a pair of the sandals. It’s all included in the cost of the ticket. You’ll put the sandals on and put your shoes in the cloth bag so you can carry it with you. Lockers are also available if you’d rather not carry anything with you.

The sandals were surprisingly comfortable and easy to walk in, and the best part is that you get to keep them (and the bag) as a fun souvenir from your visit!

Borobudur Tips: Don’t forget to put sunscreen on your feet. I saw so many people walking around with sunburned feet.

How to Get to Borobudur Temple

Borobudur Temple is located about 25 miles from Yogyakarta, on the island of Java in Indonesia.

The best way to get to Borobudur Temple is by hiring a private driver for the day, like we did. A private driver costs about $35 but you have them for the whole day driving you around wherever you want to go.

You can use one of the booking apps like GetYourGuide, or Grab, to hire a driver. Your hotel may also be able to arrange one for you.

If you don’t want to hire a private driver for the day, you can use ride-hailing services like Grab (Uber for Indonesia) to get there and then order another Grab for your ride back to your hotel.

Borobudur Tips: You can take the bus from Jombor bus terminal in Yogyakarta, but it takes about 2-3 hours to get there. Don’t take the bus. You don’t want to spend 5 hours of your day on a bus.

The Best Time to Visit is in the Morning

Just like visiting Prambanan Temple, the best time to visit Borobudur is in the morning before the sun is beating down on top of you. There is no shade in the temple and it gets HOT! Of course, since entry to the temple is timed, you’re at the mercy of visiting whenever tickets are available. Consider this another reason to purchase your tickets well in advance.

Plan to Spend a Few Hours There

I recommend 3-4 hours when visiting Borobudur. That includes about one hour to check-in, change out your shoes, and wait for your tour group to get started. One hour time on the temple itself. And one to two hours to explore the grounds and visit the vendor stalls on the way out.

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If this is your first time visiting Borobudur Temple, I hope you found these tips helpful. It’s the most visited attraction in Yogyakarta and knowing what to expect before you get there can make all the difference between a less than ideal visit and an amazing one!