Jepara
Understand
Tourist information centre
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phone: +62 291 591169address: Jl AR Hakim No.51
Get in
Small, mostly non air-conditioned, buses leave Semarang's Terboyo bus terminal daily 05:00–17:00 and cost Rp15,000–20,000. Expect to pay twice if you put your backpack on an empty seat (there are no luggage compartments on small buses).
There are more comfortable air-conditioned shuttle vans (known as travel) from Semarang, Yogyakarta, and Solo, mostly departing from the various agencies' offices. From Semarang the journey takes around 2 hours and costs around Rp25,000–35,000. These buses have departures later than the cheap intercity buses.
Get around
Taxis are a bit hard to find. Becaks are fairly easy. Motorbikes can be rented from some of the motorcycle dealers or at the Segoro Hotel.
If you know Indonesian, you can call Raja which is a taxi service using a normal SUV type car. 085 225 111 234 or 081 705 62002.
You can also call Atlas taxi in Semarang.
If you don't speak Indonesian try going to Jepara Indah Hotel, or Kencana Hotel.
The Hotel Segoro at the north end of town (near the gas station) has a travel service and can also charter cars.
See
Troso villageKnown for its loom weaving: jacquard and copies of East Nusa Tenggara styles. There are showrooms along the main street, some of which have workshops. There are also small workshops in some of the houses. Some batiking is also done.
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Museum RA Kartini
phone: +62 852 2584-1999address: Jl Alun-Alun No.1, PanggangJepara is the birthplace of national hero Raden Adjeng Kartini, a pioneer in the area of education for girls and women's rights. Tells the story of her life, and shows the artefacts.
Do
Mount MuriaMount Muria is at the centre of the cape that juts out into the Java Sea, with Jepara on its western coast. Though not spectacularly high, the mountain is rugged and worth exploring on a motorbike or with a hired car. There are coffee-growing mountain villages and some ancient Hindu temples to be found. One place to start would be the village of Tempur, on the northern slope of the mountain, up a narrow single-track road with views down into the valleys. Head north out of Jepara, following the main road in the direction of Pati. At roughly the most northernmost point, or just after, look out for signs. Almost opposite the turn for Tempur is a turn towards a Portuguese fort on the coast. The road in from the main road was upgraded in mid-2017 so should stay in fair condition for a couple of wet seasons.
Buy
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phone: +62 813 9095-1919address: Jl Bawu Batealit RT 031 RW 006Furniture and homewares. Retail and trade. Worldwide shipping. Some imported Turkish items.
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Woven and batik textiles
address: Troso villageVarious showrooms along the main street of the village. Some have looms and some households are weaving at home. Furniture and wooden homewaresMany of Jepara's streets are lined with showrooms of furniture and wooden homewares, appealing to both domestic and international tastes. The showrooms serving the international export market will be mainly focussed on showcasing their products for wholesale buyers, but some of them do sell retail, so go ahead and ask. Most will be able to take orders, especially for larger quantities, and can arrange shipping.
Eat
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Yam Yam Resto
phone: +62 291 598755address: Jl Pantai Karang Kebagusan Km 5Thai and Western. Ocean side, good for sunsets but no beach. Swimming pool. Serves beer. A little hidden away. If you enjoy it, there's a branch in Jogja. -
Cipto Roso
phone: +62 813 2513-8417address: Jl Doktor SutomoFamous for the Jepara speciality called pindang srani, a clear, fresh, spicy fish soup.
Sleep
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phone: +62 291 595220address: Jl A. R. Hakim No.43, KaumanFour rooms only. Behind the Gecho Inn, with Western and Indonesian food, and beer. Also has a branch out of town.
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Segoro Hotel
address: Jl Ringin Jaya No.2Cheaper rooms have no shower in the bathroom, bucket only.
Connect
Go next
Head out to the Karimunjawa islands on the fast or slow ferry services that service the port.