Madiun
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The city is located 169 km west of Surabaya, or 114 km east of Surakarta City. In this town there is center of railway industry (INKA). Madiun is known to have Iswahyudi Airbase, which is one of the major Air Force bases, although located in Magetan. Madiun has the nickname City of Gadis (Girl), City of Brem, Student Town, City of railroad, Pecel City, City of Culture, City of Literature, and the City of Industry.
Get in
By Plane
Solo's Adisumarmo International Airport (SOC), 10 km north of town, is a small airport. There are 12 flights a day to Jakarta. As in 2016, there are flights to other Indonesian cities as well, such as Surabaya, Batam, Denpasar, Bandung, Balikpapan. There is international flight to Kuala Lumpur by Malaysia's low-cost airline, AirAsia, . If using taxi, you should buy a ticket in a ticket shelter. Just name your destination and pay the amount they ask, and you will be assigned to a registered taxi using a set fee charging system.
You can also fly to Yogyakarta's Adisucipto International Airport. The distance between Yogyakarta and Madiun ia about 165 km, is about 3 hours travel by road. Take Trans Jogja Bus to get out of the airport, then get off in the nearest Bus stop. Take inter-city Bus to Madiun. The famous Bus is Sumber Kencono, you can reach Madiun in 2 hours at night travel) This inter-city bus also stop in Solo, so you can using this Bus from Solo. The Bus also pass the main road not far from Solo's Adisumarmo International Airport
By bus
The city bus terminal, Terminal Purbaya, services more local destinations such as Surabaya, Solo, Yogyakarta, Ponorogo, and Semarang.
From or to Jakarta, it serve by inter-city bus which take a night trip, such as Lorena, Bogor Indah, Pahala Kencana, Rosalia Indah, Mulyo Indah, etc. The travel (Jakarta - Madiun) will take around 16 hours trip, depart on 1 pm and you will arrive on 4 am in the next morning.
By train
Express trains to Jakarta take around 9 hours. Other trains take longer, sometimes much longer. Express trains serving Madiun include Bima, Bangunkarta, and Gajayana expresses (to/from Jakarta, all AC), Argo Wilis, Turangga, Malabar, and Mutiara Selatan (to/from Bandung), Argo Wilis, and Sancaka (to/from Surabaya), Malioboro Expres (to/from Malang)
The main station is Madiun Station, in Manguharjo Madiun.
Get around
By taxi
Taxi is the easiest way to go around. It is cheap, and you can even book it for the whole trip. You can negotiate for the price or you can ask to use meter. Ask in your hotel reception if they can arrange one for you. Or they may also have a car to rent (mostly including the driver).
By becak
Becak (traditional pedicabs) are an entertaining way of seeing the city, albeit quite slowly. Expect Becak drivers to quote prices inflated to at least 3 times for the average tourist.
See
- Sarangan, an irrigation lake located in Magetan, a half hour trip from Madiun. The nearest popular weekend getaway for Madiun residents. Had it own natural scenery and breathtaking views with Mount Lawu as a background. You can find your self relaxing in the nearest resort. From Sarangan you can take a short cut to Tawangmangu.
Go next
- Sarangan, an irrigation lake located in Magetan, a half hour trip from Madiun. The nearest popular weekend getaway for Madiun residents. Had it own natural scenery and breathtaking views with Mount Lawu as a background. You can find your self relaxing in the nearest resort. From Sarangan you can take a short cut to Tawangmangu.
- Tawangmangu, a hill station located on the slopes of Mount Lawu, a dormant volcano which straddles the border between Central Java and East Java. It is an hour drive from Madiun, and is a popular weekend getaway. Nearby are the ruins of the Sukuh Temple, a Hindu temple built at the end of the period of Hinduism in Java. The temple is famous for its unique shape that resembles Mayan pyramids. Tawangmangu is also famous for its natural scenery, with waterfalls (Grojogan Sewu and Jumog Waterfall) and breathtaking views. For those who are not faint-hearted, it is also possible to climb to the top of Mount Lawu (3,265 m) from Tawangmangu, which is a 7 hours hike to the peak.
- Yogyakarta is a more tourist city located close to Madiun. The easiest is by car. Taking the train can also be an option, Madiun Jaya leaves frequently during the day (usually catering for the commuter workers) from Madiun Station. Ticket costs Rp 15,000 (US$1.4)0 one way. Train ride is about two hour and the last stop will be Tugu Station in Yogyakarta right in the middle of Malioboro.
- Borobudur, the largest Buddhist structure in the world located in Magelang, can be reached from Yogyakarta. A particularly scenic route would be to travel through the Selo and Ketep Pass in Boyolali, located between Mount Merapi and Merbabu with breathtaking views of both mountains and directly to Magelang, without going through Yogya.
- Sangiran Early Man Site, is an archeological site located 15 km from Solo. The area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an archeological treasure trove of fossils and remnants from the prehistoric era. The most important discovery however was the skeleton of the Java Man (Pithecanthropus erectus) an important predecessor of the modern human. The site contains a museum housing the archeological finds as well as an archaeological park.
- Prambanan temples are a large set of Hindu temples located 50km away. It is easy to stop off at the temples on the way to Yogya.and service to Prambanan if using local bus to Yogyakarta from Terminal Purbaya.