Jepara is a coastal town in Central Java province, northeast of Semarang. It is well-known for its wood carvings and furniture industry. Jepara is one of the departure points for ferries going to Karimunjawa.
Understand
Tourist information centre
- 1 Tourist Information Centre Jepara (TIC Jepara), Jl. A. R. Hakim No. 51, ☏ 62 291 4290389, ✉[email protected]. 07:00-14:30. This is Jepara's official tourism information centre, on behalf of District Department Of Tourism And Culture (Dinas Pariwisata dan Kebudayaan Jepara). Its website is very slow to load, but anyway it will load completely.
Get in
By bus
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.
- 1 Jepara Bus Station (Terminal Jepara), Jl MT Haryono. It is served by buses to various locations including Jakarta and Surabaya. But it seems uncomfortable for foreign tourist, as this station is less maintained.
- 2 Bejeu Bus garage (Garasi bus Bejeu), Jl. RM. Sosro Diningrat No. 09 Ngabul Tahunan Jepara 59428, ☏ 62 291 594 440, 62 823 1401 5946. Bejeu is a bus company based in Jepara. It serves Jakarta, Bandung, Denpasar, Merak, Cimahi, Ciledug, Pati, Pekalongan, and others. The buses have air conditioning and WiFi.
By taxi
From Semarang you can take a taxi and bargain a price of around Rp275,000. Even if they use the meter it should not be much more than that.
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 or can'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
- 1 Troso village (on the west side of the road to Semarang, about 12 km (7.5 mi) south). Known 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.
- 2 Kartini Beach (Pantai Kartini). There are boats to Karimunjawa and Panjang Island. It also has the Kura-Kura Ocean Park, a turtle-shaped building that contains a large aquarium, fish spa, and educational attractions for children. Rp5,000–Rp 7,500 entry, Rp12,500–Rp17,500 for Kura-Kura Ocean Park.
- 3 Panjang Island (Pulau Panjang). White sand beach and clear, shallow water. It is the location of the grave of Waliyullah Al Habib Abubakar bin Ahmad bin Syekh bin Yahya Ba'alawi, also known as Syekh Abubakar, who is said to be one of Prophet Muhammad's descendants.
- 4 Museum RA Kartini (Kartini Museum), Jl Alun-Alun No.1, Panggang (Right by the Tourist Information Centre), ☏ 62 852 2584-1999. Daily 08:00–16:00. Jepara 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
- 1 Mount Muria (Gunung Muria). Mount 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 2 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
- Arty's Design Collection, Jl Bawu Batealit RT 031 RW 006 (On the road south out of Jepara towards Semarang), ☏ 62 813 9095-1919, ✉[email protected]. Furniture and homewares. Retail and trade. Worldwide shipping. Some imported Turkish items.
- Woven and batik textiles, Troso village (12 km south of Jepara on the west side of the road to Semarang). Various showrooms along the main street of the village. Some have looms and some households are weaving at home.
- Furniture and wooden homewares. Many 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
- 1 Yam Yam Resto, Jl Pantai Karang Kebagusan Km 5 (in the complex called Joglo Putu Inten), ☏ 62 291 598755. daily 08:00–23:30. Thai 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.
- 2 Cipto Roso, Jl Doktor Sutomo, ☏ 62 813 2513-8417. Famous for the Jepara speciality called pindang srani, a clear, fresh, spicy fish soup.
Drink
Sleep
- 1 The Gecho Inn Town, Jl A. R. Hakim No.43, Kauman, ☏ 62 291 595220, ✉[email protected]. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 12:00. Four rooms only. Behind the Gecho Inn, with Western and Indonesian food, and beer. Also has a branch out of town.
- Segoro Hotel, Jl Ringin Jaya No.2 (500m from the bus terminal and around 1.5 km (0.93 mi) from the ferry terminal.). Cheaper rooms have no shower in the bathroom, bucket only. Starts at Rp140,000 for double/twin room with a fan and Rp170.000 for a room with AC including simple breakfast buffet (prices as of 11/2016)..
Connect
The telephone area code for Jepara is 62 291. For the Karimunjawa archipelago it is 62 297.
Go next
Head out to the Karimunjawa islands on the fast or slow ferry services that service the port.