How to go from Yogyakarta to Semarang City (Bus, Shuttle, Taxi)


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Hi travelers, thank you fro visiting BorobudurSunrise.com. In this article, i would like to give you a guidance about how to go from Yogyakarta to Semarang City. For your information guys, Semarang is the capital city of Central Java Province. It is considered as a business city, the 5th largest city in Indonesia. Actually Semarang is not a popular destination for travelers both domestic or foreign tourist. Normally, travelers visit Semarang just to continue their journey to the next popular destination. Those are Karimun Jawa and Tanjung Puting National Park (Borneo) due to Semarang Airport has a direct flight to reach those places. Or possibly they need to do business in Semarang.

So, if you are planning to go Yogyakarta City first before Semarang, you are in the right article to get detail informations “How to go from Yogyakarta to Semarang City”. I will explain all the transport possibility from the cheapest one till the fastest one also the route options connecting both city for around 120 KM.

The Route Option to Go from Yogyakarta to Semarang City.

There are 4 routes options to go from Yogyakarta to Semarang City :

  1. Via Main Route. It is a regular highway connecting Yogyakarta and Semarang. Most of the public transportations will pass this way. The route will be Yogyakarta – Muntilan – Magelang – Temanggung – Ambarawa – Bawen – Semarang. Via this route, you will take around 4 hours to reach Semarang from Yogyakarta City depends on the traffic.
  2. Via Ketep Pass as Alternative Route. For me, this is the best option to take. Via Ketep Pass you will see a beautiful scenery along the way from Yogyakarta to Semarang. You will see a beautiful twin mountain, those are Merapi Volcano and Merbabu. The route will be Yogyakarta – Muntilan – Ketep Pass – Salatiga – Bawen – Semarang. But, there is no public transport will go via this way. Only if you book a private car transport service or a taxi, then you can choose this option. If you get a good driver, you may ask the driver to stop in Kedung Kayang Waterfall, you will see an amazing waterfall with Merapi Volcano as a background. Also, you have to stop in Ketep Pass itself, it is the best spot to see the twin mountain. And via this route, it will be less traffic compared if you go via main route.
  3. Via Toll Route. This is the fastest option to go from Yogyakarta to Semarang. You will pass a part of Trans Java Toll Road. It is a toll road connecting the westernmost of Java Island (Merak Port) till the easternmost of Java Island (Ketapang Port, Banyuwangi) with total distance around 1100 KM. Just FYI, This toll road is also a part of Asian Highway 2 (AH2) that connecting Nusa Dua Bali to Khosravi, Iran. The route will be : Yogyakarta – Kartosuro – Salatiga – Bawen – Semarang. It will take around 2,5 hours only. Also if you want to choose this option, you have to book a taxi or a private car service. Toll road will be your best option if you will catch a flight in Semarang Airport without stay overnight in the city. Normally you need to give additional IDR 70.000 / car ( 5$ ) if you want to pass this route.
  4. By Train. There is 2 trains schedule connecting Yogyakarta and Semarang City. But one of them will not even faster than the bus or taxi service. Those trains are not direct train, those are trains connecting cities in Central Java and Yogyakarta Province, so it will stop in many stations. In my opinion, going by train is not the effective way to go from Yogyakarta to Semarang City. But if you would like to, you can check the schedule via KAI Access Application.
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Kedung Kayang Waterfall

Transportation Options from Yogyakarta to Semarang City.

There are several transportation options from Yogyakarta to Semarang City. I will let you know any possibilities. Hopefully you can choose which is the best one for you.

  1. Bus ( Economy and Executive Bus )
  2. Shuttle Service ( Joglosemar and Day Trans )
  3. Taxi ( Reguler or Online Taxi, Gojek and Grab )
  4. Private Car Service from Yogyakarta to Semarang operated by Borobudursunrise.com
  5. Train

Bus from Yogyakarta to Semarang

Going from Yogyakarta to Semarang by bus is the cheapest option compared with any other option like Private Car Service or Taxi. There are 2 kind of bus that can take you from Yogyakarta to Semarang, economy and executive bus. You can catch both buses in Jombor Bus Terminal. It is aways available every 30 minutes. The economy bus will cost you around IDR 50.000, but it doesn’t go directly, you will need to stop first in Magelang Bus Terminal and change the bus to continue your journey to Semarang. And it will have no air conditioner for around 4 hours journey.

If you choose the executive one, it will be faster and will go directly to Semarang. It will cost you around IDR 100.000 When you choose the bus as your choice, I suggest you not to stop in the final destination / Semarang main terminal (Terboyo). It’s too far away to reach Semarang City Centre. It’s better for you to stop in ADA Setiabudi Supermarket. It is the last point before the bus enter the toll route to reach Semarang Main Terminal. From ADA Supermarket you can continue with online taxi to reach your accommodation in Semarang.

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Shuttle Service to go from Yogyakarta to Semarang City (Joglosemar and Daytrans)

Shuttle will be another public transport option. If you ask me as a local, which one better between shuttle or public bus? Definetely I willl choose shuttle, it more safe and more efficient in terms of time.  I can recommend you 2 popular shuttle service that connecting Yogyakarta and Semarang City. Those are Joglosemar and Day Trans. Both shuttle services will cost you around IDR 100.000. For me, I do prefer Day Trans then Joglosemar, it has more departure time, more easy to book either via website and application. But the choice is up to you guys, maybe you can check which one has closest departure point from your accommodation. You can check it in the maps and just write Joglosemar or Daytrans, theree will be some departure option.

Both shuttle have a final destination in the city centre in Semarang. It will be a good idea if you can ask the staff, which one has the closest drop off point to your accommodation in Semarang.

If you would like to book it online, you can check their website here : Joglosemar, Daytrans .

Taxi from Yogyakarta to Semarang

You can order taxi both online and regular taxi to take you from Yogyakarta to Semarang City. In my opinion, online taxi has more fair price. If you want a regular taxi, you need to be expert on bargaining the price, there is no exact price if you will order a regular taxi, but the range will be around IDR 700.000 up to IDR 900.000. Taxi will be much more expensive, compared by buses or shuttle service, but if you will go in a group more than 2 people or you have some luggage to bring, taxi will be worth it. It will give you a direct transport from your accommodation in Yogyakarta till your final destination in Semarang. You will not need to change to several transport unlike if you choose public transports.

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Book Your Private Car Transport from Yogyakarta To Semarang on Borobudursunrise.com

So, I can recommend you a private transport service to take you from Yogyakarta to Semarang. Also you can plan all your journey by booking it in advance. This transport service is operated by us, Borobudursunrise.com. We will give you an exact price of USD 80 up to 5 person. It is more expensive compared with the reguler taxis, but most of our team are able to speak in english well and having experiences to work in travel industry in Yogyakarta. So on your way to Semarang, the driver also can give you an explanation about Yogyakarta or Javanese culture. The drivers are flexible. In case you would like to pass the alternative route and stop in Ketep Pass or Kedung Kayang Waterfall for taking picture, having a cup of coffee or lunch you just need to tell the driver, they will be glad to let you to enjoy the stop.

If you are interested in booking our service, please check this Private Transport Service from Yogyakarta to Semarang.

If you need other tour packages in Yogyakarta City, it is also a good idea to contac us. We are working hard to maintain our quality service. It can be proven  by our high rating of review in Trip Advisor and Viator.   Check one of our top package, Borobudur and Prambanan Tour. Or check the other package option in this link.

Train from Semarang to Yogyakarta

The last option to go to Semarang is by train. Until I write this article, there are only 2 schedules. The first will go at 7.10 AM and arrive at 14.12 (6 hours 49 minutes). The second one will depart at 14.53 and arrive at 18.12 (3 hours 19 minutes). Maybe, the second one will be better for you. If train will be your option, You can go first to Yogyakarta Tugu Station (YK) to buy the ticket on the spot or you can book it via KAI Access Application. If your accommodation in Semarang City is in Old Town, I suggest you to stop in Semarang Tawang Station. You can even reach your accommodation in old town by walking.

Enjoy your trip in Special Region of Yogyakarta…

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