EmMalang, on Java island in Indonesia, is best known as a starting point for tours of Mount Bromo. But it’s worth spending a day in Malang around your bucket-list Bromo trip – it’s an interesting city with some amazing sights!
How to get to Malang
Malang is in east Java, west of Yogyakarta and south of Surabaya. It’s well connected via Indonesia’s excellent train network, but doesn’t have an airport of it’s own (or at least not one offering useful international and inter-island flights).
From Yogyakarta
If you are coming from Yogyakarta, the easiest way bar far is the train. This takes about 6 hours and if you buy an Executif class ticket (not particularly expensive) is extremely comfortable. The is one day train, which leaves at about 9.30am, and multiple night trains. I didn’t find the night trains to have great timings (they arrive about 4am), so went for the day train. This also meant I got to soak up Java’s beautiful countryside.
Arriving from Yogyakarta? Check out my guide 2 Perfect Days in Yogyakarta – including everything you need to know to visit Borobudur and Prambanan.
From Surabaya
The easiest way to travel if you are in Surabaya, particularly the airport, is probably a private car or shared taxi. There is a train link from Surabaya city centre to Malang, so if you are staying in the city, this is your best option. But if you are coming from the airport, it’s difficult to get into the city and then onto the train – requiring multiple transfers. Ask your hotel if they can arrange a shared taxi if you don’t want to pay for a private car.
From Jakarta
If you are coming straight from Jakarta, this is likely to be a long journey, and it’s worth considering a stop in Yogyakarta first. However, if time doesn’t allow, you can take the train from Jakarta to Surabaya and then from Surabaya to Malang. The shortest journey time is about 13 hours.
From Bali
You can also get to and from Malang from Bali (though again, this is a long journey). It’s most likely you will be doing this if you are also heading to Mount Ijen after Mount Bromo. Many tour companies will offer a 2 or 3 night version which takes you to both mountains and then drops you off near Banyuwangi harbour, where you can pick up the ferry to Bali. It’s also likely that there is a direct bus from Malang that will take you across to Bali – check 12goAsia. Ferries operate 24 hours a day and take about 45 minutes, with regular crossings (every 15-20 minutes if weather permits).
How to get around in Malang?
I found Malang to be one of the least pedestrian friendly cities I’ve visited so far. There is no central tourist/hotel area that I could find and pavements are in even worse condition (if they exist) than I’ve seen across the rest of Indonesia. Coupled with bigger, busier roads with faster cars, this meant that I struggled to walk around in Malang.
Luckily though, Grab and Gojek are everywhere, and cheap. Make sure you have these apps downloaded before you arrive. While Malang is a busy city, it’s not huge and it didn’t take long to get to the key sites via car.
Where to stay in Malang?
As I said above, I didn’t find a central tourist area or street in Malang (unlike Yogya, which has a very clear area that’s easy for tourists to navigate). There didn’t appear to be a clear focus area for hotels in Malang.
I stayed at Enny’s Guest House, one of the top rated budget hotels on Booking.com. It thoroughly deserved this – it was spotlessly clean, had great areas to relax, and incredibly friendly and helpful staff. There are three room types – I stayed in the cheapest. The better room types had more modern bathrooms (not soak the entire room showers!), blackout curtains and some had nice seating facing the garden. They’re not much more expensive, so worth an upgrade if you fancy.
Other options in Malang include Snooze Hostel, which is at the higher end of hostel accommodation. If you are looking for a more traditional hotel, the 101 Hotel OJ has good reviews.
What to do on your 1 day in Malang?
Visit Jodipan, the Rainbow Village
This is top of most people’s lists for Malang itself, and for good reason. The Rainbow Village is in central Malang, nestled into a small valley alongside a river. One of the most picturesque places I’ve seen so far, the story is that local uni students painted the houses rainbow coloured to encourage tourism.
It provides an astonishing insight into the lives of ordinary people in Malang – and a direct contrast to some of the huge mansion-style houses I saw in other parts of the city. I was surprised (and pleased) to find that while the houses have been painted, often with street art as well, relatively little else has changed. As you walk past, you’re peering into houses where people obvioulsy still live. If this were in a more touristy city, like Bali or any destination in Europe, these houses would have long since become little tourist shops and cafes.
The most famous site is the glass bridge crossing the small river. This gives beautiful views of both sides of the river, allowing you to capture truly insta-worthy pictures. There’s also a small instagram-picture spot one one side, offering a few picture spots like a giant clam and a throne for fun pics.
The Rainbow Village is actually split into two villages, on either side of the river. You pay separately to enter both, and get a small gift for your entry fee. This money goes directly to the local people.
Visit the Blue village
Just across the (slightly terrifying) road from the Rainbow Village is the newer and less well known Blue Village.
As the same suggests, this village has been entirely painted in shades of blue. It also has a lion theme throughout, with many street art lions gracing the walls. As a lover of all things blue (everything I own that can possibly be blue is blue), I loved this little village.
It was painted to mimic a city in Morocco, and definitely has a Mediterranean vibe. It’s definitely worth adding to your trip to Jodipan, especially because it’s just across the road.
All these villages used to be slum housing, which were slated to be destroyed by the local government due to their unsanitary conditions. The painting projects have given them a new lease of life, including income for residents. Make sure you lean into this by buying a drink or small souvenir as you’re walking around – there are plenty of people selling bottled soft drinks.
Visit the Kajoetangan Heritage Village
This was a recommendation from one of the staff members at my accomodation, and I haven’t seen it on any other lists of things to do in Malang. While I was there, it was busy with local tourists, but I saw very few international tourists.
This heritage village is in central Malang, but hidden behind the bigger, more modern roads. Head inside and you’ll find a maze of small backstreets representing a much older Malang. It was primarily built by Dutch colonisers and gives an insight into what Malang would have looked like during the 19th century.
There are a number of pretty cafes throughout the village, a few antique shops and some instagram spots as well. There is a small charge to enter – again, you receive a small souvenir in return for your entry fee.
Go for coffee at one of the oldest coffee shops in Malang
Near the Heritage Village is All about Koffie by Kawisari Coffee, one of the oldest coffee shops in Malang. Established in 1870, this coffee shop has been a part of Malang’s coffee scene ever since.
It’s a great place to head before or after your trip to the Heritage Village. The huge figures standing around the sign make it easy to spot as well! The inside is beautiful, with some lovely vintage vibes. The coffee comes from the Kawisari plantation on the slopes of Mount Kawi, and there are some really unusual varieties on offer – I tried the wine coffee.
The cafe also offers food, making it a good lunch spot if needed.
Go to Retawu Deli for pastries
This was another recommendation from my accommodation. This beautiful cafe is located near Enny’s Guest House, and was extremely busy with locals when I went on a Sunday morning! It has some of the best pastries I’ve had on my trip so far, with a huge variety offered. A great place to start your day.
Spend a day visiting waterfalls around Malang
If you have a bit more time, there are a number of waterfalls around Malang to visit. The most famous of these is Tumpak Sewu, which has a number of different waterfall streams in one half-moon location.
I didn’t end up getting to visit Tumpak Sewu, as it’s a long day trip from Malang – from around 8am – 5pm, given driving times. This gets longer if you want to add one of the other local waterfalls to the site. However, the pictures of Tumpak Sewu are absolutely stunning and it’s worth doing if you have the time and stamina.
There are also a number of slightly less spectacular waterfalls around Malang , but none are particularly near to each other. If you want to spend a day waterfall chasing, there are lots of guides to help you!
Hopefully this gives you inspiration for how to spend your time in Malang around your trip to Mount Bromo! For everything you need to know about your Bromo trip, check out my guide. If you’ve got questions about Malang, let me know below!
