Surakarta

The Keraton, batik houses and Jalan Keprabon over two days in Solo

Two days suit Surakarta, better known as Solo. Start at the northern palace square and the Keraton Kasunanan, buy batik at Pasar Klewer, see the House of Danar Hadi's collection and Puro Mangkunegaran, and eat nasi liwet on Jalan Keprabon; give day two to Kampung Batik Laweyan and the old merchant quarter.

Day one, morning: start early at the northern alun-alun, the palace square, then tour the Keraton Kasunanan with its museum of court regalia and carriages. Walk on to Pasar Klewer for batik fabric.

Afternoon: ride up Jalan Slamet Riyadi to the House of Danar Hadi and its batik collection, then cross to Puro Mangkunegaran before it closes, ideally with a guide to explain the pendopo.

Evening: eat nasi liwet on Jalan Keprabon and wander the street stalls.

Day two: spend the morning in Kampung Batik Laweyan, where merchant houses hide workshops, and try a short batik class. After lunch head to Pasar Gede, the colonial-era market hall near the river, then Pasar Triwindu for antiques and old curios. If you have a third day, take the commuter train to Yogyakarta or hire a car for Candi Cetho.

Nasi liwet, selat Solo and round-the-clock eating in Surakarta

Solo eats around the clock, and its cooking leans sweet, coconut-rich and fried. Order nasi liwet, rice cooked in coconut milk with chicken, egg and soft vegetable curry, on Jalan Keprabon in the evening; try selat Solo, braised beef in a thin sweet gravy shaped by Dutch court kitchens, and timlo, a clear soup.

The signature plate is nasi liwet, rice cooked in coconut milk and served with chicken, egg and a soft vegetable curry; Jalan Keprabon is its home street, and the best-known stalls open in the evening.

Selat Solo shows the Dutch influence on court kitchens: braised beef in a sweet, thin gravy with vegetables and potato, a sort of Javanese take on a steak salad. Timlo is a clear soup with sliced sausage, egg and chicken, and tengkleng is a goat-bone curry eaten with the fingers. For breakfast or a snack, serabi are thin coconut pancakes from the griddle, and sosis Solo are rolled omelette snacks filled with meat.

Pasar Gede is good for daytime snacking and traditional cakes. Some stalls only open after midnight and sell out before dawn. Few places serve alcohol; drink iced jasmine tea or fresh fruit juice instead.

Surakarta's dry season, the Solo Batik Carnival and court ceremonies

Visit Surakarta between June and September, when monthly rain falls to between 42 and 86 mm and nights cool to about 20C; December to March brings 260-320 mm a month, and October is the hottest month at around 33C. The Solo Batik Carnival usually fills Jalan Slamet Riyadi in June or July.

Weather decides the timing.

The Solo Batik Carnival brings costumed dancers in batik down Jalan Slamet Riyadi each year, usually around June or July, a natural reason to time a dry-season visit. Court ceremonies at the Keraton follow the Javanese calendar, so dates move each year.

For day trips, Sangiran, a UNESCO-listed site of early human fossils, lies north of the city. East on the slopes of Mount Lawu, Candi Sukuh and Candi Cetho are unusual terraced Hindu temples from the 15th century, often in mist. The great Prambanan complex lies between Solo and Yogyakarta, and Semarang on the north coast is reachable by road.