Getting around Indonesia: trains, buses, driving and domestic flights

Match the mode to the distance, not to habit. Flights cover the archipelago, trains and buses cover Java, boats cover the Bali–Lombok–Gili corridor, and app cars or a hired driver cover the last stretch to temples, rice terraces and trailheads.

Timing changes what you book. Holiday weeks — Lebaran especially, when the country slows for about two weeks — fill trains and flights early and add hours to road journeys. Keep a buffer before any international departure, because low-cost flight delays are common.

Start with the map. If your route crosses water, price a flight first: Jakarta–Bali is 1 h 45 in the air and roughly 4 h door to door, and low-cost delays are common, so leave a buffer before any international flight.

On Java, trains are the comfortable option. Jakarta–Yogyakarta runs about 6–8 h for Rp250,000–700,000, and seats are booked through Access by KAI. For Jakarta–Bandung, Whoosh high-speed rail takes about 45 min for Rp200,000–600,000, though both stations sit outside the city centres, so add a taxi at each end.

For the Bali–Lombok–Gili corridor, fast boats are the only quick way to the Gilis and Nusa islands; Bali–Gili takes 1.5–2.5 h for Rp400,000–900,000. Safety standards vary: choose operators that issue life jackets, and expect cancellations when swell builds. Slower and cheaper, ASDP ferries run the short crossings such as Ketapang–Gilimanuk (Java–Bali) and Padangbai–Lembar (Bali–Lombok), and Pelni long-haul ships link the bigger islands over hours or days in basic conditions.

In cities, Grab and Gojek handle cars and bike taxis for Rp20,000–80,000 a trip. Some Bali zones restrict app pickups, so walk to the marked pickup point rather than arguing with the driver. For a day of temples, waterfalls or rice terraces, a private driver at Rp600,000–900,000 in Bali is the efficient choice — settle the hours, the fuel and the drop-off before you set off.

Scooters are the trap. Rentals run Rp70,000–150,000 a day, but you need a motorcycle licence and an international driving permit, and police fine unlicensed riders.

Public ferries are cheap but slow, and Pelni long-haul ships are basic — treat them as transport, not as a cruise. Fast boats are the weak link in the chain: they cancel in swell, so never book one for the morning of an international flight.

Holiday timing matters more than distance. Lebaran slows the country for about two weeks and holiday weeks sell out 1–2 months ahead on trains; Nyepi shuts Bali completely for a day (check what runs). Government offices close on Friday midday for prayer, which affects paperwork rather than travel.

Keep your licence, IDP and rental paperwork with you; police checks on scooters are routine. For anything that could go wrong on a boat, a scooter or a domestic flight, see travel insurance before you leave.