Jepara is the mainland end of the Karimunjawa crossing: a relaxed town on the north coast of Central Java, about 80 kilometres north-east of Semarang. Its harbour at Kartini Beach is where both the fast boat and the slower car ferry leave for the islands, roughly 80 kilometres offshore.
Because the boats go in the morning, most travellers spend a night here. Give it an afternoon as well. Jepara has been Java’s woodcarving centre for centuries, and it is the birthplace of Raden Ajeng Kartini, the writer and pioneer of women’s education whose birthday is a national day in Indonesia.
What to do: Jepara
Sort out your crossing
Check the sailing at the harbour or with your accommodation the day before: schedules change by season and boats are cancelled in bad weather. Our getting-there guide explains the fast boat, the car ferry and what to do if neither runs.
Visit the Kartini Museum
A small museum near the town square keeps Kartini’s memory: family possessions, photographs and copies of the letters that made her famous. It is modest, but it explains why you will see her name on streets all over Indonesia.
See the woodcarvers
Whole villages around Jepara work in teak and mahogany, turning out everything from doors and four-poster beds to delicate relief panels. Workshops line the roads into town and are usually happy for you to watch.
Walk Kartini Beach
The beach beside the harbour is the town’s seaside promenade, with food stalls and a giant turtle-shaped building that houses a small aquarium. It is where local families come at weekends, and the easiest place to pass an hour before boarding.
Getting there: Jepara
- From Semarang: about 2–3 hours by road depending on traffic. Buses and shared minibuses run through the day; a private car is the reliable choice for an early boat.
- From Yogyakarta: around 5.5–7 hours by road. Direct transfers save changing in Semarang.
- From Surabaya: a long day’s drive of around 8–9 hours; most people break the journey.
Insider tips
- Sleep in Jepara the night before a morning boat rather than gambling on the road from Semarang at dawn.
- Withdraw your cash here. Jepara has plenty of ATMs; the islands barely do.
- On the way back, do not book a flight out of Semarang for the same afternoon unless you leave a margin of many hours — or better, a night.
- If the boat is cancelled, the town’s hotels fill quickly. Book a room as soon as you hear.
Tours & transfers: Jepara
These bookable experiences are the easiest way to fit Jepara into a Karimunjawa trip:
Private transfer from $41 per group Private Car Jepara – Semarang
The road between Semarang and Jepara takes around two to three hours depending on traffic. A pre-booked private car removes the most stressful link in the journey, especially for the early-morning boat or a same-day flight out of Semarang.
- Door to door between Semarang and Jepara
- Timed to your boat or flight
- Priced per car, not per person
Private transfer from $70 per group Jepara Port: Car Transfer to Semarang City
A driver meets you off the boat at Jepara and takes you to your hotel or the airport in Semarang. Useful on the way back, when several hundred people leave the harbour at once. Leave a generous margin before any flight — boats run late.
- Pickup at the Jepara harbour
- Drop-off at a Semarang hotel or the airport
- Priced per car
Transfer from $62 Yogyakarta: Transfer to Jepara / to Yogyakarta from Jepara
A direct transfer between Yogyakarta and Jepara, the harbour town for Karimunjawa. It is the practical way to join the temples of Yogyakarta to the islands without changing buses in Semarang. Allow a night in Jepara before a morning boat.
- Direct link between Yogyakarta and the Karimunjawa port
- Works in both directions
- Priced per person
Private transfer from $98 per group Jepara & Yogyakarta: One-Way Private Transfer
A pre-booked private car between Yogyakarta and Jepara in either direction. It is a long drive across Central Java, but in a private car you choose when to stop, and split between three or four people it is good value.
- Private car between Yogyakarta and Jepara
- Any hotel at either end
- Priced per car
Private transfer from $106 per group Jepara Harbor: Private Car Driver to Yogyakarta / Borobudur
Private transport from the Jepara harbour to a hotel in Yogyakarta or near Borobudur, with stops wherever you like along the route. Handy if you plan to sleep beside Borobudur and see it at dawn the next day.
- Pickup straight off the boat
- Drop-off in Yogyakarta or the Borobudur area
- Stop wherever you wish on the way
Multi-day tour from $181 Jepara: Borobudur and Prambanan 2-Day Tour with Hotel
An all-inclusive two days from Jepara to Yogyakarta, taking in Borobudur and Prambanan with transport, a guide and one night’s accommodation. A natural follow-on when you step off the boat from Karimunjawa. A new listing without reviews yet.
- From Jepara to Yogyakarta with a guide
- Borobudur and Prambanan
- One night’s hotel included
