Tamansari (Water Palace) is a palace in Yogyakarta. It is now a popular tourist attraction. When we visited, it was the dry season, and there was no water in the various pools. However, I found it to be a beautiful place with lush vegetation and intriguing architectural structures.

This was well worth visiting. Having read many half-hearted reviews of it I was hesitant but am glad I went. It only takes an hour or so to see it thoroughly but it's pretty and well-maintained. It's also worth paying one of the guides who'll (politely) approach you after you've purchased your entry ticket. It only costs a few dollars for about 30 minutes. I noticed that my guide showed me into many areas that didn't have signs and were therefore completely empty of visitors. He also took me into the laneways that surround the water castle where local houses have been built in parts of the old castle. I learned a lot about how the sultans and the people around them lived, and also the uses for many of the buildings and pools. Beyond the pools, there are the old sections of the castle that used to be a library, kitchens, rest areas, the WC...

My wife and I visited the Taman Sari as part of a larger tour of the Kraton area. This partially ruined complex was built as a pool and pleasure garden by the first sultan in 1765. It unfortunately suffered some significant damage in the Java wars and an earthquake in 1865 but has had some restorative measures undertaken. It was 25000K for a foreign adult to enter. There was a different price structure for locals. It took only about 30-45 minutes to get through, most of the time we spent by the pools which had a photogenic quality. There were guides available and more than one tried to attach themselves to us without our consent which was a bit annoying. I think they would be helpful potentially to have but I would advise you to make sure the terms of the arrangement are agreed upon early to avoid conflict at the end of the tour. Couple of exhibits to view with English translations. Towards the back of the complex is the original entrance which if analysed properly will get you into a back street where you can freely visit a network of escape tunnels that were installed by the original sultan to allow escape in the event of an attack. If you have a guide they should show you this. Despite its negative reviews my wife and I actually enjoyed this more than the kraton. I think it’s worth including as part of larger tour of this area. On its own it probably doesn’t hold enough weight to justify the trip.

These are beautiful baths, in which you can enjoy the atmosphere of the royal hygiene routine. There isn't a great deal here, to be honest, so, if you aren't careful, you'll find yourself in the exit after only 10 minutes. So take your time. Watch out for the aggressive hawkers outside the site.

Enjoyed. Get a guide once you go inside. It helps quite a bit as there is minimal signage. We approached two guides, first asked for 100k with English that was a bit tricky to understand. We chatted with a second guide whose English was better who charged 50k for myself and my son for 1 hr tour. The tour lasted maybe 45 minutes? But was worth it to make it more interesting.

My Uncle & I visited Jogja for the first time in September 2024 and we decided to visit a few tourist attractions in the city including the Kraton(Palace) and this Water Castle(Taman Sari). We had gone to the Kraton first, we almost got scammed by a local over there! Then we came over here, feeling a bit annoyed and apprehensive. First of all, do not let the term "Water Castle" deceive you into imagining something like Sleeping Beauty's Castle in Disneyland or anything even close to it! This "Water Castle" used to be the Royal Palace gardens several centuries ago, it has a few pools of water that were the swimming pools of the Royal family back in the days. Today, nobody is allowed to enter the pools, visitors can walk around the pools to take photos, that's all. There is an exhibition of Indonesian herbs & spices in a small room to the side of the large pool. Visitors can also climb up a very narrow and steep wooden ladder to the top of the watchtower that you see in the photos of this place, but the views aren't impressive at all. This attraction is actually quite small, you can cover this place in 15 minutes if it is not crowded. The exit of this place takes you through the local village next to the premises of the Water Castle and there are some interesting photo opportunities as you walk along the village paths. If you have plenty of time to spare in Jogja, this place is worth visiting.

The Water castle is another beautiful piee of Indonesia history. Many little nooks & cranny to search out. the view from the top of the tower allows for a great picture of the baths. We didn't have a guide but I do suggest that you do this to get all the history of the place