Surabaya: Travel Tips and Etiquette
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Surabaya is an ordinary, functioning big Indonesian city day to day, not a place that requires special caution beyond normal travel sense. Here’s what actually matters on the ground.
Getting around: use Grab or Gojek
Surabaya is hot, spread out, and genuinely not built for walking between sights. Grab and Gojek, ride-hailing apps that also cover motorbike-taxi “ojek” rides, are the default for nearly everyone, cheap and sidestepping both the traffic and the language barrier. Bluebird is the reputable metered-taxi backup. There’s no metro or LRT here at present.
Money: it’s IDR, and the numbers run big
Everyday prices run into the thousands and tens of thousands of rupiah; a street coffee is roughly Rp 25,000-40,000 and a cheap meal roughly Rp 20,000-50,000 (verify current prices, and check the exchange rate before you travel, since the rupiah has moved significantly against the dollar). Cash matters at warungs and street stalls; cards work in malls and hotels. Tipping isn’t expected, though some tourist-facing places add a service charge automatically. Bargaining is normal at markets, less so anywhere with a printed price.
Dress modestly, especially near mosques
Surabaya is a Muslim-majority, conservative city. Cover shoulders and knees at the Sunan Ampel and Al-Akbar mosques in particular; a headscarf is usually provided if needed, and shoes come off before entering prayer areas. Be considerate during Ramadan, when many locals are fasting during daylight hours.
Language: English is limited outside hotels
Bahasa Indonesia is the national language, and locally most people speak Suroboyoan, a distinct East Javanese dialect. A translation app and a couple of basic phrases, terima kasih (thank you) and selamat pagi (good morning), go further than expected outside tourist-facing businesses.
Before any Bromo or Ijen trip, check volcano status
East Java’s volcanoes are a genuine standing natural hazard, not a remote risk. Check current PVMBG alert-level status before booking either trip, and pack a warm layer for the dawn hikes, both are genuinely cold at altitude even though Surabaya itself never is. Ijen’s crater also vents toxic sulfuric gas; a gas mask is standard advice for the night hike.
Keep the 2018 bombings in proportion
Surabaya and neighbouring Sidoarjo saw coordinated bombings in May 2018, a one-time historical event rather than an ongoing pattern. The city today functions as an ordinary safe big Indonesian city; the real everyday risks are petty theft and heavy traffic, not terrorism.
For the fuller version of most of this, see our main Surabaya guide and our Surabaya day trips guide .