Things to Do in Malang: Food and Kampungs
Travel advisory, as of October 2026: Wildfires closed Mount Bromo several times between August and October 2026, and four firefighters and volunteers died fighting a blaze at Bukit Kembang on 15 October. The Malang-side Jemplang gate can be shut on any given day. Bromo is at volcano alert Level II with no entry within 1 km of the crater, and Semeru is at Level III with its hiking route closed. Check the park’s official site (bromotenggersemeru.id ) and the volcano alert before planning a trip out of town. The UK government’s current advice is at GOV.UK .
Malang in a Day
Malang is East Java’s highland city, sitting at about 450 to 500 m in a bowl of volcanoes. Days are warm, evenings are cool, and most of the best things to do cost very little. Cash in rupiah (Rp) helps at street stalls and kampung gates, while QRIS payments work in many cafes and shops.
Eat Bakso Beside the Tracks
Bakso Presiden at Jl. Batanghari No. 5 has been serving since 1977, across from the railway by Malang Kotabaru station, so trains rattle past while you eat. A bowl holds meatballs, fried meatballs, tofu, fried wontons and siomay. A plain bowl runs about Rp 20,000 to 25,000, more with extras, and the shop is open daily from around 08:00 to 21:30. Malang’s other local dishes are rawon, a black beef soup, orem-orem, which is tempeh in coconut broth, and cwie mie noodles.
Toko Oen Ice Cream
Toko Oen at Jl. Jenderal Basuki Rahmat No. 5 has traded at the same address since 1930. Liem Gien Nio and Oen Tjoen Hok founded it, and only the Malang and Semarang branches survive. Expect a colonial interior, homemade ice cream and a Dutch-Indonesian menu. Opening hours change, so check before you go (tokooenmalang.com ).
Colour and Glass at Kampung Jodipan
Kampung Warna-Warni Jodipan climbs the bank of the Brantas River beneath the Gatot Subroto railway bridge. Students from Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang repainted the houses in 2016. Entry is about Rp 5,000 per person, from 07:00 to 17:00. A yellow glass-bottomed suspension bridge, the Jembatan Kaca Ngalam Indonesia, leads across to Kampung Tridi and its 3D murals, which charge a separate fee. Parking is extra. Keep your camera out of open doorways, because people live here.
Ride the Free Macito Bus
Bus Macito is a free vintage-style tour bus run by the city’s tourism office. Book a seat in the Macito app up to two weeks ahead, with four seats per booking. A trip lasts about 40 minutes and passes the colonial streets without stopping, so treat it as a first look rather than a tour with stops. Timetables have changed over time, so read the current one in the app.
Markets and Coffee
Pasar Splendid, along Jl. Brawijaya and Jl. Majapahit, is free and open from 07:00 to 17:00. The flower and plant terraces are the pleasant part. The songbird stalls can be hard to watch for animal lovers. Kopi Lonceng, a long-running coffee house at Jl. Kyai Tamin No. 62 near Pasar Besar, keeps long hours from about 09:00 to midnight, opening later on Sundays.
Beyond the City
Batu is a separate city 15 to 20 km uphill, 45 to 90 minutes by road, and holds the theme parks and the Selecta garden resort. Tumpak Sewu waterfall is a long day out in Lumajang Regency. Both are covered on the day trips page . Malang’s own airport handles domestic flights only, and international visitors arrive through Surabaya’s Juanda airport.
Read more: Sightseeing in Malang for the colonial squares and temples, or walking tours for three city routes.
For guided options, browse Malang tours on GetYourGuide .