There are ample opportunities to shop in Indonesia. Bali is the best place to shop in the archipelago, with every conceivable item readily available. This is an excellent place to buy an incredible variety of souvenirs, arts and crafts, clothes, batik, and wood carvings. Street vendors line kilometers worth of roads, but if you still want more there are plenty of markets held regularly on the Island and hawkers who you will find just about everywhere. Although the availability and range of goods here is excellent, this may not be the cheapest place to buy items. Prices are often ridiculously high (but can be bargained down quickly), and quality is not always the highest. Make sure to operate on a buyer beware policy; check goods thoroughly before you buy them – chances of a refund are very slim. Yogyakarta is the best place for shopping in Java, but exercise the same caution as you would in Bali.

To buy these traditional arts and crafts at much cheaper prices it is best to head out to the smaller, more remote towns in the archipelago. Markets and vendors in these areas will only sell arts and crafts made locally. This means that the selection is smaller, but prices can be many times cheaper than in the very touristy areas. Along with these more traditional street stalls, there are large western style malls in some of the bigger cities. These house more upmarket clothes shops, alongside Indonesian department stores and western fast food restaurants. Jakarta has the largest array of these malls, but most big towns/cities will have at least one. Prices here will be fixed, so you will need to practice your bargaining skills elsewhere.

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