Overview
Take a trip to Surabaya on your Indonesia Vacation
Surabaya is the second largest city in Indonesia and is the capital of the province of East Java. Located on the northern shore of eastern Java at the mouth of the Mas River, Surabaya is the gateway city to Bali and Mount Bromo.
Surabaya is known to Indonesians as the ‘city of heroes. The Battle of Surabaya started after the alleged accidental killing of an English brigadier during the Indonesian Revolution in 1945. When Indonesian republicans in the city refused to surrender to the allies, battle ensued on November 10th, costing thousands of lives.
Heroes Monument is Surabaya’s main symbol and landmark, commemorating the heroes that died on November 10th, fighting for independence.
Other tourist attractions include various mosques, museums, and Surabaya Zoo. Opened in 1916, the zoo is one of the largest in Southeast Asia and is the first in the world to have successfully bred orangutans in captivity.
As the main seaport and commercial centre for the eastern region of Indonesia, Surabaya boasts some of Southeast Asia's largest shopping malls and markets. Home to many offices and business centres, as well as foreign industry, Surabaya is fast developing skyscrapers of condominiums, apartments, and hotels. Suramadu Bridge, which opened in 2009, is the longest bridge in Indonesia, linking Surabaya with Madura Island, and is the first to cross the Madura Strait.
With modern facilities, Surabaya is considered one of the cleanest and most upcoming cities in Indonesia, offering great economic potential.
Other tourist attractions include various mosques, museums, and Surabaya Zoo. Opened in 1916, the zoo is one of the largest in Southeast Asia and is the first in the world to have successfully bred orangutans in captivity.
As the main seaport and commercial centre for the eastern region of Indonesia, Surabaya boasts some of Southeast Asia's largest shopping malls and markets. Home to many offices and business centres, as well as foreign industry, Surabaya is fast developing skyscrapers of condominiums, apartments, and hotels. Suramadu Bridge, which opened in 2009, is the longest bridge in Indonesia, linking Surabaya with Madura Island, and is the first to cross the Madura Strait.
With modern facilities, Surabaya is considered one of the cleanest and most upcoming cities in Indonesia, offering great economic potential.
At a Glance
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Offerings are placed everywhere, including sidewalks, entrances, and shrines. Never step on or disturb them.
Ubud is all about jungle, rice terraces, and spirituality—no beaches here. Munduk’s cooler climate and coffee plantations, meanwhile, offer a peaceful escape, while the Bali Swing remains a favourite for photos.
Bali isn’t just beautiful, it’s also deeply spiritual, generous, and rooted in community
Indonesia has more than 17,000 islands, with incredible natural beauty, from waterfalls, caves, and rice terraces to truly stunning beaches
Mount Bromo within the 16km Tengger Caldera
Preparing noodles on top of Mount Bromo
Mount Bromo Volcano Java island
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Place
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Daily max temperatureMonthly rainfall
SurabayaMostly Sunny
35°C / 95°F
48mm / 1.9"
Weather data is based on monthly averages.Popularity rating
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ExcellentBased on 5,336 ReviewsI want to thank Taha for his outstanding knowledge on Ghana. It was so good to work with him on the planning and the process to Ghana. Everything was amazing, from the hotels, tour guide Leslie, restaurants, and the food. I would definitely recommend Taha to anyone wanting to travel with a group.
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Everything was looked after and no stress for usJean WilloughbyVanessa from Goway Travel did a fantastic job pulling together a really comprehensive itinerary for our trip to Egypt. Her advice about "must see" sites was extremely helpful and she also provided great tips based on her own experience travelling to Egypt. Excellent planning by Vanessa meant we were able to thoroughly enjoy our trip. OlgaI want to Thank Vanessa Lloyd for putting together the most perfect itinerary for my husband and my dream trip to Santorini, Greece. Every detail was perfectly executed. From the pick ups, to tours and most certainly our hotel location, it was truly a dream!! We were so happy and completely blown away, that we couldn't help but shared our experience with several folks we met during our trip... and I just bet they will be using Goway Travel for any future plans of theirs, just like us. Africa, here we come....Tanya KashExceptional Customer Service, Accountability, and Leadership — Thank You, Goway Travel!
As a Canadian travel advisor with Discover Joy Travel, affiliated with TravelOnly, I want to recognize three exceptional individuals at Goway Travel: Jaime Vargas-Hernandez (Destination Specialist – North America and Latin America), Sean Hebert (Vice President, The Americas), and Jason Stratford (Business Development Manager).
I recently booked a cross-Canada vacation for my clients, and while the itinerary offered many wonderful experiences, there were several unexpected challenges along the way, particularly involving transportation, transfers, and certain aspects of the overall travel experience.
As a travel advisor, one of the most difficult situations is hearing that your clients are disappointed, especially when you've worked hard to create a memorable and seamless vacation for them.
What truly impressed me was how Goway responded when things didn't go as planned.
From the beginning, Jaime was responsive, professional, and genuinely committed to addressing our concerns. He listened carefully, communicated with the appropriate teams, and made sure our clients' feedback was taken seriously.
Jason Stratford was equally supportive, demonstrating the value of having a Business Development Manager who genuinely advocates for travel advisors and their clients.
I also want to extend my sincere appreciation to Sean Hebert, Vice President of The Americas, for his outstanding leadership and personal attention to our situation. His involvement demonstrated that customer satisfaction and accountability are priorities at Goway, even at the executive level.
What impressed me most was that Goway didn't simply acknowledge the challenges — they listened, took ownership, and made a genuine effort to rebuild our clients' confidence and trust.
In fact, despite the difficulties they experienced, my clients were so impressed with how Goway handled their concerns that they expressed interest in booking another international vacation through them, with another couple potentially joining!
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Exceptional customer service isn't about everything going perfectly. It's about how a company responds when things go wrong.
As a travel advisor, I value supplier relationships built on trust, transparency, accountability, and genuine care for travellers. Knowing that I have a team willing to listen, take responsibility, and work toward a resolution gives me greater confidence when recommending Goway to my clients.
Jaime, Jason, and Sean — thank you for your professionalism, patience, dedication, and for making me feel genuinely supported as a travel advisor. You didn't just help resolve a difficult situation; you helped restore confidence and strengthen a valuable business relationship.
Goway is fortunate to have individuals like you representing the company.
I look forward to continuing our partnership and creating many more memorable travel experiences for our clients.
Highly recommended — not because everything was perfect, but because Goway demonstrated what genuine accountability, strong leadership, and exceptional customer service should look like.
— Evangeline Fiset
Discover Joy Travel | TravelOnly
Fort St. John, British Columbia, CanadaEvangeline de Torres - FisetThank you Vanessa, always a pleasure dealing with you and knowing you'll give us the perfect customized trip. Everything was spot on with excellent guides, drivers.Terry F.Every detail was managed and executed beyond our expectations and everything flowed from one destination to the nextClinton G HughesThis is a review for my Goway travel guide in Ho Chi Minh City. Mr. PHẠM HỮU THIỆN (TONY) was a very kind and knowledgeable guide during our 5 day stay in the city. Friendly, likeable and funny, Very accommodating to our needs during our visit. He and his driver were always early for every excursion as well as the final day for our airport departure. He gave us wonderful recommendations for sights and restaurants for our personal time. I highly recommend Mr. Pham (Tony) for your stay in the Ho Chi Minh area.George C.Brooke Theron has booked 3 trips for us, France and Tunisia in 2025 and we have just returned from a 2 week trip from China.
The entire trip was flawless, from the research to the booking Brooke is always soo helpful in whole process.
Brooke always works with us to answer any questions and make sure any request we have can be added.
Our tour guides James, Helen, Felicity and Keira and drivers were all top notch with lots of information on each stop and sent us onto our next stop with no problems.
The hotels, trains and tours were all excellent. We couldn't have asked for more
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