Surabaya City Tour: Culture and History

88 Ratings

Surabaya

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Immerse yourself in the rich culture, history, and cuisine of Surabaya on this private city tour. Explore Arab town, historical buildings, temples/mosques, and traditional markets, and indulge in a delicious meal at a local restaurant. Customize your itinerary and get a glimpse into the local way of life. Book now!

Duration: 7 hours

Cancellation: 24 hours

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Highlights

Surabaya - Our representative tour guide will pick you up at any location in Surabaya (airport/port/hotel). With our private and comfortable vehicle, we’ll embark on a journey through Surabaya, delving into its history, getting to know its inhabitants, and of course, sampling delicious local cuisine at a reputable eatery. The excursion lasts…

What's Included

Admission fees
Bottled water
Entrance fees
Private tour guide during tour
Lunch at restaurant
Private Transportation with driver & fuel (SUV/Minivan Air conditioned)
Surcharges on fuel
Parking fees

What's Not Included

Gratuities

Additional Information

Surabaya City Tour
Embark on a city tour of Surabaya, where you can delve into its rich history, vibrant culture, and delicious cuisine. A personal tour guide will lead you to the city’s most captivating spots, including the Arab Quarter, historical landmarks, temples or mosques, and traditional markets. Be sure to enjoy a delightful meal at a charming…

Location

Surabaya

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings

4.9

(88 Ratings)

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Michael_b

Jan 23, 2026

Immersive Surabaya - Our tour guide, Budi, was a wealth of information and bridged the gap between existing culture and historical perspective. He was particularly adept at involving us in each of the sites we visited and activities we participated in. We started at the national Bank Museum, where we were also able to interact with local school children. After visiting several other buildings, we took pedicabs to Chinatown and visited a temple, where we also not only watched puppet shows pertaining to historical reenactments, but we are also able to personally participate in puppet shows. We also met the gentleman who created, carved and dressed the puppets. Budi also took us to various altars and described in detail various religious customs and traditions. We also visited the local spice market, and were given pieces of candy by Budi to distribute to the local vendors, a process that they really seemed to enjoy. We also visited an Arab market and the mosque associated with it, followed by a visit to another Buddhist temple in an amusement park complex, and participated in a custom where we released birds into the wild ourselves after making wishes. Following a delicious lunch at a very nice local restaurant, where we also tasted a "snake" fruit for the first time,we visited the Heroes Monument before returning to our ship. What made the experience even more special was that Budi frequently took pictures and videos of us, and provided those to us via WhatsApp at the conclusion of our tour. All in all, the tour was a very enjoyable experience, made even more special by the fact that we participated so much in local traditions and customs.We highly recommend this tour and Budi (along with his very professional driver).

Review provided by Viator

Carlotta_s

Jan 16, 2026

Fabulous day in Surabaya with wonderful guide Nabila and expert driver Krishna - Another very successful Viator day. We had tour guide, Nabila and driver Krishna take us around Surabaya. First of all we discussed our interests and then they escorted us to many places in the city. Nabila was adorable, informing us of local history, as well as customs, and traditions on the Island. She was a delightful tour guide. Our highlight was a short ride on a becak, (like a tuk tuk) followed by a visit to a local genuinely original market. Krishná was an expert driver who was always ready to pick us up. He found the best parking spot right outside the market. An excellent day was had.

Review provided by Viator

Leon_p

Jan 15, 2026

Outstanding Tour Guide! - Salsa was an absolute. She is well informed of the history and local culture. We enjoyed every minute with her.

Review provided by Viator

Travelover44

Jan 15, 2026

Surabaya…Who knew? - We left our cruise ship today for a private tour of Surabaya and it was a wonderful experience. Amur was an excellent guide, and we learned so much about Indonesia, the history of Surabaya, its inhabitants and local culture. Amur’s English was very good and the itinerary was carefully planned and executed! I especially liked the visit to the local food market, the tuk tuk ride and a taste of local cuisine!

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Thomas_b

Jan 15, 2026

Lots of fun! - Very interesting and informative. Friendly guide, tasty lunch. Sensitive to my need to be back to the cruise ship on time.

Review provided by Viator

Nizam_i

Dec 31, 2025

A great way to learn about Surabaya's long history in 7 hours - The tour was well organised and our guide, Pak Agus, was extremely knowledgeable and kind. Highly recommended if you want to know more about the city's 1100-year history.

Review provided by Viator

Spinet114

Dec 27, 2025

Quick yet in depth Surabaya - Our guide and Driver were excellent we experienced a well rounded view of Surabaya, he answered any questions we had and slipped a personal request stop seamlessly into the plan for the day.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

81mareny

Dec 26, 2025

Great tour to Surabaya - Any did a great job taking us to see a great variation of sites. Her English was excellent and she answered all of our questions without hesitation. I would recommend this tour for anyone visiting Surabaya.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Denise_t

Dec 24, 2025

Loved our guide - Our sweet guide Fitri was an amazingly sweet, gentle human with a warm smile and solid knowledge of the history, culture and spiritual aspects of this melting pot of Surabaya. We saw Kenjaran Park, the wet market, Old Town, Crossed the Red Bridge into ChinaTown and ate at Pondok Tempo Doeloe Juanda. We saw Four Faces, Arka Joko Dolog, and the 13th Century Temple. Seeing this city's history of continuous conquerors, its overpopulation, its desperation for clean water and fresh air is a testament to what dictatorship and war bring onto a lush nation. The people are warm, our smiles and our interest in their daily lives seemed to be gratuity enough. We visited on Christmas Eve, when the whole city (from the wealthier banking district to the slums at the open sewer) were off work and crammed onto gridlocked traffic. If you are traveling from a well-heeled part of the world, bring your patience, your curiosity, your tolerance. You might find yourself praying you don't get hit by the millions of speeding motorbikes, or become nauseous from the sick soupy air. You will be best off if you have a strong stomach and can walk on uneven surfaces. Grateful for the opportunity.

Review provided by Viator

Avram_g

Dec 24, 2025

All expectations were met, plus more! - East Journey Travel is a professional service run by Stanley, who I met today at the restaurant he contracted for his tours. He's younger than I thought he would be. His communication with clients is immediate and direct so you're not left wondering how and where you will meet your guide at port. Today we were fortunate to have Yuni Nurariyani as our personal East Journey guide and "godmother". We visited all the destinations on our list plus one more, and Yuni explained everything we needed to know about where we were, and much more. We even asked her personal questions about what it's like to live in Indonesia and her family life. She explained all we wanted to know, giving us a deeper insight into the culture we were visiting. Tomorrow we will have another East Journey Travel shore excursion in Probolinggo and we hope our next guide matches Yuni's sincere connection. She's a high bar to reach!

Review provided by Viator

Check Availability

From $51

up to 15 guests

2 - Adult