In Reply to: Train Jakarta to Bali posted by Golden Girls on Sunday, 13. March 2005 at 17:12 Bali Time:
How many days are you planning to spend on this trip? Are you just using the train to get from Jakarta to Bali, or is it part of a plan to see some of Java?
Surely, you're not planning to do the trip all at once? That would be madness. About 16 hours from JK-Surabaya, then I think you have to change trains to get to the station near Ketapang, where you catch a ferry to Gilimanuk and then a bemo or taxi for a few hours if you're going to Denpasar.
All trains take about 30% longer than the timetable says. Even the executive trains. Exec trains are comfortable and not too expensive. economy trains are mega cheap and fine for short trips. Best to use them at night, if possible, otherwise they can get very crowded and hot.
If you give us some idea of what you wnat to see on the way, we might be able to give more specific advice.
But if you're just using the train as a cheap alternative to flying, forget it. Plane fares are cheap enough, and the trip will be about 35 hours longer by land. Exec trains are probably more expensive than flying, and you'd go mad on an economy train for that long.