Must-see attractions in Bali

  • Agung Rai Museum of Art

    Agung Rai Museum of Art

    Ubud

    If you only visit one museum in Ubud, make it this one. Founder Agung Rai built his fortune selling Balinese artwork to foreigners in the 1970s, and…

  • High-angle view of Sekumpul waterfall.

    Sekumpul Waterfall

    Singaraja

    Sitting 18km southeast of Singaraja, some six or seven separate waterfalls – all fed by upland streams – pour up to 80m over cliffs in a verdant bamboo…

  • Exterior of Pura Besakih, the black temple.

    Pura Besakih

    East Bali

    Perched nearly 1000m up the side of Gunung Agung, this is Bali's most important Hindu temple. The site encompasses 23 separate but related temples, with…

  • Gate in Pura Luhur Uluwatu temple on Bali, Indonesia

    Pura Luhur Ulu Watu

    Bukit Peninsula

    This important temple is perched precipitously on the southwestern tip of the peninsula, atop sheer cliffs that drop straight into the ceaseless surf…

  • Neka Art Museum

    Neka Art Museum

    Ubud

    Offering an excellent introduction to Balinese art, the top-notch collection is displayed in a series of pavilions and halls. Don't miss the multiroom…

  • The great temple of Mengwi, Bali, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, Asia

    Pura Taman Ayun

    West Bali

    Don't miss one of the top temples on Bali, a serene place of enveloping calm. The huge royal water temple of Pura Taman Ayun, surrounded by a wide,…

  • Ceiling painting, Taman Kertha Gosa, Klungkung

    Puri Agung Semarapura

    East Bali

    Built when the Dewa Agung dynasty moved here in 1710, this palace compound was laid out as a large square, believed to be in the form of a mandala, with…

  • Fresh yellow tail fishes at fish market in Bali

    Jimbaran Fish Market

    Bukit Peninsula

    A popular morning stop on a Bukit peninsula amble, this fish market is smelly, lively and frenetic – watch where you step. Brightly painted boats bob…

  • Indonesia, Bali, Tirta Gangga, Taman Tirta Gangga

    Taman Tirta Gangga

    East Bali

    This 1.2-hectare water palace serves as a fascinating reminder of the old Bali. Built for the last raja of Karangasem in 1946, it was almost fully…

  • Playing at sunset

    Jimbaran Beach

    Bukit Peninsula

    One of Bali’s best beaches, Jimbaran’s 4km-long arc of sand is mostly clean and there is no shortage of places to get a snack, drink or seafood dinner, or…

  • Bali, Kuta Beach

    Kuta Beach

    Kuta & Legian

    Tourism in Bali began here and is there any question why? Low-key hawkers will sell you soft drinks and beer, snacks and other treats, and you can rent…

  • Museum Le Mayeur

    Sanur

    Artist Adrien-Jean Le Mayeur de Merpres (1880–1958) arrived in Bali in 1932, and married the beautiful Legong dancer Ni Polok three years later, when she…

  • Pantai Seminyak

    Seminyak

    A lounger and an ice-cold Bintang on the beach at sunset is simply magical. A good stretch can be found near Pura Petitenget, and it tends to be less…

  • Pura Kehen

    East Bali

    The state temple of the Bangli kingdom, Pura Kehen is a miniature version of Pura Besakih, Bali's most important temple. It's terraced up the hillside,…

  • Pasifika Museum

    Nusa Dua

    When groups from nearby resorts aren’t around, you’ll probably have this large museum to yourself. A collection of art from Pacific Ocean cultures spans…

  • Setia Darma House of Mask and Puppets

    Ubud Region

    This is one of the best museums in the Ubud area, home to more than 7000 ceremonial masks and puppets from Bali, other parts of Indonesia, Asia and beyond…

  • Pura Dalem Penetaran Ped

    Nusa Penida

    The important temple of Pura Dalem Penetaran Ped is near the beach at Ped, 3.5km east of Toyapakeh. It houses a shrine for the demon Jero Gede Macaling…

  • Pura Lempuyang

    East Bali

    One of the holiest temple complexes on the island (it and Pura Besakih are the most important in east Bali), this group of seven temples has a spectacular…

  • Pantai Batu Bolong

    Canggu

    The beach at Batu Bolong is the most popular in the Canggu area. There's almost always a good mix of locals, expats and visitors hanging out in the cafes,…

  • Beachfront Walk

    Sanur

    Sanur’s beachfront walk was the first in Bali and has been delighting locals and visitors alike from day one. More than 4km long, it curves past resorts,…

  • Bajra Sandhi Monument

    Denpasar

    The centrepiece to a popular park, this huge monument is as big as its name. Inside the vaguely Borobudur-like structure are dioramas tracing Bali’s…

  • Stone sculpture, Museum Negeri Propinsi Bali.

    Museum Negeri Propinsi Bali

    Denpasar

    Think of this as the British Museum or the Smithsonian of Balinese culture. It's all here, but unlike those world-class institutions, you have to work at…

  • Pura Tanah Lot

    Pura Tanah Lot

    West Bali

    Pura Tanah Lot is a hugely popular tourist destination. It does have cultural significance to the Balinese, but this can be hard to discern amid the…

  • Goa Gajah

    Ubud Region

    Visitors enter this rock-hewn cave through the cavernous mouth of a demon. Inside, there are fragmentary remains of a lingam, the phallic symbol of the…

  • Shrine at Museum Puri Lukisan

    Museum Puri Lukisan

    Ubud

    It was in Ubud that the modern Balinese art movement started, when artists first began to abandon purely religious themes and court subjects for scenes of…

  • Gunung Kawi.

    Gunung Kawi

    Ubud Region

    One of Bali's oldest and most important monuments, this river-valley complex consists of 10 huge candi (shrines) cut out of rock faces. Each is believed…

  • Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary

    Ubud Monkey Forest

    Ubud

    This cool and dense swath of jungle officially houses three holy temples. The sanctuary is inhabited by a band of over 600 grey-haired and greedy long…

  • The Sacred Cattle Egrets (Bubulcus Ibis) Of Petulu Come To Roost And Nest In The Trees Each Night, Ubud, Bali. (Photo By: Education Images/UIG via Getty Images)

    Petulu

    Ubud

    Every evening beginning after 5pm, up to 20,000 big herons fly in to Petulu, a village about 2.5km north of Jl Raya Ubud, squabbling over the prime…

  • Pura Jagatnatha temple.

    Pura Jagatnatha

    Denpasar

    The state temple, built in 1953, is dedicated to the supreme god, Sanghyang Widi. Part of its significance is its statement of monotheism. Although the…

  • Ubud Palace, Bali

    Ubud Palace

    Ubud

    This modest palace and its temple, Puri Saren Agung, share a compound in the heart of Ubud. Most of its structures were built after the 1917 earthquake…

  • Pura Rambut Siwi

    West Bali

    Picturesquely situated on a clifftop overlooking a long, wide stretch of black-sand beach, this superb temple shaded by flowering frangipani trees is one…

  • Indonesia. Bali. Nusa Lembongan island. Beach of Mushroom Bay.

    Pantai Tanjung Sanghyang

    Nusa Lembongan

    This beautiful bay, unofficially named Mushroom Bay after the mushroom corals offshore, has a crescent of bright white beach. By day, the tranquillity can…

  • Bali, Indonesia - January 2019 - Garuda Wisnu Kencana statue towers above the rocky cliffs. Located in Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park it was designed by Nyoman Nuarta and inaugurated in September 2018, 28 years since its inception. Made of brass and copper sheeting and a wingspan of 64m ,the total height of the monument is 121 m (397ft), making it Indonesia's tallest and one of the world's largest.

    Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park

    Bukit Peninsula

    After years of false starts, development of the gigantic Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park is well under way. The centrepiece, completed in August 2018,…

  • Blanco Renaissance Museum

    Antonio Blanco Museum

    Ubud

    The home and namesake museum of Antonio Blanco (1912–99) captures this artist’s theatrical spirit. Sometimes called the 'Dali of Bali', Blanco came to…

  • Plaque commemorating the people killed in the Bali bombings in 2002.

    Memorial Wall

    Kuta & Legian

    This memorial wall reflects the international scope of the 2002 bombings, and people from many countries pay their respects here. Names list the 202 known…

  • Jungutbatu village.

    Jungutbatu Beach

    Nusa Lembongan

    The beach here, a mostly lovely arc of white sand with clear blue water, has views across to Gunung Agung in Bali. The pleasant seawall walkway is ideal…

  • Joshua District

    West Bali

    Set amid rice fields near the iconic temple of Tanah Lot, Joshua District is a creative complex – coffee shop, gallery, fashion concept store and a number…

  • Museum Rudana

    Museum Rudana

    Ubud Region

    This imposing museum overlooking rice fields is the creation of local politician and art lover Nyoman Rudana and his wife, Ni Wayan Olasthini. The three…

  • Pura Taman Saraswati

    Pura Taman Saraswati

    Ubud

    Waters from the temple at the rear of this site feed the pond in the front, which overflows with pretty lotus blossoms. There are carvings that honour…

  • Pura Gunung Lebah

    Pura Gunung Lebah

    Ubud

    This old temple, which sits on a jutting rock at the confluence of two tributaries of Sungai Cerik (campuan means 'two rivers'), has recently benefited…

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