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Gianyar
Artisan villages & night market (Central Bali)
About Gianyar
Gianyar is the regency that encompasses Ubud and surrounding villages, each known for specific crafts - Mas for woodcarving, Celuk for silver, Batuan for painting. The Gianyar night market is one of Bali's best for authentic local food.
Best for: Art collectors, foodies & culture seekers
- Craft villages
- Night market
- Traditional dance
- Goa Gajah temple
Gianyar at a glance
- Beach: Fair (2/5). Black-sand beaches on the east coast (Keramas, Saba, Lebih) with strong surf.
- Nightlife: Poor (1/5). The Gianyar night market, and not much else after dark.
- Prices: $ · Budget. Cheap: local markets and warungs, few tourist prices.
- To the airport: 35 km · 50–75 min. By road to Bali airport (DPS), in usual traffic.
- Climate: Warm & humid · 100 m
Ratings
- Calm-water swimming: Poor (1/5)
- Surfing: Very good (4/5)
- Diving & snorkeling: None (0/5)
- Sunsets: Poor (1/5)
- Restaurants & cafés: Fair (2/5)
- Culture & temples: Excellent (5/5)
- Nature & landscapes: Good (3/5)
- Yoga & wellness: Fair (2/5)
- Family-friendly: Good (3/5)
- Peace & quiet: Good (3/5)
- Remote work: Poor (1/5)
- Walkability: Poor (1/5)
Rated from 0 (none) to 5 (excellent), compared with Bali's other areas.
Resorts in Gianyar
- Desa Swan Villas & Spa: Gianyar, from about $100 a night
- Komune Resort & Beach Club: Gianyar, from about $150 a night
Sights in Gianyar
- Goa Gajah (temple). The Elephant Cave in Bedulu is an ancient sanctuary whose entrance is carved as a gaping demon's face, opening onto a small cave with a Ganesha statue and lingam shrines. In front lie bathing pools that archaeologists uncovered in the 1950s, and a path leads down to Buddhist remains beside a stream. It is about ten minutes' drive east of Ubud, and sarongs are lent at the gate.
- Tegenungan Waterfall (waterfall). The Petanu River pours about 15 meters over a broad rock ledge at Tegenungan, in the village of Kemenuh south of Ubud. A long flight of steps leads down to the plunge pool, where people wade and swim when the current allows, and viewing terraces line the top of the gorge. It is one of the easiest waterfalls to reach from the south coast, so it is quietest in the early morning.
- Bali Bird Park (wildlife). Bali Bird Park in Batubulan keeps more than a thousand birds of some 250 species in landscaped gardens, with walk-through aviaries and enclosures holding parrots, hornbills and the rare Bali starling. Bird shows run through the day, and the grounds also hold Komodo dragons. It is on the road between Denpasar and Ubud, and a morning visit avoids the midday heat.
- Bali Safari Park (wildlife). Bali Safari Park is a large park on the coast road east of Sanur, opened in 2007, where trams carry visitors through open enclosures themed on Indonesia, India and Africa, past lions, white tigers, zebras and hippos. Walking trails, animal shows and a children's area fill the rest of the grounds. Allow most of a day; it is about half an hour's drive from Sanur.
- Pura Puseh Batuan (temple). The village temple of Batuan, a village known for its painters, has a split gateway and shrines covered in dense stone carving, and an inscription that dates the founding of the village to 1022. Visitors may enter the courtyards in a sarong, which is lent at the gate. It stands on the main road between Denpasar and Ubud, about 20 minutes' drive south of Ubud.
- Bali Zoo (wildlife). Bali Zoo in Singapadu, between Denpasar and Ubud, opened in 2002 as the island's first zoological park and keeps some 600 animals, from orangutans and elephants to lions and tigers, in tropical gardens. Keepers give talks and feeding sessions through the day, and an area opened in December 2025 brings visitors close to smaller animals such as binturongs and fennec foxes. Elephant rides ended in January 2026.
- Bali Reptile Park (wildlife). Bali Reptile Park in Batubulan, next door to Bali Bird Park, has kept snakes, lizards and tortoises since 1996. Venomous and harmless snakes live in its cave-like Serpent Cave, iguanas, tortoises and monitor lizards roam an open area, and keepers give king cobra presentations and guided tours. It makes one visit with the bird park.
- Kemenuh Butterfly Park (wildlife). Kemenuh Butterfly Park lies among rice fields in Kemenuh, south of Ubud, a few minutes' walk from Tegenungan Waterfall. Some fifteen species of Javan and Balinese butterflies fly in its large netted garden, a pupa room holds hundreds of hanging chrysalises from which butterflies emerge, and a small museum of mounted specimens stands beside a koi pond and a restaurant.
Beaches in Gianyar
- Keramas Beach (beach). Black-sand beach on the Gianyar coast of east Bali, in Keramas village, with Komune Resort & Beach Club on the shore. Just offshore breaks a fast, powerful right-hand reef wave that has hosted World Surf League Championship Tour events, and floodlights let surfers ride it at night. A shallow reef and a strong current make it a spot for experienced surfers, so take care in the water.