Denpasar, a city, not so famous for beachy waves, stunning sunrise and sunsets, but it has the charm of an old city that perfectly blends ancient and modern architecture with Bali’s age-old cultures and traditions. But what are the best things to do in Denpasar?
You can adore the valuable paintings, admire the ancient artefacts, discover the history of Bali’s Independence, buzz through the markets, taste the delectable cuisine, and experience the serenity of temples.
Bali Tour Packages have included these exclusive destinations in the itinerary. This best Denpasar Travel Guide takes you through the 15 most amazing things you can do in the city!
1. Refresh At Serangan Beach
Serangan Beach is a small beach on the southeast side of Serangan Island in southern Denpasar. Not many tourists know about this beach, so it's usually quiet and not crowded.
This beach with white coral sand was created after a big land development project in the late 1990s. The project was controversial but resulted in this beautiful beach area.
Today, it's a peaceful place for people who want to relax away from busy tourist spots. Local people often come here to fish. Others enjoy running, walking, or riding bikes on the path next to the beach.
If you're looking for a quiet beach experience away from crowds, Serangan Beach is a good choice
Have you heard of the Bakit artwork? This artwork is native to Indonesia and has been passed down through generations. Batik art dates back thousands of years and comprises the process of hand-stamped or hand-drawn wax-resist dyed fabric.
Batik Popiler is a big company in Bali that makes and sells beautiful batik cloth made from silk and cotton. When looking for things to do in Denpasar Bali, visiting this shop is a great choice.
The main showroom has many colourful batik fabrics with different patterns. For those who enjoy shopping in Bali, this is a perfect stop to find quality textiles.
Behind the showroom is a workshop where you can take a tour and watch skilled artists make batik from beginning to end. You'll see them draw designs, paint with wax, and dye the cloth. You can even take a short class and make your own batik to take home.
3. Have Fun At Upside Down World Bali
Visit Upside Down World Bali, where rooms are built with everything flipped upside down! You can take fun photos that make it look like you're walking on the ceiling or hanging from furniture. When you flip these photos later, it looks like you're doing impossible stunts.
This is one of the best things to do in Denpasar in 2025 for visitors looking for unique experiences. Staff can help you with good poses and take pictures for you. Bringing a tripod is helpful if everyone wants to be in the photo. Some rooms even have special 3D art to make your pictures more exciting.
Badung Market or "Pasar Badung" is the biggest traditional market in Denpasar. Exploring the market is one of the essential Denpasar things to do if you want to experience real local life.
This market is where most people in Denpasar buy their fresh Bali food. It opens early in the morning when farmers bring fresh fruits, vegetables, and flowers from the highlands and other farming areas.
The market is situated on the east side of the Badung River, with an art market called Kumbasari on the opposite bank. Prices at Badung Market are usually much cheaper than other markets in Bali, but you need to bargain hard, which is part of the fun shopping experience!
5. Relax At Big Garden Corner
Big Garden Corner is a beautiful public garden in Denpasar that opened in 2016. It's one of the most Instagrammable places in Bali, perfect for taking amazing photos.
The garden has many special areas, including a water park and places for kids to play. You'll find stone statues everywhere showing people, animals, birds, and even dinosaurs! Kids especially love the tree house in the garden.
If you're looking for fun things to do in Denpasar Bali, this garden is a great choice. Families enjoy visiting because children can run around safely in their own play areas while parents relax.
The most impressive sight is a 5-metre-tall miniature version of Borobudur Temple. The garden also offers delicious local food, making it suitable for all ages.
6. Visit Turtle Conservation And Education Centre
With a 5-Day Bali Trip Package, you an explore the Turtle Conservation and Education Centre in South Denpasar, a special place that protects sea turtles. It helps turtles that fishermen accidentally catch around Serangan Island. Long ago, this island was where many turtles came to lay eggs.
Now, this centre works to save these turtles. It's one of the interesting Denpasar things to do, especially for families.
Kids love visiting because they can see turtles up close and learn about them. The centre has different pools where turtles live, separated by their age, size, and type.
7. Explore Kertalangu Cultural Village
Desa Budaya Kertalangu, also called Kertalangu Cultural Village, is a fun place to visit on the east side of Denpasar. This big 80-hectare area has beautiful rice fields that local farmers take care of.
When looking for things to do in Denpasar Bali, this cultural village offers many choices. You can ride horses, learn woodcarving, take Balinese dance lessons, or try painting. There's also fishing in freshwater ponds.
The village has many small buildings with restaurants, spas, and shops. In the middle of the village, you’ll find a peace monument surrounded by nice gardens and statues of famous people from around the world.
Taman Werdhi Budaya, or the Denpasar Arts Centre, is a beautiful place in Denpasar city. Exploring it is one of the best things to do in Denpasar in 2025 if you love culture and art.
Every year from July to August, this place hosts the Bali Arts Festival with many shows and exhibits in different indoor and outdoor theatres. The main open-air theatre, called Ardhacandra, also has modern concerts and special events throughout the year.
Even on regular days, the arts centre is worth visiting. You can see beautiful sculptures, enjoy peaceful gardens, and admire the traditional Balinese building designs.
9. Explore Museum Negeri Propinsi Bali
Museum Negeri Propinsi Bali, also known as the Bali Provincial Public Museum, is the oldest museum in Bali. When looking for Denpasar things to do, this museum should be on your list! It has over 10,000 items to see and a beautiful main building built in traditional Balinese style.
Inside, you'll find three different buildings that hold many interesting things like art, old writing on stone, farming tools, weapons, paintings, and shadow puppets.
10. Admire Taman Hutan Raya Ngurah Rai Mangrove Forest
Looking for the best things to do in Denpasar Bali? Visiting this mangrove forest offers one of the unique experiences in Bali.
The Mangrove Forest in Bali became famous in 2012 when world leaders met there during the G20 Summit. Important people like India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi planted mangrove trees at Taman Hutan Raya Ngurah Mangrove Forest.
These special trees grow along salty coastlines and help keep nature in balance. Bali has more than 30 different types of mangroves that provide food, materials for crafts, and fuel for locals.
Taking a slow, peaceful walk through this green forest is one of the most relaxing activities you can do in Denpasar City.
11. Watch Sari Wisata Budaya Barong Dance
At Sari Wisata Budaya in Suwung Kauh village (near Kuta), you can watch special dance shows in an outdoor theatre. This is a highlight in any best Denpasar Travel Guide.
Before the show starts at 9:30 AM, you'll get papers explaining the story. The performance tells the famous Calonarang tale about good fighting evil. The main characters are the Barong (a mythical lion) and Rangda.
While not the famous Kecak Dance, this show features the impressive Barong dance with kris daggers. If you're interested in Balinese culture, this morning performance offers an entertaining experience.
12. Explore Bajra Sandhi Monument
The Bajra Sandhi Monument stands in the middle of a big open area called Lapangan Niti Mandala Renon, right in front of where Bali's governor works. When looking for Denpasar things to do, visiting this impressive monument should be on your list.
Inside the monument, you can go upstairs to see displays that show Bali's history from 3,000 BC to when Indonesia fought for freedom from Dutch rule. The building itself is beautiful, with traditional Balinese design on the outside.
All around the monument, there are tall trees and pretty gardens. Many local people come here on weekends to relax, and visitors love taking photos here. If you go to the third floor section called "Utamaning Utama Mandala", you can see views of the whole city of Denpasar.
13. Explore Paintings At Le Mayeur Museum
The museum showing Belgian artist Adrien-Jean Le Mayeur's work is a top place to visit in Denpasar. Before moving to Bali, he travelled all over the world, and his paintings show what he saw during his journeys. He painted scenes from Africa, India, the Mediterranean, and the South Pacific.
Le Mayeur Museum is situated right next to Sanur Beach and holds about 80 of his paintings. Most of his artwork shows women from different countries, painted on canvas, walls, hardboard, and plywood.
Le Mayeur came to Indonesia in 1932 and fell in love with a woman named Ni Polok, whom he later married. Many paintings in the museum are of her. The couple lived at Sanur, and after they both died, their house became this museum that shows all his valuable art.
There's a gift shop called Ni Polak next to the museum where you can buy postcards and other items featuring Le Mayeur's paintings.
Sakenan Temple (also called Pura Sakenan) is one of South Bali's most important temples. According to any best Denpasar Travel Guide, this special place is located on Serangan Island.
The temple has two main sections, both built using old coral stones instead of bricks. This unique construction makes it stand out among other temples in Bali.
In earlier times, people during special celebrations had to either walk across marshes at low tide or take wooden boats to reach the temple. Now there's a road connecting the island to mainland Bali, making visits much easier.
The temple's main celebration happens on Kuningan day, which comes one week after the major Balinese holiday called Galungan. This festival is still worth seeing today, as it showcases Balinese traditions and culture.
15. Pray At Jagatnatha Temple
Visiting Jagatnatha Temple is one of the best things to do in Denpasar in 2025. It's part of an important group of places in the centre of Denpasar, along with the Bali Provincial Museum and Denpasar Puputan Square.
This historic temple has been fixed up many times over the years. Now, it has a tall, bright white shrine in the middle called a Padmasana.
When you go inside the temple, you can still see old parts of the temple. These include well-preserved carvings and stone designs that show stories from the Ramayana, an ancient epic tale.
On full moon nights (called Purnama), the temple gets busy with local people from different parts of Denpasar who come to pray together.
