Our Favourite Museums and Galleries in Bali [With Map]

Bali is best known for its beautiful rice terraces, picturesque coastlines, and stylish beach clubs. But for those who want to delve a little deeper into the island’s rich culture and history, there's a great selection of fascinating museums and art galleries in Bali worth exploring too.

With dozens of museums across the island, we’ve slowly been making our way around them all, and are excited to share our favourites with you.

Map

Best Museums in Bali

1. SAKA Museum, Jimbaran

The SAKA Museum in Jimbaran is one of the newest museums in Bali, having only opened in 2024. It's dedicated to the Balinese holiday of Nyepi, an important Hindu celebration that marks the beginning of the Balinese Saka New Year.

The museum is spread across three floors in a strikingly modern building. It has exhibits on the history and cultural significance of Nyepi, also known as the "Balinese day of silence," when the island closes down for 24 hours, with no noise, light, work, or travel.

The museum also covers the important traditions that happen in the lead-up to Nyepi, including the Melasti ceremony and the famous Ogoh Ogoh parades. We really enjoyed seeing the giant Ogoh Ogoh statues and watching a short film about how local communities build the demon-like effigies.

The SAKA Museum is part of the AYANA resort and is free for hotel guests. Outside guests can visit for 250,000 IDR ⓘ. It took us around an hour to explore the entire museum, but a new exhibition on Bali's UNESCO-listed Subak irrigation system has opened since our last visit.

2. Museum Pasifika, Nusa Dua

Museum Pasifika is a huge modern art gallery in Nusa Dua that’s home to the largest collection of Asia-Pacific artwork in Asia. It holds 600+ artworks from 200+ artists across 25 countries. The one thing all artists have in common is that they have all lived in the Asia Pacific and were inspired by the region in their work.

You can see paintings and sculptures by Indonesian artists, such as Balinese painter Nyoman Gunarsa and Javanese artist Raden Saleh, as well as many European artists who lived and worked in Indonesia. Other exhibits include indigenous art from Oceania and exotic paintings from Japan and China.

We’re not usually huge art gallery people, but we loved our visit to Museum Pasifika. It's our favourite art gallery in Bali and is definitely worth visiting. We thoroughly enjoyed the range of artistic styles and the focus on the amazing cultural diversity of the region.

Tickets to Museum Pasifika cost 110,000 IDR ⓘ at the door (cheaper online) and come with a free audio guide that you can scan on your phone.

It’s worth noting that there's no air conditioning inside the museum, so it was rather hot as we were wandering around in the middle of the day. We ended up borrowing some fans from reception (they have plenty). Make sure to grab one - you’re going to need it!

Museum Pasifika has recently started hosting art classes and clay painting sessions too. We haven't tried these ourselves, but they look like great fun.

3. Museum Puri Lukisan, Ubud

Museum Puri Lukisan is a popular art gallery right in Ubud Town Centre that aims to preserve Bali’s artistic heritage, with many traditional Balinese paintings and woodcarvings spanning centuries. It was established in the 1950s by the late king of Ubud, making it Bali's oldest art gallery.

This museum is set across many buildings surrounding a central courtyard, with beautiful gardens, a lily pond, and carved statues. The north building was our favourite, with paintings from different Balinese myths and fables. Each had detailed descriptions in English that made it easy to follow and understand.

Across the rest of the museum, there's a mix of historic and modern art styles, many of which were influenced by Western artists who moved here in the 1920s. There are also works by famous international artists such as Walter Spies and Rudolf Bonnet, who lived and worked in Bali.

The ticket price when we last visited was just 65,000 IDR ⓘ. At the entrance, they may try to offer you the higher-priced ticket, which includes tea or lunch, unless you specifically ask for the standard entrance-only ticket. It's a great short stop when wandering around central Ubud.

The museum also hosts art classes and cultural workshops where you can do things such as batik painting, learning traditional Balinese dance, and puppet making.

4. Museum Geopark Batur, Kintamani

The Batur Geopark Museum is one of the few museums in North Bali. It's a large, contemporary museum that showcases the geological, biological, and cultural diversity of Mount Batur, Bali's second largest volcano, and the surrounding area.

Located in Kintamani, it’s a fascinating place to learn more about the volcanic landscape of the Batur region, which was named Indonesia’s very first UNESCO Global Geopark in 2012.

The museum tells the story of the volcanic processes that have shaped the landscape of Bali over millions of years, with an impressive collection of volcanic rocks, fossils, and interactive displays.

The Geopark Museum is open daily until 4pm. Entrance costs 50,000 IDR ⓘ for adults and 30,000 IDR ⓘ for kids. We spent around 50 minutes exploring, but you could definitely spend longer if you're interested in geology.

5. Bajra Sandhi Museum, Denpasar

The Bajra Sandhi Monument is an imposing, gothic-looking structure (it looks a little like an evil villain’s lair from a movie) sitting at the centre of a large park in Bali’s lesser-visited capital city, Denpasar.

The important monument was opened in 2003 and is dedicated to the struggles of the Balinese people throughout history and the many local heroes before and after independence. Inside is a fascinating little museum that’s a great place to learn about Balinese history.

The museum is popular among Balinese and Indonesian tourists (especially school groups) but is not yet as well known among international visitors. During our visit, we were the only foreign tourists inside.

The museum has a series of visual displays that recreate the most important moments in Bali’s history using miniature replicas. All of the displays have information panels next to them, which are translated (loosely) into English.

You can also head up to the top floor of the monument for fantastic views over Denpasar and even further afield. With very few tall buildings in Bali, the vantage point has amazing sweeping views over the island.

The current entrance fee for foreigners is 100,000 IDR ⓘ (50,000 IDR for kids). You’ll need cash as they don’t accept card payments. We spent well over an hour exploring the monument and museum, so it was definitely worth the price.

6. Bali Museum, Denpasar

Also in Denpasar, the Bali Museum is the national state-run museum that features exhibits on life and culture in Bali over the island's history. It's less polished than other, more modern museums across Bali, but it does have a more classic and authentic local charm.

The museum is set across four historic buildings, each with a different theme. One contains relics dating back to prehistoric Bali, including hunting tools, stone carvings, and a real sarcophagus. The others are centred around Balinese money, cili (an artwork style depicting goddess Dewi Sri), and the keris (a Balinese sword).

The entrance fee is 100,000 IDR ⓘ, payable in cash only. You can also hire a local guide for roughly an extra 150,000 IDR ⓘ per group.

We’d recommend taking the guide. We didn't, and found the information boards inside the museum a little limited, and the English translations confusing. We overheard another group with a guide explaining each exhibit and offering lots of interesting information and stories about Balinese culture.

It’s not just the exhibits that make this a great place to visit, but the beautiful architecture and gardens too. Designed in traditional Balinese style, the museum complex was inspired by the former Royal Palace of Denpasar, which was nearby until the Dutch destroyed it over a century ago.

7. GWK Culture Park, Bukit Peninsula

It’s impossible to miss the Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK) Cultural Park when you're visiting Bali. Not least, because the enormous GWK statue can be seen from across the entire south of the island.

At 121 metres tall (including the base), the GWK statue is the tallest in Indonesia and one of the tallest in the world. The giant statue is devoted to the Hindu god Vishnu and his mount Garuda, the mythical bird who became his companion.

What many people don’t realise is that you can actually go inside the statue. The upper levels house a museum exploring the statue’s meaning and cultural significance, along with exhibits on its construction from concept to completion. There’s also a glass-floor viewing platform and windows overlooking the peninsula.

Plus, there’s more to the GWK Culture Park than just the main statue. There’s an amphitheatre, other sculptures, and a packed schedule of daily cultural performances. From Wednesday to Saturday, there's also a fantastic Barong show at 6pm, which is one of our favourite cultural shows in Bali.

You can wander around the large park on foot or hire a Segway or bike to explore. We spent a good few hours in the park, exploring the statues and watching the cultural performances. There’s also a small food court and some shops and cafes on-site too.

Standard entrance to the park costs 150,000 IDR ⓘ. A combination ticket with the Barong show costs 200,000 IDR ⓘ. Or to visit the museum at the top of the statue, the ultimate ticket costs 400,000 IDR ⓘ.

8. The Lontar Museum, East Bali

Hidden away in rural East Bali, the Lontar Museum (Museum Pustaka Lontar) was one of our absolute favourite cultural experiences in Bali. It's also one of the least known about.

The small museum is run by locals from Penaban Karangasem Village. It's not like a traditional museum with exhibits. Instead, they offer short workshops to educate visitors on the Balinese language and traditional lontars, a type of palm-leaf manuscript used for written records in Bali.

Our workshop was led by Kadek, who first explained a little about the Balinese language and how it’s different from Bahasa, the main language of Indonesia. She then introduced us to the traditional Balinese alphabet, known as “aksara,” and taught us how to write our own names.

Next, we learned about lontars, a type of paper made from palm tree leaves that are soaked, pressed, and dried. Lontars have been used by Balinese people to keep written records throughout history, including holy scripts, laws, information about medicines, stories, poetry, and art.

The lontars are written on using a delicate carving knife (called a pengrupak) and coloured using burnt macadamia nuts which are rubbed into the etchings.

After the explanation came the fun part, we got to try writing on the lontars ourselves. We carved our names onto two lontars, one to leave behind at the museum in a special display area and another to take home with us - a super unique Balinese souvenir!

The museum itself is free to visit, but you need to make a small donation of 50,000 IDR ⓘ to participate in the lontar writing workshop.

9. Setia Darma House Of Masks And Puppets, Ubud

Setia Darma House Of Masks And Puppets is an unusual, one-of-a-kind museum that displays thousands of masks and puppets from across Bali, Indonesia, and the wider Asian continent.

Spread across several traditional pavilions in a spacious, well-maintained complex, the museum offers a fascinating look into various cultural traditions. We found the exhibitions about Balinese and Javanese costumes and statues to be the most interesting, but there's plenty more to see too.

The masks and puppets come in all shapes and sizes, from delicate hand-held pieces to towering statues nearly twice our height.

Some were a little strange and menacing, like the very lifelike miniature of Barack Obama, but overall it's a very family-friendly attraction that we’re sure kids would enjoy visiting too.

The museum is one of the only ones in Bali that’s completely free to visit, but we’d recommend leaving a donation in the tip box. It's located on the outskirts of South Ubud, close to the Goa Gajah Elephant Cave. It’s definitely a hidden gem (for now) - we were some of the only people there during our visit.

10. Neka Art Museum, Ubud

For serious art lovers, Neka in Ubud is one of the island's most respected art museums and a more comprehensive option to the better-known Museum Puri Lukisan. Founded by a private Balinese art collector, the large museum tells the story of how Balinese art evolved over time.

Our favourite exhibits were the works by I Gusti Nyoman Lempad, one of Bali’s most iconic artists, and the Arie Smit Pavilion, an area dedicated to the Dutch-Indonesian artist who helped shape Balinese art. There's also an interesting cultural exhibition on the keris (ceremonial daggers).

The museum is spread across multiple pavilions in a beautiful garden-like compound. It was very quiet and peaceful during our visit, and we managed to spend almost 2 hours exploring the countless rooms and artworks (I still don't think we saw it all!).

Entrance tickets currently cost 150,000 IDR . Neka is located around a 5-minute drive from central Ubud. Make sure to give yourself at least 1-2 hours to explore. You don't want to rush this one!