Skip to content
Mixroutes
Denpasar
Capital and largest city of Bali, Indonesia

Denpasar

Denpasar is the capital and the largest city of the province of Bali, Indonesia.

Plan a trip to Denpasar→From Mataram (Pujut, Lombok Tengah)

Denpasar is the largest city in the Lesser Sunda Islands and the second largest city in Eastern Indonesia after Makassar. It is bordered by Badung Regency to its west and north, Gianyar Regency to its east, and the Indian Ocean and the Badung Strait to its south. The growth of the tourism industry on the island of Bali has pushed the city of Denpasar to become a center of business activities, and has positioned the city as an area with high per capita income and growth in Bali. The population of the city at the end of 2024 was 670,210.

Get in

Getting to Denpasar

Denpasar is easily reached by car or taxi from the main tourist regions of south Bali. A trip from Kuta, Legian and Seminyak will take 20 to 30 minutes depending on traffic. Sanur is 15 minutes to the east and Ubud about 30 minutes to the north. Tabanan is about 40 minutes to the northwest. A non-metered taxi from the airport will cost Rp 180,000. The main bus terminal of Denpasar is

  1. 01
    Mengwi

    The former bus terminal at Ubung is now only a bemo terminal.

  2. 02
    Ubung

    Inconveniently, bemo terminals are scattered all around town, and transfers between them can be time and money consuming.

  3. 03
    Batubulan

    6 km northeast, for points central and east: (Besakih, Candidasa, Kintamani, Klungkung, Padangbai, Ubud).

  4. 04
    Tegal
See

Worth seeing

When visiting any of the temples in Denpasar, remember to bring a sarong and sash with you. These temples receive relatively few foreign visitors and are unlikely to have temple dress available for hire or loan.

  1. 01
    Alun-Alun Puputan
  2. 02
    Bali Museum
  3. 03
    Lapangan Puputan Margarana
  4. 04
    Pura Agung Jagatnata
  5. 05
    Pura Maospahit

    An ancient temple with a long and glorious history thought to originate in the 14th century.

  6. 06
    Sidik Jari Museum
Do

Things to do

It is very much worth finding information from the official tourism office about scheduled cultural events in Denpasar. These are many and varied and include, dance, puppet theatre and art exhibitions. Otherwise, apart from the numerous sights and excellent shopping, there are not really any specific activities to recommend in Denpasar.

Eat

Where to eat

Denpasar is a melting pot of different cultures from all over Indonesia. There are few places where the results of the government trans-migration policy are more evident than here. For that reason it is a wonderful place to eat with restaurants specialising in different regional and ethnic Indonesian cuisines.

  1. 01
    Kereneng Night Market
  2. 02
    Atoom Bara

    Chinese restaurant specialising in seafood.

  3. 03
    Warung Ayam Betutu Bu Ferdi

    Cemara Raya No.16, Tegal Harum, West Denpasar,.

  4. 04
    Warung De Rujak

    Pulau Misol No.4, Dauh Puri Kauh, West Denpasar,.

  5. 05
    Ayam Goreng Nyonya Suharti

    Famous fried chicken cooked with an old family recipe from Java.

How locals move

Getting around Denpasar the local way

  • Get inThe former bus terminal at Ubung is now only a bemo terminal.
  • Get inFrom Surabaya, Java: expect to pay Rp175,000 - 200,000 by eksekutif night bus depend on the bus operator (famous: restu, wisata Komodo), including the ferry trip between Banyuwangi and Gilimanuk, mineral water and a meal.
  • Get inLocal minibuses depart regularly in the direction of Gilimanuk, the ferry terminal to Java, from opposite the bus terminal entrance.
  • Get inInconveniently, bemo terminals are scattered all around town, and transfers between them can be time and money consuming.
  • Get inDon't forget that a bemo departs when it wants (usually when it is "full enough"), which can sometimes require a lengthy wait, except in the early morning, where they are rather frequent.
  • Get inIn any case, you won't find any bemo after 16:00.
  • Get inAt Mengwi bus terminal you can buy so-called "train tickets" to Surabaya, including a bus (air-conditioned) to Banyuwangi, and the ferry between Gilimanuk and Ketapang, and then a train from Banyuwangi to Surabaya.
  • Get aroundIf you have a group of people, you may want to negotiate a bemo (small van) for a set rate to your destination.

From Wikivoyage: Denpasar, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas (CC BY-SA 3.0), Wikimedia Commons.