What can you discover of Balinese culture, and where to start?
In Bali, culture doesn't stay in museums (although some are very good): it is in the street, at the temple, at festivals. Dance, music, carving, painting, weaving: almost all of it began in temples, to honour the gods and the ancestors. Even the daily offerings are small works of art. And the result shows everywhere, in the decoration of houses, streets and temples.
An interesting turning point: from the late 1920s, European artists settled in Ubud, notably the German Walter Spies (1927) and the Dutchman Rudolf Bonnet (1929). In 1936, together with Ubud's royal family, they founded Pita Maha, a cooperative that moved painting from temple commission to independent work, signed and sold. That is the painting you see in galleries today.
This section introduces five worlds that sum up the very specific culture of the island of Bali within Indonesia: gamelan, dance, painting, carving and textiles.
Where to start? A simple three-day plan:
- One evening, one dance: Kecak at Uluwatu at sunset, or Legong at the Ubud palace around 7.30 pm (about 100,000 IDR, or $6).
- One morning, some workshops: on the road from the airport to Ubud, Batubulan (stone), Celuk (silver) and Mas (wood) can be visited in half a day. For textiles, go to Sidemen.
- One afternoon, a museum: Puri Lukisan, in Ubud, for painting.
The highlight of the year is the Bali Arts Festival (Pesta Kesenian Bali), from mid-June to mid-July in Denpasar, where each banjar (village community) sends its best musicians and dancers.
Tip: the best culture is often free: a procession you stumble on in a village, an orchestra rehearsing in the evening in a banjar. If you are invited, say yes.
Prices and dates checked in October 2026; confirm before you go.