14 Best Temples in Bali 2026: Entry Fees, Dress Code & Tips

Bali's most photographed temple sits on a rock in the sea off the Tabanan coast. Legend says the 15th-century priest Dang Hyang Nirartha meditated here and founded the temple, dedicated to the sea god; at low tide you can walk across to the base of the rock.

Six more temples are spread across the clifftop grounds. Sunset is the classic time, but it's also the busiest; come at opening (6 AM) for calm and soft light. The shrine on the rock itself is for worshippers.

The white split gate of Pura Penataran Agung Lempuyang frames Mount Agung perfectly, which is why it's known as the Gates of Heaven. It's one of Bali's key directional temples, guarding the east, and seven temples climb the mountain: the summit temple is about 1,700 steps up.

Since 2022 a mandatory shuttle runs from the terminal below. For the famous gate photo there's a numbered queue that can mean a 2–4 hour wait; the 'water reflection' is created with a mirror held under the phone. The temple closes to tourists for about five days at each of its ceremonies.

Floating on Lake Beratan in the cool Bedugul highlands, this water temple was built in 1633 for Dewi Danu, the goddess of the lake. Its 11-tiered meru, dedicated to Shiva and Parvati, seems to rise straight from the water.

Lake Beratan's water irrigates much of central Bali, and a Buddhist stupa stands in the same grounds. Mornings are clearest; mist and rain roll in by afternoon, especially from late November.

On the edge of a 70 m cliff at Bali's south-western tip, Pura Luhur Uluwatu is one of the island's key directional temples and the only sea temple among them, linked to the priest Dang Hyang Nirartha.

Visitors stay in the outer grounds, where the clifftop paths have some of Bali's best sunset views. Stay for the Kecak fire dance in the amphitheatre at 6 PM (IDR 150,000, separate ticket), and keep your sunglasses and phone away from the monkeys.

On the slopes of Mount Agung at about 1,000 m, Pura Agung Besakih is the largest and holiest temple in Bali: 26 temples on terraced levels around the central Pura Penataran Agung. The 1963 eruption of Agung narrowly missed it, which Balinese saw as a miracle.

The old problem of unofficial 'guides' demanding money has been fixed: your ticket now includes a licensed local guide, a sarong and an electric-car ride up. Ignore anyone insisting you must buy offerings to enter. The biggest festival, Bhatara Turun Kabeh, falls in March or April and draws huge crowds.

Founded around a holy spring in 962 AD, Tirta Empul in Tampaksiring is Bali's most famous water temple. Balinese come to purify themselves in the spring-fed pools, moving from spout to spout, and visitors of any faith can join the melukat ritual if they follow the customs.

Wear a sarong and sash (rentable at the entrance) and bring a change of clothes to bathe. Women who are menstruating may not join the ritual. Go at 8 AM, before the tour groups.

In the centre of Ubud, a walkway crosses a pond of lotus flowers to this temple to Saraswati, goddess of learning and the arts, designed by the artist I Gusti Nyoman Lempad for the Ubud royal family in the early 1950s.

It's no longer free: it's now run as the Ubud Water Palace, with limited visitor numbers, so book ahead in busy months. Balinese dance is staged in the forecourt in the evenings.

Built in 1634 as the royal temple of the Mengwi kingdom, Taman Ayun ('beautiful garden') is surrounded by a moat, with tiers of meru rising up to 11 roofs in its inner court. It's part of the UNESCO World Heritage listing for Bali's subak rice-irrigation system.

Visitors walk around the walled inner court rather than through it, which makes it a calm, easy visit on the way to Tanah Lot or Jatiluwih.

Near Ubud, the 11th-century Goa Gajah mixes Hindu and Buddhist history. You enter the cave through a demon's mouth carved in the rock to find a statue of Ganesha and lingga shrines; the bathing pools outside were only uncovered in 1954.

Walk down to the river valley for the remains of Buddhist stupas, and combine it with the Yeh Pulu rock reliefs, about 1 km away.

Bali's 'Valley of the Kings': ten 11th-century shrines carved into 7 m niches in the cliffs on both banks of the Pakerisan River, honouring King Anak Wungsu and his family.

About 300 steps lead down through rice terraces. Allow 1–2 hours and combine it with Tirta Empul next door; it's far quieter.

On the rim of the Batur caldera at Kintamani, this is the key temple of the north and the supreme water temple of Bali's subak system, dedicated to Vishnu and the goddess of Lake Batur. It's part of the UNESCO subak listing.

The original temple by the lake was destroyed by eruptions and rebuilt on the rim, completed in 1926: 2026 marks its centenary. Its main festival falls at the full moon of the tenth Balinese month, usually in late March or early April.

A quiet water temple in Tegallalang, about 20 minutes north of Ubud, with clear spring pools, a sacred koi pond and a shrine on an island, all wrapped in jungle. Locals come to its fountains for melukat purification.

It's much less crowded than Tirta Empul, so it's the one to choose if you want peace and photos without the queues.

Founded in the 11th century on the Klungkung coast, Goa Lawah is built around the mouth of a cave where thousands of bats roost. Naga Basuki, the dragon believed to keep the cosmos in balance, decorates its steps.

Visitors watch the cave shrine from the courtyard; ceremonies are frequent. It's an easy stop on the coast road to Padang Bai, Candidasa or Amed.

Just south of Ubud, the temple of Batuan village is a masterpiece of Balinese stone carving: a towering split gate, gold-leaf doors, demon heads and a koi water garden. An inscription dates the founding of the village to 1022 AD.

It's managed by the village and rarely crowded, and Batuan is known for its own school of fine, detailed painting.