Denpasar Overview

Once part of Badung Regency, in 1992 the Denpasar area split off and became Bali's ninth kabupaten. In addition to the island's capital, Denpasar Regency encompasses Sanur,Benoa Port, and Serangan Island, leaving Badung more pencil-shaped than ever.

Denpasar is the largest and busiest city on the island. An old trading center, its name means "east of the market." It's the headquarters for the government, the media, the island's principal banks, airline offices, and hospitals. Bali's two universities, Udayana and Warmadewa, are also based here.

Denpasar is now home to 457,000 people. Denpasar is one of Indonesia's most fully integrated and tolerant cities, with separate kampung of Bugis, Arabs, Indians, Chinese, Madurese, and Javanese. Without doubt it's one of the richest, most important city in eastern Indonesia.

The most important government offices are located in a tree-shaded administrative complex of handsome reddish brick and gray stone. Denpasar is actually best at night, when it's not so hot and the individual kampung resume their normal rhythms. It seems the whole population is either directly or indirectly involved in the tourist industry, and you can easily engage people in conversation.

Denpasar's main one-way east-to-west shopping street, Jl. Gajah Mada, is newly renovated with wider pavement for street walker, beautifully completed with Balinese garden landscape. Crammed with chauffeured cars, roaring motorcycles, spewing minibuses. The city's limited attractions include a spacious alun-alun, tourist information offices, the island's main bus stations and best-stocked markets, some good Chinese restaurants, a spirited night market, dance and drama academies, a major art center, first-class museum, and five big cinemas heralding the coming of the next kung fu epic.