Singaraja

The city of Singaraja is certainly worth a visit, it is the former capital of Bali.
From the 10th century the port of Singaraja was a popular trade centre. Traders from all over Asia came here for goods, weapons and opium in exchange for fresh water, food, livestock and slaves. Singaraja belonged to the kingdom of Buleleng in the north of Bali. Singaraja was during the Dutch colonial period the administrative centre of Bali and the little Sunda islands until 1958. Also it was the traditional port of arrival for many visitors to the island. The KPM began in 1924 a weekly service with a steam ship through this port city to the former Batavia, now Jakarta, Surabaya and Makassar, making the tourism possible. The city has/had a lot of colonial architecture, unfortunately, the fact is that in Bali they are not attached to monumental buildings, so the buildings in the old port build by the Dutch were taken down a few years ago. Nowadays it is a modern city, with lots of food option, shops, the regional hospitals you will find in Singaraja, there are many universities and a lot of students live in Singaraja while they do their study.

The Puri Singaraja (Royal palace of the former king)

Buleleng used to be a kingdom and a long line of the royal family lived in the Puri Agung and goes back for 400 years, nowadays it is a museum and you can visit the palace, it is a modest complex there is some staff but they don’t speak English but they will give you a flyer with information about the palace which is actually an interesting story. The last king (Raja), Anak Agung Panji Tisna, who reigned from 1944 to 1950 was also an famous novelist on Bali and he was the founder of Lovina tourist hotel and was the last person to hold the title, and indeed this is the same man who founded the area with the name Lovina.

Gedong Kirtya

The Gedong Kirtya library is located around the corner of the palace and is the only library in the world where palm leaf manuscripts (old and sacred texts in Old Balinese on leaves of the lontarpalm; borassus flabellifer are kept). An interesting place, you will get a tour from the staff and they can speak English, entrance fee is 25.000 rp.

Buleleng Museum

Next to the Gedong Kirtya you can find the Buleleng Museum with many old objects and pictures, it tells more about the tradition and culture but also a bit about the history. Entrance fee is 10.000 rp.

Chinese temple

In addition to the many Hindu temples in Singaraja there is also a Chinese temple (klenteng) called Ling Gwan Kion, located close in front of the old harbour of Singaraja. The temple is one of the few Chinese temples on Bali. The temple was built in 1873 and renovated several times since that time, the last time in 2004. Entrance is free, but of course a donation will be appreciated.

Market in Singaraja

You can also visit the market, here a lot of trade is sold every day, fresh fruit, fresh fish, spices, supplies for the ceremony and so on. It is a special and colourful display. The traditional market is still there but most of it moved into a new market building in Banyuasri.

The old harbour

In the old harbour there is a pier, there are a variety of restaurants located which serve fresh fish for local prices.