Idyllically located behind the northern mountains and centrally situated at the north coast near Lovina Beach lies the former colonial capital of Bali, the old market town Singaraja.

Until the opening of Bali's international airport 'Ngurah Rai' near Denpasar in the south of Bali, the harbor of Singaraja was the main entry port to Bali for tourists as well as for traders.

During the colonial days the old market town of Singaraja was a busy trade center where spices, vanilla, coffee, tobacco, etc. were traded. Nowadays the white colonial warehouses stand empty and neglected in Singaraja's harbor district as silent witnesses of these busy days, and the harbor is now only used by the local fishermen.

Nevertheless, with many remaining colonial buildings in the center of the town, the lively night and morning market Pasar Anyar, a unique lontar library, an ikat factory, the royal palace Puri Agung Buleleng, its many statues, monuments, and unique cultural events, Singaraja still is an attractive cultural destination for tourists from all over the world.

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Places of interest and annual happenings

The annual anniversary of the city of Singaraja, founded by Ki Gusti Anglurah Pandji Sakti in 1604, is celebrated each year on April 20th with a spectacular event. On the festival program are all kinds of entertainment for both young and old.

This annual celebration is a unique happening well worth visiting and is an excellent opportunity to enjoy traditional North Balinese music and dance performances, colorful street parades, with cozy flea markets where it is snowing local food and raining drinks.

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Traditional dance and gamelan gong music competition - Each year in the second half of August another unique, cultural event, the "Pesta Kesenian Bali, Buleleng", is organized in Singaraja. This annual festival, which lasts for three days, takes place at the "Sasana Budaya" building near the Royal Palace of Singaraja.

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The Gedung Kirtya, Singaraja's unique lontar library, is situated near Puri Agung Buleleng, the Royal Palace of Singaraja. This library annex museum collects, copies and preserves thousands of lontar (palm leaf manuscripts), "prasati" (transcriptions on metal plates) and books which deal with various aspects of human life, such as religion, architecture, philosophy, genealogy, homeopathy, "usada" (medical manuscripts), black magic, etc.

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The Royal Palace of Singaraja, Puri Agung Buleleng, was originally built by Ki Gusti Anglurah Pandji Sakti on March 30th, 1604. This became the beginning of the Kingdom of Buleleng and Singaraja, the capital town of the regency of Buleleng. When the Dutch made their first incursion onto Balinese Soil in the mid 19th century (1846-1849), the old palace was destroyed. In 1929, I Gusti Putu Djlantik, the son of I Gusti Ngurah Ktut Djlantik (the exiled king) was appointed by the Dutch to be the regent of Buleleng and then in 1938 he was appointed to be the zelfbestuurder-Raja of Buleleng and was since known as Anak Agung Putu Djlantik. The Royal Palace was rebuilt by Anak Agung Putu Djlantik, and together with the Dutch he founded the lontar library, Gedung Kirtya, in the front part of Puri area in June 1928.

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The traditional morning market Pasar Anyar in central Singaraja, which is best visited in the cool hours just before sunrise, offers visitors a great opportunity to taste some of the hectic, local market atmosphere with hundreds of stalls lit by oil lamps, selling all sorts and kinds of products like vegetables, fruit, meat, spices, flowers for offerings, Balinese cakes, clothes, chinaware, household products, and so on.