The Bali Museum on Jalan Mayor Wisnu — directly beside the Pura Jagatnatha on the main square — is the most serious cultural institution on the island and the essential stop for anyone who wants to understand Balinese civilisation beyond beach bars and rice paddies. The museum complex consists of several buildings in different traditional Balinese palace architectural styles, set around courtyards with stone carvings, pavilions, and ceremonial gates.
The collections cover prehistoric artefacts (including bronze-age objects from megalithic sites), Hindu-Balinese religious art (sculptures, ritual objects, ceremonial textiles), traditional weapons, costumes, and paintings in both the classical Kamasan style and the 20th-century Ubud and Batuan schools that developed under Western influence. The textile collection is particularly fine, with examples of the intricate geringsing double-ikat cloth from the village of Tenganan that takes years to produce. Admission is modest; the museum is generally open Tuesday to Sunday, 8am to 3.30pm. Take your time — there is more here than a quick walk through will reveal.