What To Do In Sanur

Once you have sorted out your Sanur accommodation the next step to planning your stay is finding the things to do in Sanur.

Sanur might be one of Bali’s quieter towns, but there is still much to see and do.

Sanur is one of the older established towns of Bali. It is steeped in culture and history, dating back to the 9th century.

Sanur Food

Sanur’s restaurants are some of the best in Bali, and one of the favourite pastimes for visitors to Sanur is eating authentic Balinese food.

The Sanur food scene has it all, from high-end restaurants with prices matching your home dining bills to small, cheap warungs serving the best Balinese food.

Think fresh seafood grills beachfront to grab and go Warungs.

Apart from the best restaurants in Sanur, upmarket cafes, and warungs, you can also eat traditional Balinese food at the markets.

If you love markets, you’ll love visiting the Sanur Morning Market and the Sanur Night Market.

Sanur Morning Market

One of the activities we attended at a cooking school in Sanur included a trip to the morning markets. We arrived early, around 6:30 a.m., and walked around the market with the chef.

He explained to us that the standard of hygiene is excellent due to the village council’s initiative to raise awareness and promote the markets as tourist destinations.

The morning markets are set up inside a huge shed and consist of both dry and wet markets. You’ll see everything from fresh chickens, fish, vegetables, fruit, and flowers to the usual market clothing stores and everything in between.

Sanur Night Markets

Sindhu Night Markets, as they are officially known, start around 6 pm and finish around 9 pm. They are in the same location as the morning markets. However, they are held outside in the car park area.

We ate some of the best chicken satays and nasi goreng here and watched the stallholder cook the dishes before us.

The market area is easily found at the northern end at Jl. Pungutan No.2, Sanur.

Cooking Classes in Sanur

If you want to learn how to cook authentic Balinese food, there are a couple of cooking classes in Sanur.

Bamboo Shoots Cooking School

Bamboo Shoots Cooking School is held at the Sanur Beach Villas, near the Mercure Hotel, in Sanur’s southern end.

There are morning and afternoon classes, with the morning class including a trip to the Sanur market. Prices start at Rp. 450,000 or AUD$45.00. If you are staying in the Sanur area, there is a free pickup available from your accommodation.

Chef Mudana Cooking Class Sanur

Cooking classes are run by a local chef – Chef Mudana.

Various Packages are available, including a tour of Jimbaran Bay’s famous fish market.

You can choose from interactive classes to hands-on classes with a choice of morning or evening classes. Chef also has a free pickup service.

You can check out more information here. 

Caraway Cooking Class Sanur

Dewi Kartika Sari shares her family’s authentic Balinese dishes with you in this cooking class.

Set in a traditional Balinese home, you’ll learn the secrets of Indonesian and Balinese food, from the popular nasi goreng to the lesser-known jack-fruit porridge.

There’s a selection of classes, and you can choose from morning or afternoon.

I took the Caraway Cooking Class in March 2020. Unfortunately, Dewi has not recommenced the classes since the pandemic.

Sanur Water Sports

Because Sanur Beach is protected by islands and reefs, the serene bay area is perfect for stand-up paddle boarding, windsurfing, kayaking, tube riding, parasailing and jet skiing.

You can hire a local fisherman on Sanur beach to take you fishing, and if you are into scuba diving, then Sanur diving may be for you as there are many nearby reefs. You may even see the elusive Mola Mola or Sunfish if you dive all year round. However, the main season to see them is from July to October

Day trips are aplenty via fast boat from Sanur Harbour to Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Penida.

If you are not a diver but love snorkelling in Sanur, a day trip to the islands would be perfect for you, too.

Visit Belanjong Pillar

As mentioned at the beginning of this article, there is a relic dating back to the 9th century. Belanjong Pillar a stone column can be found just off Jalan Danau Poso Street alongside a small Hindu temple, Pura Blanjong.

It is not viewable from the street; you have to walk down a short alley to see this stone column, which is just over 1.5m tall.

The Sanskrit inscriptions are etched in an old Balinese form.

You’ll also see other stones and items on show from around the same point in history.

Le Mayeur Museum

On the same day, I visited Belanjong Pillar and the Museum Le Mayeur, the former house and home of the painter Jean Le Mayeur de Merpes and his wife.

Le Mayeur moved to Sanur from Belgium in 1932 and lived there until 1958. The museum displays his most prominent work.

Both Le Mayeur and his wife’s remains are entombed in the gardens of the Museum.

Walk or Ride Down the Sanur Promenade

One of the best reasons to visit Sanur Bali is to use the path or walkway that runs from the southern end of Sanur to the northern end of Sanur.

The promenade is used day and night as a walking and bike track. It’s an easy pathway to navigate, and most people are polite enough to move out of your way if you ring your bell or if you are riding a bike.

We used the path every day to ride to our chosen breakfast or dinner spot.

Shopping in Sanur

If you don’t like partaking in the national sport of bartering but love to shop, Sanur is the perfect place for you!

At the northern end of Sanur, at Baruna Beach Markets, you’ll find Tootsies, Siki’s, and Monica’s fixed-priced shops; they are all Sisters, by the way. You’ll know the shops are fixed-priced as they have a sign in the window.

Shopping is great in the stores, as they are airconditioned and stock various goods. They all sell handbags, men’s board shorts and swim shorts, singlets, ladies’ dresses, tops, swimsuit cover-ups, wallets, souvenirs, sunglasses, macrame, dream catchers, and some sell overnight bags and shoes.

Relaxed shopping, no hassles and no bargaining.

Indah’s is also a very good shop in the same area.

You can shop for anything in Sanur, including silver jewellery, homewares, shoes, and clothing for children, ladies, and men. You can even have leather jackets, suits, dresses, shirts, etc., tailor-made.

Food shopping for those bits and pieces and holiday essentials is generally done at Hardy’s supermarket, Popular Supermarkets, Circle K’s, Coco Mart and Lotte Mart.

Be Pampered At A Day Spa in Sanur

What would a trip to Sanur, Bali, be without a trip to a day spa? Sanur has plenty of spas, from cheap and cheerful to upmarket and luxurious.

Treatments include massages, including the famous Balinese massage, manicures, pedicures, facials, nail treatments, microdermabrasion, body wraps, body scrubs, waxing, the ever-popular lash extensions, brow and lash tinting and hair treatments.

More than just “me time” or a “treat” now and again, you can visit a day spa every day in Sanur as the treatments are so affordable.

Click here to read a comprehensive list of the best day spa’s in Sanur Bali.

Catch A Fast Boat To Lembongan Island

If you are sitting on Sanur beach looking out to the ocean, the large island you can see is Nusa Lembongan Island.

This island destination just off the coast of mainland Bali is becoming increasingly popular. It’s a sleepy little island with rustic beach shacks and mainly dirt roads; however, it’s popular with scuba divers, snorkelers, and water sports lovers.

The beauty of this island is that it’s just a short, fast boat ride from Sanur to Lembongan, taking just 30 minutes. As an added bonus, you’d very rarely travel in rough seas as the bay is protected by the islands and reefs just off the Sanur coast.

You could even break up your trip to Sanur and stay a couple of nights. Our pick is the Bali Huts right on the beach, click here to check it out.

Click here to check for more information and prices for a day trip to Nusa Lembongan Island. 

Visit The Big Garden Corner Sanur

Big Garden Sanur (as it’s also known) is described as quirky, different, unusual, and fun. One thing is definitely agreed upon: kids love it!

Adults enjoy the attraction, too. The food is great, and there are plenty of spots to take pictures for your Instagram and Facebook feeds.

There are beautiful gardens to wander through, art sculptures to admire, and elephants made from aluminium cans. There’s something to discover around every corner. Even Buddha, Stonehenge, and a Dinosaur are featured.

There’s also a splash park and a playground for kids, and with a cheap $7 (half price for kids) entry fee and a free drink, it’s a great spot to enjoy for a couple of hours.

Located at the northern end of Sanur, it’s a short 10-minute drive from Sanur centre.

Sanur Nightlife

If you are looking for things to do in Sanur at night, there are things to do. However, Sanur isn’t as lively as the other side of the island. It is nowhere near as “cool,” and there is not a hipster in sight! Sanur is laidback, relaxed, and has a chilled vibe. Perhaps a younger crowd could find it boring, but we love it! There are also local rules in place that don’t permit trading after midnight.

Most people head out for sunset drinks along the Sanur promenade. You won’t see the sun set over the water in Sanur; you’ll have to venture over to the west coast to see an overwater sunset. You won’t be disappointed with the sunset at Sanur though, the colours of the sky can be quite spectacular.

After sunset drinks, wander down the promenade to find one of the best places to eat in Sanur, or stay where you’ve enjoyed your sunset drinks. There are plenty of Sanur restaurants on the beach.

Once dinner is finished, you could visit a bar and listen to live music. Casablanca is a popular favourite and has live music seven nights a week.

Other popular nighttime venues include the Linga Longa Bar, Arena Pub and Restaurant, Beatles Cavern Bar—a unique bar that mimics the cavern bar in the famous 4’s Liverpool haunt, complete with memorabilia—Adora Super Club, the Ducks Nutz, and many more.

Most restaurants and even some warungs will have live music. In fact, we’ve been riding home from dinner and swung in for a nightcap at various venues in Sanur.

A full report will soon cover what to do at night in Sanur. Either bookmark this page or join the community at Sanur Bali Guide here and be notified when this article is updated with more information.

Click here if you want to know some of the best day trips from Sanur.

Although laid back, there are lots of things to do in Sanur. What activities will you do when you stay in Sanur? Let us know in the comments below.

If you’ve visited Sanur and you think there is something that you love to do and see that we’ve missed you can contact us here and we’ll include it in this article.

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