Singaraja is an old harbor town, centrally located at the north coast of Bali. It is the second largest town of Bali (approx. 100,000 inhabitants). It was once the former colonial capital of Bali and now the capital of the Buleleng regency. The Dutch colonial past of Singaraja is still apparent by the architecture of many of its buildings, especially those that are located in the old harbor district. White plastered warehouses still breath the atmosphere of the old days when the harbor was still busy and trade in spices, vanilla and tobacco flourished.



Since colonial times Singaraja has been an important educational and cultural center, with nowadays two universities in town. Singaraja is an attractive town to many, thanks to a lingering colonial 'feel' and some well-preserved colonial architecture. Mainly in the southern part of the town one will find tiny, winding backstreets which make for pleasant wandering. In 1995 Singaraja won a nation wide award for the cleanest and best maintained town in Indonesia. People here are extremely friendly and helpful. The center of the town lies at the intersection of the Jalan Gajah Mada and the Jl. Jen. Ahmad Yani. Here you will find banks, a post office, some accommodation, a number of small restaurants and the local market Pasar Anyar, which turns into a night market with foodstalls after sunset. The harbor district  of Singaraja can be found directly north of the center of the town. However not in use any more, there are still many old warehouses in the harbor district that date back to the Dutch colonial times. Warehouse in the harbor district of Singaraja Before the opening of the international airport Ngurah Rai at Denpasar/Kuta in the 1970's, Singaraja was the main entrance port for tourists to Bali, where cruise ships with adventurous tourists used to land regularly.

​

In addition to the Dutch heritage there are remnants of Chinese and Muslim influence. The descendants of the Chinese, Arab and Bugis settlers still live in the harbor distict in areas nicknamed Kampong Arab and Kampong Bugis.



A beautiful Chinese temple (klenteng) named  Ling Gwan Kion can be found just off the Jalan Erlangga, close to the ocean in the harbor district of Singaraja. This temple is one of the few Chinese temples on Bali. It can be accessed via a bridge over a lotus pond and it has magnificent golden Buddha statues. The temple was founded in the year 1873 and has been renovated several times, the last one in 2004.