Sanur is a quiet little seaside town southeast of the island of Bali, in Indonesia. Away from the parties and nightlife culture of the more well known Kuta or Seminyak, Sanur is known for a family-friendly location. The main street Jalan Danau Tamblingan is lined with beautiful restaurants. As well as soft sandy beaches, there is plenty of things to do in Sanur, so if you are wanting a relaxed beach holiday then Sanur in Bali is hard to beat.
What To Do In Sanur Bali?
In this Sanur travel guide, we will show you the best attractions to see, where to eat and stay so you can enjoy the natural beauty of Bali while in Sanur.
Enjoy a Sanur Beach Sunrise
Sanur Beach is the perfect place to catch the best sunrise in Bali. Unlike Seminyak and Kuta where you can watch the sunset Sanur is located on the eastern side of Bali and is the place to be for sunrise.
Sanur beach is protected by a small reef which means the surf is reduced to small waves, making the beach perfect for those who are not strong at swimming. The beach stretches more than 5km and is uncrowded and mostly clean and quiet a lot like the city itself.
Taman Festival Abandoned Theme Park
This was definitely the highlight of our trip to Sanur, an abandoned theme park may not seem like an attraction you would want to visit, but Taman Festival is a photographer’s dream.
The park first opened in 1997 as a Disney land style theme park. It boasted the world’s first inverted roller coaster, 3-D movie theatre, Bali’s biggest swimming pool, laser shows, crocodile enclosure, and a volcano in the middle of the park.
On Friday the 13th March 1998 the laser equipment was struck by lightning, and due to the Asian economic crisis insurance wasn’t forthcoming. They borrowed the money and wasn’t able to pay it back as the park was running at a loss. Taman Festival Sanur was close in 2000 and the eight-hectare park has been left abandoned since.
We entered through the main entrance and there is a local man collecting an entrance fee 10,000 IDR ($0.71) and made our way through the overgrown parks and deserted buildings. Our favorite building was definitely the 3-D movie theatre, inside was really spooky especially making our way up the staircase to the projector room.
It’s quite easy to spend a couple of hours here walking through the different buildings and trying to make out what amusement it would have been. There are so many opportunities for good photos so don’t forget your camera.
Take a Walk Along The Sanur Beach Promenade
One of the main attractions in Sanur is its coastline which has a paved walkway along it. The promenade is the ideal spot for taking long walks and taking in the beach sights.
One of the most popular things to do on the Sanur Promenade is renting a bicycle and taking a ride down it, along the way you will pass lots of restaurants and people selling street food.
The promenade is popular with families as the paved walkway makes it an easy place to go for a walk with the stroller, and is a safe place for young kids to play.
WHERE TO EAT IN SANUR
Massimo Gelato Sanur Ice Cream Shop
Located on Jalan Danau Tamblingan, Massimo Gelato Sanur is one of the best Italian restaurants in the area. At the front of the restaurant is the big drawcard, the ice cream shop which people line up for. The line is so big it’s hard to get into the restaurant itself.
This could be the best ice cream I ever had, I have never been to an ice cream shop with so many selections. If you have a sweet tooth this will be your paradise.
The Italian restaurant is known all over the island. We ate here one night and the pizza and pasta was first class. Of course, we tried the ice cream too which was amazing.
Pasar Sindu Night Market
Pasar Sindu Night Market is one of the best places to eat street food in the evening. We found this market on the last night we were in Sanur and wished we had found it earlier.
The market offers a wide selection of local food, delicious desserts, fresh shakes, juices, and fruit salads. We didn’t really know what we were ordering so we just asked the vendor to make us a plate. We got a selection of everything, Sai said it looks like something you serve up to the dog. There were lots of flavors going on bet everything tasted so good.
The Pasar Sindu Night market is on Jalan Pasar Sindu behind the restaurants and usually gets going once the sunsets. It’s a great place to experience local food and meet fellow travelers. You will most likely be sitting around a small table with other people while you eat.
The Owl Sanur
The owl cafe in Sanur is a fairly new cafe, it’s a charming place to have breakfast or lunch. The cafe has a superb range of international dishes, fresh juices, and really good coffee.
We ate here twice and tried their breakfast along with their smoothie bowls. The cafe is well lit with air conditioning and is the perfect place to recharge and enjoy a meal.
I hope you enjoyed this Sanur travel guide. In total we stayed three days and found these suggestions the best things to do in Sanur.