Gianyar Night Market is the biggest night market in Bali and it’s just outside of Ubud, the heart of the island’s spiritual and cultural life.
It’s the ideal place to visit after a day wandering around the rice fields, the sacred monkey forest, exploring temples, etc.
Our guide to Gianyar Night Market will tell you what to expect when you get there, how to get the most out of your trip to the market and much more!
Where Is Gianyar Night Market?
The night market has recently moved but only across the road from its original location.
It’s about 10 kilometers outside of Ubud in the Gianyar Regency and it’s very easy to get to because everybody locally knows where it is.
The address is: Jalan Ngurah Rai-Gianyar No.38, Gianyar, Kec. Gianyar, Kabupaten Gianyar Regency, Bali 80361, Indonesia
How To Get To Gianyar Night Market?
Assuming that you’re staying in Ubud, you’re probably going to want to use the Gojek or Grab app to get there.
This will save you on having to find a parking space and ensure that your night is a safe one and that you can have a few beers while you eat, without worrying about getting home afterwards.
You can, of course, also hire a scooter and drive out there, but we don’t recommend this at the best of times.
It’s hard to be road legal in Bali and if you’re not road legal, you’re not insured and that means if you have an accident, you might have to pay thousands of dollars to get better.
And accidents are easy to come by with poor road conditions, and local drivers who simply don’t follow any recognizable “rules of the road:, even experienced riders find Bali hard to deal with.
Finally, it’s night time and that makes driving even harder and some of the people around you will be drinking and driving (even though it’s as illegal in Bali as it is at home).
Go to the market to enjoy the food and pick up Bali souvenirs and take a Grab and avoid ending the evening in a local hospital.
There’s no bad time of year to visit Ubud or any of its markets. While it does rain during rainy season, it’s normally over by the early evening and you can go out and enjoy the night markets at any time of the year.
However, there is no point in visiting a night market location early in the day if you want to enjoy the food.
You will often find Balinese crafts or fresh fruits on sale earlier in the day, but no suckling pig roasted over an open fire.
What Are The Gianyar Night Market Opening Hours?
The market is open during the day and it starts around 7 a.m! However, if you want that night market vibe, you don’t want to show up in the early morning.
Get to the market from about 4 p.m. onwards and you will start to find the delicious aromas of food wafting through the air.
It closes at 11 p.m. and though you may find a few stragglers trying to get rid of anything left at their stall at this time of night, it’s best to get there before 8.30/9.00 p.m. if you want to be able to choose from all the best food.
Is There An Entrance Fee For Gianyar Night Market?
No, there is no entrance fee for Gianyar Night Market. However, if you want a parking space then you will need to pay for that.
The good news is that this won’t cost you any more than 5,000 IDR.
The bad news is that the parking gets very crowded and it can be a lot of work to find a space if you arrive late in the evening.
We should also note that petty crime is not unheard of in this market’s parking lot and you should lock up any scooter you park here very tightly.
What To Expect At Gianyar Night Market – Pasar Senggol Gianyar?
The local name of Gianyar Night Market is Pasar Senggol Gianyar this should not be confused with Pasar Senggol in Nusa Dua.
The Nusa Dua market is a very pleasant but highly sanitized night makret for tourists in the Grand Hyatt Bali.
In contrast, the Pasar Senggol Gianyar night market is the real deal. It’s exactly the kind of market that local people actually frequent and not just a tourist destination.
While the name is “night market”, this market is open all day long and you can come here at any time of the day to buy local handicrafts, clothing, incense sticks and the like. It’s a traditional market in the daytime.
You should treat the day time hours like any other market in Bali and feel free to haggle over your purchases.
However, at night, the stalls change over and you will find that the makret becomes more focused on street food.
You can’t haggle over this kind of food. The prices are advertised on the stalls and you just pay the asking price.
What To Try At The Local Food Stalls In Gianyar Night Market
This is a market for mouth watering local food, and you must visit if you’re in Ubud and you want to understand the Balinese food culture.
However, we know that it can be a bit intimidating when you first set eyes on a new cuisine, so we’ve got a guide to the best dishes at the night market.
Babi Guling
Babi Guling is suckling pig and it’s slow roasted over a turning spit. (Babi means “pig” and guling means “roll” so babi guling is literally “rolling pig”).
Babi guling is one of the dishes commonly reserved for celebrations in this part of Indonesia as buying a whole pig can be expensive for a local family.
However, you often find a “babi guling platter” at the markets. Locals will tell you that you don’t get much babi guling on these platters, however, and you will find that most of the plate is covered in sausage, pork rinds, long beans, soup and rice with just a hint of babi guling.
You should be aware that this dish (and a lot of other dishes in Indonesia) is meant to be served at room temperature, not hot.
Bebek Betutu
This is the duck version of babi guling! We love buying a whole duck which has been turning on a spit for a few hours.
The vendor will usually throw in a few sides if you buy the whole thing, otherwise, it may served on a platter with a couple of skewers of Bebek Betutu and a lot of side dishes.
Again, this is served at room temperature and not hot.
Nasi Campur
The name of the dish, “nasi campur” means “mixed rice” and it’s basically a dish heaped with white rice and then a bunch of other flavours.
You may find it contains tofu, sambal, meatballs, egg, and many other local delicacies.
Nasi campur is always finished with some peanuts and some sauce. Locals love it and it’s very good value for money.
Bakso Ayam
This is a meatball and noodle soup where the meatballs are made from chicken.
This is because they tend to avoid beef at night markets as some locals don’t eat beef due to their hindu beliefs.
If you want something that’s boiling hot to eat, this is the way to go.
Gorengan
Nasi Goreng is “fried rice” and Gorengan is simply the plural of “goreng” and thus, you will find it on pretty much every street corner in Bali.
Gorengan is simply “fried stuff” and it might be anything from chicken to tofu!
Satay/Sate
Satay or “sate” as it’s spelled here in Indonesia is a delicious concoction of meat with a slightly spicy peanut sauce.
You can find chicken, pork or even beef satay in Bali, though you will probably only find chicken at the night markets as Muslims try to avoid pork and Hindus try to avoid beef.
Es Campur
This is a wonderful dessert and it’s the ideal sweet treat at the end of the evening.
It’s made with tapioca, a jelly made of fruit and grass, all floating in a secret blend of coconut milk, condensed milk and ice.
It’s almost like a breakfast cereal but with a sweet dessert edge to it. It’s very refreshing on a hot summer’s evening.
Dim Sum
Yes, you’re right, dim sum is absolutely a Chinese-thing, except it’s become hugely popular in Bali too and the locals eat a lot of dim sum.
There are hot, fresh, steamed dim sum available through the night market and it’s actually very good.
It’s not quite authentic Hong Kong dim sum but it is much cheaper than it would be in Hong Kong.
One of the best times of year to eat Dim Sum is Chinese New Year which is celebrated in Bali.
Jajan Pasar & Kue
This name literally means “market snacks” but it tends to be applied to most of the cakes and desserts on offer.
If you love shredded coconut, banana, rice, mango, jelly and lashing of palm sugar, you can’t really go wrong with these things.
Just hand a plate to the stall holder, set a budget and let them put something together for you, you won’t regret it.
Temulawak Soda
This is a sort of ginger soda that’s made in Java here in Indonesia. The “temulawak” is a local ginger that’s harvested and then turned into the sweet drink.
We find it’s a bit too sweet for our palate and that it tastes more like a citrus fruit than it does ginger, but we’re glad that we tried it and it goees nicely with the roast pork.
Bintang Beer
You don’t need to go to the night market to chug down a Bintang, it’s the island’s most ubiquitous beer.
Oddly, it tastes very much like Heineken and that’s because it’s owned by the same parent company as Heineken and manufactured in much the same way.
However, people are very proud of Bintang in Bali and there is a whole brand culture around it.
You can buy everything from a Bintang branded t-shirt to a Bintang-branded hub cap.
One word of caution before you do, many of the pubs and clubs in Bali will not admit anyone wearing an alcohol branded t-shirt, cap, etc.
So, it’s best to buy your Bintang merch for wearing back home than heading out to the clubs with it on.
Tips For Getting The Most From A Visit To Gianyar Night Market
You don’t need to know a lot to get the most out of a night market in Bali but it will help to know:
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You pay in cash – vendors at Bali’s markets don’t take cards. Locals know this but all too often tourists leave disappointed because they can’t pay for their delicious babi guling or chicken noodle soup.
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You pay in small bills – don’t go to a local market clutching the biggest bills that you can withdraw from an ATM. Sure, some of the shops selling clothes will be delighted with a bulk purchase but if you want street food, it’s best to take some smaller bills with you. Get some change during the day before you head to any of the local markets.
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You don’t haggle with food vendors – it’s fine to haggle in local markets for clothes or souvenirs and, in fact, it’s expected but you can’t get a discount on your Chinese food, fried chicken, or suckling pig. Watch the locals eat and you will see all the stalls charge a fixed price for both local people and foreigners.
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Consider downloading Google translate – if you’re not in the remotest bit fussy about what you eat, you can get away with just pointing at what you want and then paying for it. But if you have food allergies or need to ask questions, the vendors at this busy street food market simply don’t have huge levels of English proficiency.
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Consider booking a street food tour. There is a local tour that will allow you to get away from the busy street in the center of Ubud and explore the local markets to enjoy a range of different dishes. If you love fried chicken and shredded coconut, you can’t go wrong!
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Ask for the toilet – there is a toilet, but it’s not well signposted and you will need to ask a local to find it.
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Ask for the ATM – there is also a nearby ATM if you get really stuck for money, just ask somebody to point you in the right direction to get some cash out.
Other Markets In The Area
Ubud Night Market/Sayan Night Market
This is a much smaller affair than Gianyar Night Market and it often gets overlooked by the tourists in Ubud.
That’s not a bad thing because it means the market gets far more local visitors and thus, it has very competitive pricing.
There are only 10-20 food stalls here and they sell nothing but local treats but the food is very good and we guarantee you won’t break the bank at Sayan Night Market.
In fact, it’s probably the once place in Ubud where you can still get a meal, a drink and something for dessert for less than a couple of bucks!
Ubud Art Market
Ubud Art Market is often known as the “morning market” in Ubud and that’s because it does open in the mornings.
It’s also open in the afternoon, mind you, so “morning market” might be a bit of a stretch. However, it’s definitely not open at night.
It’s the busiest morning market of its kind in Bali and a wonderful place to stock up on souvenirs, local arts and handicrafts and the like.
You know it’s authentic, because you will see many locals shopping at the morning market, however, we should note – they usually have well-established relationships with vendors and don’t need to haggle very much.
Visitors to the morning market will want to haggle if they want the best deals.
Other Night Markets Further Afield
Nusa Dua Night Market
The island’s most comfortable resort area also has a decent night market. Nusa Dua night market isn’t as cheap as the other night markets on the island but it is right on the doorstep of the white sand beach that attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors a year.
FAQs
What Is A Night Market?
A night market is an open air market with opening hours that are after the fall of night.
In reality, it’s not quite that simple and some of Bali’s night markets are set up the grounds of another market in Bali and you might find it hard to draw a line between “market” and “night market” in Bali.
Thus, Gianyar Night Market is not a night market by the standard definition. It’s open during the day too, but the vendors do change at night and the vibe is very different once the sun goes down.
Night markets tend to have a difference focus from day markets which may focus on fresh produce and household goods.
In fact, what you will typically find at a night market is some entertainment, some clothes and souvenir vendors and cold drinks (often including alcohol in Bali).
Great street food and street chefs lead to an unforgettable experience that is very different from the market experience at home.
Does Ubud Have A Night Market?
Yes! In fact, Ubud has two night markets. The one closest to the centre of Ubud is the Sayan Night Market.
However, as Sayan is pretty small most people tend to go straight to the larger market the Gianyar Night Market.
We think that’s a bit of a shame as any local guide will tell you that Sayan is an authentic experience with very reasonable prices.
However, we can’t deny that Gianyar Night Market is a bustling market with delicious food and its oneof the best night markets for enjoying local Balinese food that we’ve ever encountered.
The fresh produce really makes the street food exceptional and while it may not be the most “traditional market” in Bali, the food vendors are simply too good to miss out on.
In fact, it should be on every foodie’s bucket list in Indonesia.
Does Bali Have Night Markets?
Yes, in addition to Gianyar Night Market and the other Ubud Night Market, there are other night markets all over Bali including: Sanur Night Market (Pasar Malam Sindhu), Kuta Art Market, Taman Sair Market and Kereneng Night Market.
They each have their own unique spin on things and if you want a night market location that’s a bit closer to where you’re staying than Gianyar Night Market, you should easily be able to find a night market in Bali for you. Kereneng Night Market, Kumbasari Art Market, for example, is in Kuta.
There are also morning market venues to try such as Badung Market where you can stock up on fresh fruits, tropical fruits, incense sticks, etc.
How To Book A Holiday In Ubud?
If you want to visit Gianyar Night Market, Ubud Art Market, the rice terraces, the sacred monkey forest, the temples and everything else that Ubud has to offer, we recommend you book with the Bali Res Centre.
That’s a local travel service based here in Bali that can ensure you get the right accommodation and travel options. They can even organize tours for you.
The best thing about using the Bali Res Centre is that every dollar you spend with them stays in the local economy. That helps the people of Bali rather than a multinational corporation.
Final Thoughts On Gianyar Night Market
Gianyar Night Market is one of the best places in Bali to explore the local food culture.
It’s a combination of traditional market venue and street food paradise and if you’re in Ubud, a visit to Gianyar Night Market is a no-brainer.
If you wan to try the food that the locals eat for a cheap price, you can’t go wrong at Gianyar Night Market.
