Things to Buy in Bali

Bali is famous all over the world for its fine handicrafts and artworks. People travel here from all corners of the globe to purchase wood carvings, metal ware and paintings not as souvenirs from a well-earned tropical holiday, but as wholesale produce to take back to their galleries and art stores back at home. Balinese arts and crafts are sold in museums and stores the world over.

Balinese woodcrafts are best displayed at the Mas Village, a wood carving centre of the island that is now a large outdoor exhibit, museum and also, shop. All kinds of practical and decorative wood carvings can be found here and you can also see local artisans working with wood as their families have been doing for generations now.

Stone carving is also very popular in Bali. Soapstone and volcanic rock is often favoured by the local stone workers who operate all over the island but who have a thriving centre between Denpasar and Ubud, in the village of Batubulan. Here, thousands of carvings are lined up for display along the roadside and like the woodcraft centre of the Mas Village, visitors can observe artisans plying their trade.

For something lighter and of quick convenience and souvenir value, hit the day or night time markets that are all over Bali, especially in the crowded tourists areas of Kuta and Seminyak. Here, you can buy imitation sunglasses, jeans and leathergoods as well as DVDs and CDs. A lot of the time these goods are of variable quality and some are obviously fake but you may want to consider the legalities of purchasing counterfeit goods.