Pura Taman Saraswati
#3of 8 places to visit in UbudUbud, Bali, Indonesia
Also known as Saraswati Temple · Ubud Water Palace
Quick answer
Opening hours: 07:00–17:00. Entry is free. Allow 30 min. Best time: 07:00 – 08:00.
Updated · Compiled by Traveliac, AI-assisted · 4 min read
- Opening hours
- 07:00–17:00
- 07:00 – 17:00 daily for garden and courtyard viewing
- Entry fee
- Free
- Time needed
- 30 min
- Best time of day
- 07:00 – 08:00
- Best months
- Apr – Jun, Sep – Oct
- Address
- Jalan Raya Ubud, Ubud, Kecamatan Ubud, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80571, Indonesia (behind the row of cafés on the north side of Jalan Raya Ubud, near Jalan Kajeng)
About Pura Taman Saraswati
Pura Taman Saraswati takes its name from Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of knowledge and the arts, and centres on a lotus pond crossed by a stone causeway leading to a tiered meru gate carved from grey paru stone. The pond's pink and white lotuses bloom most fully in the dry season and are the temple's defining image, visible for free from the row of cafés built along its eastern edge even without entering the temple courtyard itself.
Best time of day: 07:00 – 08:00. For the lotus pond in flat early light before the adjoining café terraces fill with breakfast crowds photographing across the water.
Pura Taman Saraswati timings
Pura Taman Saraswati opens at 07:00 and closes at 17:00. It keeps the same hours on Saturday and Sunday.
- Opening hours
- 07:00–17:00
Mon–Sun 07:00–17:00 - 07:00 – 17:00 daily for garden and courtyard viewing
- Closed on
- Open every day
Good to know: Evening dance performances, when scheduled, run separately from daytime viewing hours; check the entrance board for that week's programme.
Opening hours compiled from ubudwaterpalace.com and public records, last updated . They change without notice — confirm before you travel. How we write these guides
Pura Taman Saraswati ticket price
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| Standard ticket | Free |
| Concession (student / senior) | Free |
| Children | Free |
Reports on this temple's admission conflict: some sources describe free entry with a donation box, others cite a garden-area charge around Rp 40,000–65,000 for foreign visitors, as of 2026. Confirm current policy and any sarong rental fee at the entrance.
Prices compiled from ubudwaterpalace.com and public records, last updated . They change without notice — confirm before you travel. How we write these guides
Best time to visit Pura Taman Saraswati
- Quiet
- Moderate
- Busy
07:00 – 08:30
Early MorningBest time to go
Pond and causeway largely clear; best light for photographs of the lotus blooms and carved gateway.
Quiet08:30 – 11:00
Breakfast Crowd
Adjacent café terraces fill with guests photographing the pond over breakfast; causeway itself stays relatively walkable.
Moderate11:00 – 16:00
Midday Tour Stop
A regular stop on central-Ubud walking tours grouped with the palace and market; causeway crossings queue briefly for photos.
Busy16:00 – 17:00
Late Afternoon
Crowds thin before closing; softer light returns for photography as the day cools.
Moderate
History of Pura Taman Saraswati
Pura Taman Saraswati was designed in the mid-20th century by the Balinese architect I Gusti Nyoman Lempad, working in collaboration with Walter Spies, the German-Russian painter who settled in Ubud and helped shape the town's mid-century artistic circle. Lempad, a court sculptor and painter for the Ubud royal family who lived to over 100 years old, is credited with much of the temple's carved relief work, including the demon and naga figures flanking the entrance stairway — a stylistic signature found across several of his commissions in and around Ubud. The temple functions as a working place of worship for the local banjar rather than a purely historical monument, and ceremonies here follow the same Balinese lunar calendar that governs temple anniversaries across the island.
Rules & etiquette at Pura Taman Saraswati
A sarong and sash are required to enter the inner temple courtyard, in keeping with dress rules at every active temple in Bali, regardless of gender; sarongs are typically available at the entrance either free or for a small rental fee. The lotus pond and causeway can be photographed and viewed from the public walkway without entering the sanctified inner courtyard, which is where the dress code applies most strictly. Visitors should avoid stepping onto shrine platforms or climbing on the stone naga balustrades for photographs, a common infraction here given how photogenic the causeway is.
Tips for visiting Pura Taman Saraswati
- 1
The temple's lotus pond is most reliably photographed without crowds in the pond itself rather than the courtyard, from the small public viewing area beside the causeway rather than from the café terraces, which charge a minimum spend for their pond-view seating. Evening cultural dance performances are sometimes staged in the temple's front courtyard against the lit gateway backdrop; these are ticketed separately and scheduled irregularly, so check the noticeboard at the entrance rather than assuming a nightly show. The temple sits directly on Jalan Raya Ubud between Ubud Palace and Museum Puri Lukisan, making it an easy five-minute addition to a walking loop of central Ubud rather than a standalone trip. The stone causeway itself narrows toward the gateway, and during busy midday hours visitors often form an informal queue for the classic straight-on shot down its centre line; arriving outside that window avoids the wait rather than requiring any special access.
How to reach Pura Taman Saraswati
The red star is Pura Taman Saraswati; the numbered pins are the 4 nearest places in our guides, each showing its rank in its city. Tap a pin for details.
Jalan Raya Ubud, Ubud, Kecamatan Ubud, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80571, Indonesia (behind the row of cafés on the north side of Jalan Raya Ubud, near Jalan Kajeng)Directions in Google Maps
From Ubud Palace
0.35 km · 5 min walk
Free (walk)
From Museum Puri Lukisan
0.2 km · 3 min walk
Free (walk)
From Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS)
25 km · 60–90 min
Rp 250,000–400,000 (prepaid airport taxi or ride-hail)
Nearest airport
From Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS)
approximately 25 km, 60–90 minutes by road.
Nearest station
From No rail service in Bali; the temple is a 5-minute walk from Ubud Palace along Jalan Raya Ubud.
Pura Taman Saraswati FAQs
Do you need a sarong to visit Saraswati Temple in Ubud?
Yes, a sarong and sash are required to enter the inner temple courtyard, as at every active temple in Bali. The lotus pond and causeway can be viewed from the public walkway without one.
Is Saraswati Temple free to enter?
Reports vary. Some describe free entry with a donation box, while others cite a garden-area fee in the Rp 40,000–65,000 range for foreign visitors, as of 2026, so confirm at the entrance.
Who designed the lotus pond at Ubud's Saraswati Temple?
Balinese court sculptor I Gusti Nyoman Lempad designed the temple in the mid-20th century, working alongside the German-Russian painter Walter Spies, who was part of Ubud's resident artistic circle at the time.
How long does a visit to Saraswati Temple take?
Around 30 minutes for most visitors, covering the causeway, lotus pond, and outer courtyard. It pairs easily with Ubud Palace and Museum Puri Lukisan on the same short walk down Jalan Raya Ubud.
Compiled with AI assistance from official sources and public records, and published only after the checks in How we write these guides. Nobody from Traveliac has visited this place. Last updated . How we rank and check places
Places to visit near Pura Taman Saraswati
Straight-line distances from our map; times are estimates.
