Located near the center Semarapura, one of East Bali‘s largest towns, Klungkung Palace and Kertha Gosa Park are part of a building complex that stands where a larger palace once stood from the 17th century until the early 20th century, when it was destroyed during the Dutch colonial conquest (Klungkung was the last Balinese kingdom to succumb to the Dutch). Although not a large complex, it makes for a fascinating visit as several buildings host important historical artifacts from both before and during the colonial conquest, highlighting many important moments of Bali’s history. To help you plan your visit and get the most out of your time here, we put together this Visiting Guide for Bali’s Kertha Gosa Park and Klungkung Palace.
Note that the Kertha Gosa is also often spelled Kerta Gosa and that the Klungkung Palace is often referred to as Puri Agung Semarapura (puri means palace), which refers to what remains today of the original Klungkung Palace. Essentially, Kertha Gosa, Klungkung Palace and Puri Agung Semarapura all refer to the same temple complex and are often used interchangeably.
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You might also be interested in these pages (coming soon):
Best Things to See and Do in Bali
Best Things to See and Do in the Gili Islands
The Perfect Three-Week Bali Itinerary
Everything You Need to Know About Visiting Bali
Kertha Gosa Park and Klungkung Palace: Location & Map
Kertha Gosa Park and Klungkung Palace are located in eastern Bali’s Klungkung Regency (link to Google Maps).
How to get to Kertha Gosa Park and Klungkung Palace
Drive times can be highly variable depending on the traffic conditions.
Distance from Ubud: 25 km // Average Drive Time: 45-60 min
Distance from Kuta: 40 km // Average Drive Time: 1h15- 1h35
Distance from Canggu: 75 km // Average Drive Time: 1h30-1h50
Distance from Sanur: 30 km // Average Drive Time: 1h – 1h15
Distance from Sidemen: 12 km // Average Drive Time 25 – 30 min
In our opinion, the three best transport options to reach Kertha Gosa Park are: renting a scooter (moped), joining a group tour that hits several nearby attractions within a day or a half-day, or hiring a car and driver (which really isn’t as expensive as it sounds).
You can also use Bali ride-hailing apps such as Gojek or Grab, and make use of local taxis, but these options will typically cost more, especially if you plan on visiting several sites and attractions on the same day. Also, Gojek or Grab are not authorized to pick up people in certain locations where local taxi unions limit their services, including Canggu, Sanur, and Ubud. For more information on getting around the island and the different available options, check out our guide on How to Best Get Around Bali.
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Getting to Kertha Gosa Park by Scooter: Once you get to Bali, you’ll quickly realize that scooter rental operators are everywhere. Although most street-side vendors will regularly be the cheapest option, they come short in several other aspects compared with more reliable and established vendors. For instance, most won’t offer roadside assistance or insurance that covers theft, nor do they regularly sanitize the helmets or have their scooters undergo regular maintenance. For this reason, we highly recommend using Bikago for your scooter rentals. Renting from them might be slightly more expensive (but still can be rented for as low as 12-15 US$/€ per day) but you get great peace of mind as among many other perks, all scooters undergo extensive quality checks.
What you get with your Bikago rental:
-Helmets
-Full tank of petrol and unlimited mileage
-Free Delivery and Collection at your Hotel
-24/7 Roadside Assistance and First Aid Medical Kit
-Charging Mobile Phone Holder
By Car and Driver hire: Hiring a car and driver to explore Bali can be a practical and cost-efficient way to experience a full day of sightseeing. Although this option is more expensive than renting a scooter (typically 40-60 US$/€ per day), you don’t have to worry about navigating the Bali roads and traffic, Also, most cars are modern and air-conditioned, which is welcome in Bali’s humid heat, and the local drivers always know the best routes to take and can optimize your ideal itinerary. Here are some of the best options to choose from:
Kertha Gosa Park and Klungkung Palace – Ticket Price and Operating Hours
Entrance Fee
The Kertha Gosa Park entrance fee for foreigners is 50,000 IDR per person (2025), which roughly amounts to 3 US$/€. This fee helps maintain the temple and its surrounding grounds.
Modest additional costs are required for parking: 2,000 IDR for scooters and 5,000 IDR for cars.
Having the exact change or small bills to pay for all costs is preferable as many temple sites don’t accept credit cards and they may not have enough change for large bills.
Opening Hours
Kertha Gosa Park is open daily from 8 am to 5 pm.
Facilities
Toilets are available on-site.
Dress Code
Since Kerta Gosa Park is considered a sacred temple, visitors are expected to dress modestly and respectfully. This means shoulders and knees should be covered. If you plan to enter the temple’s holy areas, you’ll need to wear a sarong and sash (these can be rented at the entrance if you don’t have your own)
About Kertha Gosa Park, Klungkung Palace and Their History
Klungkung Palace was built when the Dewa Agung dynasty moved here in 1710. The original palace was laid out as a large square, believed to be in the form of a mandala, with courtyards, gardens, pavilions and moats.
Sadly, most of the grounds were destroyed during the 1908 Dutch colonial conquests. All that remains from the original palace complex are the Kertha Gosa and the Bale Kambang pavilions, and the South Gate.
Kerta Gosa, an open-sided pavilion within the complex, was known as the Hall of Justice. It was effectively the supreme court of the Klungkung kingdom, where disputes and cases that could not be settled at the village level were eventually brought.
Across the street, by the ticket office, is the towering Klungkung Monument (Puputan Klungkung), which rises nearly 30 m and is a symbol of the struggle of the people of the kingdom of Klungkung against the Dutch colonial nation. Klungkung was the last Balinese kingdom to succumb to the Dutch in April of 1908 and the sacrifice of its royal family, who committed puputan (mass ritual suicide) rather than surrender, is also commemorated in Puputan Monument.
Kertha Gosa Park and Klungkung Palace – What to Expect
Unlike most Bali temples where most of your time is spent outside, you’ll probably spend more time indoors here due to the two museums that are on site, two of which house important historical artifacts and showcase important moments in Bali’s history with a series of visual displays.
On the western side of Kertha Gosa Park is the Semarajaya Museum, which was inaugurated in 1992 and is housed in a colonial-era building that displays various traditional weapons, artwork, sculptures and costumes alongside some interesting old photos of the royal court.
Outdoors, Kertha Gosa Park features two important pavilions: Kertha Gosa Pavilion and Bale Kambang (meaning floating pavilion), which is surrounded by a moat giving it the impression that it is floating above the water.
Walking around the moat will also allow you to appreciate the beautiful gardens and the remaining Klungkung South Gate.
Across the street, inside the square room at the bottom of the Puputan Klungkung monument, you’ll find several visual exhibits depicting various important historical moments that occurred during the conflict between the Klungkung dynasty and the Dutch colonials.
Why You Should Visit Kertha Gosa Park and Klungkung Palace
– Cultural and Historical Significance: The park and palace grounds are the site of important events in the history of the Klunggung dynasty and the fight between the Balinese and the Dutch colonial invaders.
– Fewer Crowds: Unlike many other tourist attractions across Bali, you likely won’t feel that Kertha Gosa Park gets overcrowded.
Why You Might Not Want To Visit
– Small Temple: It’s not the largest temple and you might not stay long if you are not interested in the museums.
How Long Do You Need at Kertha Gosa Park and Klungkung Palace
Kertha Gosa Park is not a very large complex, you can probably walk around the entire complex in less than 5 minutes. If you are interested in the museums and the artifacts found within, you should plan for at least a 30-minute stay.
Best Time to Visit Kertha Gosa Park and Klungkung Palace
Best Time of the Year
Although we visited during the dry season, there’s no bad time of year to visit the temple. There’s a higher risk of rain during the wet season (November-April), but that shouldn’t discourage you as there are likely to be fewer other tourists around.
Consider off-peak months like May-June or September-October for a more personal experience with fewer crowds.
Best Time of Day
Kertha Gosa Park rarely gets overwhelmed with visitors, so unlike most other temples where we recommend arriving early in the day, we don’t think there’s a bad time to visit this temple. Whatever fits best in your itinerary time-wise will work.
Other Nearby Temples, Palaces, and Attractions
There are no other major attractions in the immediate vicinity of Kertha Gosa Park. However, there are several closeby attractions (within a 30-minute drive), including Kanto Lampo Waterfall, Gembleng Waterfall, Goa Lawah Temple with its unique bat-cave, and our favorite town in Bali, Sidemen, which is surrounded by lush green landscapes and beautiful rice fields.
To discover more of Bali’s temples, be sure to check out our guide on Bali’s Best Temples to Visit.
Where to Stay Near Kertha Gosa Park and Klungkung Palace
In our opinion, the best place to stay in the area is in Sidemen, whose location makes it a great base from which to explore East Bali’s waterfalls and temples. These are two of the best mid-range hotel accommodations that are set in a beautiful location amongst the rice fields.:
If you are looking to splurge, Wapa di Ume Sidemen is simply fantastic and is located on the same street as the other two accommodation options above:
Another great base in Bali is Ubud. It’s a bit further from Kertha Gosa Park, but it’s well-located to visit several other fantastic attractions throughout Bali. All of the following are some of the best mid-range hotel accommodations located within walking distance from the city center:
Komaneka at Rasa Sayang Ubud Hotel
Planning a Trip to Bali?
You might be interested in these pages: (coming soon)
Best Things to See and Do in Bali
Best Things to See and Do in the Gili Islands
The Perfect Three-Week Bali Itinerary
Everything You Need to Know About Visiting Bali
We also highly recommend these guidebooks:
Bali: The Solo Girl’s Travel Guide
Lonely Planet Bali, Lombok & Nusa Tenggara
Photography Gear
If you like our photography, you might be interested in some of the gear we use to shoot our travel and hiking destinations.
Camera Body – Nikon Z 6ii Fx-series Mirrorless Body
Main Lens – NIKON 24-120mm F/4G ED VR AF-S
Zoom Lens – Sigma 745-306 150-600mm f/5-6.3
Polarizing filters – Urth Circular Polarizing (CPL)
Camera Tripod – K&F Concept 64-inch Camera Tripod
Mini-tripod – Lammcou Flexible Camera Tripod
Camera/hiking backpack – Vanguard Alta Rise 48 Backpack
Universal Travel Adapter – VYLEE Universal International Power Travel Plug
Other Travel Essentials
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e-Sim cards
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Car Rentals
Discover Cars is our go-to website for car rentals. We almost always find our preferred rate there.
Transfer from Airport
Welcome Pickups is our favourite private transfer service, which you can pre-book at a fixed price. Currently available in 220 cities all over the world (mostly in Europe, but with several major cities in Asia, the Middle East and the US).
Kiwitaxi is another private transfer service – we haven’t tried it yet, but it’s currently available in a few more countries (102 as of 2024).
Hotels and Accommodations (coming soon)
Photography Prints
If you found this blog useful, you can help support our blog by purchasing low-cost digital prints. Printed physical prints are also available for purchase.
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Well, that wraps it up! We hope you enjoyed our guide on Bali’s Taman Ujung Water Palace and that it will prove useful for planning your trip.
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