Places to Buy Artistic Souvenirs Around Gianyar
Souvenirs make great gifts for families and friends back home. But in some places, souvenir prices are ridiculously high. We list a few places around Gianyar where you can get more for less – don’t let high prices prevent you from buying gifts!
Sukawati Art Market
In places like Kuta and Legian, shopkeepers have to pay ridiculously high rent, which makes the high price for souvenirs understandable. However, in Sukawati Art Market, artists and craftsmen sell directly to you in a place dedicated to them. The result is fairly priced commodities that benefit both you and the artists.
You will find paintings of natural landscapes, animals and people, and sculpted wooden figures, unique to the popular style of Balinese artists. Handmade traditional products, aromatherapeutic candles, and incense sticks are also found here. The market is only 30 minutes away from Mara River Safari Lodge.
Ubud Art Market
This market is a short distance passed the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary, about 50 minutes from Mara River Safari Lodge. Once you step on a stone-paved street and see colorful umbrellas, you’ll know you’re there. The market has a very diverse collection of knick-knacks and trinkets, wooden crafts and clothing or linen, some made out of silk.
You might see a few familiar items and feel the exhilarating feeling of discovering something you haven’t seen before. Kites, statues and musical instruments (whose sellers sing to attract attention), wicker baskets and even wicker handbags all dominate your field of vision in this curious and colorful market.
Galuh Art Shop
If you have seen Balinese products sold in your own country, chances are they’re imported from the famous Galuh Art Shop. This is the oldest gift shop in Bali, that pioneered the selling of souvenirs on the island since 1976.
The original owner, Pande Ketut Krisna, trademarked the iconic kaos barong in 1969 and it has been one of the many successful products of Galuh Art Shop sold in the international markets. If you would like to support local communities and buy Balinese merch at a lower price, we suggest you buy from the source at Galuh Art Shop.
Celuk Village
Ubud is known for its lush terraced rice fields and fresh air, but it is also a central hub for gold and silver jewelry. Celuk Village at Sukawati city, just 30 minutes from Mara River Safari Lodge, is a one of a kind jewelry market.
While the regular jewelry shops you find in shopping malls are set up with a luxurious ambiance, this market looks quite literally like the food market. However, here they sell beautiful and intricate rings, necklaces, bracelets, and even earrings and hairpins. They are decorated with small batu akik or opaque gemstones with unique marbling patterns, but you can also find ones with shiny mineral gems too.
The best part is that you can barter, bargain, and buy in bulk with wholesale prices. Test your bartering skills at Celuk Village.
From knick-knacks and locally branded clothing to jewelry, Bali is full of possibilities when it comes to the thrill of shopping at bargained prices. You just have to find the right marketplace. Looking for accommodation in Gianyar? Look no further than Mara River Safari Lodge, and discover a unique stay experience that gets you closer to wildlife and nature.