# Taman Ayun Temple, Bali

> Taman Ayun is the royal garden temple of the Mengwi kings, built in 1634, 17 km from Ubud and 26 km from Kuta. A moat surrounds it, and behind a low wall stand rows of tiered meru shrines. Foreigners pay roughly IDR 30,000–50,000 and it's open about 8:00–18:00. An hour is enough, and it fits neatly on the way to Tanah Lot.

Web page: https://yesgo.io/indonesia/bali/taman-ayun

- City: [Bali](https://yesgo.io/indonesia/bali), Indonesia
- YesGo score: 26/100 (Yes, if nearby)
- Time on site: 1 h
- Entry: ≈ IDR 30,000–50,000
- With kids: Fine with kids
- Entrance fee: ≈ IDR 30,000–50,000 foreign adult; sarong usually included
- Opening hours: Daily, roughly 8:00–18:00
- Inside: The inner courtyard is for worshippers; visitors walk the path around its wall
- UNESCO: Part of the Cultural Landscape of Bali (subak system) since 2012
- Location: Central Mengwi; ≈ 17 km from Ubud, ≈ 26 km from Kuta and Seminyak
- Coordinates: -8.54161, 115.17260
- Facts checked: 10.11.2026

## Key facts

- **1634** — the year the king of Mengwi built the temple (source: English Wikipedia)
- **'Beautiful garden'** — the meaning of Taman Ayun (source: English Wikipedia)
- **6.9 ha** — the area of the compound, ringed by a moat (source: English Wikipedia)
- **2nd** — largest temple on Bali (source: English Wikipedia)
- **11 tiers** — on the tallest meru shrines in the inner courtyard (source: English Wikipedia)
- **2012** — added to the UNESCO subak World Heritage site (source: English Wikipedia)
- **3 subaks** — in Badung are fed by the temple's waters (source: English Wikipedia)
- **≈ 18 km** — to Tanah Lot (source: OSRM route)

## Taman Ayun entrance fee and hours

There's no official price list online; 2026 guides quote **IDR 30,000–50,000** for a foreign adult, usually with a sarong included. Pay cash at the ticket booth. It's open roughly **8:00–18:00** daily; access can change on holidays and ceremony days.

## What is Pura Taman Ayun?

**Pura Taman Ayun** is a garden temple in the town of Mengwi. The Mengwi king Gusti Agung Putu built it in **1634** as a family temple honouring the dynasty's ancestors. The name means **'beautiful garden'**. It's **Bali's second-largest temple**: a **6.9-hectare** rectangle surrounded on three sides by a broad moat, entered by a bridge from the south.

Like every Balinese temple it has three courtyards divided by split gates. The inner one holds shrines from two up to **eleven tiers**, for the gods and the Mengwi royal ancestors. The temple's water feeds three subak irrigation societies, and in **2012** Taman Ayun became part of UNESCO's Cultural Landscape of Bali Province.

## What you'll see

Over the bridge and through the gate is a **garden** of lawns, ponds and pavilions. The inner courtyard is closed to visitors, but a path runs around its low wall — perfect for seeing the **rows of meru towers** with their dark palm-fibre roofs and carved stone bases.

It's calm and spacious: Taman Ayun appears on fewer big-group itineraries than Tanah Lot, and it's a pleasant place to wander. For the classic shot of the merus lined up, walk to the western side of the wall.

> **Dress code and etiquette** A sarong is usually included in the ticket or handed out at the entrance. As at all Balinese temples, women who are menstruating and anyone with an open wound shouldn't enter the shrines. Don't climb over the inner-courtyard wall, even if it looks empty inside.

## Things to see at Taman Ayun

- **Rows of meru shrines** up to 11 tiers in the inner courtyard.
- **The moat** around the temple and the entrance bridge.
- **The main gate**, carved in red brick.
- **Gardens** with ponds and lotus.
- **The wantilan pavilion** in the outer courtyard, traditionally used for cockfights — none are held for visitors.

## How to get to Taman Ayun Temple

1. **From Ubud** — about 17 km west, 20 minutes on paper, usually 30–40.
2. **From Kuta or Seminyak** — about 26 km, 40–60 minutes in normal traffic.
3. **From Ngurah Rai Airport (DPS)** — about 30 km.
4. No public transport: taxi, Grab, Gojek, scooter or a hired driver.
5. Tanah Lot is about 18 km away and the Jatiluwih rice terraces about 30 km north.

## When to go and what to combine

Allow **about an hour**. The light is best in the morning or mid-afternoon; at noon it's hot with little shade. Taman Ayun sits where the roads west and into the hills meet, so it slots easily into a day trip.

The classic pairing is **Taman Ayun in the afternoon and Tanah Lot at sunset**. Or head for the hills: Taman Ayun, the **Jatiluwih** rice terraces and the lake temple at **Beratan**.

## Is Taman Ayun worth visiting?

Yes: it's one of Bali's most beautiful and peaceful temples, inexpensive and conveniently placed. The rows of merus behind the wall are as striking as the famous temples on the water and cliffs.

YesGo's take: you can't go inside, and if you've already seen a couple of big temples it may feel like 'another one'. As a stop on the way west, though, it's well worth it.

## Bali temples compared

Temples on Bali rated by YesGo.

- [Saraswati Temple](https://yesgo.io/indonesia/bali/pura-taman-saraswati) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · free; dance ≈ IDR 100,000
- [Ubud Monkey Forest](https://yesgo.io/indonesia/bali/ubud-monkey-forest) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · IDR 130,000
- [Goa Gajah (Elephant Cave)](https://yesgo.io/indonesia/bali/goa-gajah) — YesGo score 35/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · ≈ IDR 50,000
- [Batuan Temple](https://yesgo.io/indonesia/bali/batuan-temple) — YesGo score 29/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · donation or ≈ IDR 30,000–50,000
- [Taman Ayun Temple](https://yesgo.io/indonesia/bali/taman-ayun) — YesGo score 26/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · ≈ IDR 30,000–50,000
- [Tanah Lot Temple](https://yesgo.io/indonesia/bali/tanah-lot) — YesGo score 26/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · IDR 75,000
- [Gunung Kawi](https://yesgo.io/indonesia/bali/gunung-kawi) — YesGo score 25/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · ≈ IDR 50,000
- [Tirta Empul Temple](https://yesgo.io/indonesia/bali/tirta-empul) — YesGo score 24/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · ≈ IDR 50,000–75,000
- [Ulun Danu Batur Temple](https://yesgo.io/indonesia/bali/ulun-danu-batur) — YesGo score 24/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · ≈ IDR 35,000
- [Goa Lawah Temple](https://yesgo.io/indonesia/bali/goa-lawah) — YesGo score 24/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · ≈ IDR 30,000
- [Uluwatu Temple](https://yesgo.io/indonesia/bali/uluwatu-temple) — YesGo score 23/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · ≈ IDR 50,000–60,000
- [Ulun Danu Beratan Temple](https://yesgo.io/indonesia/bali/ulun-danu-bratan) — YesGo score 23/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · IDR 100,000
- [Besakih Temple](https://yesgo.io/indonesia/bali/besakih) — YesGo score 22/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · IDR 150,000
- [Lempuyang Temple (Gates of Heaven)](https://yesgo.io/indonesia/bali/lempuyang) — YesGo score 20/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · ≈ IDR 100,000 + shuttle
- [Geger Beach](https://yesgo.io/indonesia/bali/geger-beach) — YesGo score 20/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · free or ≈ IDR 5,000–10,000

## West Bali in a day

The Jatiluwih rice terraces in the morning, Taman Ayun at midday and Tanah Lot for sunset. Add it to your trip — YesGo will set the timings and transfers.

1. [Jatiluwih Rice Terraces](https://yesgo.io/indonesia/bali/jatiluwih) — YesGo score 21/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · ≈ IDR 50,000–75,000
2. [Taman Ayun Temple](https://yesgo.io/indonesia/bali/taman-ayun) — YesGo score 26/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · ≈ IDR 30,000–50,000
3. [Tanah Lot Temple](https://yesgo.io/indonesia/bali/tanah-lot) — YesGo score 26/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · IDR 75,000

## Tips

- Walk the path around the inner wall — it has the best views of the merus.
- Come in the morning or after 3 pm; midday is hot.
- Carry rupiah cash for the ticket booth.
- Slot it in on the way: it's on the road west from Ubud.
- Finish at [Tanah Lot](https://yesgo.io/indonesia/bali/tanah-lot) for sunset, about 18 km away.

## Questions

### How much is the Taman Ayun entrance fee?

2026 guides quote IDR 30,000–50,000 for a foreign adult, usually with a sarong included.

### What are Taman Ayun's opening hours?

Roughly 8:00–18:00 daily.

### Can you go inside Taman Ayun Temple?

Not the inner courtyard, which is for worshippers; visitors walk the path around it.

### Where is Taman Ayun Temple?

In central Mengwi, Badung Regency, 17 km from Ubud.

### How do I get to Taman Ayun?

By taxi, Grab, Gojek or car: about 17 km from Ubud and 26 km from Kuta.

### Why is Taman Ayun a UNESCO site?

Its water feeds three subaks; it's been part of the subak World Heritage site since 2012.

### Is Taman Ayun worth visiting?

Yes, as a calm, inexpensive stop on the way to Tanah Lot or the hills.

### How long do you need at Taman Ayun?

About an hour.

## How we checked

History, the meaning of the name, area, courtyard layout, shrines, subaks and the UNESCO listing are from English Wikipedia. 2026 guides quote foreign fees from IDR 20,000 to 50,000; we show the most common range of IDR 30,000–50,000 and mark it unconfirmed. Hours are most often 8:00–18:00, with 9:00–17:00 also quoted. The wantilan pavilion is from guides. Distances are OSRM routes without traffic from Ubud (17 km), Kuta and Seminyak (26 km) and the airport (30 km), and to Tanah Lot (18 km).

## Sources

- English Wikipedia — Pura Taman Ayun: 1634, the Mengwi king, area, moat, merus, UNESCO 2012, subaks
- baliholidaysecrets.com, pickyourtrail.com, heybali.info (2026) — fee and hours (unofficial)
- Wikidata Q1028566 — coordinates; OSRM routing — distances

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