Amlapura Palace

Most of the temples and palaces we’ve seen in Bali were built in traditional styles. The exception is the palace of the last two kings of Karangasem (eastern Bali) in Amlapura, which was built in the late 1800s in a mix of Chinese and European styles. Some members of the royal family still live nearby, but the central palace has been unoccupied since 1966, when the last king died. Today, the buildings are reserved for ceremonies and visits by the occasional tourist. (The last king loved to design water gardens; don’t miss the Tirta Gangga gallery for photos of one of his most beautiful creations.)