3 Best Sights in Indonesia

Ubud is Bali's arts center, and Neka Museum traces the island's painting history. Arranged like a family compound in separate pavilions in a garden, the museum illustrates the evolution of painting in Bali, including the influence of prominent foreign and Indonesian artists who have lived here. One wing showcases Java's Abdul Aziz, who evocatively depicted everyday Balinese. Upstairs, there's a veritable greatest hits gallery dedicated to Bali's resident international masters, including Antonio Blanco and Rudolf Bonnet.

Take a primer course in the fine arts of Bali at Pasifika Museum. The 350 piece collection, mainly paintings, includes legendary Balinese and foreign artists. Big names Adrien Jean Le Mayeur, Theo Maier, Miguel Covarrubias and Donald Friend—the latter two perhaps better known for their writing about Bali—are well represented. Rather oddly, artworks are arranged by the artists' country of birth, rather than chronologically or by subject or region depicted. Works from Pacific islands and Indochina are also displayed. The museum injects needed local culture into Nusa Dua, a government-developed five-star hotel complex about 9 miles (15 kilometers) from Kuta at the southern tip of Bali that lacks island character.

Batik, intricately woven ikat, and gold-threaded songket from the fabric of Indonesian culture are the star subjects of the Textile Museum (Museum Tekstil), which showcases vintage and modern fabric creations from across the nation inside an elegant 19th-century mansion. Beware that cab drivers often miss the entrance amid the colorful flea market lining the street. The museum's extensive collection, which could stand upgraded maintenance and displays, includes a wide selection of batik, an Indonesian innovation that's now renowned globally. Draw inspiration from the collection to create your own batik. Museum staff guide you through the process, including design, waxing, dyeing, boiling (the cloth, not you), and drying, so you can wear your creation proudly.