Denpasar is the largest and busiest city on the island and originally developed from a trading center. The name means "east of the market." It is the headquarters for the government, the media, the island's principal banks, airline offices, and hospitals. A hot, dusty, cacophonous city, Denpasar has grown fifteen-fold over the past 10 years.

The inhabitants consist of Bali's original gentry, the priest class, and the new Balinese techno and bureaucratic elites; as well as Indonesians drawn from other islands to this economic magnet. Denpasar is one of Indonesia's most fully integrated and tolerant cities, with separate kampungs of Bugis, Arabs, Indians, Chinese, Madurese, and Javanese. Without doubt it is the richest, most important city in Eastern Indonesia. Denpasar city has some good facilities and accommodation.