The best Bali itinerary moves only two or three times: a beach base in the south, a few nights in Ubud for the rice terraces and temples, and then either the east coast, the north or an island. Five days covers the south and Ubud, seven adds the Uluwatu sunset kecak and a Nusa Penida day trip, ten reaches Sidemen, Tirta Gangga and Amed, and fourteen lets you slow down and add Nusa Lembongan or the Gilis. Every route below budgets for Bali’s real travel times, which are long: 60 km (37 miles) from Canggu to Amed is a three-hour drive, and Canggu to Ubud alone takes 1.5 hours in daytime traffic.
How to get around Bali#
Private driver
A car with an English-speaking driver costs IDR 600,000-800,000 (USD 35-47) for 8-10 hours including fuel and parking. Best for moving base with luggage and for full-day loops.
Gojek and Grab
Motorbike rides IDR 10,000-25,000, cars IDR 30,000-80,000 around the south and Ubud. Ubud centre, Padangbai port, Kelingking and a few villages are “taxi mafia” zones where app drivers cannot pick up; walk 300 m out or pay the local rate.
Scooter
IDR 70,000-120,000 a day. You legally need a motorcycle licence plus an International Driving Permit, and police checkpoints in Canggu and Kuta fine riders without them. Helmet always, and skip it if you have never ridden.
Fast boats
Sanur to Nusa Penida or Lembongan 30-45 minutes, IDR 170,000-250,000 one way. Padangbai to the Gili Islands and Lombok 1.5-2.5 hours, IDR 400,000-700,000.
Airport transfers
Fixed-rate airport taxis cost IDR 150,000-250,000 to the south, IDR 350,000-450,000 to Ubud. Grab and Gojek pick up from a signed point outside the terminal for 30-40 percent less.
Traffic reality
Airport to Seminyak 30-60 minutes, to Canggu 45-90, to Ubud 1.5-2 hours, to Uluwatu 45-75. Rain and ceremonies add more. Move base in the morning, never at 5pm.
5 days in Bali: first-timer's south and Ubud#
Base yourself in Seminyak (beach clubs, restaurants, walkable) or Canggu (surf, cafes, younger crowd) for three nights, then move to Ubud for two. Keep the big temple day for the drive between them so you never backtrack. This pace is relaxed: one main activity in the morning, beach or pool from 2pm when the heat and traffic peak.
| Day | Plan | Sleep |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Land at Ngurah Rai, transfer to Seminyak or Canggu (30-90 min). Beach walk, sunset at Batu Bolong or Seminyak beach, dinner on Jalan Kayu Aya. | Seminyak or Canggu, mid-range hotel or villa |
| 2 | Morning surf lesson (two hours, IDR 350,000-500,000), brunch, then pool. Late afternoon Tanah Lot (45 min from Canggu) for sunset; it is crowded but worth it. | Same |
| 3 | Driver day (IDR 650,000) to Ubud via Taman Ayun, Tegallalang rice terraces and Tirta Empul; check in by 4pm, walk the Campuhan Ridge at sunset. | Ubud centre, guesthouse or boutique hotel |
| 4 | Monkey Forest at 9am before the tour buses, Ubud Palace and the art market, Saraswati Temple, then a cooking class or spa afternoon. Legong dance at the palace at 7.30pm. | Ubud |
| 5 | Early Goa Gajah or Gunung Kawi, then 1.5-2 hours to the airport. Leave Ubud at least four hours before an international flight. | Fly out |
Cost per person, two sharing: about IDR 7,000,000-9,500,000 (USD 410-560) for five days at mid-range, including a driver day, one tour, meals and local transport, excluding flights. A backpacker version in hostels and warungs runs IDR 3,500,000-4,500,000 (USD 205-265).
7 days: the classic Bali loop#
The week adds the Bukit Peninsula and a Nusa Penida day trip to the five-day route, and switches the order so you finish by the sea with the airport 45 minutes away. Ubud first means you do the cultural sightseeing while you are fresh from the flight.
| Day | Plan | Sleep |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Airport to Ubud by taxi or pre-booked driver (1.5-2 hours). Evening walk through the centre, dinner on Jalan Goutama. | Ubud, 3 nights |
| 2 | Driver loop: Tegallalang at 8am, Tirta Empul, Gunung Kawi, lunch overlooking the caldera at Penelokan, back via a coffee plantation. 8 hours, IDR 700,000 for the car. | Ubud |
| 3 | Optional Mount Batur sunrise trek (2am pickup, back by 10am, IDR 600,000-800,000 per person in a small group) or sleep in, Monkey Forest and spa. | Ubud |
| 4 | Move to Sanur (1 hour), fast boat to Nusa Penida for a west-coast tour: Kelingking viewpoint, Angel’s Billabong, Broken Beach, snorkel stop at Crystal Bay. Overnight on the island avoids the day-trip crush. | Nusa Penida, guesthouse near Toyapakeh |
| 5 | Morning manta-point snorkel trip (IDR 350,000-500,000 shared boat), boat back to Sanur, driver to Uluwatu (1.5 hours). Sunset at Padang Padang. | Uluwatu or Bingin, cliff hotel or surf lodge |
| 6 | Beach morning at Bingin or Balangan, seafood lunch, then Uluwatu Temple at 5pm for the kecak fire dance at 6pm (IDR 150,000, buy at the gate from 4pm or online). | Uluwatu |
| 7 | Slow breakfast, Jimbaran beach or GWK park, airport in 30-45 minutes. | Fly out |
Cost per person, two sharing, mid-range: IDR 10,000,000-13,500,000 (USD 590-795), including the Penida boat and tour, one driver loop and the kecak. Add IDR 700,000-1,500,000 for the Batur trek depending on group size.
10 days: adding east Bali#
Ten days earns you the quiet east: Sidemen’s rice valley under Mount Agung, the water palace at Tirta Gangga, the “gate of heaven” at Pura Lempuyang, and Amed’s black-sand snorkelling coast. The alternative, if you prefer mountains to sea, is Munduk and the north: swap days 7-9 for Bedugul, Ulun Danu Bratan, Lake Tamblingan, Sekumpul and Lovina.
| Day | Plan | Sleep |
|---|---|---|
| 1-3 | Ubud as in the 7-day route (airport, driver loop, Batur or rest day). | Ubud |
| 4 | Driver east (1.5 hours) via Klungkung Palace in Semarapura to Sidemen; afternoon walk through the rice terraces, ikat weaving workshops in the village. | Sidemen, rice-field guesthouse |
| 5 | Day trip to Besakih (45 min; go before 9am, hire the official guide), back for a cooking class or river walk. | Sidemen |
| 6 | Drive to Amed (1.5 hours) stopping at Lempuyang (shuttle from the car park, queue for the gate photo is 1-2 hours by 9am, so arrive at 7) and Tirta Gangga. Afternoon snorkel at Jemeluk Bay. | Amed, beachfront bungalow |
| 7 | Snorkel or dive the USAT Liberty wreck at Tulamben (20 min north); sunset from the Jemeluk viewpoint with Agung behind. | Amed |
| 8 | Drive to Sanur (2.5 hours), fast boat to Nusa Penida. | Nusa Penida |
| 9 | Penida west coast and mantas, late boat to Sanur, driver to Uluwatu. | Uluwatu |
| 10 | Beach morning, kecak sunset if your flight is late, or airport. | Fly out |
Cost per person, two sharing, mid-range: IDR 14,000,000-18,500,000 (USD 825-1,090). East Bali is the cheapest leg: homestays with Agung views cost IDR 300,000-600,000 and a full dinner is IDR 80,000.
14 days: slow Bali plus the islands#
Two weeks lets you stay three or four nights everywhere and add a proper island stay. Choose between the Nusa islands (short crossings, cheap, dramatic cliffs, limited swimming) and the Gili Islands off Lombok (longer, pricier crossing from Padangbai, white sand, car-free, turtles off the beach).
| Day | Plan | Sleep |
|---|---|---|
| 1-3 | Canggu or Pererenan: surf, cafes, Tanah Lot sunset, a day trip to Jatiluwih and Batukaru temple (2 hours each way, few tourists). | Canggu, 3 nights |
| 4-7 | Ubud, four nights: driver loop, Batur sunrise, a free day for yoga, the Neka or ARMA museums, and a Campuhan Ridge sunrise. | Ubud |
| 8-9 | Sidemen then Amed as in the 10-day route (or Munduk and Lovina). | Sidemen, Amed |
| 10-12 | Islands option A: fast boat from Padangbai to Gili Air or Gili Trawangan (1.5-2.5 hours, IDR 400,000-700,000), three nights of snorkelling and bicycles. Option B: Sanur to Nusa Lembongan, two nights, cross the yellow bridge to Nusa Ceningan, a Penida day tour by boat, one night on Penida. | Gili Air or Lembongan |
| 13 | Boat back (Gili boats land at Padangbai or Serangan, 2-3 hours; allow a full day), driver to Uluwatu or Jimbaran. | Uluwatu or Jimbaran |
| 14 | Beach, kecak if you missed it, airport. | Fly out |
Cost per person, two sharing, mid-range: IDR 19,000,000-26,000,000 (USD 1,120-1,530) with Lembongan, roughly IDR 2,000,000 more with the Gilis because of the longer boats. Slow travel also saves money: weekly villa and guesthouse rates run 20-30 percent below nightly ones, and you need fewer driver days.
Adapting the itineraries#
- Honeymoon: split a week between a Sayan or Payangan rice-valley resort outside Ubud and a cliff hotel at Uluwatu or Nusa Dua; skip Kuta entirely. Book a private driver for every move and a floating breakfast once, not daily.
- Families with kids: base at Sanur or Nusa Dua (calm, reef-protected swimming) rather than the surf coast, keep driving days under three hours, and add Waterbom in Kuta, the Bali Bird Park and the Bali Safari park near Gianyar. Skip Nusa Penida’s cliff beaches with children under ten.
- Surfers: Canggu or Uluwatu in the dry season (April-October, west coast), Medewi for a long left away from crowds, and Nusa Lembongan or the east coast in the wet season when the swell and wind switch. Keranjang (Kuta’s beach break) is the beginner zone year-round.
- Rainy season (November-March): mornings are usually dry, so do temples and treks before noon and keep afternoons for spas, cooking classes and museums. Expect fast-boat cancellations in January and February, and build a spare day before any flight. Prices drop 20-40 percent.
- Nyepi: Bali’s day of silence falls around 8 March 2027 (check the date, as sources differ by a day). Everything closes for 24 hours from 6am, including the airport, and you must stay inside your hotel. Plan to be somewhere with a pool and a restaurant, and watch the ogoh-ogoh parades the evening before.
- Budget: replace driver days with scooter days where you are confident, take the Perama shuttle bus between Ubud, Sanur, Padangbai and Lovina (IDR 75,000-150,000), and overnight on Penida rather than paying for a packaged day trip.
- Avoiding the south’s traffic: stay in Pererenan or Seseh rather than central Canggu, go to Uluwatu’s beaches before 10am, never cross the Canggu “shortcut” between 4pm and 7pm, and do airport runs from Ubud via the Sunset Road toll-free route your driver will know, allowing two hours.
Hire the same driver for every transfer and day trip and negotiate a multi-day rate. Drivers found through your guesthouse charge IDR 600,000-700,000 a day, know which temple car parks have app-driver bans, and will wait while you snorkel or hike, so you avoid the port and viewpoint touts entirely.
Where these routes go#
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More Bali guides#
Bali travel guide 路 Arts & Crafts 路 Beaches 路 Best Time 路 Costs 路 Culture 路 Food 路 Nightlife 路 Shopping 路 Temples 路 Where to Stay
Bali itinerary FAQs#
How many days do you need in Bali?
Seven days is the minimum to see the south, Ubud and one more region without rushing; ten lets you add east Bali or the north, and fourteen adds an island stay. Five days works if you accept two bases only, usually Seminyak or Canggu plus Ubud.
Is Bali good for a first-time visitor?
Yes, as long as you plan for traffic and heat. Pick two bases, hire a driver for the moving days, do sightseeing before 11am and leave afternoons free. English is spoken everywhere in the tourist areas and Grab or Gojek make short trips easy.
Should I stay in Ubud or the beach first?
Ubud first works best: you do the temple and terrace sightseeing while fresh, and finish at the coast 30-60 minutes from the airport. Flights into Bali often land late in the evening, in which case spend the first night near the airport in Sanur or Jimbaran and move to Ubud the next morning.
Is it worth renting a scooter in Bali?
Only if you already ride, hold a motorcycle licence with an International Driving Permit, and stay off the main highways. Scooters cost IDR 70,000-120,000 a day and make Canggu, Ubud and Amed easy. Without the licence your travel insurance will refuse an accident claim, and roadside police fines of IDR 250,000-1,000,000 are routine.
How do I get from Bali to Nusa Penida?
Fast boats leave Sanur harbour from 7am every 30-60 minutes, take 30-45 minutes and cost IDR 170,000-250,000 one way; book online the day before in July, August and over Christmas. From Padangbai a slower public boat runs to Nusa Penida’s Sampalan for about IDR 50,000.
Can I do Nusa Penida as a day trip?
Yes, and most people do: boat at 7.30am, a shared car tour of the west coast, boat back at 4pm, IDR 700,000-1,100,000 per person all in. Staying one night gives you Kelingking before the crowds arrive at 10am and a morning manta snorkel, for roughly the same money.
What is the best Bali itinerary for 7 days?
Three nights in Ubud, one on Nusa Penida and three at Uluwatu or Seminyak, moving by private driver and fast boat. It covers temples, rice terraces, the Batur sunrise option, the island cliffs and a surf-coast sunset, with the airport under an hour from your last hotel.
What should I skip in Bali if I am short on time?
Skip Kuta (traffic and crowds), the Bali Swing style photo stops at Tegallalang, and Besakih if you are already visiting Lempuyang and Uluwatu. Lovina’s dolphin boats involve a long drive for a crowded 6am chase, so leave them for a northern loop.