Ultimate Ubud Itinerary (The 8 Best Things To Do In Ubud, Bali)
Last Updated: August 16 2021
In the uplands of Bali sits the town of Ubud; the centre for Bali’s traditional dances and crafts. From the incredible rice terraces to the amazing temples, there are so many places you can add to your Ubud itinerary.
Ubud is considered the spiritual, healing centre of Bali and that’s probably why this town has such a relaxed and chilled out vibe. We love this beautiful town, and we would go back again and again.
In this blog post we will go through all the destinations you need to visit for the perfect itinerary for Ubud. We will also go through where to stay in Ubud, and how to get around.
Where To Visit On Your Ubud Itinerary – The Top Attractions In Ubud
There are lots of places to see in Ubud so it will depend on how long you are staying. We have put a list together of the top things to do in Ubud if you are only staying a couple of days.
Ubud itinerary map
Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary
The Ubud monkey forest sits just on the fringes of central Ubud. It is home to over 700 long-tailed macaques and is one of Bali’s best known natural sanctuaries.
It is one of the most popular tourist spots here, and a must for any Bali itinerary! As two people from the UK, seeing wild monkeys running around everywhere was very surreal. The sanctuary is known as a place of scientific research and spiritual worship for the locals due to the temples within.
The entrance fee is about 50,000 IDR (about £2.50) for adults and 40,000 IDR for children (about £2). Although the macaques are cute, they can be violent so here are some tips for you!
Tips for the Monkey Sanctuary
- Don’t make eye contact with the macaques because they see it as a threat and can sometimes attack.
- Don’t take any food near the macaques as they will steal it.
- If you have a bag be very careful, as they have gotten pretty good at taking things out of them.
- Be careful if you have a camera, they have been known to grab them!
- If a monkey climbs on you don’t be scared just keep moving because they will soon jump off and move on.
- Don’t try to stroke or touch the monkeys because they are wild.
Tegallalang Rice Terrace
The Tegallalang Rice Terraces are one of the things to see in Ubud that you must not miss. The scenery here is beautiful and due to the Balinese way of irrigation, some of the most beautiful rice paddies in Southeast Asia can be found here.
This rice terrace is probably the most well known in Bali. For this reason it is best to arrive early if you want a quiet visit. There is a cafe located on the higher level of the terraces which is a good spot to grab a drink. There is also a Bali sign here overlooking the terraces.
The entrance fee is 15,000 IDR per person (about £0.70) and 5,000 IDR (£0.25) to park if you have a bike.
Alas Harum Swing
Close to Tegallang Rice Terrace and about 25 minutes away from the town of Ubud is the Alas Harum Swing. Bali is well known for its swings and this is one of the most popular ones. There is no entrance fee, the only fee you pay are for the swings.
The swings are high, and you get some pretty amazing views of the terraces below. The swings include a couple swing, which is the one we chose to go on. It cost us 300,000 IDR (about £15) which may seem steep for Indonesia, but this place is a tourist hotspot.
Alas Harum Swings also has a Luwak coffee plantation where they show you how the coffee is made and give you some tasters. There is also a very small cave, which has a Gorilla face as an entrance which is really cool. There are also plenty of bridges over the terraces which give you incredible views.
Goa Gajah (The Elephant Cave)
Goa Gajah is one of Bali’s most amazing archaeological sites. Near the village of Bedulu, this historic site is one of the best places to see in Ubud.
Goa Gajah is known as the elephant cave, and is a religious complex filled with relics. The entrance to the cave is incredible, with multiple carvings. When you step inside the cave you are met with a strong smell from the incense and the walls are decorated with various symbols and paintings. The site inside the cave is an area for meditation and religious prayers.
You will also find bathing pools and fountains at Goa Gajah. Most structures in the complex link to the Hindu religion with the main God being depicted, Ganesh. The entrance fee is 50,000 IDR (about £2.50) and you will have to wear a sarong to enter the cave. If you don’t own one, the staff here will borrow you one.
Campuhan Ridge Walk
The Campuhan Ridge Walk is the perfect place to relax outside the busy streets of Ubud. The walk is 9km and the perfect way to unwind. The trail is completely free to walk along and is known for it’s beautiful sunrise’s.
The main access point to the ridge is a concrete path just off the main road. You will see small signs that say ‘Going To The Hill’ with arrows pointing you in the right direction. The ridge is lined with palm trees and along the way you can see Pura Gunung Lebah Temple.
Taman Saraswati Temple
Taman Saraswati Temple is another must do in Ubud. The temple has a traditional Balinese architecture and is a water temple. The pond either side of the temple has beautiful lotus flowers and when they are in full bloom, they are a beautiful pink colour.
The temple is free to enter but like most temples in Bali, you will need to wear a sarong around your waist. Taman Saraswati has become a popular spot with the locals and with tourists so it can get quite busy. You may want to get here early to avoid the crowds.
Traditional dancing performances are also a regular occurrence in the evenings. To find the temple head to the Jalan Kajeng side street, which is just off the main road (Jalan Raya Ubud).
Tegenungan Waterfall
About a 30 minute drive away from central Ubud, Tengenungan Waterfall is one of the most impressive waterfalls in the area. The entrance fee is 15,000 IDR (about £0.75).
The waterfall is beautiful and if the weather is nice you can even go for a dip at the bottom! At the bottom of the waterfall, there are also some really nice spots to take some photos.
There are signs at the bottom of the waterfall, that you can take pictures with. Tegenungan waterfall is one of the best things to do in Ubud. Well technically the waterfall isn’t in Ubud, but it is only a short drive away.
Mount Batar Viewpoint
Mount Batur is one of Bali’s active volcanoes, with the other being Mount Agung. If you want to get a great view of Mount Batur, then head to Kintamani restaurant.
The restaurant had a rooftop terrace overlooking the volcano. You can get a great view of Mount Batur from here, and they have a buffet here too. We chose to sit here and have a Bintang.
Other things to do in Ubud, Bali (more things to add to your Ubud itinerary)
There are lots of other things to do in Ubud if you have more time on your hands. Here are just a few options for you to add to your Ubud itnerary:
- Sign up for a Balinese cooking class
- Join one of Ubud’s many Yoga classes
- Go white water rafting
- Visit Gunung Kawi temple
- Witness one of Bali’s traditional dances
How to get around Ubud
You can get around Ubud quite easily. Most people choose to hire a scooter as it is a great way to get around. It offers you freedom and they are cheap. The prices are around 30,000-50,000 IDR (£1-3) a day plus your fuel. However, if like us you aren’t keen on hiring a scooter, you can book an Ubud tour.
We booked an Ubud sightseeing tour with a guy called Tama. We wrote a post on these tours here if you would like to check them out. If you want to book a tour we always recommend Tama to anybody visiting Bali as he is incredible.
Getting to Ubud
Getting to Ubud is relatively easy. If you don’t want to rent a motorbike, you can get there by taxi. Bali has a lot of different taxi companies but the most trustworthy one is Bluebird. Uber and Grab are disliked a lot by the locals, so it is best to stick with bluebird.
Bluebird taxi’s are very distinct; they are a sky blue colour with a logo of a bird on the side and the top. Some taxi companies pretend to be bluebird taxi’s but the fake ones are easily distinguishable. The best thing to do is download the bluebird taxi app.
This will allow you to book a journey and see how much it will cost you. The app can sometimes be tempermental but you can still check how much a journey will cost on the app and then try to haggle with another driver.
We came from Canggu and the journey cost us 280,000 IDR (£14). The traffic in Bali can be horrendous at times so the journey did take nearly 2 hours so keep this in mind. If you don’t have a scooter, we recommend travelling around all of Bali this way. There are little public minibuses but they are very few and far between, and we couldn’t find much information on them!
Onward travel from Ubud
From Ubud, we went on to Sanur and in all honestly, it wasn’t all that. We travelled there on a recommendation from another tourist who said it was amazing. To us, Sanur was a place that we would only enjoy if staying in a luxury hotel.
We would recommend you to consider heading to Uluwatu instead. We wish we had gone straight there as Uluwatu is beautiful! Other options include Seminyak, Canggu, Kuta and travelling further up north to the likes of Lovina.
Where to stay in Ubud
The amount of places to stay in Ubud is endless and some of them are truly unique.
If you are a budget traveller like us you will want something that is nice but budget-friendly. We believe we found the perfect place. Merthayasa Bungalows is spot on for any budget traveller going to Ubud. We paid roughly £12 a night for a lovely room, complimentary breakfast and a pool right outside our front door!
If you are looking for somewhere more expensive and luxurious here are some options for you.
Medium budget
Tanah Merah Art Resort- £33 for a deluxe studio, pool access and breakfast.
Bliss Ubud Spa Resort- £34 for a deluxe garden room, pool access and breakfast.
Luxury budget
Cahaya Indah Villas- £62 a night for a Sakura Villa with a private pool.
Adiwana Unagi Suites- £74 a night for a club room with afternoon tea and access to the pool.
If you are looking for what to do in Ubud, Bali there are so many options! We have gone through some of the best things to do in Ubud, that we really enjoyed.
If you are travelling to Bali, we definitely recommend visiting this beautiful town. There are so many things to add to your Ubud itinerary, so get exploring!
Thank you for reading,
Safe travels,
Jack & Abbie
P.S If you want to follow our travels, you can find our Instagram here
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I’m one half of Acouplescalling. I'm passionate about all things travel and photography and I love sharing my experiences with others. I've seen a lot of the world already and I want to help as many people as I can do the same thing!
