Ubud Travel Guide: What To Do in Ubud?
Our first introduction to Bali was in Ubud. We stayed here for a few nights and collected the most useful tips in a travel guide to Ubud Bali. This way you know exactly where to stay, what to do and where to eat in Ubud.
How to Get in Ubud?
At the airport in Denpasar you simply cannot escape the screaming taxi drivers. So accept it or resolutely walk past them and take Grab as an alternative to a regular taxi. We quickly booked one before we had to get past the hordes of taxi drivers and were soon able to get in on the way to Ubud. Please note that this apparently short journey can take up to an hour, as traffic is very dense on the island.
Accommodation in Ubud
We stayed at Shiva House, directly on a nice street in Ubud. In addition to the spacious room with private bathroom, breakfast can be booked with this stay. From Shiva House you can be in the busy center of Ubud within a few minutes.
Around Ubud
Rice terraces and beautiful swings abound in the Ubud area, but did you know you often have to pay an entrance fee here? We mainly undertook free activities in and around Ubud and occasionally we did pay an entrance fee.
1. Rice Fields
The Subak Juwuk Manis, Campuhan and Kajeng rice fields can be visited for free. You can enjoy a lovely and peaceful walk there, without many other tourists. The walks are certainly not long, so everyone can do them!
2. Ubud City Centre
Ubud itself is a nice village where you will find many good and attractive restaurants. You can also shop here, albeit tourist shops everywhere around you. Please note that it can feel a bit busy.
3. Hindu Temples
The predominant religion in Bali is Hinduism and that is why you will find a Hindu temple on just about every street corner. These temples are a lot more austere than the temples in Thailand, for example. To visit one of them, you must borrow a sarong upon arrival and sometimes even hire a local guide. And of course there is an entrance fee for almost every larger temple, which sometimes includes the guide. We visited the following temples: Goa Gajah and Goa Raja.
4. Mount Batur Viewpoint
Not quite close to Ubud, but still worth a visit: Mount Batur viewpoint. You can also climb this famous volcano during sunrise or sunset. We didn’t do that, but we did admire the view on the volcano from the free viewpoint (see our travel itinerary Bali).
Food in Ubud
Before we left for Bali, we read a lot about the so-called Bali-Belly. And yes, in Bali you have to be really careful that your food is thoroughly cooked and that you do not drink tap water. We had a delicious meal every evening in the restaurants near our accommodation and had good experiences with this!
Explore the Area With a Private Driver
We chose not to rent a scooter in Bali, but to go out a few times with a private driver. This means that you will be dropped off at the main sights and that you can look around on your own. We booked a day tour in Ubud with Nyoman and were very satisfied with the day trip, especially because Nyoman spoke good English and was therefore able to tell us a lot about the area.
After Ubud?
After Ubud we traveled to Nusa Penida. This island is within easy traveling distance of Bali and is well worth the trip. You can easily book a crossing via 12goasia or through a local operator. We booked the ferry separately from the taxi and it seems that this ended up being a bit more expensive than if we had booked everything at once.
Feel free to check out our Google Maps Bali for a complete overview of all the places we visited during our trip.
