
Things to do in Ubud
Welcome to Ubud
Set in Bali's verdant central foothills amid sculpted rice terraces and swaths of rain forest, Ubud is the island's cultural and spiritual center. Modern Ubud is something of an international hotspot, with a dizzying variety of outdoor activities, shopping spots, day spas, and restaurants serving world cuisine. But its picturesque temples and traditions were luring expats and travelers long before the era of “Eat, Pray, Love,” and Ubud remains proudly Balinese at heart. A village tour will take you to the grand Ubud Palace (Puri Saren Palace), the striking Saraswati Temple, and Ubud Monkey Forest Sanctuary—where you must keep a tight hold on your belongings; the resident macaques have no fear. While these sights should not be missed, Ubud’s lasting charms are its people and traditional culture. This is the place to experience authentic Balinese life: Try out a woodcarving or ceramic-making class; learn Balinese cooking; chat with locals at the market; and make sure to catch a Barong or Keris dance performance—usually accompanied by live gamelan music and drumming. Just an hour north of Denpasar and the international airport, Ubud makes an ideal inland retreat and perfect base from which to explore the highlands. Sacred Hindu sites such as the magnificent Tirta Empul Temple and Goa Gajah (Elephant Cave) are popular day-trip stops, along with Petulu Village, famous for its droves of Kokokan birds. Explore the valley's rich art and handicraft heritage with private tours to nearby artisan villages like Batuan, Batubulan, and Celuk.
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A local’s pocket guide to Ubud

A freelance writer, Theodora has been based in Bali, on and off, for almost a decade and writes regularly about it and other Indonesian islands.
go for a walk. Ubud is about the only place on Bali that’s easy to get around on foot, and the Campuhan Rice Field Walk is a great way to get out in nature.
starts with a yoga class or a spa treatment, involves visiting an art gallery and at least one temple, and wraps up with dinner and drinks at one of the town’s top-notch eateries.
Ubud Monkey Forest. Between the jungle and the gorge and the macaques and the temple statues, it’s as atmospheric and photogenic as it looks.
join a workshop or watch a dance performance at Agung Rai Museum of Art (ARMA). You can try your hand at everything from silversmithing to batik painting.
Ubud’s best views are natural ones of rice terraces and river gorges. Visit Tegalalang Rice Terrace, join a walking tour of the terraces around Campuhan, or go for dinner or drinks beside the Sayan Gorge.
is dressing for the beach instead of for an inland town. While the popular temples all offer sarongs to cover up with, it's best to dress in street clothes instead of beachy ones while sightseeing.
People Also Ask
Ubud is known as Bali’s art and cultural capital, home to galleries, museums, temples, craft shops, an art market, and a palace, as well as bars, cafés, restaurants, and yoga studios. Travelers flock to Ubud Monkey Forest, a temple on a river gorge full of macaques, as well as to Balinese dance performances.
...MoreDepending how long you have in Bali, Ubud is worth 2–5 days. A gallery, a temple, and a rice field hike are essential. Instagrammers love waterfalls such as Tibumana and Tegenungan; history buffs adore the 11th-century Gunung Kawi shrines; foodies won’t want to miss Locavore; while spiritual travelers will be transported.
...MoreUnusually for Bali, central Ubud is compact enough to navigate on foot, although many of the sights are outside walking distance. Rules-based driving can prove dangerous in Balinese traffic, there’s little public transport, and rideshares are banned, so the safest option for exploring further afield is to hire a driver or join a tour.
...MoreOne popular Ubud adventure combines white-water rafting the grade II-III rapids on the Ayung River with an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) backcountry trip. Other options include Hidden Canyon, a scramble through water, rocks, and waterfalls, and the Bali Swing, an Instagram favorite that sends you soaring high above jungle and rice fields.
...MoreThe Kura-Kura bus links Ubud with some south Bali destinations. Without hiring a driver, you can easily explore Ubud Monkey Forest and Ubud Palace, eat Indonesian food at one of many excellent restaurants, discover Balinese art at the ARMA, Puri Lukisan, or NEKA galleries, and stroll the Campuhan Ridge Walk.
...MoreThe Ubud area includes dazzling rice terraces—Tegalalang are most famous—dramatic waterfalls, and the craft villages of Celuk and Mas. Besides Ubud Monkey Forest, cultural sights include Tirta Empul, with its sacred springs, Gunung Kawi, with its ancient shrines, and Goa Gajah, a cave carved with elephants. There are a wealth of art galleries.
...MoreUbud information
Number of Attractions | 23 |
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Number of Tours | 2,006 |
Number of Reviews | 23,316 |
Currency | IDR |
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