The best things to do in Bali are not the ones with the longest queues, and after several trips I have a fairly firm view on which experiences justify a 4am alarm and which are just a photograph you could have taken from the car park. This is my working list of 25, ordered by category rather than ranked, with what each one costs, when to go and who it actually suits.
A word on booking, because it applies to almost all the things to do in Bali below. Some need to be arranged in advance because places genuinely sell out, some are better done on the day with a driver you trust, and a few are free if you can get yourself there. I have flagged which is which, because that distinction saves more money than any discount code.
Best things to do in Bali if you only have a week
In short: Uluwatu Temple at sunset, the Mount Batur sunrise trek, a Nusa Penida day trip, a cooking class in Ubud, and one long slow afternoon at a beach on the Bukit. Five things, seven days, and you will have seen the island properly.
Bali temples worth making the trip for
There are thousands of Bali temples and most travellers see four or five. These are the ones I would prioritise, and the Bali temples that reward an early start rather than a mid-afternoon coach stop.
1. Uluwatu Temple and the Kecak fire dance
A clifftop temple 70 metres above the sea, and at 6pm an open amphitheatre next to it fills for a Kecak performance where around 50 men chant the Ramayana without a single instrument. It is genuinely gripping, not a tourist pantomime. Tickets are around 150,000 rupiah, entry to the temple a little less. Arrive by 5pm for a decent seat, keep your sunglasses and loose earrings away from the monkeys, and read my full Uluwatu and Kecak guide before you go.
2. Tanah Lot at sunset
A sea temple on a rock that becomes an island at high tide. It is crowded, commercialised and still worth an hour, because the silhouette at sunset earns its reputation. Go on a rising tide, walk past the main viewing platform to the cliff path on the left, and skip the market on the way in.
3. Tirta Empul holy spring
An 11th century water temple near Tampaksiring where Balinese Hindus queue at stone spouts for a purification ritual called melukat. Visitors can take part, but do it properly: hire a guide at the entrance, wear the sarong they provide, bring a change of clothes, and follow the order of the spouts rather than treating it as a swimming pool. Go before 9am.
4. Besakih, the mother temple
Bali’s largest and holiest temple complex, sitting on the slopes of Mount Agung at around 1,000 metres. The scale is the point, terrace after terrace of shrines climbing the mountainside. Ticketing and guide arrangements here have historically been pushy, so book through a driver or a proper tour rather than negotiating at the gate.
5. Lempuyang, if you know what you are getting
The famous gates with Mount Agung framed between them. The reflection in the photograph does not exist. It is a mirror held under a phone lens by the staff, and the queue for that shot regularly runs two to three hours. The temple itself is beautiful and the drive out east is lovely. Go for the temple, not the picture, and arrive at 6am if you want both.
Volcanoes, waterfalls and rice terraces
6. The Mount Batur sunrise trek
Pickup around 2am, two hours of walking in the dark, and then sunrise over Lake Batur and Mount Agung from a crater rim at 1,717 metres. It is not technical and there is no altitude risk, but it is a real hike on loose volcanic gravel. Group treks run roughly 35 to 55 US dollars including transfer and a summit breakfast cooked in the steam vents. A licensed local guide is mandatory. Dry season only if you want the view. Details and operator advice are in my Mount Batur trek guide.
7. Sekumpul waterfall
The best waterfall on the island and the one that requires effort: a long drive north, a steep descent, a river crossing and a climb back out that will tell you how fit you are. Multiple falls drop into one green amphitheatre. Half a day minimum. Do not attempt it in flip-flops, and skip it entirely after heavy rain.
8. Tukad Cepung, the cave waterfall
Water falling through a gap in a cave roof with a shaft of light behind it, between roughly 9am and 11am when the sun is at the right angle. Small, busy and genuinely striking. Twenty minutes of walking each way. More options are in my roundup of the best waterfalls in Bali.
9. Tegallalang rice terraces at dawn
Twenty minutes north of Ubud, spectacular in photographs and swamped by 9am, with a small donation requested at several points along the path. Arrive at 6.30am and it is a different place entirely: mist in the valley, farmers working, nobody on the swings.
10. Jatiluwih, the terraces that deserve the trip
Far larger, far quieter, and part of the UNESCO-listed subak landscape, the thousand-year-old irrigation system that Balinese farming still runs on. There are walking loops of one to three hours through working fields. If you have time for only one rice terrace, make it this one.
11. Campuhan Ridge Walk
A free two kilometre path along a grass ridge between two rivers, starting in central Ubud. Best at 6.30am before the heat. Forty minutes out, coffee at the top, forty minutes back. The simplest good thing on this entire list.
Beaches, surf and the water
12. A surf lesson you will actually remember
Bali is one of the best places on earth to learn. Group lessons at Kuta, Canggu or Seminyak run around 350,000 to 500,000 rupiah for two hours with a board included. In the wet season the east coast at Sanur and Nusa Dua is softer and better for beginners. My beginner surfing guide covers where to learn by season.
13. Diving the Liberty wreck at Tulamben
A US Army transport ship torpedoed in 1942, lying 30 metres off a black pebble beach and reachable by walking in from the shore. You can snorkel the shallow end at five metres or dive the full hull. Genuinely one of the most accessible wreck dives anywhere. Best from April to November.
14. Manta rays at Nusa Penida
Manta Point on the south coast of Nusa Penida has resident manta rays year round, with the most consistent sightings from April to October. Snorkel trips run about 30 to 50 US dollars from the island. The water is colder than you expect and the swell can be big, so it is not the trip for nervous swimmers.
15. Snorkelling the Blue Lagoon at Padangbai
A small protected cove on the east coast with calm, clear water and enough fish to keep children entertained for an hour. Reachable independently, cheap, and a much easier morning than a boat trip. Go early before the day boats arrive.
16. A whole afternoon at a Bukit beach
Melasti, Padang Padang, Nyang Nyang, Green Bowl. White sand at the bottom of limestone cliffs, most of them reached by a long staircase. Take one, stay for five hours, do nothing. This is the thing most people wish they had done more of, and my list of the best beaches in Bali ranks them by effort required.
Bali day trips to the islands
17. Nusa Penida
Kelingking Beach, Angel’s Billabong, Broken Beach and Diamond Beach, plus roads that are genuinely rough. These are the most photographed Bali attractions of the lot. It is the most photographed day trip in Bali and the most rushed: a 30 minute fast boat each way, then a scramble between viewpoints. Staying one night makes it a far better experience. Full costs and a route are in my Nusa Penida day trip guide.
18. Nusa Lembongan and Ceningan
Smaller, flatter and far more relaxed than Penida. Cycle between the two islands over the yellow bridge, snorkel at Mangrove Point, watch the sunset from Dream Beach. Better as two nights than as one of the rushed Bali day trips that tries to combine all three islands.
19. The Gili Islands
Two and a half hours by fast boat, no cars or motorbikes on any of the three, and green turtles you can snorkel with straight off the beach. Not a day trip, and anyone selling it as one is wasting your money. Give it three nights. My Gili Islands guide explains which island to pick.
Culture, food and things to do in Bali after dark
20. A Balinese cooking class
The best value experience on the island, at roughly 350,000 to 600,000 rupiah for four or five hours. The good ones start at a morning market, explain the base spice pastes, and send you home able to actually make lawar, sate lilit and base genep. Pick a class held in a family compound rather than a hotel kitchen.
21. Ubud Monkey Forest
A genuine forest sanctuary with three temples inside it and around 1,200 long-tailed macaques. Worth an hour for the moss-covered stonework as much as the monkeys. Carry nothing loose, no plastic bags, no food, no sunglasses on your head. They will take them.
22. Grilled seafood on the sand at Jimbaran
Tables on the beach at sunset, fish picked from ice and grilled over coconut husk. It is touristy and prices are per kilogram, so confirm the weight and price before they cook. Cheaper and better at the northern end away from the big hotels.
23. One beach club, chosen carefully
Minimum spends run from 300,000 to well over 1,000,000 rupiah depending on the day and the day bed. Worth doing once for a sunset. Not worth doing three times. My Bali nightlife guide compares the main ones by cost and crowd.
24. A proper Balinese massage
A local spa charges around 100,000 to 200,000 rupiah an hour and is often as good as the resort version at five times the price. Deep, firm and not particularly gentle. See my Bali spa guide for what to book where.
25. A village ceremony, if you are lucky enough to be invited
Ceremonies happen constantly and are not tourist events, but temple anniversaries and processions are frequently open to respectful visitors. Wear a sarong and sash, stand at the back, never in front of someone praying, and ask your host or driver first. Nothing else on this list comes close.
What things to do in Bali actually cost
| Experience | Typical price | Book ahead? |
|---|---|---|
| Kecak dance ticket | 150,000 IDR | Same day is fine, arrive early |
| Mount Batur group trek | $35 to $55 | Yes, 2 to 5 days |
| Nusa Penida day trip with boat | $55 to $90 | Yes, a week in peak season |
| Manta snorkel trip | $30 to $50 | Yes, a few days |
| Cooking class | 350,000 to 600,000 IDR | Yes, 2 to 3 days |
| Surf lesson, 2 hours | 350,000 to 500,000 IDR | Same day |
| Private driver, 10 hours | 600,000 to 900,000 IDR | A day ahead |
| Balinese massage, 1 hour | 100,000 to 200,000 IDR | No |
| Campuhan Ridge Walk | Free | No |
Indicative 2026 prices for the main Bali attractions and tours. Peak season and hotel concierge bookings run higher.
Booking Bali tours versus hiring a driver
This is the decision that changes the cost of your Bali tours most. A private driver for a full day costs 600,000 to 900,000 rupiah for the car and driver regardless of how many of you there are, and you decide the route. For temples, waterfalls and rice terraces, that beats a packaged tour every time, particularly for a group of three or four.
Booked Bali tours make sense when the experience needs equipment, a licensed guide or a boat: the Batur trek, diving, manta snorkelling, cooking classes, and anything on Nusa Penida. Book those properly. Everything else, take the driver. I have compared the main options in my Bali day tours guide.
Bali attractions I would skip
- Swing parks. Roughly 300,000 to 500,000 rupiah for a photograph on a swing over a valley you can see for free from the road.
- Luwak coffee plantations. The tasting is a sales floor, and the welfare of caged civets is a real problem. Buy coffee at a roastery instead.
- Waterbom and the big water parks, unless you have children, in which case it is genuinely good.
- Elephant and captive animal attractions. Bali is not elephant habitat, and the animals were brought here for tourism.
- Anything sold as a five-temple day. Two sites in a day, done slowly, beats five seen through a windscreen.
The best things to do in Bali tend to be the ones with an early alarm and a bit of walking attached, and the worst are usually the ones being sold hardest at the entrance to somewhere else. Build your days around two proper experiences rather than six, keep the afternoons loose, and let a ceremony or a beach take over when it does. If you are still planning the trip itself, my Bali travel guide for first-time visitors, the area guide and the month-by-month weather guide cover everything around this list.
Frequently asked questions
What is the number one thing to do in Bali?
Uluwatu Temple with the Kecak fire dance at sunset. It combines the best clifftop setting on the island with a live performance that is genuinely absorbing, it costs around 150,000 rupiah, and it takes one evening.
How many days do I need to see the main Bali attractions?
Seven to ten days covers the main things to do in Bali without rushing. Five days lets you see the south and Ubud properly. Ten gives you time for Nusa Penida, the east coast and a slower pace. Anything under five means choosing one region and staying there.
Do I need to book Bali tours in advance?
Only for the ones that need a guide, equipment or a boat. Book the Mount Batur trek, diving, manta snorkelling, cooking classes and Nusa Penida trips a few days ahead, more in July and August. Temples, beaches and waterfalls need nothing but a driver.
What are the best free things to do in Bali?
The Campuhan Ridge Walk, sunset from any Bukit clifftop, wandering a morning market, watching a temple procession, and most beaches. Bali is expensive in the places built for visitors and close to free everywhere else.
Is the Mount Batur trek still allowed?
Yes. A blanket ban on mountain activities was announced by the provincial governor in 2023 but was never enforced, and treks have run continuously since. A licensed local guide is required, which is a sensible rule rather than an obstacle.
Which Bali day trips are worth it?
Nusa Penida if you accept it will be rushed, Sekumpul waterfall, and a temple-plus-rice-terrace day with a private driver. Skip anything advertising four or more sites, and treat the Gili Islands as an overnight rather than a day out.
Are the Bali temples free to enter?
Most charge a small entry fee, generally 30,000 to 100,000 rupiah, which usually includes sarong hire. Dress modestly with shoulders and knees covered, and do not enter the inner courtyards, which are reserved for worshippers.
