Bali in 7 days: Ubud and the south coast, with one day trip

Two bases, one change of hotel

Put Ubud first and the coast last. Ubud is where the busy days are: early starts for the terraces, temple visits and dance performances after dark. The south coast is where you slow down, and it is next to I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, so the final morning is a short ride rather than a long drive across the island. The Ministry of Tourism puts Jimbaran about 15 minutes from the airport, Sanur about 20 minutes by taxi and Uluwatu temple 45 minutes to an hour, depending on traffic.

In Ubud, decide between the centre and the fields. The ministry's Ubud page notes that you can stay right in town, close to the restaurants and performances, or off the centre among the rice fields, where it is quieter but you will need a ride in. For a four-night stay with evening dance and dinner on foot, the centre or the Padangtegal side near the Monkey Forest is the practical choice.

On the coast, choose by what you want from the last three days. The Uluwatu and Pecatu area on the Bukit Peninsula is for cliff views, surf and the temple; Jimbaran has a reef-protected, 4 km bay and the beach seafood dinners; Sanur has shallow lagoons sheltered by offshore reefs, a paved beachfront path of about 5 km and the fast boats to the Nusa islands. Pick one of them: they are different trips, and the drive between the Bukit and Sanur eats into a short stay.

Days 1–3: Ubud on foot, then the terraces and the Tampaksiring temples

Treat the arrival day as a transfer. No official journey time from the airport to Ubud is published, and the ministry warns that prepaid airport cabs can be expensive; a hotel pick-up or a pre-booked driver is the easiest option after a long flight. If you land late at night, there is no shame in heading straight to bed and starting the next morning.

Give day 2 to the town itself. When we checked on 2026-10-03, the Monkey Forest's official site listed opening hours of 9:00 to 18:00 with last entry at 17:00, and admission of IDR 130,000 for adults and IDR 100,000 for children. Arrive at opening time, keep your belongings secure from the macaques, then walk up to the palace and the market. Museum Puri Lukisan, with Balinese painting from the classical styles to modern work by artists such as I Gusti Nyoman Lempad, fills the hot middle of the day. In the evening, see a performance: the ministry lists Pura Dalem Ubud and the Padang Tegal stage among the places where the kecak is staged.

Day 3 is for the countryside, starting early. Tegallalang's terraces are about a 20-minute drive north of Ubud according to the ministry, and it suggests 30 minutes to an hour and a half to walk down and across them; bring cash for the small local payments. From there, Gunung Kawi and Tirta Empul sit close together in Tampaksiring, about half a mile apart. Gunung Kawi's 11th-century shrines are carved into the cliffs of the Pakerisan valley and reached by around 300 steps. At Tirta Empul, the melukat purification in the spring-fed pools is open to visitors of any faith; when we checked, the ministry listed adult entry at IDR 50,000, with sarongs available to borrow or rent at the entrance. Bring a change of clothes if you plan to go into the water.

If you prefer walking to driving, swap Tegallalang for the Campuhan ridge path just outside town, which the ministry recommends for an easy walk among the green hills when the day is cooler.

Day 4: one day trip, chosen by your legs

Keep one day for something bigger, and choose only one of these. Both are long days by car, and doing two would undo the point of having a base.

Mount Batur at sunrise suits fit travellers who do not mind a night-time start. The summit stands at 1,717 m, and the ministry's Kintamani guide describes the view of a sea of clouds with Mount Agung on the horizon, and warns that the top is very cold before the sun is up: bring a warm layer. Expect to leave Ubud in the dark; a guided tour with hotel pick-up is the simplest way to arrange it. If you would rather not hike, the ministry suggests watching sunrise from Pinggan village, arriving around 5:30 to 6:00, and seeing Lake Batur and the caldera afterwards. Check the volcano's alert level on MAGMA Indonesia before you go; on 2026-10-03 it listed both Batur and Agung at Level I (Normal).

Besakih and Sidemen suit everyone else. Pura Besakih, on the slopes of Mount Agung, is about two hours from Ubud by the ministry's estimate, and it advises coming in the morning when it is cooler and calmer. When we checked, it listed entry at Rp60,000 to 100,000 including sarong and sash, which every visitor must wear. Spend the afternoon in the Sidemen valley, where the Sangkan Gunung tourism village lists rice fields, hills, a songket weaving group and three short trekking routes of 30 minutes, 40 minutes and an hour. If the valley appeals, our Sidemen guide covers staying overnight instead.

Days 5–7: the south coast

Move south on the morning of day 5. The ministry puts the drive from Ubud to Uluwatu temple at about an hour and a half to two hours, and Sanur at about 45 minutes. If you have time before leaving, Goa Gajah in Bedulu, the 11th-century cave sanctuary with a carved face over its entrance and ancient bathing pools, makes a good last stop near Ubud.

On the Bukit, plan one late afternoon for Pura Luhur Uluwatu, on a cliff above the Indian Ocean, and the kecak that starts around 5 pm. When we checked on 2026-10-03, the ministry listed temple entry for foreign adults at IDR 100,000 (sarong and shawl included) and a separate kecak ticket for foreign visitors at IDR 200,000, as 2025 prices. Hold on to glasses and hats near the monkeys, and leave early, because traffic builds before the performance. The remaining day is for the coves below the cliffs, or a seafood dinner on the sand at Jimbaran.

If you chose Sanur, use day 6 for Nusa Penida. The ministry lists fast boats from Sanur, Kusamba and Padang Bai, a crossing of 30 to 45 minutes, and advises booking well ahead in the holiday season. A single day only covers one side of the island; our Nusa Penida guide explains how to split it if you stay longer. Keep day 7 light either way: a swim, a walk along the Sanur beach path or a long lunch, then the airport.

The route day by day

This is an editorial suggestion, not a timetable. Journey times are the Ministry of Tourism's estimates and depend heavily on traffic; check opening days for each place you choose.

• Day 1 — Arrival: land at Ngurah Rai (DPS) and transfer to Ubud by pre-booked car or hotel pick-up. Dinner within walking distance.
• Day 2 — Ubud on foot: the Monkey Forest at 9:00, the palace and market, Museum Puri Lukisan at midday, a dance performance in the evening.
• Day 3 — Terraces and temples: Tegallalang early, then Gunung Kawi and Tirta Empul in Tampaksiring; back in Ubud for a late lunch and a rest.
• Day 4 — Day trip: Mount Batur at sunrise with a guide, or Besakih in the morning and the Sidemen valley in the afternoon.
• Day 5 — Move south: Goa Gajah before you leave if time allows; check in on the Bukit and see Uluwatu temple and the kecak at sunset (or settle into Sanur).
• Day 6 — Coast: beaches below the Bukit cliffs and dinner at Jimbaran, or a day trip to Nusa Penida from Sanur.
• Day 7 — Departure: a slow morning on the beach, then the short ride to the airport.

Before you go: levy, holidays and temple dress

Foreign visitors pay a one-time Bali tourist levy. When we checked on 2026-10-03, the provincial government's Love Bali site listed it at IDR 150,000, payable online; the Ministry of Tourism also mentions counters at the airport and at Benoa port. Paying before you fly is the simplest option.

Check the date of Nyepi, the Balinese Day of Silence, which falls in March or April. For 24 hours no planes land or take off, transport stops and visitors must stay in their hotel. A week that includes Nyepi is still possible, but it loses a day and you should not book a flight on it.

Uluwatu, Tirta Empul and Besakih all expect visitors to wear a sarong, lent or rented at the entrance, and these are active places of worship: at Tirta Empul, for example, the innermost courtyard is for Hindus who have completed the melukat. Carry your own sarong and a light scarf if you plan to visit several temples in a day.