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Ubud is the cultural heart of Bali with something to offer to everyone from a solo traveler to family. Within a small distance, you have access to a variety of activities and stunning landscapes while embracing a rich culture.

Our trip to Bali was the first part of my sister’s birthday celebrations. Following our recent stay two weeks ago, read on to find out what to expect of your visit to Ubud and tips to plan your own trip.

When to go to Ubud?

Ubud enjoys a tropical climate year-round with possibilities of rain at any time. The best weather is during the shoulder season in May, June, and September when it is drier and less humid. In addition to pleasant temperatures, the shoulder season is the best time to find good deals and to do any kind of activities.

The high season refers to July, August, and December. At this time, rates increase by 50% and more, and advance bookings are recommended even for restaurants. Ubud center is quite small and getting around is very challenging during this time due to the abundance of buses, cars, and motorcycles causing traffic on the roads.

How to get around in Ubud?

Walking is the most convenient way to visit Ubud center. A couple of hotels located in the outskirts of Ubud may offer shuttle transport into the village.

Taxi is an option to consider when you plan to explore back roads, villages around, and more. You can rent a driver for a day for approximately 600.000 IDR (38 EUR/55 CAD), ask your hotel concierges or any registered agencies in Ubud.

Unless you plan to stay for a couple of weeks, we do not recommend renting a motorcycle or even a car. Streets are narrow, traffic around Ubud is often awful, and street lighting is limited. It might take you some time to understand the local conventions of road use. For example, use the horn when turning at a junction and when taking a curve.

Where to stay in Ubud?

When it comes to accommodation in Ubud, you can expect everything from luxurious jungle retreats to cheap hostels. Both the Ubud center and its surroundings offer a large variety of hotels, villas, and guesthouses.

Staying in the heart of Ubud gives you the opportunity to walk to the main attractions of the village easily. This is an excellent choice if you are on a budget, you can stay in a hostel for as little as 150.000 IDR (10 EUR/14 CAD). However, be aware that Ubud center is constantly lively.

For more quietness, you may opt for staying outside of the buzzing village center. A lot of Ubud accommodations located in the outskirts are surrounded by luxuriant nature.

We had an outstanding stay at Seres Springs Resort & Spa located 15 minutes away from Ubud center. Blissfully nestled amidst verdant valleys, rivers, waterfalls, and ensconced by Bali’s iconic terraced rice fields, SereS Springs Resort & Spa is an ideal five-star getaway that is culturally-inspired by Bali’s traditions to deliver an authentic and unique experience.

In addition to beautiful facilities, Seres Springs Resort & Spa offers several activities to enhance their guests stay. We had the pleasure to try a Balinese dance class and a yoga lesson in a small group. Our instructors taught us the basics step by step, which allowed us to learn while having fun.

5 vegan restaurants to try in Ubud

“Saya adalah vegan” means “I am vegan” in Indonesian. Ubud has plenty to offer when it comes to vegan food. Based on online reviews, we had prepared a list of restaurants we wanted to try during our stay. We ended up eating at most of them except one or two but overall we were pleasantly surprised by the taste and quality.

Moksa

Moksa is more than a plant-based restaurant, it is a destination created to nourish, educate and find balance. The restaurant is surrounded by permaculture gardens that support every dish listed on the menu and special events such as their weekly community farmer’s market. The culinary academy offers plant-based classes under the guidance of Made Runatha, Moksa’s executive chef. Finally, there is a dojo space dedicated for yoga, meditation, and martial arts.

We reserved a table for the dinner and tried a variety of dishes from starters to desserts. The menu features raw and heated dishes prepared with local ingredients to delight your taste buds. We recommend starting with the Moksa Dhal or the super Maringa Soup. For the main course, choose between the Chicko Jacko Enchilada or the Jerky Mignon. Finish on a sweet note with the Caramelized Banana Crepes or the Sweet Symphony.

Seeds of Life

Seeds of Life is a raw food cafe and tonic bar also offering raw food chef certification programs, various workshops and retreats. Even if you are not a fan of raw food, Seeds of Life is worth giving a try. My sister who did not have a great experience with raw food before was very satisfied with our dinner at this raw food café.

We recommend the following dishes: Indian samosas with sweet n’ sour tamarind chutney, Spicy Buffalo Wings, Laksa Soup, and Banana & Walnut Pancakes. Seeds of Life is located in Ubud centre on Gootama Street corner Raya Ubud Street.

Acai Queen

Acai Queen is specialized in healthy and delicious Acai Bowls served in pretty bamboo pineapple bowls. Moreover, the menu also features cold-pressed juices, creamy avocado toasts and gourmet sandwiches. Each item on the menu is handcrafted, plant-based and freshly made once ordered. The place is pretty small so there are 2 locations in the village; the first one is close to the Ubud Art Market on Gootama Street corner Raya Ubud Street and the second one is on Monkey Forest Road corner Dewisita Street.

We did not get the chance to try the bubble waffles because the waffle machine was not working at the time of our visit. Despite that, we had a very nice culinary experience eating there that we returned two times.

For the smoothie bowls, we opted for the Green Power and the Pink Sunset. In the Gourmet Food section, we recommend the Avo Smash & Feta, the Monster Breakfast, and the Cheeken Nacho Bowl. If you are not that hungry, go with a smoothie between the Green Goliath and the Pink Magic.

Sage

Sage is a cozy restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert. We went two times at Sage, one time for lunch and the second time for breakfast. The staff members are super attentive and friendly.

For breakfast, we ordered the Pancakes Banana, the Breaky Burrito, and the Naamlette. For lunch, we chose the Jackfruit Asada Burrito, the Jibarito Plantain Sandwich, and the Jackfruit Asada Tacos.

Warung Falafel

Just in case you suddenly have a craving for falafel during your stay in Ubud, go to Warung Falafel located inside of the Ubud Art Market. They ship their organic chickpeas, and tahini from the Middle East but the rest of the ingredients are from local farms.

Choose between pocket, wrap, or bowl then add 3 extras ingredients such as spicy carrot, eggplant salad, and sweet potato fries for example. You can sit inside or takeaway. They also have custom juice ideas but you can create your own from a selection of organic fruits and vegetables.

What to do in Ubud and around?

Ubud has many attractions and fun activities to offer including among other exploring ancient temples, strolling around green hillsides and rice terraces, and relaxing at a local spa. The following activities recommended below are based on what we experienced during our 4 days in Ubud.

Taman Nusa

Taman Nusa is a cultural park that aims to offer comprehensive information on the cultures of Indonesia’s various ethnic groups in an attractive and interactive way, while enjoying the natural beauty of Bali.

We experienced Indonesia’s journey throughout the ages. At the end of the visit, we were treated with the scenic view of a cliff, overlooking verdant rice terraces and Melangit River. Taman Nusa is located in Gianyar’s Sidan village, about 45 minutes away from Ubud center. Book your entrance ticket online and save 25%. Prices start from 308,000 IDR (20 EUR/29 CAD).

Balinese Ancient Temples

There are thousands of ancient temples in Bali boasting magnificent centuries-old architecture. Most of them are most colorful during festive temple anniversaries that occur twice a year. Temples in Balinese are called “Pura”, this is a Sanskrit word literally meaning “space surrounded by walls”.

Knowing that Indonesia has a majority of Muslims, the form of Hinduism practiced in Bali concerns only a minority of Indonesians. When visiting a temple, be respectful, be quiet and be properly dressed with shoulders covered and a sarong over the legs. Usually, temples have sarongs available for visitors. Also, note that menstruating women are not allowed to enter as indicated on signs posted at the entrance of most major temples.

There are must-see temples in Ubud offering a glimpse into historical Bali and some are among Ubud’s central landmarks, while others are hidden within mountain valleys. We went to Pura Taman Saraswati located in the centre of Ubud on Kajeng Street. This temple is surrounded by blooming lotuses in its ponds and honors the Hindu goddess Saraswati. The entrance is free and we recommend visiting during the day to contemplate the architecture.

Ubud Royal Palace

The Ubud Royal Palace (Puri Saren Agung) is the palace of the Ubud royal family. The palace hosts local and international events all year long. It is best known as one of the main sites to view traditional dance performances against a beautiful backdrop with gamelan percussive orchestras.

During the day, you can visit the Ubud Royal Palace free of charge. For the dance performance, tickets are available in the afternoon until the beginning of the show at 7:30 p.m. Since there is no assigned seat, it is suggested to arrive before 7 p.m. The Ubud Royal Palace is located on Raya Ubud Street corner Suweta Street. Ticket: 100,000 IDR (6.50 EUR/9.50 CAD).

Ubud Art Market

The Ubud Art Market is the ideal place to shop for unique art items made by villagers around and souvenirs at lowest prices such as silk scarves, handmade bags, hats, and many other handcrafted goods.

If you are not good at bargaining, it is better to visit in the morning before 9 a.m because sellers offer low prices following a Balinese meaning. It is said that if they succeed in sales in the morning, they will succeed for the whole day. Moreover, by being there early you can get your shopping done before the market begins to be crowded.

The market is located in front of the Ubud Royal Palace and is open every day from 6 a.m to 6 p.m.

Campuhan Ridge Walk

The Campuhan Ridge Walk is a short trek where to enjoy the fresh air. The walk from the entrance to Karsa Kafe and back is around 3.5 km. Campuhan means “where two rivers meet” and starts at the confluence of Sungai Wos and Sungai Cerik rivers.

To access, the easiest way is to enter the Warwick Ibah Luxury Villas driveway and take the path to the left, where a walkway crosses the river to the high profile. From there follow the concrete path north, climbing up into the ridge between the two rivers. In all directions, you can see the rice fields above Ubud folding over the hills.

Tegallalang Rice Terraces

One of the most iconic sights from Bali is without a doubt its scenic rice terraces. Tegallalang Rice Terraces offer an impressive landscape with tall palm trees and lush tropical greeneries. The terraces are a manifestation of an irrigation system known as subak and are currently maintained by people working there.

The Tegallalang Rice Terraces are located 40 minutes north from Ubud. The entrance ticket costs 10,000 IDR (0.65 EUR/0.95 CAD) and we suggest visiting in the morning to enjoy some quietness.

Bias Tugel Beach

There are just a few pristine white sand beaches in Bali and Bias Tugel is one of them. Compared to the nearby Blue Lagoon Beach and Virgin Beach, Bias Tugel remains a fairly unknown destination while being easily accessible. There is an entrance fee of 5,000 IDR (0.30 EUR/0.45 CAD) per person and you can also rent beach chairs with umbrellas for 50,000 IDR (3 EUR/ 4.5 CAD) from one of the snack shacks lined up along the beach.

Bias Tugel Beach is located 1 hour away from Ubud center in the village of Padangbai. We recommend hiring a driver to get there since there is no public transportation to this beach.

Visesa Balinese Healing & Spa

Ubud is Bali ultimate spa destination. We indulged ourselves at the Visesa Balinese Healing & Spa that is a delightful place to get pampered with the use of Ayurvedic medicinal plants, herbs and spices coming directly from their permaculture gardens. Upon our arrival, we were warmly welcomed and we took part in a blessing ceremony.

Our spa day started at the Loloh Healthy Bar with the traditional Jamu drink derived from ancestral recipes and made from raw vegetal extracts. This green drink helps for body cleansing and inflammation reduction.

We opted for the Who Botanical Resik and the Jegeg Tunjung Wangi body packages. My sister tried the Woh Botanical Resik treatment a 3 hours and a half pampering experience during which the exotic aroma of tropical fruits envelopes your senses. At the end of the treatment, your skin is soft, smooth and glowing. My sister loved it!

I chose the 3 hours Jegeg Tunjung Wangi treatment, which aims to restore the skin while recharging and rebalancing the body. Tunjung Putih flower (White Lotus) is largely used in traditional medicine for healing, and also in herbal cosmetics to replenish and rejuvenate the skin. Each treatment includes footbath, body scrub, body mask, head massage, facial, and flower bath. My treatment was awesome!

We had an incredible afternoon at the Visesa Balinese Healing & Spa from the moment we entered at the Desa Visesa Ubud Resort until the end of our body treatments. The Desa Visesa Ubud Resort is located on Suweta Street within 5 minutes of the Ubud Royal Palace. Body packages start at 2,100,000 IDR (135 EUR/195 CAD).

We wish to have spent more days in Bali to explore other parts of the island. Despite our short stay, Ubud was an excellent destination to learn about the Balinese culture and experience diverse activities without spending too much time on the road.

To conclude, here are additional tips to prepare your trip to Ubud:

• Money – the local currency is the Indonesian rupiah (10,000 IDR = 0.65 EUR/0.95 CAD).
• Entry Requirements for tourism – Canadian and French citizens do not need a visa (free entry, maximum stay 30 days).
• Temples – some temples have entry fees, make sure to have some change around. During high season it is preferable to visit temples early in the morning to avoid large groups of visitors arriving by cars.
• Offerings – watch out for offerings placed on roads around entrance (temples, restaurants, hotels, etc.).
• Cultural Performances – Visit Ubud Community website to find cultural events in Ubud.

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