BEST Things to Do in UBUD, BALI

Best Things to Do in UBUD, BALI - TOP SIGHTS & HIDDEN GEMS

5/3/2023

If you're planning a trip to Ubud (or are already there) then chances are you're looking for some incredible things to do. Whether you want to explore the beautiful rice fields, relax at a local spa, or embrace some of the local culture, we've gathered a list of our 11 favorite things to do in Ubud - including a few things we're saving for the next time we make it to Bali!

Our Essential Travel Resources :
There are a lot of travel companies out there, but some are better than others. These are our favorite websites and resources to help you plan an incredible trip.

For flights, we recommend using WayAway or Hopper to compare the cheapest dates to travel to your destination.

Car rentals comparisons are best through Discover Cars - just make sure to bring your international driver's permit with you if you're heading somewhere international!

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For fun things to do, we always recommend Viator to find the best tours in the area, otherwise Klook also does the trick, especially for tours in Asia.

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Lastly, my packing list for your international or domestic travels.

11 Best Things to Do in Ubud

Take a Cooking Class - hands down our favorite thing we did while in Indonesia, there are plenty of places to book through, personally we would recommend the Bali Manggang Cooking Class because we had such an incredible time there ourselves! We made close to 10 dishes, including appetizers, main dishes, and desserts - and even stopped at a tea and coffee tasting on the way there!

Book the exact cooking class we did here!

Cool Down at Tjampuhan Spa - a hidden gem we didn't have time for ourselves (unfortunately), this spot is a bit hidden to guests that aren't staying at the Tjampuhan Hotel. Not to worry though, for a small fee you can enjoy the incredible hot and cold springs immersed in a grotto yourself! They also have spa facilitates onsite including traditional Balinese massages!

Visit a Rice Terrace - if you're making a trip to Bali then something that's most likely at the top of your bucket list is to visit a local rice terrace. We were lucky to accidentally time our visit during the Spring season (when the rice fields are bright green and before they're harvested) and even happened to get lucky with our Grab driver who brought us to the Ceking Rice Terrace, which is the most popular and the closest rice terrace to Ubud, right before sunset and all the way down to the other end to avoid the crowds and shops - however there are many others to visit as well - if you're looking to visit one that's not as popular we recommend Tegalalang!

(note : many local farmers now charge tourists who wish to walk through their fields, as well as a fee if you wish to use their swings or photo spots)

Watch a Nightly Fire Dance Show - priced at about 75000 IDR (about $5 USD) per adult, there are different shows hosted by different temples nearly every night of the week - however we've heard that the Kecak Fire Dance show at the Ubud Water Palace is the best!

Take a Monkey Selfie - when in Ubud you'll quickly realize how popular the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary is, not only are there signs everywhere pointing in the correct direction for tourists, but many cafes, restaurants and shops are even named after it! We recommend visiting early in the day or late in the evening to avoid the heat, and bring a glass or metal water bottle to stay cool - there's no plastic bottles or food allowed in. It's also important to know that the monkey selfies are only allowed by the staff onsite - and they charge a fee for each monkey selfie as a ticket that can be purchased with your entry ticket. If you're lucky like us, then even if you don't purchase one you can just jump in line when you see the monkeys nearby and the staff won't bother even asking you for your ticket.

Looking for a place to stay in Ubud? We stayed at Gora House Bali and loved that it was walking distance to downtown!

Spa Life - not only are the 1 hour massages incredibly cheap (we're talking about $7-$8 for a full body one hour massage) but you'll see these little shops all over town, our go-to was the Rokoko Bali Spa!

Try the World's Most Expensive Cup of Coffee - better known as Luwak coffee, this "poop" coffee is quite popular in Bali, and you'll see a handful of cafes that offer it up as a menu item, as well as a few nearby coffee plantations. If coffee isn't your thing try a tea tasting - we stopped at Satria Agrowista 2, which offers a free coffee and tea tasting, with the Luwak coffee costing only 50,000 IDR ($3 USD) per cup.

Head out to do some Shopping - with plenty of local markets in town (as well as an insane amount of boutique stores), you'll be able to find any type of souvenir you're looking for, we recommend starting at the Ubud Art Market

DIY Food Tour - one of our favorite things to do while traveling is to try out as many local places to eat as we can, we even put together an entire list of our favorite places to eat while we were there, you can check it out below!

Check out our list of favorite restaurants in Ubud here!

Visit the Royal Palace - located in the center of Ubud, the Royal Palace is also known as Puri Saren Agung, and with the courtyard and temple shouldn't take too long to explore (it's worth noting that tourists are not allowed inside this temple)

Or one of Many Local Temples - if you haven't got your temple fix from the Royal Palace, you'll have plenty of options right in town - some of the more popular temples are Saraswati Temple, Pura Dalem Temple, and the Goa Gajah Temple!

Watch our Adventures in Ubud here!