Travel guide Ubud, Bali – Advice on travel, restaurants, nightlife, activities, and more.

This travel guide to Ubud, Bali, includes information on guesthouses, hotels, attractions and advice on travel, restaurants, nightlife and more.

What about Ubud, Bali?

Ubud, Bali is a must-visit when traveling through Bali. It is the cultural heart of the island and known as a place of rest, relaxation, and peace. Ubud is surrounded by rice paddy fields, green lush jungle, hills, rivers, valleys, and places where you can experience a true laid-back vibe. The town develops quickly and has some amazing laid-back cafes, art galleries, shops, yoga places, and restaurants that offer great food. Most of the people visit Ubud, because they want to immerse themselves in Balinese culture and the natural beauty of the island.

Ubud, Bali is also a perfect place to experience yoga, healthy living, spirituality, and great (vegetarian) food. Ubud is the place where Elizabeth Gilbert found inner peace and love in her internationally acclaimed memoir Eat, Pray, Love.

How to get to Ubud, Bali?

Ubud is located on the middle of the island Bali, and is easy to reach by car, bus, or scooter. From Sanur, it will approximately take around one hour to drive to Ubud, and from Kuta or Seminyak, around two hours.

How to get around in Ubud, Bali?

Ubud, Bali has four main streets and a one-way system. At the one-way system, you can find the Monkey Forest, Royal palace, Ubud Market, and many shops and restaurants. The most efficient way to get around Ubud is to hire a motorbike. You can also walk to most places.

What to do in Ubud, Bali?

There are plenty of amazing things you must do in Ubud, Bali. Think about visiting the monkey forest, watching a movie in Paradiso Ubud or diving into the famous Tegenungan Waterfall.

Where to party in Ubud, Bali?

Ubud is not a party town, but has some good and popular nightspots where you can go to for a drink. In Ubud, most places close before midnight and a typical night out in Ubud is more about hanging out with friends, while listening to a live band. The list below shows some of the places in Ubud to party.

CP Tapas Bar and Lounge

The CP Tapas Bar and Loung is a great place to party in Ubud, Bali. The party starts in the outdoor restaurant and lounge with live music, dancing, cocktails, and shishas. As midnight approaches, the party moves inside, where a DJ will play amazing beats. There are also several pool tables inside and outside.

Betel Nut

Betel Nut is the best place to see live music in town. The bar offers a varied program of evening events, from film screenings to inspirational talks to hot gigs from visiting international musicians. The restaurant serves casual Asian food like noodles, satay, Asian salad, and desserts.

Yoga Barn

This Yoga Barn hosts a weekly program of regular events including kirtan and ecstatic dance. The bi-monthly Monday movie nights are very popular.

Bar Luna

Bar Luna is a popular bar with artists in Ubud. It holds literary evenings as well as regular music nights in the bar that spills onto the street.

Jazz Café and XL Shisha

This combined restaurant and café has live performances every night. There is plenty of room to dance in the Jazz café. Defintely worth a visit!

Napi Orti

This bar hosts local bands on several nights a week. Napi Orti is known for the cozy atmosphere, tasty snacks, and cheap drinks.

Where to stay in Ubud, Bali?

In Ubud, Bali, you can find accommodations for every budget, from $2000 or more per night down to $10 per night. Ubud is especially known for it great resorts, but staying a home stay is also worth a try. It is one of the nicest ways to experience Ubud. Balinese people tend to live in family compounds and many of them have transformed a little piece of the compound into a guesthouse. Most of the home stays in Ubud, Bali are cheap and clean, but most wonderful, you will experience the great Balinese hospitality and culture. A great homestay in Ubud is for example ‘Ubud Sedana Homestay‘.

If you like a more luxurious stay, you might like to overnight in the Maya Ubud. The Maya Ubud is surrounded by rice paddy fields, lush jungle, and hillsides. The resort is environmentally sustainable and offers a variety of accommodations in a natural and beautiful setting. At the resort, you will find plenty of restaurants, culural performances, a great pool, spa facilities, and a place to do yoga.

Where to eat in Ubud, Bali?

There are plenty of cafes and restaurants in Ubud that are worth a visit. These restaurants in Ubud, Bali I can recommend the most:

Lamak restaurant and bar

Lamak restaurant is closely located to the Ubud Monkey Forest. The restaurant’s atmosphere is really cozy and the service is great. The dishes range from European to Asian dishes, and include some vegetarian options.

Mozaic restaurant gastronomic

This place is a bit expensive in comparison with other restaurants in Bali, but definitely worth a visit if you like amazing food. Mozaic’s outdoor dining area is located in a tropical garden under the open sky in Ubud. It is definitely one of Bali’s best restaurants. Tip: try the 6-course menu and enjoy the local wines.

Alchemy

This place is nice to visit if you like healthy food. It is a juice bar, that also serves tasty and healthy food. It is especially known for its offer in raw food.

Locavore

At Locavore restaurant, you can try delicious food made of locally produced ingredients. The menu card exists only of five to seven dishes and differs all the time. The atmosphere is cozy and there is an open kitchen inside.

Other tips for visiting Ubud

• Visit one of the famous Ubud festivals. Ubud Writers’ Festival is an annual festival held in October in Ubud. Since the inaugural event in 2004, the festival has featured the work of more than 1,100 artists from over 100 countries. Another famous festival in Ubud, Bali is the Spirit Festival, an annual festival of yoga, dance and music held in March that attracts participants from all over the world.
• Keep in mind the traffic rules while driving around Ubud.
• Keep in mind Bali’s most common tourist traps and how you can avoid them!

Conclusion

I hope this information can help you prepare and enjoy Ubud, Bali. I am sure you will enjoy Ubud as much as I did. If you have been to Ubud and know any other good things to do, food to eat, hang out places or general advises to other travelers, please let me know in a comment! I would love to hear about it.

Author: Daphne

This article is part of the GPSmyCity iOS app. You can download it, read this article offline and obtain travel directions (by foot, car or bicycle) to the places mentioned in this article. Click here to download it.

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