A visit to Ubud is an essential part of any Bali itinerary. With so much to see and do, it can be hard to choose how to spend your days. Here are my recommendations for how to spend 2 days in Ubud to make the most of your time in this beautiful destination.
Located in central Bali, Ubud is often considered the spiritual and cultural capital of the island. It is home to temples, palaces and markets, and is also an ideal base for exploring the waterfalls and rice terraces of the surrounding area.
Although of course it is possible to spend many days or even weeks investigating everything that Ubud has to offer, I think that 2 days is a suitable amount of time to see the town itself, and also some of the nearby sights, and to get a sense of what this popular tourist hotspot is all about.
Getting To Ubud
Before we consider how to spend 2 days in Ubud, let’s first talk about how you will get there. If you are travelling to Bali by plane, you will arrive at the island’s only airport in Denpasar. From there, it is less than an hour’s drive to Ubud, and there are many local drivers available for hire at the airport. Make sure to negotiate a fare before setting off. You can do some research on a site like Rome2Rio beforehand so that you know how much your journey should cost.
Grab is the official app-based transport company for the airport, and there is a Grab lounge and pickup point just outside of the arrivals area. I recommend using Grab as they have set pricing and you will not need to negotiate a fare.
If you are visiting Ubud as part of a longer Bali adventure, and will be travelling from somewhere else on the island, your options for transport are to rent a scooter, hire a local driver, or to use the Grab or Bluebird apps.
Your hotel or accommodation can help you to rent a scooter. Some places will even have scooters for rent onsite. They can also recommend a trustworthy local driver to drive you to Ubud. Or you can use the Grab or Bluebird apps to book a car with a pre-set price.
Click here to read my 2 week Bali itinerary
Where To Stay In Ubud – Pondok Serayu Homestay
On a recent visit to Ubud, I stayed at a wonderful homestay in the town centre called Pondok Serayu. It was perfectly situated for exploring the sights and attractions in the heart of Ubud, and to make the most of the many cafes and restaurants nearby.
The homestay is owned by a lovely family who were friendly, welcoming and helpful. The room itself was one of the best I have stayed in. It was large and well furnished, and was spotlessly clean.
The only potential disadvantage to consider is that the property is not entirely accessible by car, and there is a short walk of a couple of hundred metres after you have been dropped off by your driver.
Click here to book Pondok Serayu on Booking.com.
Where To Eat In Ubud
Breakfast/Lunch – Lazy Cats Cafe
This charming cafe on the main street of Ubud, with its vintage furnishings and bohemian decor, offers a selection of vegetarian dishes made with fresh local produce. With a choice of indoor seating or a quaint balcony overlooking the bustling street below, Lazy Cats is a great choice for breakfast or lunch.
Address: Jl. Raya Ubud No. 11, Ubud
Dinner – Gedong Sisi Warung
Conveniently located just a couple of minutes walk from Ubud Palace, Gedong Sisi serves up delicious traditional Indonesian meals in an absolutely beautiful setting. The food is of an extremely high standard but with very reasonable prices. The Nasi Campur there was easily the best I had in all my months in Bali.
Address: Ubud Main Road, Ubud
How to spend 2 days In Ubud – Day 1
Day 1 of your time in Ubud will be spent seeing the many sights and attractions in and around the town centre.
Take a cookery class
Taking a traditional cookery class is one of the most popular and enjoyable things to do while in Bali, and Ubud is a great place to do it. You will learn how to make all of your favourite dishes, and the classes are taught by locals.
Classes are generally 4 or 5 hours long, and many include a trip to the market to see where all of the ingredients for the dishes that you will be making are bought and sold. After you have finished the class, you will have the chance to taste the dishes that you have cooked.
It’s a great way to spend a morning, and you’ll go home with a much deeper appreciation of Balinese food and how it is made.
Click here to book a Balinese cookery class and market tour on Viator.com.
Saraswati Temple
Right in the heart of Ubud, quietly tucked away behind the local Starbucks, is Saraswati temple. Built in 1951, this temple is dedicated to Saraswati, the Goddess of knowledge, music, art, wisdom and learning. There is no charge to enter the temple. Just make sure that your shoulders and knees are covered, as is the expectation when visiting any of the holy temples in Bali.
You are not allowed to go inside the actual temple itself, and it will only take a short time to walk around the grounds, but it is definitely worth a visit. There is a pathway over a lotus pond which leads to large ornate doorways and traditional Balinese architecture.
Address: F7V6+PJ4, Jl. Kajeng, Ubud
Ubud Palace
Also conveniently located in Ubud centre, just a 3 minute walk from Saraswati temple, is Ubud Palace. A small palace, the entire grounds will take only about 15 minutes to explore, and there is no entrance fee.
The palace features similar large ornate doorways to those at Saraswati temple, as well as the intricate stone carvings which are very commonly seen in Balinese architecture, with frog-like demon faces carved into the stone around the doorways.
There is also a traditional Balinese dance performance every evening at 7:30 PM, which costs 100K IDR for entry and lasts 90 minutes.
Address: Jl. Raya Ubud No.8, Ubud
Campuhan Ridge Walk
One of the most popular walks in Ubud, the Campuhan Ridge Walk starts close to the town centre and takes you through greenery and hills. The walk is about 1.25 kilometres in one direction, and should take about 20-25 minutes if you don’t stop along the way.
The best time to enjoy the walk is early morning or late afternoon, as the temperatures will be a little bit lower, making things a lot more comfortable. There is no lighting along the ridge, so it is not advisable to do this walk before sunrise or after sunset.
Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary
Home to almost 600 monkeys, specifically the Balinese long-tailed macaque, the Sacred Monkey Forest covers 30 acres of jungle right in the centre of Ubud. If seeng monkeys in their natural habitat, free to run about and be their cheeky selves, is something that appeals to you, then a visit to the Monkey Forest is an absolute must-do.
Be warned though, you are entering the monkeys home, and so you should expect the unexpected. The monkeys have been known to climb on people’s faces, steal sunglasses and water bottles, pull hair, and all sorts of other mischievous antics.
How to spend 2 days in Ubud – Day 2
Your second day will be spent exploring the rice terraces, waterfalls and temples in the area surrounding Ubud. There are many tours available to book online, or you can hire a driver and custom build your own day tour.
In order to make the most of your time, you should try to choose attractions which are in the same general direction, as otherwise you will spend the majority of the day in the car and will have very little time to enjoy the places you visit.
On a recent day tour from Ubud, I visited the following locations:
Tegenungan Waterfall
One of the most popular waterfalls in the Ubud area, and just a short drive from the town centre, Tegenungan is admittedly very touristy and can get a little busy and overcrowded, so it is wise to get there early in the morning to avoid the crowds. The waterfall sits at the bottom of a steep ravine and is reached by about a 15 minute hike down.
The waterfall itself is about 30 metres tall, and swimming is sometimes allowed in the pool at the bottom, although on the day we visited, there were signs forbidding swimming.
The walk back up is quite strenuous, especially later in the day when the temperatures are higher, and so this is another reason why is it best to visit early in the morning.
Pura Tirta Empul
Less than a 30 minute drive from Tegenungan is Tirta Empul ,a temple dedicated to Vishnu, the Hindu god of water. Founded in 926 A.D. and still in use today, the temple has several holy springs which are believed to purify anyone who bathes there.
One of the larger temples in Bali, Tirta Empul includes shrines to Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma, Indra, and Mount Batur, and is considered one of the 5 holiest temples in Bali, as well as one of the holiest water sources on the island.
A special sarong is provided for visitors who want to take part in the purification ritual, known as melukat, which involves bathing in the water from 28 water spouts in the 2 purification pools. There are 2 additional water spouts which are used only for cleansing the dead and are not allowed to be used by the living who take part in the melukat ritual.
Besides the sacred bathing pools, the temple also has a koi pond as part of a large complex which features traditional Balinese architecture throughout.
The entry fee as of January 2023 is 50K IDR, but since this is one of the most popular attractions in Bali, this is likely to go up over time.
Click here for a more detailed guide on Tirta Empul temple.
Tegalallang Rice Terraces
Found just a 20-30 minute drive outside of Ubud, the Tegalallang rice terraces are a classic example of Balinese nature and scenery, and are well worth a visit on any Ubud itinerary. The terraces use the ancient Balinese irrigation system, where the rice paddies are arranged in descending layers, giving a stepped effect which is visually impressive and fun to explore.
You will also find some of the famous Bali swings here, and a 3-5 minute swing costs around 200K IDR. It’s an expensive activity by local standards, but it’s good fun and worth doing once as you get a completely different perspective of the rice paddies when you are swinging out over them.
The Green Terrace Warung is just a 2 minute drive from Tegalallang rice terraces and has spectacular views of the paddies, so I recommend stopping there for lunch.
Ulun Danu Bratan Temple
Ulun Danu Bratan was the second temple we visited on our day tour outside of Ubud, and was absolutely my favourite of the two. It is quite a famous old Hindu temple that sits on the waters of Lake Bratan, a crater lake and the second largest lake in Bali.
The unusual 12-storey pagoda is an iconic Balinese view, and has been featured on the 50K IDR note in Indonesia. The temple grounds also houses shops and even a children’s playground, which can make the place feel very touristy. At the time of posting in January 2023, admission costs 50K IDR.
According to a quick Rome2Rio search, it is less than an hour’s drive from either Tegalallang or Ubud centre, but in reality it takes longer than this due to traffic and road conditions.
At the time we visited, there had just been a landslide which badly damaged parts of the road on our route there, and this affected traffic and journey times. We were able to fit it into our day tour by negotiating with our driver, and assuring him that we would pay him extra if we did not make it back to Ubud within the time we had originally booked.
Thank you for reading my recommendations for how to spend 2 days in Ubud.
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