When we first started to plan our trip to Bali we felt totally overwhelmed and had no idea where to start. After a lot of research we managed to narrow down the places we wanted to visit so that everyone in the family would be happy.
We actually stayed for 30 days (we left the day our visa expired) but from this experience and from the mistakes we’ve made along the way we’ve come up with the perfect 2 week itinerary for your next Bali trip.
Our Favourite Places To Stay In Bali
Potato Head Suites (Seminyak) – with stunning ocean views you can wake up to the sound of the waves. The resort offers the perfect combination of relaxation and quiet, with the Beach Club’s lively ambience only a stones throw away.
Bisma Eight (Ubud) – a boutique hotel with a bit of an edge, think industrial-chic design with Balinese touches. The star attraction is the roof-top pool.
Three Monkeys Villas (Uluwatu) – A tranquil boutique retreat of private, air-conditioned bungalows clustered around a lush garden pool, just steps from Uluwatu’s surfing points and temples.
Mowies On The Beach (Gili Air) – is a laid-back beachfront stay on Gili Air with great food, friendly staff, and stunning sunset views.
We have chosen our 4 favourite places in Bali as I think this is the perfect amount to feel like you have seen what the country is like. Even though the island isn’t that big it does take quite a long time to travel around certain areas due to the traffic. It also totally depends if you have been to Bali before – I’d say this 2 week Bali itinerary is perfect if you’ve never been before – if you have, skip the places you’ve visited and try somewhere new.
Getting Around Bali
Our top tip is to hire a driver for the day when moving from one location to another. It costs around 500K IDR for 5 – 6 hours and its a really good way to combine seeing a bit more of the island and keeping your luggage safe between check out from one place and check in at your next destination.
Day 1 – 4 Seminyak
Seminyak is a great first stop as its not too far from the airport and has everything you need to help you settle into island life. Seminyak sits on the west coast of Bali so is the perfect place to sit in a beach bar and watch the sunset, one of life’s little pleasures on this side of the island.
A must do for Seminyak is visiting one of Bali’s famous beach clubs such as Potato Head and Ku De Ta however there are plenty to choose from and they all have their own vibe.
There are plenty of amazing hotels and villas in Seminyak, and wherever you stay in this area you won’t be far from the action. The traffic isn’t quite as crazy as Canggu so getting around isn’t too tricky most of the time.
If you’re seeking nightlife then be sure to check out La Favela and Mexicola – probably in reverse order of that – the former being a great late night haunt with a jungle/outdoor vibe.
Day 5 – 6 Ubud
Unlike Seminyak’s buzzing beach clubs and nightlife Ubud is the cultural and spiritual heart of Bali. It is surrounded by lush rice terraces, jungle valleys and temples. It is known for its chilled yoga studios, art and crafts workshops and chilled cafes.
We really recommend staying near the centre of Ubud, as the traffic going in and out can be a nightmare.
We found a villa overlooking a jungle valley, tucked away on one of the quieter streets – check it out on our best Ubud accommodation page. It was still within walking distance of everything but gave us a peaceful retreat from the traffic on the main road. Instead of being woken up by scooters, we were gently woken by the sound of cockerels in the morning—something we hadn’t expected.
To get to Ubud from Seminyak you can hire a driver for the day and make the most of the journey. We stopped at Kemenuh Monkey River which is a riverside sanctuary where you can see monkeys in their natural habitat, feed fruit bats and stroll down to the river where (if you choose) you can experience a traditional water-blessing ceremony.
When we visited it was quiet with only a few other visitors and the monkeys were all very calm (unlike the stories we’ve heard of Monkey Forest in the centre of Ubud). There’s also a cute little cafe set amongst the jungle serving a selection of food and drink.
After our visit to Monkey River we still had time before check in so we headed to a near by waterfall. We had done a bit of research and were looking for a waterfall that wasn’t going to be too busy (we’re not into spending an hour queuing just to get that shot for instagram).
We found Uma Anyar Waterfall was close and looked perfect. T
o access Uma Anyar Waterfall you have to go to Kemenuh village where you have to pay an entrance fee of 15-20K per person. You are then directed down a little path that and it takes about 10 minutes to reach the waterfall. When we arrived there were only 2 other people there and some helpful locals who were taking photos and helping you to get in the perfect position safely.
Even though we were only just outside Ubud the traffic entering the centre is crazy so what should be a 20 minute ride can sometimes take 1 hour. From chatting to our driver we established it’s always like this so just be prepared.
In Ubud you will be spoilt for choice when looking for restaurants there are healthy vegan cafes to high end fine dining and everything in between. If you want something more budget friendly head to one of the quieter side streets as the main street and areas near Monkey Forest tend to be more pricey. Visit our Best Restaurants In Ubud page to find out more.
Ubud has lots of temples, museums and art galleries so there is something to suit everyone. On our first full day in Ubud we visited Ubud Water Palace which we loved. It has some beautiful Balinese architecture, statues and stone carvings, which tell tales from Hindu mythology, surrounded by lotus ponds.
The entry price of 60K for adults and 45K for children includes a sarong and jacket to wear so you don’t need to worry about covering your shoulders and knees. Around the temple are plenty of places to sit and absorb the peaceful atmosphere and the stepping stones across the lotus ponds amused the kids.
Close to the Water Palace you will find Ubud Art Market, one of the most popular markets in Bali. It has grown over the years and can get very busy during the middle of the day so our advice is to go early in the morning or late afternoon.
This market has an array of items for sale from colourful sarongs and artisan jewellery to handmade pots. You will also find your typical holiday souvenirs such as bracelets and fridge magnets so there is something for everyone.
My one word of warning is that you do need to barter hard to get a good price, we had already established the going price for a bracelet and found that here they started at about 5 times the price we had previously paid. However, getting a good bargain is all part of the fun and also part of Balinese culture.
From here it is not far to Monkey Forest a nature reserve and temple complex. The sanctuary is home to over 1260 long-tailed macaques, who are considered sacred by the local Balinese people.
The entrance fee is 100K for adults and 80K for children and you can spend 1 – 2 hours exploring the grounds, admiring the temples and taking photos of the monkeys if you are brave enough. We decided to skip visiting Monkey Forest as we had heard the monkeys can be quite cheeky and the ones here are not at all shy unlike the ones we saw at Monkey River.
On our second morning in Ubud we decided to venture out into the nearby jungle and try some white water rafting. There are two main routes you can do and we chose the easier one as we were doing it with kids. It was a great experience! After a walk through the rice fields and down a lot of steps we arrived at our starting point and had an exhilarating couple of hours.
As well as the beach clubs Bali also has jungle clubs a lot of which you will find surrounding Ubud. We chose to spend the afternoon relaxing at The Jungle Club a complex of infinity pools overlooking the jungle with a really chilled vibe. We had something to eat in the restaurant and enjoyed lounging around the pools in this beautiful setting.
Day 7 – 10 Gili Air
Gili Air is a tiny idyllic island which is off the coast of Lombok but only about 2 hours away from Bali by ferry. Some people choose to do a day trip to the Gili Islands but I would definitely recommend staying for a few nights to really get a feel for the place and enjoy a slower pace of life that this island offers you.
From Ubud it is takes about 1 – 2 hours to get to Padang Bai Harbour where you can get a ferry to Lombok and all 3 Gili islands. We did lots of research into the best company to travel with and found the Eka Jaya fast ferry was the safest and most comfortable.
Gili Air has no cars or scooters so when you arrive you have to choose between walking to your accommodation or getting a horse and cart. We chose reluctantly chose a horse and cart as our villa was on the opposite side of the island, if you are staying closer or have less luggage than us then walking is definitely an option.
When we had unpacked we headed straight out to explore the northern shore of the island where we were staying which was lined with cute little bars and restaurants with tables, chairs and bean bags on the sand. This is where we stumbled upon a little restaurant serving amazing poke bowls while you sat on a beanbag beneath a tree on the soft white sand. Thats when I knew I was going to love Gili Air.
We hired bikes for the whole time we stayed on Gili Air and it was the best decision we made. We all loved hoping on our bikes to go to the beach, a local cafe or in my case to get to a sun rise yoga class (if I had been walking I would have missed it!). We wondered when we booked 4 nights in Gili Air whether that would be too long and questioned whether there would be enough to do but by the end of our stay we were wishing we could stay longer.
On Gili Air you can just enjoy the natural beauty and a slower pace of life but there are also plenty of activities as well. My husband is a padel fan and was surprised to find a brand new padel court, you can snorkel directly from the beach in most places and can see turtles near the coral in the north east. There are plenty of little shops to browse and lots of spas offering massages and beauty treatments. However, my favourite activity was to sit on a bean bag sipping on a coconut while watching the sunset.
If you do fancy a change of scene you can hop on a boat to nearby Gili T (known as the party island) or Gili Meno (even more chilled than Gili Air). You can either get a speed boat or go on the island hopper ferry.
We decided that as we hadn’t done much snorkelling before we would go on an organised snorkelling trip which took you to 4 different places around the 3 islands with a stop for something to eat on Gili Meno. Our guide helped us find turtles which was amazing and showed us where the underwater statues were, which were amazing but it was very busy. The array of fish we saw was stunning and my daughters particularly loved seeing the turtles close up.
If you are looking for accommodation on visit our page to find out the Where To Stay In Gili Air.
Day 11 – 14 Uluwatu
Uluwatu is the very southern tip of Bali, so Gili Air to Uluwatu was the furthest we travelled while in Bali. The journey consisted of taking the fast boat from Gili Air to Padang Bai and then hiring a driver to take us from Padang Bai all the way to Uluwatu with a stop for lunch in Sanur. In total it took us about 6 hours but it wasn’t an arduous journey, we sat on the top deck of the ferry and enjoyed the view and slept for some of the car journey.
The landscape in Uluwatu is very different to Seminyak as it is set on the top of cliffs giving amazing dramatic scenery and stunning views out to sea. Our villa was close to Padang Padang Beach so our first experience of a beach in Uluwatu was climbing down lots of steps and trying to avoid being mugged by a monkey.
The steps are all worth it though as the beach is a really pretty little cove surrounded by cliffs. There are people selling cold beers, coconuts and cocktails from makeshift bars playing tunes which bring a chilled party atmosphere. It’s a great place to throw down beach towel and watch the sunset behind the rocky shore.
While in Uluwatu we really enjoyed the cool cafes for brunch, cliff top restaurants and watching the surfers from beach bars. There are so many cool places to visit it was hard to choose where to eat and we found some amazing food but I think my favourite was Milk & Madu for brunch and Kala for dinner.
While in Uluwatu you have to try one of their famous beach clubs. Our favourites were El Kabron (adults only) which is perched at the top of a cliff and offers amazing sunset views with live music, and Timbis (family friendly) with a much more relaxed atmosphere situated right on Pandawa Beach.
For a more cultural experience, head to Uluwatu temple for the Kecak fire dance a Balinese Hindu performance featuring men in a circle who chant rhythmically while a story from the Hindu epic Ramayana unfolds through dance and vibrant costumes. We visited at sunset which was beautiful as Uluwatu Temple is set up high on a cliff.
GWK Cultural Park in Bali’s Bukit Peninsula is home to the 121-metre Garuda Wisnu Kencana statue which is taller than the Statue of Liberty. The park spans around 60 hectares and features dramatic limestone plazas, an amphitheatre with daily cultural performances like the Kecak fire dance and we even got to have a go at playing the rindik, a traditional Balinese instrument.
It’s a lovely place to stroll around looking at all of the statues and admiring the views. We visited before we went to the airport on our last day as its really close. We had lunch with a distant view of the airport in the restaurant at GWK and did last minute souvenir shopping in the gift shop which is definitely a lot cheaper than doing it in duty-free.
Have Longer? Check Out Our 1 Month Trip:
The reality is that you’ll not see a lot of Bali in just two weeks. You could spend 2 months there and still only see a fraction of the island. Take the above itinerary and make it work for you. If you don’t fancy the travelling over to the Gili Islands then why not have a chilled stay in Sanur or head to East Bali for a different feel to busier West Bali.
My main tip though, would be to not spend too much time travelling as the traffic is hellish. Plan your trips wisely so you don’t double back on yourself and spend more time on the road than needed. Above all – enjoy – the planning is half of the fun!