Ubud itinerary: 1 to 2 days
Plans for one and two days in Ubud, day by day: Tirta Empul, the Tegallalang rice terraces, the Puri Lukisan Museum, the Ubud Palace and the Monkey Forest first, then the Campuhan Ridge Walk, Penestanan, the art museums, the Ubud Art Market, the Saraswati water temple, Goa Gajah, Pura Penataran Sasih and Gunung Kawi as you add a day. Every stop has a typical visit length.
How long do you have?
Map: 2 days
Ubud in 1 day
Day 1
Tirta Empul
Water temple near Tampaksiring where Balinese bathe in holy spring water under rows of stone spouts.
Tegallalang Rice Terraces
Terraced rice fields in a valley north of Ubud, with paths down through the paddies and cafes along the rim.
Puri Lukisan Museum
Bali's oldest art museum, in gardens in central Ubud, with traditional and modern Balinese painting and woodcarving.
Ubud Palace
Royal palace of the Ubud kings in the town centre, with carved gates, courtyards and evening dance shows.
Ubud Monkey Forest Must see
Forest sanctuary with three temples and hundreds of long-tailed macaques, at the south end of Monkey Forest Road.
Ubud in 2 days
Day 1
Campuhan Ridge Walk
Paved path along a grassy ridge between two river valleys just west of Ubud, best walked early in the morning before the heat.
Penestanan Must see
Artists' village just west of Ubud with rice fields, painting studios and quiet lanes reached by a long stairway.
Blanco Renaissance Museum
Former home and studio of painter Antonio Blanco on a hill above the Campuhan river, with his paintings.
Puri Lukisan Museum
Bali's oldest art museum, in gardens in central Ubud, with traditional and modern Balinese painting and woodcarving.
Ubud Palace
Royal palace of the Ubud kings in the town centre, with carved gates, courtyards and evening dance shows.
Ubud Art Market
Market opposite the Ubud Palace, selling sarongs, woodcarvings, baskets and other crafts; bargaining is expected.
Pura Taman Saraswati
Temple to the goddess of learning behind a lotus pond in central Ubud, a setting for evening dance shows.
Ubud Monkey Forest Must see
Forest sanctuary with three temples and hundreds of long-tailed macaques, at the south end of Monkey Forest Road.
Day 2
Agung Rai Museum of Art Must see
ARMA, a museum and cultural centre with Balinese and Indonesian art, gardens and dance and craft classes.
Goa Gajah
The Elephant Cave, an 11th-century carved cave sanctuary with bathing pools, east of Ubud near Bedulu.
Pura Penataran Sasih
Temple in Pejeng holding the Moon of Pejeng, a huge ancient bronze kettle drum.
Gunung Kawi
Eleventh-century temple and funerary complex in Tampaksiring, with shrines carved into the cliff faces of a river valley.
Tirta Empul
Water temple near Tampaksiring where Balinese bathe in holy spring water under rows of stone spouts.
Tegallalang Rice Terraces
Terraced rice fields in a valley north of Ubud, with paths down through the paddies and cafes along the rim.
Watch: Ubud
A one-minute look at the plan: every stop, day by day, with the map.
When to go to Ubud
April to October, the dry season, is the best time, with July and August the busiest months. November to March is the wet season, with heavy afternoon showers but greener rice fields. Nyepi, the day of silence in March, closes the whole island for a day.
Plan the rest of your trip
- Where to stay: hotels in Ubud on Booking.com or Trip.com
- Skip-the-line tickets: museums and sights in Ubud on Tiqets
- Tours and day trips: things to do in Ubud on GetYourGuide or on Viator
- From the airport: a private transfer in Ubud with Kiwitaxi
- Data on arrival: an eSIM for Indonesia from Airalo
Some of these are affiliate links: we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Tips for Ubud
- Temples ask visitors to wear a sarong and sash; they are lent or rented at the entrance, and shoulders should be covered.
- In the Monkey Forest keep food, bags, sunglasses and phones out of reach, and don't touch or feed the monkeys.
- Visit Tegallalang and Tirta Empul early in the morning, before the tour buses and the midday heat.
- On Nyepi, the Balinese day of silence in March, the whole island shuts down, including the airport; plan around it.
- A hired driver for the day is the usual way to reach the sights outside town, such as Tirta Empul and Tegallalang.
Make it your own
Open the guide in Andiamo Places to see every stop on a map with walking directions, move places between days, check opening hours for your dates, and add your own finds. After the trip, your photos become a journal and, if you like, a printed photo book.
Guides are made with the help of AI and public sources such as Wikipedia, and may contain errors. Opening hours and prices change, so check before you go. Spotted a wrong photo, a pin in the wrong place, a missing stop or a better one? Write to andiamotravelapp@gmail.com: the e-mail opens with this guide filled in.
Photo credits
- Agung Rai Museum of Art: Arabsalam, CC BY 3.0
- Blanco Renaissance Museum: Taguelmoust, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Campuhan Ridge Walk: Jakub Hałun, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Goa Gajah: Chainwit., CC BY 4.0
- Gunung Kawi: Chainwit., CC BY 4.0
- Penestanan: Mx. Granger, CC0
- Pura Penataran Sasih: Michael Gunther, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Pura Taman Saraswati: Chainwit., CC BY-SA 4.0
- Puri Lukisan Museum: Arabsalam, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Tegallalang Rice Terraces: Joseagush, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Tirta Empul: Chainwit., CC BY 4.0
- Ubud Art Market: Schnobby, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Ubud Monkey Forest: Merbabu, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Ubud Palace: Chainwit., CC BY-SA 4.0
Opening hours change; check before you go. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
