31 Best Things to Do in Ubud

The Ubud Monkey Forest, located on the fringes of central Ubud, is home to over 700 long-tailed macaques. This natural sanctuary is perhaps the best known in Bali thanks to its community-based management, location and ease of access. 

Overseen by the Padangtegal village, Ubud Monkey Forest is a place of scientific research and a site of spiritual and cultural aspects, as there are sacred temples sanctified by local villagers. The Ubud Monkey Forest is also called the Sacred Monkey Forest of Padangtegal, and, by its official designation, Mandala Wisata Wenara Wana.

The Tegallang rice terrace is famous for its scenic landscape, where travellers to Ubud often stop by for snapshots of an iconic Balinese view. Bali’s traditional, centuries-old cooperative irrigation system (known as subak) has created some of the most beautiful terraced landscapes in Southeast Asia, and this valley is a great example.

The quaint village of Pakudui is close to the Tegallang rice terrace. You can find a variety of ornamental woodwork and various carvings of mythical figures. Many souvenir stalls line the ledge of Tegallang, where you can pick up some gifts before continuing your journey to Ubud’s main centre.

Goa Gajah is one of the island’s most impressive archaeological sites. Also known as Bali's 'Elephant Cave', the complex is 300 metres west of the Bedulu village, a region famous for its collection of historical sites, and about 5 km southeast of central Ubud.

Upon arriving at Goa Gajah, walk down a flight of stairs to discover a relic-filled courtyard and the main 11th-century cave. The entrance to the cave features a carving of a wide-eyed figure, while inside are rock-wall carvings and a meditational site. Goa Gajah also has a Hindu temple and an impressive communal pool with stone sculptures and fountains, excavated back in 1954.

Ubud Royal Palace, officially Puri Saren Agung, is the palace of the Ubud royal family and one of the most prominent landmarks in Ubud. Featuring well-preserved Balinese architecture and a charming garden setting, it was built during the lordship of Tjokorda Putu Kandel (1800–1823), and is well-kept by his heirs.

The Ubud Royal Palace is best known among lovers of Balinese arts as one of the main sites to view traditional dance performances. Every evening, Puri Saren Agung’s performance stage, with a backdrop of ornate angkul-angkul (traditional gate and guardian statues), hosts performances with gamelan percussive orchestras.

Campuhan Ridge Walk offers an escape from the contemporary boutique, guesthouse and restaurant-lined Jalan Raya Ubud. The 9-km-long trail starts off from the scenic Gunung Lebah Temple, passes over the lush valley of the Sungai Wos River, and continues towards the hills of Payogan. 

Most of the time, you’ll have the path to your own. Even so, you’ll possibly meet a few fellow trekkers and joggers along the way. Campuhan Ridge Walk is a free and easy nature trek, popular among repeat visitors to the central highland town of Ubud.

The Ubud Art Market is a good place to find beautiful silk scarves, lightweight shirts, statues, kites, handmade woven bags, baskets or hats and many other hand-crafted goods. Locally known as Pasar Seni Ubud, the market is just opposite Puri Saren Agung (Ubud Royal Palace).

There are plenty of the common items that you’ll find all around the island, including beach clothes and shirts printed with “Bali” on them, as well as ikat (woven) skirts, Balinese-style paintings, woodcarvings and woven baskets. Most of the goods found at the Ubud Art Market are made in the neighbouring villages of Pengosekan, Tegallalang, Payangan and Peliatan.

Blanco Renaissance Museum is the home and studio of the late Philippine-born maestro, Don Antonio Blanco. Located on a hilltop overlooking the lush valley of Campuhan, it houses paintings, collages and illustrated poetry, together with lithographic artworks of his favourite subject: nude Balinese women.

Blanco Renaissance Museum offers guided tours throughout the day, with the artist’s family members as the hosts you if you’re lucky. The thought-provoking collections, lush garden surroundings, and onsite cafe offer a nice stopover for your Ubud trip.

Taman Saraswati Temple (Pura Taman Saraswati) is a beautiful water temple that makes for a great highlight on your walks through Ubud town. This popular photo spot has classical Balinese temple architecture and a beautiful foyer with ponds filled with pink lotuses. 

Entry is free but, as with any temple visit in Bali, you’re required to wear a sash and sarong around the waist. Traditional dance performances take place at the temple’s amphitheatre every evening. Taman Saraswati Temple is accessible from the Jalan Kajeng side street, off the main road of Jalan Raya Ubud.

Tegenungan Waterfall is one of the great waterfalls nearest to Ubud. It's halfway between Ubud and Bali's provincial capital of Denpasar. Getting to the falls from Ubud is a pleasant 30-minute drive down paved village roads lined with stretches of green rice fields on both sides.

At the entrance you’ll find ticket booths, art and souvenir shops, together with warungs (local food stalls) selling snacks and cold drinks. From there, it’s about a 5-minute walk to reach the falls. Dense foliage frames the cascading waters of Tegenungan Waterfall, and the water volume is impressive at almost any time of year.

The Bali Agung Show is a theatrical art performance that tells of a Balinese legend through the help of lively dance choreography, vibrant costumes, dramatic music compositions, and modern lighting and sound systems. The show takes place at the Bali Theatre in MARA RIVER SAFARI LODGE at Bali Safari & Marine Park. 

The theatre brings a contemporary take to theatrical art performances, presenting a combination of traditional and modern dance, as well as modern puppetry by 150 Balinese performers.

Batuan Village is made up of traditional Balinese compounds and natural surroundings. You’ll be fascinated by the residents who enthusiastically embrace the traditions and rituals observed in every facet of their life. Most of the villagers in Batuan work as traditional craftsmen or artists.

The word batuan or baturan can be translated as “tough as stone” or “eating rocks”, but it refers to an ancient megalithic tradition in which standing stones (many of which have been found in this village) served as meeting places and ceremonial sites. Many Balinese recommend that if you want to see what Bali looked like in the old days, visit Batuan Village.

Gunung Kawi is an 11th-century Hindu temple complex in Bali’s Gianyar regency. To get to there, you’ll need to descend a 300-step stone stairway leading to a beautiful valley, where you will find 10 memorials carved into the rock face. Towering at 7 metres, 4 of the memorials are found on the west side, 5 on the east side of the river, while to the south across the valley lies the 10th memorial.

These carvings are the memorial shrines of the king's concubines and his family. The Gunung Kawi sanctuary hosts ritual ceremonies and locals gather periodically to pay homage to God, the ancient king, and his family.

Gunung Kawi Sebatu Temple is one of the least visited temple complexes in Bali, but also one of the most beautiful. The temple, also called Pura Tirta Dawa Gunung Kawi Sebatu, has verdant gardens around ponds filled with carp and blooming lotuses, as well as ancient shrines surrounded by pools fed by natural springs. The temple complex is located within the highland village of Sebatu in Tegallalang, about 12 km northeast from central Ubud.

Museum Puri Lukisan (which loosely translates to 'Palace of Paintings') is one of Bali’s earliest art museums. Founded in 1956, the museum has 6 buildings displaying traditional Balinese paintings and woodcarvings. 

Notable exhibits include a series of pre-modernist Balinese paintings from the Leo Haks collection, masterworks by I Gusti Nyoman Lempad, and a wayang (shadow puppet) painting collection. Museum Puri Lukisan’s 4th building, called the Founders Gallery, showcases the museum’s history and temporary exhibitions of local artists’ works.

Museum Rudana displays a fine collection of classical and contemporary Balinese paintings. The 2-storey museum was established in 1995 by Balinese art collector Nyoman Rudana. Exhibits of modern Indonesian fine arts include works by famous artists like Affandi, Gunarsa, Wianta, and young talented artists like Boyke Aditya, Nyoman Erawan, and Made Budhiana. Museum Rudana also keeps several artworks of the late Antonio Blanco.

Pura Gunung Lebah (Gunung Lebah Temple) is one of Ubud’s central landmarks, positioned at the western end of the Jalan Raya Ubud main road. The temple’s name loosely translates to ‘mountain valley temple’ in archaic Balinese. It dates back to the 8th century, and has close spiritual ties to Batur Temple. Gunung Lebah itself honours the goddess of Batur. The temple complex has 3 courtyards, resting pavilions for devotees, and a gamelan pavilion that hosts traditional dances.

The best time to visit Gunung Lebah is during its piodalan temple anniversary. This occurs every 210 days on a ‘Wuku Sinta’ Wednesday on the Balinese pawukon calendar. The day coincides with the Pagerwesi Day celebrations in Bali.

Pura Penataran Sasih (Penataran Sasih Temple) is also known as ‘The Moon Temple’ as it houses an ancient bronze kettle drum called the ‘Moon of Pejeng’. It is the largest bronze kettle in Southeast Asia, at about 2 metres in length and dates back to 300 BC. The Hindu temple itself dates back to AD 1266 and served as the state temple of the Pejeng kingdom.

Pura Penataran Sasih also displays a stone seat of Ganesh in the middle of the main courtyard, a modern chronogram in front of the entrance, alongside several Hindu sculptures. You can easily reach Pura Penataran Sasih around 6.5 km east from Ubud central.

Pura Samuan Tiga (Samuan Tiga Temple) was the royal temple of the Udayana Warmadewa dynasty. Assumed to be the venue for the great meeting between gods, deities and saints, the temple is known for hosting Siat Sampian, a Balinese Hindu ritual that takes place every 10th full moon (locally known as Purnama Kadasa), which roughly comes around in April.

Pura Samuan Tiga is flanked by the Pande and Tegending Rivers, with sacred banyan and pule trees growing around the site. The temple has 7 courtyards separated by walls and split gates, but connected by stairs leading up to the innermost courtyard, believed to be the meeting hall of 3 holy spirits.

The Setia Darma House of Masks & Puppets is a unique repository with a mission to preserve some of Indonesia’s most colourful heritage items. It serves as a cultural and educational part of many tours to central Bali. The gallery has around 1,300 masks and over 5,000 puppets from all over the Indonesian archipelago, as well as from Africa, China, Latin America and Europe. The collections are displayed in 4 traditional Javanese antique houses.

Bali Bird Walks offer birdwatching excursions around the lush countryside of Ubud. It was founded by ornithologist Victor Mason back in 1990, who is well-known for his books on exotic birds and butterflies in Bali. The guided tour takes you on a day out through some of the highland’s most beautiful nature trails. The insightful walks carry a mission of conservation through education, and are suitable for adults and kids.

Bali Bird Walk also has several walking tours (upon request), including a 5-km tour through the Ubud environs, tours of the mangrove forests on Bali’s south, the highlands of Mount Batukaru (with lunch stops at the Jatiluwih rice terraces), and the forested lakesides of central Bali.

Taman Nusa Cultural Park is an open-air museum in Bali's Gianyar regency. The 10-hectare site has more than 60 authentic traditional houses in their recreated compound settings, statues of previous leaders, together with replicas of Indonesian landmarks like Borobudur Temple.

You’ll get a fascinating glimpse into the way of lives and cultures of Indonesia’s many ethnic groups.  Taman Nusa Cultural Park is located in Gianyar’s Sidan village, about a 45-minute drive east of central Ubud.

Pura Tirta Empul (Tirta Empul Templ) is an important temple complex and holy mountain spring in Bali. The spring feeds various purification baths, pools and fish ponds surrounding the outer perimeter, which all flow to the Tukad Pakerisan River. The central courtyard houses a purification bath lined with 13 sculpted spouts. It can be tempting to try out the purification bathing ritual yourself, but the formal routine is strictly meant for pilgrims and devotees.

As with any temple visit in Bali, it's always important to dress respectfully. Women on their periods shouldn't enter the temple or any sacred site and may enjoy the sights and attractions around the outer perimeters.

Yeh Pulu is a 14th-century site located between the Petanu and Pakerisan Rivers. The ancient complex has rock carvings of wayang (shadow puppet) characters and common people, which form a scene of Balinese village life in the early days. 

Around 200 metres north of Yeh Pulu is a sacred bathing place decorated with naturalistic reliefs. Among the most prominent are reliefs of the elephant-headed god Ganesh, horsemen, an ascetic, and a seated woman.

Agung Rai Museum of Art (ARMA) is part of a gallery, cultural centre and accommodation venture in Ubud. Founded by Balinese entrepreneur and art collector, Anak Agung Gde Rai, the museum has 2 main buildings housing exhibition halls, theatre performances, art classes, a bookshop, library, and cultural workshops.

ARMA’s permanent exhibition displays paintings by Balinese, Indonesian and foreign artists. Standouts include masterpieces by Batuan artists dating back to the 1930s and 1940, 19th-century Javanese artists Raden Saleh and Syarif Bustaman, as well as the Kamasan collection of paintings on tree barks.