While we can say that Ubud is a dot In the incredible Bali, we recommend you not to miss the opportunity to dedicate, at least one day to discover this incredible town, spiritual center of the island.
If you do not have that full day, you can always take advantage of the afternoons of the different routes in Bali What you do, to discover, little by little this place that we are safe, will not leave you indifferent. We leave you a selection of those we believe, are the essential things to do in Ubud and that you should not miss if you want to take the best memory of this incredible town.
1. Puri Saren Agung. Ubud Royal Palace
This palace, located in one of the main streets of Ubud, in Jl Raya Ubud, is one of the things to do in Ubud You must not miss.
Free admission and a visit that can be done in a short time, is open from 8 in the morning to 7 in the afternoon.
Puri Saren Agung. What to do in Ubud
Today, the royal family resides in this palace, which was rebuilt after the 1917 earthquake. Although it is not as impressive as other locations on the island, we recommend you take a few minutes to explore it, as it is one of the most important of the island.
Ubud Palace
To take into account that at night dances are celebrated, of which they offer information at the same door of the palace.
2. Pure Saman Saraswat
The visit to this Hindu temple, located in Jl Raya Ubud, very close to the Royal Palace and the famous Café Lotus, is one of the things to do in Ubud that you can't miss
Of a very special beauty and free admission, the visit to this point of the town, we are sure, will surprise you.
A good option to know the history and curiosities of the city is to book this visit with a guide in Spanish.
Pure Saman Saraswat
Do not forget to walk around the area of the pond, full of lotus flowers, which give this place one of Ubud's most beautiful postcards.
3. Ubud market. One of the things to do in Ubud that you can't miss
This is one of the most visited places in Ubud by tourists. Moreover, we would bet a hand that none passes through the town without passing, even a few minutes through one of the most important commercial points of the town and we could say, also of Bali.
Ubud Market
With hundreds, perhaps thousands of craft, food and souvenir shops, this market is another essential thing to do in Ubud, even if you don't want to buy and you have to see the daily work, the reactions of the tourists and the life of the market, it is an experience in itself, especially if you move away a little from the busiest streets and get lost in the adjacent, quieter streets.
Ubud Market Stores
Although as we said it is an essential visit in Ubud, at the same time, after our experience, we believe that it is not the best place to shop, since most stores have items made in a way massive.
In case you are looking for a piece that is a bit exclusive, we recommend you look in a gallery in Ubud or in a craft store in a town specialized in wood or stone.
Fruit stall in the Ubud Market
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4. Monkey Forest
One of the things what to do in Ubud Essential is to visit Monkey Forest, one of the best known and most visited places in the town.
The ticket price is Rs 50,000 per person, the schedule is from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and although it may seem a bit expensive compared to other places on the island, it is worth paying for and spending some time enjoying this place, where you will be surrounded by monkeys.
Monkey forest
To enter Monkey Forest, this park that we could say the most is a piece of jungle in the Ubud Center, you can do it for 3 of its accesses:
- Main Gate: in the southern area of Jl Monkey Forest.
- 100 meters east of the main gate, right next to the Monkey Forest parking lot.
- In the southern area, next to the Nyuhkuning trail.
Monkey forest
Our experience in Monkey Forest, the first time we came to Bali, a few years ago, was a bit frustrating and that is that we were just coming from visiting Uluwatu, where there are also monkeys and they are trained to steal to the visitors glasses, which was our case, cameras or any other valuable object that is worthy of payment to recover it by an attentive local that throws the monkey something to eat, so that he returns to the tourist his belongings.
Given this experience, as you can imagine, our visit to Monkey Forest was not at all quiet and therefore, we have to confess, we were not very objective when we said that we did not like it too much.
Monkey forest
On this occasion it has been different and it is that as soon as we enter, we have proposed to do an observation round, to be able to tour Monkey Forest more or less calm, according to what we saw.
And so we have been able to verify that in Monkey Forest this does not happen and although you have to take some precautions, such as not carrying bags in your hand or bottles of water in sight, do not look at the monkeys directly in the eyes or get in if they are fighting , at no time are they dangerous or "burglars"of glasses.
In addition there are many staff that will help you or give advice on how to act with them, in case you want to do it, or what is the ideal sense of the visit.
In addition to visiting the central part of Monkey Forest, we advise you to lose yourself in the area that passes through the river and the bridge, which we did not arrive the first time and which according to our experience is the most scenic of the place and also the quietest.
Monkey forest
If you want to make a complete visit, it has about 2 hours to visit all the most interesting areas of Monkey Forest, in addition to Pura Dalem Agung, the temple that is located in the heart of the forest.
Monkey forest
Pure Dalem Agung
5. WEAPON Agung Rai Art Museum
This gallery, located in Jl Raya Pengosekan, is one of the visits we recommend you to do in Ubud, if you have an extra day.
The entrance fee is Rs 80000 per person and they have free parking for cars and motorcycles. The truth is that it is somewhat expensive, but it is worth it, especially if, as we mentioned, you have some extra day in the town.
Founded by Agung Rai, this art gallery is inside the ARMA Resort, so you can also enjoy its spectacular gardens of tropical vegetation, which is one of the greatest attractions of this visit.
WEAPON
After our experience in the visit, we can say that the Arma Museum is not an essential place to visit in Ubud, unless you have special interest in this type of places, but it is an interesting visit if you have a couple of hours and you want to be a little relaxed and enjoy spectacular gardens.
Agung Rai Art Museum
6. Stroll through Ubud
One of the best things to see and do in Bali and that you can't miss is, without a doubt, wandering around Ubud.
Streets such as Jalan Monkey Forest, Jl Raya Ubud, Jalan Gootama or Jalan Hanoman, are just some of the busiest streets in the town, where most of Ubud's restaurants, shops and cafés are concentrated.
Ubud
The best way to enjoy Ubud is to explore the town with tranquility, without a map and especially at the Balinese rhythm. Do not worry if you initially see that there are many tourists, you should know that many travelers are concentrated in Ubud. If you want some solitude, you just have to get away from these busiest streets a bit and you can enjoy a totally local and incredible Ubud.
And of course, you can not miss the best restaurants in Ubud, in addition to the best coffee shops in Ubud, as this is another of the great attractions of the town.
Jalan Gootama Ubud
7. Campuhan Rige Walk or palm tree path
This hike will take you through several of the rice fields and landscapes surrounded by vegetation, which are counted as some of the best in the Ubud area.
In the end, you can take a well-deserved rest at Karsa Café, one of the best coffee shops in Ubud, where you can enjoy a place surrounded by impressive rice terraces.
This hike is one of the easiest that can be done in the surroundings of Ubud and in total it will take you about 2-3 hours, taking it very quietly, and even making a stop at any of the cafes that are along the Way to drink something.
Ideally, start right next to Ibah Villas, from where a path leaves, at the beginning with a steep descent, which continues through Pura Gunung Lebah, one of the essential temples of Bali and then begin to climb up a steep slope and Start the hike through an all-paved path surrounded by greenery.
Ibah Villas
Pure Gunung Lebah
The walk from the beginning to Karsa Café is 2 kilometers and after the experience we recommend that you start it early in the morning, especially if the day is sunny and wet, since although it is not a demanding walk, there is no shadows, so if you do it once the day has entered, it can be somewhat hot.
In addition, in the first part of the walk, of approximately 1 kilometer and a half, there is nothing where you can stop to drink something or any shade, so it is also advisable to bring water.
Once on the trail, when you have approximately 900 meters, you will see the famous Campuhan Rige Walk image, which is none other than the lonely palm tree, which gives the name of the trail and which is one of the images for which it is known this hike in the surroundings of Ubud.
Campuhan Rige Walk
The whole hike is very well indicated, as there are signs that indicate Karsa Café and the distance, so do not be afraid to lose yourself. In addition, you will surely find more people doing the route, since in recent times it has become very touristy, something that has meant that in the last part, every little bit there are new stores and new warungs.
Karsa Café and Campuhan Rige Walk signage
The second part of the Campuhan Rige Walk route, which is about 500-800 meters passes through a small town, where there are several warungs in which to buy drinks or snacks, although we recommend reaching Karsa Café, which is 200 meters away from the point where the first houses begin to be seen, where you can enjoy magnificent views of the rice fields accompanied by a fruit juice, for a very reasonable price and that will be the icing on the cake to this route.
In addition, Karsa Café is considered as the best spa in Ubud, something you can take advantage of to enjoy a few hours of authentic relaxation, enjoying a Balinese massage.
Views from Karsa Café
Campuhan Rige Walk, although it has some rise and fall, is perfectly accessible to all types of public, so it is not necessary to be in good physical condition and if you do it calmly and slowly, as we said, it can be done in About 2-3 hours.
Around Ubud you can do it in three different ways:
- Going back the same way
- By taxi from Karsa Café for 100,000 rupees
- Surrounding the rice paddies in the north to return to Ubud on the Jungle Fish road. This will take you about 2 hours more and from what we saw, much of the route runs on the road, so if you feel like seeing this area, it is better to arrive by motorcycle or car to Jungle Fish and take a walk there, which is where the rice fields are concentrated.
- At the end of the route through Campuhan Rige Walk, you can take the opportunity to eat at Murnis Warung, one of the best places to eat in Ubud.
8. Rice paddies around Ubud
Not so much for being spectacular, although we can include them among the best rice paddies in Bali, but rather for what they represent and also for being a 2 or 3 hour walk around the town, which is one of the Best things to do in Ubud.
Book the best rated tours and excursions in Spanish from Bali by travelers:
- Excursion to the Gili Islands
- Celebrate your traditional Balinese wedding
- Lakes and temples of Bedugul and Tanah Lot
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This hike is ideal to do first thing in the morning, starting a street that leaves 20 meters from the well-known Café Lotus and that you will recognize for having cement tiles on the ground, with names of different companies of Ubud, by way of Hall of Fame.
Beginning of the route through the rice fields of Ubud
At the end of this street, where you will find a multitude of hotels, it is a good area to stay in Ubud, warungs and small craft shops, you will see a sign indicating that cars cannot be driven. That is the path you must follow, which begins with a gentle slope.
The route begins ...
The first section of the road runs through vegetation and without crossing any warung, so it is recommended that you bring water or a snack.
First section of the route between rice paddies. What to see in Ubud
When you arrive at Taman Bintang Villa, you must take a path to the left, which will take you fully to the rice terraces. From here, you only have to follow the paths that run along the rice paddies while enjoying incredible and unique views around Ubud.
Rice paddies. What to see in Ubud
What to see in Ubud
On this road you will cross with Sari Organic, a small restaurant of organic food and drinks, with excellent views of the surrounding rice paddies where you can make a stop for both eating and cooling, before returning to Ubud, which is more or more less than 1 kilometer.
Organic saree
9. River View
Right at the entrance of the Warung River View, located in Jl. Kirpalana, next to the Café Lotus, there are some stairs from which you have incredible views and we recommend you go down, to get closer to a small temple, Water Palace Ubud, which there are a few meters ahead.
Views from the stairs of Warung River View
Tell you that although we have not been, Warung River View does not have very good opinions on the internet, so we believe that it is best to forget this place and go down the stairs directly to enjoy the views that are in the River area.
River view
10. Bridges. Ubud
Although this area is not a must in the places to see in UbudDue to the proximity to the end and beginning of Campuhan Rige Walk, we believe it is a less curious place, which you can approach to see this beautiful and scenic old town bridge.
You can find it right next to the famous River View Restaurant, located at the end of Jalan Raya Ubud.
Bridges. Ubud
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11. Views Gugung Lebah temple
Before arriving at the wooden bridge, on the right hand side and after about 100 meters from the entrance point of the Campuhan Rige Walk, you will find the Green Terrace restaurant / cafeteria, from which accessing only the enclosure in which it is located, you will have views incredible of the Gugung Lebah temple, through which it passes in the palm tree path.
Gugung Lebah temple views
Although initially the idea was to enter the premises and drink something, just enter the area from which the temple is seen, which is not within the premises, but an area on the street, the staff, from the top, we It invites you to go up and eat something like about 4 times in the 5 minutes that we are. Given so much insistence and seeing that there is no one, we decided not to enter ... Who knows, maybe next time?
12. Goa Gajah
Located on the outskirts of Ubud, Goa Gajha, also known as the Elephant Cave, is one of the visits what to do in Ubud essential.
This cave, carved in the rock, which is accessed through the mouth of a demon, is one of the most visited enclaves by tourists who are in Ubud, in addition to those who make routes around the island.
Goa Gajah
After passing the parking, you must go through the ticket office to pay the entrance of Rs 15,000 per person (+5000 parking) and follow a path, crossing several souvenir stalls, until you reach the area from which you start to see the temple and The cave carved into the rock.
Entrance to Goa Gajah
In addition to the cave, which is the most visited, we recommend you make a stop at the pools, which serve to purify women, men and children respectively.
Goa Gajah pools
In addition to this area, we recommend you to make a detour and approach Buddha Temple at the bottom of the cave, a highly recommended area for a walk and relax surrounded by nature.
Goa Gajah
13. Massages in Ubud
And finally, but no less important or interesting, we want to leave you some recommendations of places where you can have a massage in Ubud, one of the things we recommend you not to stop doing, at least once.
- Jungle Fish: Located on the outskirts of Ubud, this spa, which is also known for its infinity pool, which you can access for 150000 rupees, is one of the best places in Ubud to give you a massage.
We tried the 60-minute back, neck and head massage for Rs 350000 and we can say that it is wonderful.
- Sang Spa 2: Located in Jl. Jembawan no. 13 B, in the most central area of Ubud, this spa is another of the places we recommend if you want to enjoy an unforgettable massage in Ubud.
We tested the 60-minute leg and reflexology massage for 150000 rupees.
- Nusa Theraphy: This was the last spa we discovered in Ubud and that has remained for us as one of the Best of Ubud massages.
Located in Jl. Hanoman No.23-27, we went several days, giving ourselves 60-minute foot and leg massage, for Rs 120000 and we can only say that when we return to Bali, this will be one of the places we will visit the most. Totally recommended, there is no better way to take care of the body, mind and spirit.
