Bali 7-Day Itinerary: The Perfect Week in Bali

Most international flights land at Ngurah Rai Airport in the late morning or early afternoon. Seminyak is only 25 minutes from the airport without traffic, making it the ideal first base. Check into your hotel, unpack, and resist the urge to cram in sightseeing on arrival day. Instead, ease into Bali time with a slow afternoon. Walk down to Seminyak Beach around 3:00 PM when the heat starts to soften. The wide stretch of sand between Double Six Beach and Petitenget is lined with beanbag loungers and beach bars where you can order a cold Bintang or a fresh coconut. This is prime people-watching territory with surfers, kite flyers, and locals playing football on the sand as the afternoon wears on. As sunset approaches around 6:00 PM, head to one of the iconic beach clubs along Jalan Petitenget. Potato Head, Ku De Ta, and Mrs Sippy all offer spectacular sunset views with cocktails and DJ sets. Dinner can be a short walk away at one of Seminyak's excellent restaurants. Mama San serves refined Asian fusion in a converted warehouse, while Sarong offers an elevated take on Indonesian and Southeast Asian cuisine. Budget around IDR 300,000 to 500,000 per person for a nice dinner with drinks.

Canggu is a 20-minute drive or 30-minute scooter ride northwest of Seminyak and has become Bali's most talked-about neighborhood. The vibe here is more laid-back and bohemian compared to Seminyak's polished glam. Start your morning at one of Canggu's world-class brunch spots. Crate Cafe and Sensorium are perennial favorites for their smoothie bowls, avocado toast, and single-origin coffee, all at prices that feel like a steal compared to Western cities. After breakfast, head to Batu Bolong Beach for your first encounter with Bali's surf culture. The break here is gentle enough for beginners, and you can book a two-hour surf lesson on the beach for IDR 350,000 to 500,000 including board rental and instruction. Even if surfing is not your thing, the black sand beach is great for a morning swim and sunbathe. In the early afternoon, explore Canggu's side streets where independent boutiques, yoga studios, and co-working spaces sit between rice paddies that are slowly giving way to development. The Finns Recreation Club offers a pool day with waterslides and a beach club atmosphere if you want something more structured. At 4:00 PM, hire a driver or ride 30 minutes west to Tanah Lot temple. This is Bali's most famous sea temple, perched on a rocky island that is cut off from the mainland at high tide. Time your visit so you are settled on the clifftop viewing area by 5:30 PM for what is often called the most photogenic sunset in Bali. Admission is IDR 60,000. Return to Seminyak or Canggu for dinner at Old Man's or The Lawn, both with ocean-facing tables.

Check out of your Seminyak or Canggu hotel after breakfast and make the 90-minute drive north to Ubud, Bali's cultural capital. The route passes through increasingly green landscapes as you leave the coast behind and climb into the central highlands. Ask your driver to stop at one of the artisan villages along the way. Celuk is famous for its silver workshops where you can watch craftsmen create intricate jewelry by hand. Mas village is known for woodcarving, and Batuan has a cluster of traditional painting studios. Check into your Ubud accommodation by midday. Ubud offers everything from budget guesthouses surrounded by rice paddies to luxury clifftop resorts overlooking the Ayung River gorge. After settling in, head straight to the Tegallalang Rice Terraces, 20 minutes north of Ubud center. These cascading green paddies are the most photographed landscape in Bali, maintained using the ancient subak cooperative irrigation system recognized by UNESCO. Walk the terraced paths for about an hour, descending into the valley and crossing bamboo bridges between paddies. The deeper you go, the fewer tourists you will encounter. Farmers stationed along the paths may ask for small donations of IDR 10,000 to 20,000, which supports the families who maintain this landscape. Afterward, drive five minutes to one of the roadside restaurants overlooking the terraces for a late lunch with a panoramic view. Return to Ubud town in the late afternoon and walk along Jalan Raya Ubud and Monkey Forest Road, the two main streets lined with art galleries, craft shops, and restaurants. Dinner at Locavore (book well in advance) or the more casual Hujan Locale showcases modern Indonesian cuisine using local ingredients.

Dedicate a full day to exploring Ubud's cultural treasures. Start early at the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary, which opens at 8:30 AM. This 12.5-hectare forest in the heart of Ubud town is home to over 1,200 long-tailed macaques and three ancient Hindu temples dating to the 14th century. The towering banyan trees, moss-covered stone carvings, and atmospheric ravine make this far more than a simple monkey encounter. Budget 60 to 90 minutes and keep all belongings secured in zipped bags. Admission is IDR 80,000. From the Monkey Forest, drive 20 minutes northeast to Tirta Empul, one of Bali's holiest water temples. Founded in 926 AD, the temple is built around a natural spring believed to have been created by the god Indra. You can participate in the melukat purification ritual, moving from spout to spout in the sacred pool while offering prayers. Bring a change of dry clothes and a waterproof bag for your phone. The ritual is a genuine religious practice, so approach it with respect and follow the guidance of temple staff. After Tirta Empul, visit the nearby Gunung Kawi royal tombs, a stunning 11th-century complex of rock-cut shrines carved into the cliff face of a lush river valley. The 300-step descent through rice paddies to reach the tombs is part of the experience. Admission is IDR 50,000. Return to Ubud by late afternoon and rest before attending an evening dance performance. The Ubud Royal Palace hosts nightly traditional Balinese dance performances starting at 7:30 PM. The Legong dance and Barong dance are the most common, performed by elaborately costumed dancers accompanied by a full gamelan orchestra. Tickets are IDR 100,000 and available at the door, but arrive 30 minutes early for good seats.

Leave Ubud after breakfast for the 90-minute drive east to Sidemen, a tranquil valley in the shadow of Mount Agung, Bali's highest and most sacred volcano at 3,031 meters. Sidemen is what Ubud felt like 20 years ago: terraced rice fields stretching to the horizon, almost no traffic, and a pace of life that revolves around farming and temple ceremonies rather than tourism. The drive from Ubud to Sidemen is scenic in itself, winding through villages and past the massive Besakih mother temple complex on the slopes of Mount Agung. If you want to visit Besakih, allow two hours and be prepared for persistent local guides who will attach themselves at the entrance. The temple is Bali's largest and most important, comprising over 80 individual temples spread across the mountainside. Admission plus a mandatory guide costs around IDR 60,000 to 100,000. Once in Sidemen, the main activity is simply being present in one of Bali's most beautiful landscapes. Walk through the rice terraces with Mount Agung towering in the background, visit the Tukad Unda waterfall and dam, or take a guided trek through the surrounding hills. Many guesthouses in Sidemen offer weaving workshops where you can learn the traditional ikat and songket textile techniques that the village is famous for. A two-hour weaving lesson costs around IDR 150,000 to 250,000. Sidemen is also the starting point for Mount Agung sunrise treks, though these require a very early departure (1:00 to 2:00 AM) and a high level of fitness. For most visitors, simply admiring the volcano from the valley floor with a cold drink in hand is reward enough. Stay overnight in Sidemen to experience the extraordinary quiet of rural Bali at night, broken only by crickets and the occasional temple ceremony.

Transfer south from Sidemen to the Uluwatu area on the Bukit Peninsula, a drive of approximately two and a half hours. This is the longest drive of the trip, so leave after an early breakfast and ask your driver to take the coastal road via Kusamba and Sanur for variety. You will arrive on the Bukit by midday. The Uluwatu peninsula is Bali's dramatic southern tip, a limestone plateau with sheer cliffs dropping 70 meters to the Indian Ocean below. After checking in, spend the early afternoon at one of the hidden beaches carved into the cliff base. Padang Padang Beach, made famous by the film Eat Pray Love, is a small cove accessed by a narrow staircase through a gap in the rock. The water is crystal clear and the setting is stunning, though the beach gets crowded by midday. Thomas Beach and Melasti Beach are quieter alternatives with more space. At 4:00 PM, head to Pura Luhur Uluwatu, one of Bali's six key directional temples. The temple sits on the cliff edge with commanding views of the ocean in every direction. Admission is IDR 50,000. Beware of the resident macaques who are even more aggressive than their Monkey Forest cousins -- remove all sunglasses, hats, earrings, and dangling accessories before entering. The main event is the Kecak fire dance, performed nightly at 6:00 PM in the open-air amphitheater on the cliff edge. A chorus of 50 or more men chant rhythmic vocal patterns while enacting scenes from the Ramayana epic, with the setting sun turning the sky orange behind them. The combination of the hypnotic chanting, dramatic fire elements, and the ocean sunset is genuinely unforgettable. Tickets are IDR 150,000 and sell out quickly in peak season, so book through your hotel or arrive by 5:00 PM.

Your final day is designed for relaxation before your flight home. Transfer the short 30-minute drive from Uluwatu to Nusa Dua, Bali's purpose-built resort enclave on the eastern side of the Bukit Peninsula. Nusa Dua is the polar opposite of Canggu's indie spirit: manicured lawns, calm turquoise lagoons, white sand beaches with hardly a hawker in sight, and a concentration of five-star resorts that feels almost Mediterranean. Spend the morning on Nusa Dua Beach, which is protected by an offshore reef that keeps the water calm and swimmable year-round, unlike the wave-battered beaches of the west coast. The beach walk that runs along the coast for several kilometers connects the major resorts and passes through beautifully maintained gardens, making it one of the most pleasant coastal strolls in Bali. If you want one final cultural experience, the Devdan Show at the Bali Nusa Dua Theatre is a 90-minute spectacular combining traditional Indonesian dance from five regions with modern acrobatics and aerial performance. Shows run several evenings per week and tickets cost IDR 350,000 to 800,000 depending on seating. Alternatively, treat yourself to a final Balinese spa treatment. Nusa Dua has some of Bali's best resort spas, and a two-hour traditional massage and flower bath package typically runs IDR 500,000 to 1,000,000. For your last meal, try Bumbu Bali in the Nusa Dua area, which serves a royal Balinese rijsttafel-style tasting menu that is a perfect culinary bookend to your trip. Ngurah Rai Airport is only 20 minutes from Nusa Dua, making this the most convenient place to spend your final hours before an evening flight.