48 hours in Ubud

Ubud, considered to be the cultural heart of Bali, was catapulted into the limelight after the global success of memoir Eat, Pray, Love where author Elizabeth Gilbert ends up finding love in the lush green fields of Ubud (since recently separated, but that’s another story). There is no shortage of things to do in Ubud with its yoga studios and green juices, and hippy and holistic lifestyle. Combine this with its famous rice terraces and perpetually grinning locals, and it’s easy to see how one could fall in love while in this colourful and creative centre.

In celebration of our Perthday (our one-year anniversary in Perth), my hubby and I decided to spend a weekend in Ubud, a luxury afforded to Perthians as Bali is a mere 3.5 hour flight from Perth, and closer to travel to than my hometown Melbourne. Who could say no to that? Here’s how to spend a weekend in Ubud.

There's no shortage of things to do in Ubud, which is known as the cultural heart of Bali. Here's how to spend 48 hours in Ubud!

Things to do in Ubud, Bali

DAY 1: Exploring Ubud’s city centre

Ubud’s city centre is relatively easy to explore and navigate. You will be met with the chaos of bumper to bumper traffic, street peddlers offering taxi services, Balinese women wrapped in colourful sarongs walking around with baskets of strong-scented incense or platters of fruit on their heads, and unrelenting heat and humidity: welcome to South-East Asia.

The main street in the town centre is Jalan Raya Ubud (translating to ‘main road’), off which two other busy streets extend:  Jalan Monkey Forest and Jalan Hanoman. Here, you’ll find a never-ending line of clothing stores, galleries, organic cafes and juice bars, restaurants and hotels among the Hindu temples, and it’s likely that you’ll spend most of your time in and around these vibrant streets.

There's no shortage of things to do in Ubud, which is known as the cultural heart of Bali. Here's how to spend 48 hours in Ubud!

Campuhan Ridge Walk  The Campuhan Ridge Walk is a paved walk that takes you through the rolling hills and rice fields of Ubud, not far from the town centre. The walk is a fantastic way to acquaint yourself with the verdant beauty of Ubud, and you’ll soon be mesmerised by all of the shades of green that exist here. End the walk at the Karsa Kafe – an unofficial rest point – with a refreshing coconut drink, and then turn back and make your way back into town. Do the walk early in the morning to avoid the scorching sun as the path is very exposed and there aren’t many places to seek shade under. You can find directions to the Campuhan Ridge Walk here.

There's no shortage of things to do in Ubud, which is known as the cultural heart of Bali. Here's how to spend 48 hours in Ubud!

Ubud Palace  Walk around the Palace courtyard in the centre of town (it’s quite small). There are also nightly performances at the Palace showcasing traditional Balinese dances.

Water Palace – Saraswati Temple  The Water Palace has a lovely walkway leading up to the temple surrounded on both sides by a lotus pond. Note that you need to be appropriately dressed if you want to enter the temple, in which case the entrance is on the left-hand side of the complex; otherwise, there’s a restaurant and cafe where you can grab a drink and bite to eat.

Ubud Market  The Ubud Market is extensive and each stall sells the same ubiquitous patterned sarongs, kitsch wooden souvenirs and Bintang beer singlets.

There's no shortage of things to do in Ubud, which is known as the cultural heart of Bali. Here's how to spend 48 hours in Ubud!

Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary   The Monkey Forest is not only a prime tourist attraction in Ubud but also a centre for research and conservation programs. You can purchase bananas from the vendors near the entrance if you want to feed the monkeys, but be aware that the monkeys can be aggressive (I saw a couple of monkeys jumping on people). You’ll be excited when you spot the first few monkeys as you enter, but they are EVERYWHERE in the forest sanctuary, so you don’t need to take 200 photos in the first 5 minutes, trust me.

There are also 3 temples inside the sanctuary: Pura Dalem Agung (Main Temple), Pura Beji (Beji Temple) and Pura Prajapati (Prajapati Temple). The area around the Pura Beji was particularly impressive and the hanging vines gave off a very tomb raider-esque atmosphere.

There's no shortage of things to do in Ubud, which is known as the cultural heart of Bali. Here's how to spend 48 hours in Ubud!

Signature Street  Signature Street – or Kajeng Road – is right next door to the Water Palace. You’ll recognise it straight away by the inscriptions etched into the pavement and it is almost like Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, albeit with a South-East Asian twist. If you follow the road, it makes for a pleasant stroll and this was probably one of the cutest streets that I found while in Ubud.

Check out

Watercress Ubud  A little bit of hipster heaven in Ubud serving up refreshing fruit juices.

No Mas  A newly opened rooftop cocktail bar (on top of Folk Kitchen and Espresso) with a great decor, chilled atmosphere, friendly bartenders and fantastic cocktails!

Seniman  The place to get a good cup of coffee in Ubud – they even serve flat whites, no doubt a nod to all of the Australians who pass through. Nab an outdoor seat overlooking the street to watch the stream of motorcyclists and pedestrians passing by.

There's no shortage of things to do in Ubud, which is known as the cultural heart of Bali. Here's how to spend 48 hours in Ubud!

Tutmak Cafe  A popular multi-storeyed cafe serving Western-style and Indonesian classics.

Naughty Nuri’s Warung and Grill  The grilled ribs are legendary.

Mozaic Bali  If you’re looking to splurge then it would have to be on Mosaic, which is headed by chef Chris Salans and most recently awarded the World Gourmet Summit 2015 award for ‘Best Asian Restaurant’.

Toko Lingsir  This gorgeous paperie in the heart of Ubud just near the football field is every stationery lover’s dream.

There's no shortage of things to do in Ubud, which is known as the cultural heart of Bali. Here's how to spend 48 hours in Ubud!

DAY 2: Ubud day trips

Our second day was spent exploring places outside of Ubud, and so we organised a driver to take us around for the day, which was done through our hotel Kajane Yangloni. Most hotels will be able to organise a driver for the day – just make sure to clarify the hourly rate. Otherwise, you can also go on a pre-organised tour, or hire a bike or scooter.

Tegenungan Waterfall  It costs 10,000 rupiah (approx. AU$1) to enter the waterfall and it is quite a steep walk down. Make sure to wear bathers if you intend on getting wet!

There's no shortage of things to do in Ubud, which is known as the cultural heart of Bali. Here's how to spend 48 hours in Ubud!

Tegallalang rice terraces  A must-do in Ubud. The rice terraces are an amazing sight to behold and it’s wonderful to be able to walk around the terraces as you please. Note that there are certain points along the path where you will need to make a donation (for the maintenance and upkeep of the rice terraces) in order to get past.

On the way to the rice terraces you’ll pass a long strip of shops selling every piece of furniture and decorative item you could possibly imagine. This is a goldmine if you’re currently renovating or furnishing your house.

There's no shortage of things to do in Ubud, which is known as the cultural heart of Bali. Here's how to spend 48 hours in Ubud!

Luwak Coffee Plantation  Nearby the Tegallalang rice terraces is the Luwak Coffee Plantation where you can go on a quick and free tour explaining the luwak coffee-making process, and showing you the luwaks, or Asian palm civets, whose secretions are used to make the most expensive coffee in the world. At the end of the tour, you can purchase a cup of luwak coffee (or other coffees and teas) and there is a viewing deck that offers a stunning panoramic view of the rice terraces. The luwak coffee was surprisingly smooth and delicious, and I definitely preferred it to the Balinese coffee, which I found too bitter for my liking.

There's no shortage of things to do in Ubud, which is known as the cultural heart of Bali. Here's how to spend 48 hours in Ubud!

Views of Mount Batur and Lake Batur  Mount Batur was about a 40-minute drive from the Tegallalang rice terraces, and it involved a lovely drive through the countryside where every shade of green imaginable is present. We passed villages and fields growing various fruits and vegetables, and saw locals selling baskets of produce by the side of the road.

Mount Batur was a whole lot more impressive than I thought it would be and it looms in the far distance through a cloudy haze. People can climb Mount Batur to watch the sunrise, but this requires a 2 or 3 am start as it takes 2 hours to trek to the top. We had lunch at a buffet restaurant called Sari Restaurant, which offered a spectacular view of the mountain and lake on the terrace.

There's no shortage of things to do in Ubud, which is known as the cultural heart of Bali. Here's how to spend 48 hours in Ubud!

Tirta Empul Temple  This temple is where the local Balinese Hindus come to perform their purification ritual, which involves bathing and praying in the holy water – it was incredible to watch. A sarong needs to be worn before entering the temple complex (available at the entrance).

There's no shortage of things to do in Ubud, which is known as the cultural heart of Bali. Here's how to spend 48 hours in Ubud!

There's no shortage of things to do in Ubud, which is known as the cultural heart of Bali. Here's how to spend 48 hours in Ubud!

Gunung Kawi Temple  The Gunung Kawi Temple is an ancient temple dating back to the 11th century and has shrines, or candi, carved into the rock faces, that are reached after walking down a steep set of stairs. A sarong needs to be worn before entering the temple complex (available at the entrance).

There's no shortage of things to do in Ubud, which is known as the cultural heart of Bali. Here's how to spend 48 hours in Ubud!

Ubud accommodation

There are a variety of accommodation options in Ubud ranging from budget to luxury villas. We stayed at the Kajane Yangloni, which falls in the mid-price range of Ubud accommodation options that we found while researching places to stay in Ubud. Read my review here.

There's no shortage of things to do in Ubud, which is known as the cultural heart of Bali. Here's how to spend 48 hours in Ubud!

How to get to Ubud

Ubud is approximately a 1-hour drive from Denpasar International Airport (Ngurah Rai International Airport), depending on the time of day and traffic. A lot of hotels offer an airport pick-up service, sometimes for free; otherwise you can catch a taxi.

Note: Australians no longer need to purchase a visa on arrival.

There's no shortage of things to do in Ubud, which is known as the cultural heart of Bali. Here's how to spend 48 hours in Ubud!

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Staying at the Kajane Yangloni in Ubud

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There's no shortage of things to do in Ubud, which is known as the cultural heart of Bali. Here's a guide on the best things to do in Ubud!

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