In depth
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Area guide
Ubud: rice fields, river gorges and the arts
The palace and the market, the painters’ museums, the Monkey Forest and the rice terraces, with the resorts and tasting menus of the valleys around.
Area guide · Bali
Ubud: the town in the rice fields
The palace and the art market, the painters’ museums, the Monkey Forest and the terraces, with the resorts and tasting menus of the valleys around.
What's onThis week in Bali
What to see and do
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The bathing pools
Pura Tirta Empul
The temple of the holy spring at Tampaksiring, where people bathe in the purification pools.
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The Elephant Cave
Goa Gajah
The Elephant Cave near Ubud: a carved cave mouth, bathing pools and a ravine.
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Dance in the courtyard
Ubud Palace (Puri Saren Agung)
The palace of Ubud’s royal family in the centre of town, where dances are performed in the courtyard in the evening.
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Temples in the forest
Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary
A forest of temples and long-tailed macaques on the southern edge of Ubud, run by the village of Padangtegal.
Jalan Monkey Forest, UbudExplore View on map
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The island’s yoga capital
Yoga in Ubud
Ubud is the island’s centre for yoga, from hotel shalas to the wellness programmes of COMO Shambhala and Fivelements.
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Balinese painting
ARMA – Agung Rai Museum of Art
A museum of Balinese and Indonesian painting in gardens on the south side of Ubud.
Jalan Raya Pengosekan, UbudExplore View on map
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The palace of paintings
Museum Puri Lukisan
Ubud’s museum of Balinese painting and woodcarving, in gardens in the centre of town.
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The painters of Bali
Neka Art Museum
A museum of painting in Bali, from the classical Kamasan style to the 20th-century painters who lived on the island.
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Every evening
Legong and Barong in Ubud
Traditional dances are performed every evening in Ubud, in the courtyard of the palace and on village stages.
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Each autumn
Ubud Writers & Readers Festival
A literary festival that brings writers from Indonesia and the world to Ubud each autumn.
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Silver, wood and paint
The craft villages: Celuk, Mas and Batuan
On the road from Denpasar to Ubud: Celuk for silver, Mas for woodcarving and Batuan for painting.
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North of Ubud
Tegallalang rice terraces
The terraces in a steep valley north of Ubud, the island’s most visited.
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On foot
The Campuhan Ridge Walk
A paved path along a grassy ridge between two river valleys, starting by the Campuhan bridge.
Where to eat
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More than a restaurant
Locavore NXT
The team behind Locavore, now at Lodtunduh: tasting menus built on their own farm, lab and growers.
Lodtunduh, Ubud, Gianyar 80571Explore View on map
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French technique, Indonesian produce
Mozaic
A long-running fine-dining restaurant in a garden at Sanggingan, cooking French-style tasting menus with Indonesian produce.
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At Viceroy Bali
Apéritif
Viceroy Bali’s fine-dining restaurant and bar, in a dining room in the style of the 1920s.
Br. Nagi, Jl. Lanyahan, Petulu, Ubud, Gianyar 80571Explore View on map
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A menu of desserts
Room4Dessert
Will Goldfarb’s dessert tasting menu in Ubud, with cocktails from its garden.
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Bamboo cocoons by the river
Kubu at Mandapa
Mandapa’s riverside restaurant, where tables sit in bamboo cocoons beside the Ayung and the rice fields.
Jalan Kedewatan, Banjar Kedewatan, Ubud, Gianyar 80571Explore View on map
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All day in central Ubud
Hujan Locale
Modern Indonesian cooking in a two-storey house on Jalan Sri Wedari, open from lunch to late.
Jl. Sri Wedari No.5, Ubud, Bali 80571Explore View on map
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On the Campuhan bridge
Bridges
A restaurant and wine bar on several levels beside the old bridge at Campuhan, looking down into the river gorge.
Jl. Raya Campuhan, UbudExplore View on map
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Ubud’s roaster
Seniman Coffee
A roastery and café in Ubud, serving Indonesian single-origin coffees.
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Shoes off
Clear Café
A café on Jalan Hanoman in Ubud, where you leave your shoes at the door, with juices and a long vegetarian-friendly menu.
Jl. Hanoman No. 8, UbudExplore View on map
Bars and beach clubs
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Cocktails in the hills
The bar at Apéritif
The cocktail bar of Apéritif at Viceroy Bali, open to non-residents.
Br. Nagi, Jl. Lanyahan, Petulu, Ubud, Gianyar 80571Explore View on map
Shopping
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Opposite the palace
Ubud Art Market
The market opposite the Ubud Palace, selling sarongs, baskets, carvings and souvenirs.
Where to stay
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Above the Ayung gorge
Amandari
Aman’s Ubud resort: suites in walled village compounds above the Ayung river gorge, with a pool that follows the terraced rice fields.
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On the Ayung river
Mandapa, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve
A Ritz-Carlton Reserve on the banks of the Ayung, with villas, a spa and Kubu, its restaurant in bamboo cocoons by the rice fields.
Jalan Kedewatan, Banjar Kedewatan, Ubud, Gianyar 80571Explore View on map
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In the Ayung valley
Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan
The Four Seasons in the Ayung valley at Sayan, entered across a bridge to a lotus pond on its roof.
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A camp in the rainforest
Capella Ubud
Luxury tents in the rainforest at Keliki, north of Ubud, designed by Bill Bensley.
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A wellness estate
COMO Shambhala Estate
COMO’s wellness retreat above the Ayung at Begawan, with programmes of yoga, treatments and healthy cooking.
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Close to the town
COMO Uma Ubud
A smaller COMO resort at Sanggingan, a short way from the centre of Ubud.
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Above the Pakerisan
HOSHINOYA Bali
Hoshino Resorts’ villas above the Pakerisan river, each with a canal-like pool at its door.
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Home of Apéritif
Viceroy Bali
Pool villas above the Petanu river valley at Petulu, with Apéritif, its fine-dining restaurant.
Br. Nagi, Jl. Lanyahan, Petulu, Ubud, Gianyar 80571Explore View on map
Health and wellness
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Hotel spa
Fivelements
A wellness retreat on the Ayung river, with healing programmes and plant-based cuisine.
Share your Ubud tips
Stayed in the hills? Tell the next visitor which walk, warung or dance was worth it.
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