Day Trip to Ubud City Center

Ubud is the cultural hot spot of Bali and it’s thriving with cute cafes, delicious food, amazing markets, and lots of monkeys. Whether you are taking a day trip to Ubud or staying in town, it’s the perfect place to start your adventure in Bali.

Ubud is located about an hour from the airport and it’s very easy to get to, it’s also a good central location to base yourself and do day trips from.

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Even if you are staying somewhere else, you need to put a day trip to Ubud on your schedule! There are some activities to do right outside out Ubud, including the Tegalalang Rice Terrace, Tegenungan Waterfall, and Tirta Empul which will not be covered in this post because they are not located within walking distance of Ubud city center.

Day Trip to Ubud, Bali

Shop at the Ubud Market

This market fascinates me. I was suffering from jet lag and woke up at 4:30am, instead of going back to sleep, I took a walk. There were people setting up their stall already! It was probably bad that I already wanted to start shopping!

This is known as a cultural, artisan, tourist market directly opposite the Royal Palace (corner of Jalan Raya Ubud and Jalan Wenara Wana). Get there early to beat the crowds, get the best deals, and to (hopefully) avoid the heat.

This is also where you will find the rattan bags… tons of them! What’s a rattan bag?! The amazingly, super trendy basket bags that literally every girl needs to buy when she goes to Bali.

Have a cocktail at a trendy bar.

I can’t talk enough about how good the food is here, but what about the drinks? Yeah, they are alright. I wouldn’t get crazy or party here, that’s not the style in Ubud, but what’s the harm in sitting in a cute bar and having a fruity cocktail to celebrate your vacation? My favorite cocktail location is Chill Out Bar located on Jalan Monkey Forest.

Visit the Monkey Forest.

The Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary is located at the end of Jalan Monkey Forest (that’s the name of the road) and there’s over 700 monkeys that hang out here! The entrance fee is 50,000 Rupiah (IDR) which is about $3.30 so it’s definitely worth it. It’s definitely a very peaceful forest with winding paths going in all directions.

Spend a couple of hours exploring, taking in the fresh air (because it’s probably the only place that the sun isn’t beating down on you), and having fun watching the monkeys.

They no longer sell bananas on site to feed the monkeys, sorry guys!!

Eat all of the food.

I’m serious! Eat as much as you can here. Eat organically, eat smoothie bowls, eat traditional Balinese cuisine, and then try some Western style food.

There is literally a restaurant or warung every 30 feet. Some places to check out for great food are Watercress, Cinta Grill, and Cafe Lotus.

Go to a pool bar.

There’s so many bars in Bali that have a pool as their center attraction. You don’t have to drink to enjoy that. However, there’s really only one in Ubud that you get to enjoy.

Folk Pool & Gardens is right off Jalan Monkey Forest (which is the main street through Ubud) and they are open every day from 9am until 10pm. It’s a younger crowd and it’s definitely not a locals bar, but it’s fun to just relax by the pool in a day bed.

Tip: If you rent a day bed here then your party gets free access to the pool, towels, free mineral water, fruit skewers and a prime pool location. Renting a day bed costs a little until $20.00 and you need to reserve ahead of time… make sure you double check your rental over and over again though, because there was an issue with my reservation.

Visit a cafe.

There’s so many cute little cafes nestled in between money exchange shops, mini marts, and bigger restaurants. So find one, sit down, drink a coffee and enjoy watching the hustle and bustle fly by you on the streets.

Check out Mudra, Freak Coffee, or Black Beach.. all within the same area of each other and all equally cute, trendy spots.

Take in the culture.

You are in the cultural hub for Bali and you can’t let that go to waste. Make the most of it, take in all the culture, admire all the local art and walk down every street! Take your time and don’t rush and you’ll see plenty of fancy temple gates and Hindu statues.

Talk to the people in Ubud, they are very friendly, knowledgeable and have tons of stories to tell you about their history and culture.

If you miss out on a day trip to Ubud while you are in Bali, you will regret it. If you can’t stay for a week, come for a day. Rent a scooter for a few bucks or hire a driver for the day, but get here!