23 Helpful Bali Travel Tips For First-Timers (2025 Guide)

Bali, Indonesia has grown in popularity over the years — for good reason. The friendly locals, beautiful scenery and fun atmosphere have made it a top travel destination.

When planning a trip to Bali, you’re spending a lot of time, money and effort so you want to get it right. And it feels overwhelming at times but don’t worry!

Matthew and I have lived in Bali for more than 3 years, collectively. We got engaged and married here! It’s also our first destination as full-time digital nomads. Bali has a special space in our hearts.

And you could say we know this island like the back of our hand.

Now, these aren’t just ANY travel tips for Bali. These are our best tips and advice we have accumulated after 6+ years of personal experience and making our own mistakes (so you don’t have to do the same).

By the end of this article, we hope these Bali travel tips will help you feel more confident and prepared for an epic island adventure!

Let’s show you the best tips for traveling Bali, including some insider tips from two Bali veterans.

Planning Tips Before You Travel To Bali

The key to an amazing trip is the planning phase.

Preparing all the proper documents, finding the best areas to stay, and simply knowing how to get mobile data are important details to know BEFORE you even arrive!

Here are helpful Bali travel tips as you plan your trip.

1. Apply For Visa on Arrival In Advance

Visa on arrival (VOA) is possible at the airport for most nationalities. This visa is valid for 30 days and costs Rp 500,000 ($33 USD).

You have two choices: apply before departure date or obtain VOA on arrival at the airport immigration.

The lines are very long at the airport, we have spent 2 hours lining up for immigration. If you apply for an eVOA at least 48 hours before your departure and receive your eVOA, you can avoid the long queues and join an ‘express’ line.

If you opt for a visa on arrival, you have to line up twice: for payment processing and for immigration.

Applying for the VOA in advance saves time and it’s more convenient for you. This is the official website to apply for the eVOA.

Onward Ticket

Make sure to have an onward ticket! This simply proves that you have an outbound flight and will leave Bali. We have consistently been asked for this at check-in counters and during immigration.

Most people buy return tickets which solves this. However, if you buy one-way tickets, you can use this website to temporarily buy a ticket for $16 USD or you can buy a cheap ticket to other Southeast Asian tickets.

2. Buy an eSIM before you arrive

Our best tip for eSIMs is to purchase it at the airport BEFORE boarding for departure. So that when you arrive in Bali, you can connect to wifi and set it up immediately.

Before we leave immigration, we already have mobile data in order to message family and call our private driver waiting for us at the arrivals hall. We love using Holafly eSIMs because they offer unlimited data and the app is user-friendly.

You can check out our complete guide of the best eSIMs in Bali to see what’s best for you.

Now you have mobile data before you step foot outside the airport. That’s a comfy feeling, at least for us!

3. Get Protected With Travel Insurance

Travel insurance is one of things that you should never leave without, especially for a trip to Bali.

The reality is that things can happen – Bali belly, motorbike accidents, petty theft — just to name some. Equipping yourself with travel insurance can help give you peace of mind.

We’ve used SafetyWing which is a travel medical insurance company. It’s affordable (starts from less than $60/month), offers a good range of coverage and it’s a flexible subscription you can cancel anytime.

4. Book A Driver For Airport Pick Up

If you’ve never been to Bali before, I will tell you straight: the arrivals hall is overwhelming! Once you exit the airport, there’s a sea of people with signs and ‘taxi drivers’ trying to get you to ride with them.

Even after more than 8+ arrivals in Bali, we have not gotten used to this. But we have found a solution and it’s called Welcome Pickups. A website where you can book a driver to take you from Ngurah Rai Airport directly to your hotel which is now what we do every time we land in Bali.

The driver communicates with you on Whatsapp and they have your flight details (in case of delays). The best part? They will wait and stand with a sign of your name. It’s easy, convenient and paid in advance online.

Tip: Tell the other taxi drivers, you already have a private car. They will usually leave you alone.

What about Grab or Gojek at the airport arrivals? Look, it’s possible to catch one. But the other drivers can be aggressive and hassle you if they see the app on your phone or see you waiting for it.

You can avoid that by booking with Welcome Pickups. It’s only $1-$3 more than Grab rideshare but you get a private driver, waiting for you.

5. Don’t Forget To Pack These Items

Sunscreen is important to pack. Here’s why: it costs an arm and a leg in Bali like $20 USD for a small bottle – kind of expensive! If you don’t want to overpay for a bottle of sunblock, buy it in your home country instead.

Plug adaptors are essential! The plugs in Indonesia are similar to Europe with the circular plugs. Buy an adaptor (we got ours off Amazon) that converts your plug to the Indonesian one. You’ll need it almost immediately so pack it and save yourself the headache of rushing to find one somewhere.

6. Choose The Best Time To Visit Bali

Bali, Indonesia has 2 distinct seasons:

• Dry Season (April to October): Plenty of sunshine, warm tropical climate and clear blue skies. Perfect for outdoor activities, beach days, and exploring the island’s natural beauty. However, there’s huge crowds and traffic is a nightmare (more on that below).
• Wet Season (November to March): Heavy rainfall, usually in short bursts for a few hours, with humid and overcast conditions. Mornings are often clear before afternoon downpours are common. However, there’s fewer crowds during rainy season!

The best time to visit Bali is during the shoulder season (April, October, November and March). We love visiting during this time because the huge crowd of tourists haven’t arrived yet and the weather is starting to change.

Best of all? Accommodation is more affordable during the shoulder season too. If you can put up with a few rainy days, we see a lot of upside!

Accommodation In Bali: Where To Stay

Your accommodation and area in Bali can make or break your trip.

I’m serious, each neighborhood in Bali has a different vibe, purpose and atmosphere. So…choose wisely!

7. Find Best Areas For Your Stay

Depending on your travel style, budget and the activities you want to do – it’s important to choose the right area.

Here’s the 5 most popular areas for travelers to stay in Bali:

Seminyak: Beach clubs, shopping & fine dining

Seminyak is one of the OG areas of Bali with iconic beach clubs like Potato Head, Ku De Ta and the colorful La Plancha with sunset views.

First-timer in Bali? It’s got all the original spots that helped make Bali famous with restaurants and beach clubs within 15 minutes of most accommodation.

Ubud: Jungle forest, lush rice paddies & serene vibes

Escape to the jungles of Ubud and be surrounded by beautiful nature. Come here for the iconic Tegalalang rice terraces, yoga retreats but stay for friendly locals and rich culture.

Ubud is a must-visit when coming to Bali. Whether you’re sightseeing, souvenir shopping or you’ve booked a relaxing villa – Ubud is the place to be.

Canggu: Surfing, trendy cafes & a laid-back vibe

Canggu is a hip, coastal town known for its surf scene, brunch spots and great vibes. With popular beaches like Batu Bolong and Echo Beach, it’s perfect for catching waves or watching the surfers from amazing beach clubs like The Lawn, Finns or La Brisa.

This neighborhood is a haven for digital nomads, creatives, and travelers looking to experience Bali’s relaxed, bohemian lifestyle. It’s great for long-term stays or big friend groups looking to hire a big villa together.

Sanur: Family-friendly, calm beaches & chill vibes

Sanur is a chill area on the East coast of Bali known for being great for families. The peaceful vibe makes for a quieter retreat and the calm waters are perfect for swimming.

The oceanfront promenade is great for sunrise walks. Restaurants, bars and warungs have a more traditional feel in Sanur and a slower pace of life.

Uluwatu: Cliffside views, best beaches & epic sunsets

Located in the south of Bali, Uluwatu is a dream destination for beach-lovers and surfers. This area has the best beaches like Padang Padang or Suluban Beach with beautiful sand and breathtaking sunsets.

From luxury resorts like Sundays to the famous cliffside temple, Uluwatu temple – Uluwatu is the perfect getaway from busier parts of Bali!

8. Understanding The Types Of Stays In Bali

Now you know the area to stay in — it’s time to choose the type of accommodation in Bali  that suits your trip. You’ve got a few options:

1. Hotel/Resort

• Price: Mid-range to luxury, depending on services, brand and area.
• Facilities: Pools, gyms, spas, restaurants, and room service. Resorts may have private beaches and large grounds.
• Best for: Couples, families. A relaxing, luxurious, and comfortable stay with professional service.

2. Villa

• Price: Mid-range to luxury, best for ultimate privacy.
• Facilities: Pools, garden, kitchen and multiple bedrooms in one property. Luxury villas include personal chefs and housekeepers.
• Best for: Couples, families, big friend groups. A more private, home-away-from-home feeling.

3. Homestay/Guesthouse

• Price: Affordable to mid-range, sometimes run by local families.
• Facilities: Simple ensuite rooms with a pool, garden, shared kitchen, sometimes with breakfast included.
• Best for: Couples, solo travelers, big friend groups (who want separate rooms). A home-away-from-home feeling, more privacy than a hostel but good amount of socialization too.

4. Hostel

• Price: low, budget-friendly option
• Facilities: Basic amenities, usually shared dorm-style rooms and bathrooms, communal kitchen and common areas.
• Best for: Solo travelers, backpackers on a budget. A cost-effective option with great social activities and tours.

9. Don’t Book Stays Without Reviews

A lot can go wrong with accommodation in Bali. One rule of thumb for our Bali travel tips overall is to only book stays with reviews.

There are things you have to watch out for like:

• Road noise
• Construction nearby
• Roosters

Bali is developing really fast. New construction is popping up everywhere and unfortunately some hotels, villas or Airbnbs don’t mention this in their descriptions. And you’ll be caught in the middle of all the noise!

You can search the reviews for ‘construction’ to see if anything alarming pops up!

10. New Construction Is Better

Accommodation in Bali looks great in photos but that’s not always the reality. Most times it’s because those photos were taken when the buildings were newly built. Over the years, the construction gets old and because the material used isn’t always the best, it doesn’t age well.

One of our best travel tips for Bali is to book accommodation that’s newly built. This ensures you have a modern, well-maintained, clean house or villa (that isn’t falling apart).

Transportation Around Bali: Getting Around

Getting around Bali is a little trickier than you think. You can choose from hiring a private driver for the day, rideshare apps or hiring your own little scooter to zip around.

Here’s some key Bali travel tips of transportion.

11. Grab / Gojek Is A Lifesaver

If there is one Bali travel tip you take away from this article, let it be to download Gojek or Grab.

Grab and Gojek are multi-purpose apps that allow you to:

• book a car, motorbike or even a van
• order food and drinks from restaurants
• get groceries delivered to your hotel
• cleaning services for your villa
• sending packages
• and so much more

Which one should you get? Grab is available across Southeast Asia which makes it convenient if you’re traveling after Bali. Gojek is a local app which has slightly lower prices for rides and other specific services.

We have both apps because we travel to Bali and other Southeast Asian countries like Thailand or Vietnam. Grab is simple and easy-to-use if you don’t want to download both.

No rideshare taxi zones

The biggest downside is that Grab/Gojek rideshare services aren’t available everywhere on the island. That’s because there are taxi mafias that prevent people from ordering online taxi apps to certain zones.

No online taxi zones include certain areas in Canggu (near Echo Beach), Ubud (main streets) and near some beaches in Uluwatu.

If you don’t have a scooter or a private driver, you can walk further out of the zones and order from there instead. For example, if you visit La Brisa Beach Club…you can walk 10 minutes to Dang Cookies and the Grab drivers can pick you up from there.

12. Scooters Are Most Convenient

It’s true. A scooter is the easiest, quickest and most convenient way to get around Bali! You can weave through traffic and easily park everywhere.

Matthew and I used to avoid the scooters but eventually learnt how to drive them and now, it’s what we choose to do every time we’re in Bali!

Not everyone is comfortable with this and that’s okay. A lot of people now order Gojek/Grab scooters and ride on the back instead of driving one. Do what suits you best!

You will need an International Driver’s Permit (IDP) along with your Driver’s License is what you will need to show the police if you get pulled over.

13. Private Driver For Tourist Days (6-8 Hours)

Want to visit Ubud for a full day? Hire a private driver to take you!

Want to visit Canggu for a day trip? Hire a private driver!

If you want to hit a lot of the landmarks in Bali like the Monkey Forest, Tanah Lot and/or the Uluwatu Temple, the best travel tip is to hire a driver to take you there for any trip more than 5 hours. These drivers are knowledgeable about the areas and they can help plan your itinerary.

While Bali is a relatively small island, the main tourist attractions are spread out. Hiring a driver is much more convenient and you get to sit back in a comfortable car.

14. Traffic Is A Nightmare In Certain Areas

Bali has surged with popularity in recent years. Unfortunately, the roads, traffic and construction are yet to catch up.

During high season (May-October), traffic in Bali takes forever.

How bad does the traffic get, exactly? A journey that should take 20 minutes can take over 2 hours during rush hour.

Traffic in Bali can depend on a few things:

• which area you’re in
• time of day
• type of transport
• high season vs low season

Ubud, Canggu, Seminyak and Kuta are the areas with the worst traffic. From around 12pm to 7pm, the traffic continues to build up with the worst time to travel around 5pm-7pm.

The fastest way to get around Bali is by scooter (even with traffic) . You can weave and squeeze through the cars on the road. A car is the slowest way to get around but it’s also the most comfortable.

Money Tips For Bali: Keeping Safe

Handling money in Bali is simple, if you know what to do.

These are some general money travel tips for Bali that we picked up over the years.

15. Use Trusted ATMs Only

ATM scams do happen in Bali if you’re not careful. The key is to only withdraw from the top Indonesian banks.

We had good experience and recommend withdrawing from these 3 ATMs in Bali:

1. BCA (Bank Central Asia)
2. BNI (Bank Negara Indonesia)
3. Mandiri Bank

Usually, there’s no withdrawal fees at these ATMs. In our experience with our Wise or Revolut travel cards, it’s always been free.

These are some ATM locations in Bali we have withdrawn from and/or bank branches to visit:

• Canggu: BCA Canggu | BNI Canggu 
• Kuta: BCA Kuta | BNI Legian
• Seminyak: BCA Seminyak ATM | BNI Seminyak

Tip: Jiggle the card slot before inserting your card to prevent it from being swiped.

For extra safety, only withdraw from these ATMs at the gas station, malls, convenience stores or the bank itself. Don’t withdraw from generic brand ATMs or ATMs in lesser-known areas.

16. Cash & Card Are Widely Accepted

Cash is king in Bali and I think it always will be. However, card payments are becoming way more common especially in areas like Canggu, Kuta, Ubud and Uluwatu.

If you venture further out from the main areas like Lovina, Kintamani or Sidemen — you might need cash more often than card payments.

Our recommendation is to always have at least Rp 200,000 ($13 USD). This is enough for most things to get you buy till you can get to an ATM.

17. Tipping Is Appreciated

Tipping is not expected, but it’s appreciated. Anywhere from 5%-15% is a decent tip to leave at most bars, restaurants and tours.

However, it’s good to know that a minimum 10% service charge is added on top of your bill. Some restaurants include it on the menu price, while others add it at the end of your receipt.

18. Haggling Is Common Enough

Shopping for souvenirs or cute knick knacks? There’s plenty in Bali at the markets in Canggu, Ubud, Seminyak and more.

It’s common to negotiate a price at these markets for a better price. In our experience, the first price they quote is around double (or more) than what they’d actually sell for. Make a counter offer around 50% less than the original price and haggle from there.

Start walking away if necessary, the drama can help lol.

General Bali Travel Tips

There’s a few things to know before visiting Bali that will help put your mind at ease.

19. Bali Belly Is Real

If you stay in Bali for long enough, the higher the chances you experience the dreaded Bali belly (aka travelers diarrhea). This can come from food, drinks and water being contaminated with bacteria or parasites.

The effects can range from mild to severe with some people needing to go to the hospital. It’s rare for that severity and usually passes within a few days.

Again, another reason to make sure you’ve got travel insurance in case this happens to you. SafetyWing is our preferred option for travels to Bali.

The best ways to reduce your chances of getting Bali belly is by avoiding drinking tap water or brushing your teeth with it and being extra careful where you eat or drink.

Read Google reviews first and search for the term “bali belly”. We have seens ome restaurants where people have reported they got it from that specific restaurants.

20. Don’t Drink The Tap Water

The tap water in Bali is not safe to drink. Period, end of story.

You can get sick if you drink it so it’s best to buy bottled water from convenience stores like Circle K.

Ice In Your Drinks Is Fine

A lot of people sharing ‘Bali travel tips’ on Tiktok will tell you to avoid having ice in your drinks.

But there’s a law in Bali that vendors (cafes, restaurants, hotels) must use purified drinking water. In our personal experience, we’ve never had any issues with ice in drinks. I love ordering cold iced lattes from cafes and it hasn’t affected me!

Brushing Teeth With Tap Water

This really depends on the person! We feel we’ve developed a tolerance over the years to the tap water in Bali. So, we brush our teeth with the tap water and it’s been fine for us!

If you don’t feel comfortable, simply brush your teeth with bottled water instead.

21. Shower Water Dries Your Hair Out

The water in Bali is very very harsh! After being back in Bali for a week, I can already feel my hair drying out and feeling coarse.

I don’t see a lot of people mention this on their ‘Bali travel tips’ but it honestly affects me a lot. The water is just strong and filled with chemicals that damage your hair.

Make sure to bring a good conditioner and visit a salon, if necessary. Jet Black Ginger is a great option! If you’re staying long-term, you might want to invest in a shower filter if it gets really bad.

22. Eat At Warung Like A Local

Don’t be scared to eat at the local warungs. Warungs are small eateries serving delicious, local balinese cuisine. It’s cheap, quick and a great way to try Indonesian food.

These are some great, ‘clean’ warungs to try in Bali:

• Warung Local (Batu Bolong)
• Warung Bu Mi (Batu Bolong)
• Varuna Warung (Canggu)
• Dua (Umalas)
• Warung Kolega (Kuta)
• Warung Local (Uluwatu)

Our tip for eating at warungs is to read reviews first to check if its ‘clean’. We only eat at warungs with a good reputation, we are too nervous to try the small carts on the side of the road.

23. Earthquakes Can Happen

In 2018, we experienced the biggest earthquake Bali has felt in years. At a magnitude of 7.1 with many aftershocks to follow – it was a crazy experience! Again, we felt more at ease since we had SafetyWing travel insurance to back us up in case anything happened.

They do happen and can occur at any time. There’s an app called Earthquake if you want to keep updated. 

Final Thoughts On The Travel Tips For Bali

Bali is a top travel destination that offers more than stunning nature, fun activities and beach clubs — it’s an island full of rich culture, endless adventure and warm hospitality.

After years of exploring and living on this island, these are our best Bali travel tips to help you be prepared and make the most of your trip, avoiding common mistakes and discovering what makes Bali truly special.

Whether you’re a first-timer or return regularly like us, we hope you have an unforgettable experience and these insights help you out!

Now all you have to do is pack your bags and have a trip of a lifetime in Bali, Indonesia!

Frequently Asked Questions