3 days in Ubud

Day by day

1. Day 1: Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary and Tegallalang Rice Terraces

   Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary, Tegallalang Rice Terraces and Ubud Palace (Puri Saren Agung), then Kecak and Legong performances in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary

      About 12 hectares of rainforest at the bottom of Monkey Forest Road hold several hundred long-tailed macaques, mossy stone statues, a ravine with giant banyan roots and three temples including Pura Dalem Agung Padangtegal.

   2. Late morning

      Tegallalang Rice Terraces

      Arrive before 8am for soft light and empty paths; by mid-morning the rim car parks fill with tour minivans.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Babi guling

      Long-established warungs around Jalan Suweta and Jalan Tegal Sari in central Ubud; go at lunchtime.

   4. Afternoon

      Ubud Palace (Puri Saren Agung)

      The palace of Ubud's royal family stands at the main crossroads, with carved stone gates and pavilions in its outer courtyards that visitors can walk into by day.

   5. Evening

      Kecak and Legong performances

      Kecak shows often end with a trance dancer kicking through burning coconut husks; sit to the side rather than in the front row.

2. Day 2: Tirta Empul and Gunung Kawi

   Tirta Empul, Gunung Kawi and Pura Taman Saraswati, then Sunrise on the Campuhan Ridge in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Tirta Empul

      Go at opening or late afternoon; skip the spouts reserved for funeral rites, which staff will point out.

   2. Late morning

      Gunung Kawi

      Ten shrines about 7 metres tall are carved into the cliffs either side of the Pakerisan river, thought to be memorials to an 11th-century Balinese king and his family.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Crispy duck

      Rice-field restaurants along Jalan Hanoman and the main road towards Pengosekan.

   4. Afternoon

      Pura Taman Saraswati

      Lotus flowers are at their fullest in the morning; come before the cafés along Jalan Raya fill up.

   5. Evening

      Sunrise on the Campuhan Ridge

      Walk the ridge as mist lifts from the valleys either side, then share breakfast at a café in Bangkiang Sidem.

3. Day 3: Campuhan Ridge Walk and Blanco Renaissance Museum

   Campuhan Ridge Walk, Blanco Renaissance Museum and Subak Sok Wayah rice-field walk, then Villa over the Ayung gorge in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Campuhan Ridge Walk

      A paved path of about 2 km follows a grassy ridge between two river valleys, starting beside Pura Gunung Lebah near the Campuhan bridge and ending at the rice fields and cafés of Bangkiang Sidem.

   2. Late morning

      Blanco Renaissance Museum

      Pair it with the Campuhan Ridge Walk, which starts a few hundred metres away.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Bebek betutu

      Balinese restaurants in central Ubud; ask your guesthouse which ones cook it to order.

   4. Afternoon

      Subak Sok Wayah rice-field walk

      A narrow path north from Jalan Raya Ubud through working rice fields, reached via Jalan Kajeng or a signed alley near the Ubud Palace.

   5. Evening

      Villa over the Ayung gorge

      Stay a night or two in Sayan or Kedewatan, where private pools look straight down into the river valley.

Before you go

If it rains

• Swap in Neka Art Museum (Sanggingan): Start in the Balinese Painting Hall to understand the styles, then you will recognise them in the galleries in town.
• Swap in ARMA (Agung Rai Museum of Art) (Pengosekan): Check the noticeboard at the entrance for workshops; a hands-on offering-making class suits children too.
• Swap in Museum Puri Lukisan (Central Ubud): It is a five-minute walk from the palace, so it fits neatly into a rainy afternoon in the centre.

Where to stay for this itinerary

With 3 nights, Central Ubud keeps most of this route within easy reach. For a calmer or cheaper base, Monkey Forest Road and Padangtegal ($$) suits first-timers, shopping and families. Compare every area.

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 12–15 hours of visiting over 3 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 11.6 hours in June to 12.6 hours in January.

More or fewer days

• One day in Ubud
• 2 days in Ubud
• 5 days in Ubud

Questions travellers ask