Bali Q&A
Bali questions, answered
47 short answers · Updated October 17, 2026
Where to stay
Canggu or Uluwatu: which should I stay in?Read the answer →Pick Canggu if your trip runs on cafes, coworking, gyms and meeting people - it has the deepest work-and-wellness infrastructure on the island.
Where should I stay in Bali for the first time?Read the answer →Split the trip: 4-5 nights on the south-west coast plus 3-4 nights in Ubud.
Is Ubud worth visiting?Read the answer →Yes, Ubud is worth it - as long as you go for the right thing.
Is Nusa Penida worth visiting?Read the answer →Yes, for the scenery - Nusa Penida has some of the most dramatic coastline in the region: the Kelingking "T-Rex" cliff, Angel's Billabong, Broken Beach and reliable manta-ray snorkelling.
Seminyak or Canggu: which should I stay in?Read the answer →Pick Seminyak if you want a polished, walkable holiday - proper resorts, upscale dining, beach clubs and a short airport transfer.
Seminyak or Ubud: which should I stay in?Read the answer →If you can only pick one, pick Seminyak for beach days, sunsets, restaurants and walkable convenience, and Ubud for green quiet, culture, yoga and spa time.
Should I stay in a villa or a hotel in Bali?Read the answer →Take a villa if you are two or more people, staying at least four or five nights, and a private pool and space matter to you - split between three or four, it is often cheaper per person than separate hotel rooms.
Ubud or Canggu for yoga: which is better?Read the answer →Pick Ubud if yoga is the point of the trip: it has the island's deepest schedule (The Yoga Barn runs seven studios and up to 20 classes a day), the lineage rooms (Intuitive Flow's Yoga Pranala, Alchemy's tantra curriculum, Mysore Ashtanga at Spacious), the retreats, and the widest price ladder, 50,000-185,000 IDR for a drop-in.
Safety and health
Is Canggu safe at night?Read the answer →Yes - Canggu is generally safe at night, including for solo female travellers.
Can you drink tap water in Bali?Read the answer →No.
Is it safe to ride a scooter in Bali?Read the answer →It depends almost entirely on you.
How do you avoid Bali belly?Read the answer →Three habits prevent most cases: drink only bottled or refill-gallon water (including for brushing, if you want zero risk), eat where turnover is high - busy warungs beat empty tourist restaurants, and wash or sanitise hands before eating.
Do I need vaccinations for Bali?Read the answer →None are legally required to enter Bali for most travellers - the only mandatory one is a yellow fever certificate, and only if you are arriving from a country where yellow fever is present.
Is Bali safe for solo female travellers?Read the answer →Yes - Bali is one of the more comfortable places in Asia for a solo woman to travel, with violent crime rates lower than many Western cities and a large, visible community of other solo female travellers, especially in Ubud and Canggu.
Do I need travel insurance for Bali?Read the answer →Travel insurance is not legally required to enter Indonesia and nobody will ask for it at immigration.
Can you swim in the sea in Bali?Read the answer →Yes, but the beach you choose decides the answer.
Planning your trip
How long can you stay in Bali?Read the answer →For most Western and many Asian passports: 30 days on a Visa on Arrival (500,000 IDR, about 30 USD), extendable once for another 30 - so 60 days maximum per entry.
When is rainy season in Bali?Read the answer →Rainy season runs November through March, with January the wettest month; dry season is April through October.
What should you wear in Bali (and to temples)?Read the answer →Day to day, Bali is relaxed: light, breathable clothes, swimwear at the beach, smart-casual for nicer restaurants and clubs.
How many days do you need in Bali?Read the answer →For a first trip, seven to ten days is the honest sweet spot - enough for a beach base plus a few days in Ubud without living in the car.
What is the best time to visit Bali?Read the answer →The best time for most people is the shoulder season: May, June, September and October.
Which SIM card or eSIM should I get in Bali?Read the answer →Get a Telkomsel plan - it has the widest, most reliable coverage across Bali and the neighbouring islands.
What power adapter do I need for Bali?Read the answer →Bali uses Type C and Type F plugs - the two round pins you see across most of Europe - running on 230V at 50Hz.
Do they speak English in Bali?Read the answer →Yes.
What happens on Nyepi in Bali?Read the answer →For 24 hours the entire island stops.
Getting around
Do I need a license to rent a scooter in Bali?Read the answer →To ride legally you need an International Driving Permit (IDP) with a motorcycle endorsement, carried together with your home motorcycle licence.
Grab or Gojek in Bali - which should I use?Read the answer →Install both.
How do I get from Bali airport to my hotel?Read the answer →The catch nobody warns you about: Grab and Gojek are banned from picking up inside Ngurah Rai airport, so you have three real options - the official Koptax fixed-fare taxi counter in arrivals, a pre-booked private transfer that meets you at the gate, or walking a few minutes past the terminal to meet a Grab or Gojek you ordered yourself.
Do you need a private driver in Bali?Read the answer →Not for everyday life inside one area - Grab and Gojek cover that for a couple of dollars a ride.
Money and prices
How much cash should I bring to Bali?Read the answer →Do not fly in with a wad for the whole trip.
Is Bali expensive in 2026?Read the answer →Bali is as expensive as you decide it will be.
How much should you tip in Bali?Read the answer →Tipping is not compulsory in Bali, but it is warmly received.
How do beach clubs in Bali work, and what is minimum spend?Read the answer →Most Bali beach clubs are free to walk into and you simply pay for what you eat and drink.
Where should I exchange money in Bali?Read the answer →Change money at an authorised money changer holding the Bank Indonesia PVA licence, or withdraw rupiah from an ATM attached to a bank branch.
How much is a massage in Ubud?Read the answer →A 60-minute Balinese massage in Ubud costs 200,000-280,000 IDR at the village and local-house tier, 300,000-400,000 at the mid-range spas, and 500,000 and up at the designer compounds, before the 10-15 percent tax and service most of them add.
How much is a gym day pass in Bali?Read the answer →A gym day pass in Bali costs 100,000-500,000 IDR, with the middle of the market at 300,000-400,000: Body Factory Bali in Berawa 350,000 with its recovery wing included, TOPGYM in Batu Bolong 400,000++ on weekdays, Titi Batu in Ubud 310,000, Soham in Seminyak 325,000.
How much does a surf lesson cost in Canggu?Read the answer →In Canggu itself, budget about 475,000 IDR for a coached group session and 950,000 for a private one; those are Mondo Surf Village's published 2026 rates, the clearest lesson-only prices among the Canggu camps we rank.
How much is a yoga class in Canggu?Read the answer →A drop-in yoga class in Canggu costs 150,000-165,000 IDR at the main studios: The Practice 150,000, Samadi 155,000, Adda 160,000, The Path 165,000, Udara in Seseh 170,000.
How much does a spa treatment cost in Seminyak?Read the answer →A 60-minute massage in Seminyak costs 170,000-200,000 IDR at the street-level rooms on Petitenget and 350,000 at the boutique spas (KOYA's flat menu is the clearest: every 60-minute massage 350,000, every 90-minute 450,000).
How much is an ice bath session in Canggu?Read the answer →A single ice bath session in Canggu costs 300,000-550,000 IDR at the venues that publish a ticket: Udara in Seseh 300,000 on a weekday for the hot and cold pools and ice bath, Reload's sunset pass 349,000, Alchemy 350,000 for a private 60-minute infrared sauna and cold plunge, Body Factory from 350,000 plus tax for its recovery wing, sundaymood 499,000 for a private 75-minute sauna and ice bath (360,000 before 10:15am), Reload's full day pass 549,000.
Spa, surf and yoga
Private or group surf lesson in Bali: which should you book?Read the answer →Book a group lesson for your first one or two sessions: on the Bukit it is a flat 400,000 IDR per person for two hours (Hawaii Surf, Balumba, Bali Bisa, Surf Lesson Bali all publish the same number), in Kuta 150,000-200,000 for one to two hours, and the product is a push into whitewater that a coach can give five people at once.
Hotel spa or street spa in Seminyak: which is worth it?Read the answer →Pick a street or boutique room if the point is the massage: KOYA's flat 350,000 IDR for any 60-minute treatment (450,000 for 90) and Kimberly's 170,000-200,000 hour on Petitenget buy the same Balinese technique the hotels sell, in a plain room, until 11pm, walk-in.
Day pass or membership at a Bali gym: which is cheaper?Read the answer →Buy day passes if you will train fewer than about six times in your stay: at most gyms we rank a month costs 4.5 to 7 day passes (Bali Fitness Seminyak 700,000 against 150,000, Titi Batu 1.46 million against 310,000, Ubud.Fitness 1.85 million against 275,000), so a two-week visitor training every other day is close to even and a one-week visitor is better off paying at the door.
Is a gym day pass in Ubud worth it?Read the answer →Yes at the bottom and the top of the market, no in the middle.
What goes wrong at Bali surf schools and camps?Read the answer →Most of what goes wrong is decided before you touch a board.
What goes wrong with a massage in Bali, and how do you avoid it?Read the answer →The massage itself rarely goes wrong; the booking does.
Are there spa scams in Bali, and what are the price traps?Read the answer →There is no scam industry around Bali spas the way there is around money changers and taxis; what there is a set of price traps that cost the same money.
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