24 Best Places to Visit in Ubud (2026): Temples, Waterfalls & Walks

The Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary is Ubud's best-known sight: about 12.5 ha of forest at the bottom of Jl. Monkey Forest, home to more than 1,000 long-tailed macaques. The village of Padangtegal manages it, and three temples stand inside, including Pura Dalem Agung Padangtegal. The temples are for prayer only, but the moss-covered statues, giant trees and ravine paths are yours to walk.

Allow 1 to 1.5 hours. On Saturdays and Sundays a Balinese dance plays on the Open Stage at 11 AM and 4 PM. Since 1 April 2026 foreign adults pay IDR 130,000. The catch: the monkeys grab glasses, bottles and anything loose. Bring no food or plastic bags, use the lobby lockers, and never touch or feed the monkeys. A first-aid clinic on site treats scratches and bites.

Ubud Palace (Puri Saren Agung) is the home of Ubud's royal family and the centre point of town, on Jl. Raya Ubud opposite the Art Market. It was rebuilt after the 1917 earthquake, and part of the stone carving is by I Gusti Nyoman Lempad, Ubud's best-known sculptor. By day you can walk the front courtyards for free and look at the carved gates and pavilions. The inner compound and family temple are private.

The real reason to come is the evening dance in the courtyard, with live gamelan from about 7:30 PM. Tickets cost about IDR 100,000, sold at the gate or by sellers on Jl. Raya Ubud from about 5 PM. A day visit takes only 20 to 30 minutes, so pair it with the market and the Water Palace next door.

The Ubud Water Palace, officially Pura Taman Kemuda Saraswati, is a temple to Saraswati, the goddess of learning and the arts. I Gusti Nyoman Lempad built it in 1951–52 for Tjokorda Gede Agung Sukawati. A causeway crosses the lotus ponds to a carved red-brick gate, about 150 m west of Ubud Palace, beside Cafe Lotus.

It is no longer free. Entry is now about IDR 60,000, and a temple sarong is provided and required. You can visit the outer courtyard and ponds only; the inner temple is closed to visitors. The site is small: 20 minutes covers it, and it fills with photo-takers by mid-morning. Come at 8 AM for empty shots, or after dark, when the gate is lit and dances play on the pond stage.

Ubud Art Market sits across Jl. Raya Ubud from the palace, in the rebuilt Pasar Rakyat Tematik Wisata Ubud building. Before 8 AM the lower level is a local produce and offerings market. After that, the upper floors and west block fill with rattan bags, sarongs, wood carvings, paintings and homewares. A fire on 17 August 2024 burned the east block. It was repaired and blessed on 16 February 2026, and traders began moving back from the end of February.

Treat it as a shopping stop, not an art sight. Many stalls sell the same items, and opening prices are high, so bargain politely and pay cash. Allow 45 minutes to 1.5 hours. Go early in the morning for local life and fewer crowds. For more, see the best markets in Bali.

The Campuhan Ridge Walk is Ubud's classic free walk. A paved path runs along a grassy ridge between the Wos and Cerik river valleys, about 2 km one way to Bangkiang Sidem. The trailhead steps down beside Pura Gunung Lebah, the temple where the two rivers meet; 'Campuhan' means the meeting of two rivers. The temple gate is usually locked except for ceremonies, so view it from the path.

Allow 1.5 to 2 hours return, with a stop at the cafes and warungs at the Bangkiang Sidem end, where the rice fields open up. The catch is heat: there is no shade, so walk at 6–7:30 AM or after 4:30 PM. Scooters share part of the path, so keep left. Expect sidewalk works on the road from the palace through 2026.

Tegallalang Rice Terrace is Ubud's most famous rice-field view, along the Ubud–Kintamani road at Ceking village. The terraces are watered by subak, Bali's cooperative irrigation system, which UNESCO lists as part of Bali's cultural landscape (Tegallalang itself is not in the listing). Walk down into the valley and back up, or watch from a cafe on the rim.

Expect a commercial site. The main entrance charges about IDR 50,000, other entrances charge again, and farmers ask small donations at path crossings. Swings, zip lines and nest photo spots are paid extras. Allow 1 to 2 hours; the paths are steep and slippery after rain. Arrive at 7 AM, before the crowds and the heat. A landslide at Ceking on 28 January 2026 closed the Kintamani road for a day.

Tirta Empul is Bali's best-known holy spring temple, in Manukaya, Tampaksiring. The spring is traditionally dated to 962 AD, and the temple is dedicated to Vishnu. Balinese pilgrims bathe under rows of carved spouts in melukat, the purification ritual, and visitors can join. The Tampaksiring presidential palace, begun under Sukarno in 1957, overlooks the temple.

Entry is IDR 75,000 for adults, with a sarong included. To bathe, rent the separate bathing sarong, start from the left and skip the spouts kept for funeral rites. Allow 1 hour, or 1.5 to 2 hours if you bathe. The catch: it is the most-visited site in Gianyar, the pool queue is longest on full moon, new moon and Galungan, and the exit runs through a long souvenir market.

Gunung Kawi Tampaksiring is a set of ten candi, shrine facades about 7 m tall, carved into cliff niches on both banks of the Pakerisan River in the 11th century. They are thought to honour King Anak Wungsu and his queens. You reach them down a stairway of about 300 steps through rice terraces, and the valley floor feels far calmer than Tirta Empul nearby.

Entry is IDR 75,000 for adults, and a sarong is lent free at the gate. Allow 1 to 1.5 hours. The catch is the climb back up: the steps are steep, hot by midday and hard going for small children or older visitors. Souvenir stalls line the stairs. Do not climb on the candi.

Pura Gunung Kawi Sebatu is a water temple in Sebatu village, north-east of Tegallalang. Spring-fed pools, carp ponds and carved gates sit in a green, quiet setting, with separate bathing areas for the purification ritual. It works as a calmer version of Tirta Empul, with far fewer people.

Entry is IDR 50,000 with a sarong included. If you want to do melukat, rent the bathing sarong separately; a self-guided ritual costs about IDR 50,000 for the sarong, a locker and an offering. Allow 45 minutes to an hour, or about 1.5 hours with the ritual. No soap or shampoo in the pools, and no drones. There are steps on the way in, so go early before the heat. Cash only.

Goa Gajah (Elephant Cave) is a rock-cut sanctuary from about the 11th century in Bedulu, 5 km south-east of Ubud Palace. The cave mouth is carved as a monstrous face. Inside the short, dark passage are a Ganesha figure and lingga-yoni shrines. Below lie bathing pools with spouts held by female figures, excavated in 1954, and a path drops into the river ravine.

Entry is IDR 50,000 for adults and IDR 25,000 for children, with a sarong included. Allow 45 minutes, or up to 1.5 hours with the ravine path. The site is small and has little signage, so read up before you go. The ravine stairs have no handrails and get slippery after rain. Mornings are the quietest time.

Yeh Pulu is a 25 m relief carved into a rock wall in Bedulu, generally dated to the 14th century. It shows scenes of daily life and hunting, and local legend links it to the giant Kebo Iwa. A holy spring and a small bathing place sit beside the relief. You reach it on a short walk through rice fields from the parking area.

Entry is IDR 30,000, with a sarong lent at the gate. Allow 30 to 45 minutes. It is a minor sight, small and quiet, so it works best as an add-on to Goa Gajah, about 1 km away, rather than a trip of its own. The upside is that you will rarely share the carvings with more than a handful of people.

Tegenungan Waterfall on the Petanu River in Kemenuh is the big waterfall closest to Ubud, about 11 km south of the palace. The village of Kemenuh runs the site, and it is well developed: cafes on the rim, swings and photo nests, changing rooms, and a staircase of about 200 steps down to the plunge pool.

Entry is IDR 30,000 for adults, with parking extra. Allow 1 to 2 hours. You can swim at the base only when staff allow it; the pool closes when the river runs high after rain, and the water turns murky. The catch is crowds and noise, with a day club and man-made pools at the base, and a steep climb back up. Come at the 6:30 AM opening for the quietest hour.

Tibumana is a single curtain of water dropping into a round pool at the end of a paved path through bamboo and farmland. The village of Apuan manages it, and the walk down takes about 12 minutes on steps and small bamboo bridges. You can swim when conditions allow. The pool is usually waist deep, but do not stand directly under the fall.

Plan 1 to 1.5 hours on site. It sits about 3 km from Kanto Lampo, so many people pair the two in one morning. Come early, because by early afternoon there is a photo queue at the pool edge. After heavy rain the water turns brown and the steps get slippery, and the climb back up is steep. Bring small notes for the ticket.

Tukad Cepung is a waterfall inside a rock chamber, lit through a gap in the cliff above. On sunny mornings, roughly 9 to 11 AM, beams of light cut through the spray, and that is the shot everyone comes for. Getting there takes about 20 minutes each way on steep stone steps with railings, then a short walk along the river bed through a narrow canyon, wading over rocks.

Allow 1.5 to 2 hours on site, plus 45 to 60 minutes each way from Ubud. This is a place to stand and wade, not swim. Water shoes help, and you can rent a pair for about IDR 15,000. Late morning brings the biggest crowds. Avoid it during or after heavy rain in the rainy season, from November to March. A landslide closed the path in 2023 before it reopened.

Kanto Lampo is a waterfall about 15 m high that spills over stepped, mossy rock in Beng village, Gianyar. The village runs it, and a 5 to 7 minute walk down concrete stairs brings you to the base. The water is only ankle to knee deep, so this is a place to wade and take photos rather than swim.

Know why you are going. Between about 10 AM and 1 PM the queue for the photo spot on the rocks can run 1 to 2 hours, and posing under the falls costs extra on top of the ticket. Arrive at the 6:30 AM opening and you can see it properly in 45 minutes to an hour. Tibumana is about 3 km away if you want a real swim afterwards.

Suwat Waterfall is run by the customary village of Suwat and sits just east of its Pura Dalem temple. The falls are about 15 m high and drop into a canyon pool reached through a bamboo forest, with a 5 to 15 minute walk each way on paved paths and some stairs. Unlike most falls near Ubud, you can properly swim here, and there is a small cave behind the curtain of water.

Toilets and changing rooms are on site, and a bamboo raft costs about IDR 25,000 extra. Allow 1 to 2 hours with a swim. It is a quieter alternative to Tegenungan, best on weekdays or early. The fee has gone up from about IDR 15,000 in 2024 to IDR 40,000 now, and there is no ATM nearby, so bring cash. Dress modestly when you pass the temple.

ARMA, the Agung Rai Museum of Art, was founded by Anak Agung Gde Rai and opened in 1996. Its pavilions and large gardens on Jl. Raya Pengosekan hold a wide collection: classical Kamasan paintings on bark cloth, Batuan works from the 1930s and 1940s, Lempad, Walter Spies and Rudolf Bonnet, plus works by the 19th-century Javanese painters Raden Saleh and Syarif Bustaman, rarely seen anywhere else on Bali.

The IDR 150,000 ticket includes coffee or tea. ARMA is also a cultural centre with an open stage, children's dance practice and workshops, which cost extra, as do evening performances. Allow 1 to 2 hours, longer with a workshop. It is usually quiet. Since 8 Sep 2026 Jl. Raya Pengosekan runs one-way north towards the Monkey Forest junction, so plan your car route or walk the 25 minutes from the palace.

Neka Art Museum on Jl. Raya Sanggingan was founded by Pande Wayan Suteja Neka and Ni Gusti Made Srimin, opened to the public in 1976 and became a museum in 1982. Its pavilions trace Balinese painting from the Wayang, Ubud and Batuan styles to modern Indonesian art. Highlights include the Arie Smit and Lempad pavilions, an Affandi pavilion, Robert Koke's 1930s photographs of Bali and a keris (dagger) pavilion opened in 2007.

Give it 1.5 to 2 hours. The pavilions form a bit of a maze and some galleries are dimly lit, but captions are informative and it is rarely busy. It is about 10 minutes by car north-west of the palace. Tickets are sold in person only. Children 6 to 12 and students pay IDR 75,000, and under-6s go free. Closed on Nyepi.

Museum Puri Lukisan opened in 1956 as Bali's first art museum. It grew out of the Pita Maha artists' cooperative, founded in 1936 by Tjokorda Gde Agung Sukawati with Walter Spies and Rudolf Bonnet. The collection follows Balinese painting and woodcarving from the 1930s onwards, in the Batuan, Ubud, Young Artist and Keliki styles, with works by I Gusti Nyoman Lempad.

It sits in green, shaded gardens on Jl. Raya Ubud, a five-minute walk from the palace, so it slots easily into a central Ubud morning. Allow 1 to 1.5 hours. The galleries have no air conditioning, so go early on hot days. The ticket desk is easy to miss, beyond the car park. Batik and gamelan workshops cost extra. Flash photography and tripods are not allowed.

The Blanco Renaissance Museum is the former home and studio of Antonio Blanco (1911–1999), the Catalan-Filipino painter known as the "Dali of Bali". The flamboyant building stands above the Campuhan bridge, next to the start of the Campuhan Ridge Walk. Inside are his romantic and erotic portraits, many of his Balinese wife Ni Ronji. In the gardens, staff let you hold parrots and cockatoos for photos at no charge.

Opinions split on this one. The collection is small and narrow in focus, and much of it is nude or erotic, so it is not for young children. At about IDR 100,000 with a drink, it suits art fans and anyone curious about Ubud's expat painters. One hour is enough. Pair it with the ridge walk next door.

Setia Darma House of Masks and Puppets holds more than 1,300 masks and 5,700 puppets from Bali, Java and around the world, on show since 2006 in traditional houses spread over more than a hectare of gardens. There is also a 500-seat amphitheatre. Labels are clear, the grounds are shady and very clean, and some rooms have air conditioning.

Entry is free, with a donation box, so leave something if you enjoy it. Allow 1 to 1.5 hours. It is in Tengkulak, Kemenuh, south of Ubud, so you need a car or scooter, and it pairs well with Tegenungan Waterfall in the same village or the Bali Bird Park further south. It is rarely busy, which makes it a good rainy-day stop.

Penestanan is a village of rice fields and narrow lanes just west of central Ubud, reached by a long staircase off Jl. Raya Campuhan, past the Campuhan bridge. In the 1960s the Dutch-born painter Arie Smit encouraged young villagers here to paint, and the bright Young Artists style was born. Today you walk concrete paths between paddies, villas, small cafes and juice stops.

It is free and open at any hour. Allow 1 to 2 hours, and come early morning or after 4 PM, because the paths get hot by late morning. The lanes are shared with scooters, so walk single file and give way to farmers. It links easily with the Campuhan Ridge Walk for a longer half-day on foot.

Bali Bird Park in Singapadu keeps more than 1,300 birds of about 250 species in two large walk-in aviaries and 55 enclosures, with breeding programmes for rare birds such as the Bali starling. There is also a Komodo dragon zone, a 4D cinema and what the park calls Bali's largest palm collection. One ticket covers everything, including the shows and feeding sessions.

Shows run from 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM, with free-flight displays, pelican and parakeet sessions and parrot feeding at 2 PM, so plan 2.5 to 4 hours. It is about 30 minutes south of Ubud and a strong family or rainy-day pick (see more things to do in Bali with kids). The catch is price: about IDR 308,000 per adult on the official site, so compare online deals first and book the right ticket type.

Mount Batur is the active cone inside the Batur caldera, 1,717 m high, and the classic sunrise climb from Ubud. Pickup is around 2 AM. You start walking from the Toya Bungkah trailhead at about 4 AM with a village guide from PPPGB, the Batur trekking guides' association, climb about 650 m in 1.5 to 2 hours, and reach the summit around 6 AM to watch the sun come up over the caldera.

Most Batur sunrise trek packages include the guide, a headlamp, the IDR 100,000 park entry and a simple summit breakfast. You are usually back in Ubud by 10 or 11 AM. Bring warm layers, because the summit sits around 8 to 18°C before dawn, plus grippy shoes. Skies are clearest from June to September; see the best time to visit Bali. Do not smoke: forest fires on the slopes in 2025 and 2026 were blamed on cigarette butts.