Bali Local Transportation

Upon arrival from the airport

Once you arrive to Denpasar Airport in South Kuta, Bali you have a few options on transportation. Grab a taxi, have a van/car service setup for pickup, rent a car, or Grab an Uber. Best option is an Uber. Here are some example rates of Uber From the Airpot:

• Monkey Forest, Ubud 22 miles (1:30 hour) $4 USD
• Potato Head, Seminyak 9 miles (30 min) $1.80 USD
• Dreamland Beach, Pecatu 12 miles (40 min) $2.10 USD
• Tanah Lot, Tabanan 16 miles (1 hour) $2.80 USD

Personal driver for hire

Personal drivers for hire are best for day trips or when traveling for long distances around Bali.

Whether it’s a day trip to the temples, beaches, rice terraces, or a designated driver for an extended time we suggest a personal driver. While in Bali we used our personal driver for 10 hours at $600k Rupiahs ($45 USD). The van holds up to 7 people without luggage probably up to 4 with luggage.

Once you get out of the Kuta/ Seminyak/ Uluwatu area Uber/Grab will not be an option for transportation. We would highly recommend a personal driver on drives longer than an hour.

Also consider planning day trips when you’re going from one town to the next. We went from Canggu to Ubud which is about an hour drive, but we chose to do a 4 hour day tour to a temple in the Ubud area and rice terraces for $300k Rupiahs ($22.50 USD).

You get the best prices when you negotiate with them directly instead of going through your hotel or villa.  Expect higher prices during off season, all pricing is negotiable.  Tipping is not required but appreciated.  Check out our driver info here, he was great.  Here is his information with a WhatsApp number to use when calling through wifi.

Short rides

We recommend Uber or Grab Taxi for rides around town they are the cheapest.  If you use a taxi ONLY use the one that says BLUE JAY, which is metered.  There are a lot of fake Blue Jay taxis which may try to rip you off so be careful.

Get $20 off your first UBER ride using our Code

Motor Bike

Never rode a motorbike or motorcycle, no problem. I was a virgin motorbike rider before I arrived in Bali, now I’m a pro. Ok well not a pro but comfortable. You will see rental shops all over the place to rent a motorbike for $100k-120k ($7-10 USD) for 24 hours.  Something to consider for shorter day trips is renting in the morning and giving it back before the rental company closes, so you are not responsible for it overnight. I would also highly recommend not driving them at night due to limited street lighting and cars not seeing you on the tight roads.

If you’re a beginner I would highly recommend not renting a motorbike until you get to one of the smaller towns like Canguu, Ubud, Amed, Lovina Beach or the islands. In these area’s there is a lot less traffic to avoid and dodge. Yes, when I say dodge I mean you have to literally drive around cars not parked correctly near the road, dodge pot holes, dodge the dog walking across the street and whatever else Bali throws your way. We really enjoyed the freedom of having a motorbike to get to places that were hours by foot and only a 15-20 minute ride.

Ferry

When you want to head to a near island for a slower pace the best way is by ferry.

To head to the Gillis we suggest going via a speed boat ferry. Leaving from Sanur, including transport to and from the ferry its around ~$112-120 USD pp round trip.  The speed boat should take around an 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Nusa Lembongan is about 30 minutes speed boat ride from Sanur.  Including transport to and from the ferry its around $40 USD round trip/pp.

You also have the local perma boat option that is cheaper, but also takes longer.  The local boat takes about 2 hours to the Gillis ($90 round trip) and an 1 hour to Nusa Lembongan $12 round trip/pp.

Schedule in advance in high season. Boats also leave from points such as Padang Bai and Amed if it makes more sense with your travels.  It’s really easy to book with your hotel or villa.  You can also book online at www.baliferry.com.

What now?

How do you plan your Bali vacation?  Check out the Bali 14 Day Itinerary

What are the Bali highlights?  Check out the 10 best things to do in and around Bali

How do you Budget for Bali? Check out the Bali Budget

Where do you stay in Bali?  Check out Lodging in Bali

Where do you eat in Bali?  Check out Best Restaurants in Bali

What now?

How do you plan your Bali vacation?  Check out the Bali 14 Day Itinerary

What are the Bali highlights?  Check out the 10 best things to do in and around Bali

How do you travel in Bali? Check out the Getting to, from, and around Bali

Where do you stay in Bali?  Check out Lodging in Bali

Where do you eat in Bali?  Check out Food in Bali