What to do in (and around) Ubud, Bali

Ubud is a lovely town located in the center of Bali. It’s sometimes called „the spiritual center of Bali“ as it offers many yoga & meditation classes, SPA on every corner, cafés, and cute shops, and is surrounded by beautiful nature. I stayed in Ubud for almost a month in Bali and discovered many amazing spots and establishments. Here are my best places to go when in (and around) Ubud.

Sangeh Monkey Forest

A monkey forest is a very popular place to visit in Ubud. There is one right in the middle of the town, but did you know there is another? You have to ride for around half an hour from downtown Ubud to reach Sangeh, but it’s totally worth it. First, the forest itself is stunningly beautiful. Second, there are not that many tourists around. Third, you can hire a guide that knows how to tame the monkeys so they don’t get too annoying.

Tukies Coconut Shop

This one is a must if you’re a fan of coconuts. And I don’t mean the stupid white thing you buy in supermarkets around Europe or America. Tukies is a shop that specializes in all forms of coconut: from fresh coconut water to coconut drinks and cocktails, to cakes, and to an amazing coconut ice cream. And guess what: you can have it served in a half-coconut. You can also buy many coconut products to take home, such as dried coconut, coco oil and butter, and many other amazing things. I almost left half of my bank account in this shop.

Campuhan Ridge Walk

If you feel like taking a break from a busy town and getting some movement or fresh air, Campuhan Ridge is the place. It is around 1500 meters long walk in nature and beautiful views of the neighboring ridges with palm trees and villas. That is, if the grass isn’t too tall (which it was when I was there, haha).

Clear Ubud

This is the very first restaurant I visited in Bali. It’s located in the very city center and offers a unique experience. First, you take off your shoes, put them in a bag, and carry the bag with you inside. The restaurant is open, with a green wall, a water pond, and Koi carp swimming around. The food is excellent, and they have a wide selection of vegetarian & vegan food options.

Beluna Bali

For the ones that plan on doing some work while in Bali, I recommend visiting Beluna Coworking. It is located in the suburbs of Ubud, in an area popular for its yoga houses and cafés under the palm trees and in between rice fields. The location is really beautiful, and the house itself is very charming. It is built from natural materials, mainly bamboo, and has two zones: one upstairs for quiet and focused work and one downstairs with many different seating options and a café serving great food and beverages. Plus points: you can enter every Wednesday for free.

Taman Dedari

Another one of the stunning Ubud restaurants. Located in Kedewatan in the suburbs of Ubud, it is quite well hidden from the main road. The restaurant is huge, located on a ridge and overlooking the jungle. It is – obviously – open and forms a sort of garden with an amazing sunset view. The food isn’t anything special, but it is good, and I was very happy with my mocktail and Nasi Goreng – a typical fried rice.

Ubud Organic Market

Since being introduced to plastic, the Balinese just love it. Literally, everything gets packed in plastic in Bali and then ends up in illegal landfills, rivers, and, eventually, the ocean. The best option (outside of supporting cleaning organizations such as Sungai Watch – I highly recommend checking out this one) is avoiding plastic in Bali. But it’s not easy. The only way to shop plastic-less for organic fruits and veggies in Ubud is at the organic market taking place every Saturday. You can get almost any fruit and vegetable there, and the sellers are incredibly nice.

Akasha Restaurant

This place is unbelievable. Built almost entirely from bamboo, it is an architectural gem. I couldn’t tell you much about the location as we arrived in the evening when it was completely dark (and raining), but the restaurant is beautiful. The food and drinks were also great, and the best part was that we had the restaurant entirely to ourselves, as they were closing earlier that night, and nobody else came for that reason.

Tirta Empul

In close proximity to Ubud, you can find the popular Tirta Empul temple, where both locals and tourists can cleanse themselves in the holy water springing from the middle of the temple. To read more about this temple and other temples worth visiting, I invite you to read my previous blog about 5 Distinctive Temples to Visit in Bali.

Ubud Coffee Roastery & Suka Espresso Bar

The whole town offers many great coffee shops with – to me – surprisingly good coffee. Two of my favorite were Ubud Coffee Roastery & Suka Espresso Bar. You can learn more about those places in my blog post, 5 Cafés to Visit in Bali.

Tukad Cepung Waterfall

Now, this place is a little bit further from Ubud, but I think it deserves to be here. It is a waterfall (or, to be precise, two waterfalls) located in a canyon, one of them in a cave. It is one of the most extraordinary places I’ve seen in Bali, so I highly recommend checking out more in – yes, another one – blog post: 4 Beautiful Waterfalls to Visit in Bali.

Tegallalang Rice Terraces

This place is the only one I haven’t visited from this list. And it bugs me, to be honest, because Tegallalang was one of the places I definitely wanted to see in Bali. In the end, we didn’t have enough time to visit and we saw Jatiluwih Rice Terraces instead, so we decided not to push it too hard. Maybe another time 😉

So which of these places would you wanna visit first?
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(the photo of Tegallalang Rice Terraces is from Canva Premium and I have rights to publish it).