16 Best Places to Visit in Ubud 2026: Entry Fees, Hours & Tips

About 10 km north of Ubud, the Tegallalang terraces step down a steep valley lined with coconut palms, watered by the subak, Bali's centuries-old cooperative irrigation system. It's one of the most photographed views in Bali, with more than 55,000 Google reviews.

The road above is lined with cafés and Instagram swings; for the real thing, take the trails down into the valley. There's no single official ticket: expect about IDR 25,000 for the valley trail plus small donations at farmers' gates. Go before 9 AM for soft light and fewer people.

Starting beside the temple of Pura Gunung Lebah, where two rivers meet just west of central Ubud, this paved path follows a grassy ridge between the Wos and Cerik river valleys. It's about 2 km one way and an easy walk, with palms and alang-alang grass on either side.

It's free and open at all hours. Go at sunrise or late afternoon, when it's cooler, and bring water: there's little shade.

Opposite the palace, the Ubud Art Market is the place for woven bags, sarongs, baskets, woodcarvings and paintings. The neighbouring Ubud market was rebuilt and reopened in 2023, with a statue of Tjokorda Gde Agung Sukawati as its centrepiece.

Entry is free and bargaining is expected: start at about half the asking price and keep it friendly. Come in the morning, before the tour groups arrive.

Thought to date from the 11th century, Goa Gajah mixes Hindu and Buddhist history. You enter the T-shaped cave through the mouth of a demon carved into the rock, and inside are a statue of Ganesha and lingga shrines. The bathing pools with their six nymph fountains were only uncovered in 1954.

Walk down past the pools to the river valley to find the remains of Buddhist stupas. The cave was recorded in a Javanese poem from 1365.

Run by the village of Padangtegal, the Monkey Forest covers 12.5 hectares of jungle with 186 tree species, about 1,000 long-tailed macaques and three temples thought to date from around 1350. Moss-covered bridges and banyan roots make it one of Ubud's most atmospheric walks.

The monkeys grab anything loose, so leave food outside and zip up your bag. You can walk here from the centre in about 20 minutes, down Jalan Monkey Forest.

Reached by a walkway across a pond full of lotus flowers, this temple to Saraswati, goddess of learning and the arts, was designed by the great Balinese artist I Gusti Nyoman Lempad for the prince of Ubud in the early 1950s. Many of its carvings are by Lempad himself.

It's no longer free: the temple is now run as the Ubud Water Palace, with tickets and limited visitor numbers, so book ahead in busy months. Balinese dance is performed in the forecourt in the evenings, and Café Lotus overlooks the pond.

Unlike most of Bali's waterfalls, Tegenungan isn't in the highlands: it's on the Petanu River, 10 km south of Ubud, which makes it the easiest big waterfall to reach. A viewing point by the entrance looks across the falls before the steps down.

There are dozens of steps down and back up, so bring water and a change of clothes. The water is clearer in the dry season; after heavy rain the flow is strong and muddy, and the steps get slippery.

At the crossroads in the very centre of town, Ubud Palace is still the home of Ubud's royal family. The present palace was built in the early 19th century, restored after the 1917 earthquake and opened to foreign guests in 1928; much of its stone carving is by I Gusti Nyoman Lempad.

Only the front courtyards are open to visitors, and entry is free. Come back at night, when Legong or Barong dancers perform in the courtyard, lit by lanterns, from 7:30 PM.

Founded around a holy spring in 962 AD, Tirta Empul in Tampaksiring is where Balinese come to purify themselves, moving from spout to spout in the spring-fed bathing pools. Visitors of any faith can join the melukat ritual if they follow the temple's customs.

Wear a sarong and sash (they can be rented at the entrance) and bring a change of clothes if you plan to bathe. Women who are menstruating may not join the ritual. Mornings are the quietest.

Bali's 'Valley of the Kings': ten 11th-century shrines carved into 7-metre niches in the cliffs on both sides of the Pakerisan River, honouring King Anak Wungsu and his family.

About 300 steps lead down through rice terraces to the river. Allow 1–2 hours, wear good shoes and bring water; it's rated 4.7 on Google and far quieter than Tirta Empul next door.

Opened in 1996 by the collector Agung Rai, ARMA traces Balinese painting from classical Kamasan works to the Batuan masters of the 1930s, and holds the only works in Bali by the 19th-century Javanese painter Raden Saleh. Walter Spies has a special place in the collection.

It's also a performing-arts centre, with dance, music and painting classes, set in gardens in Pengosekan, a short ride south of the centre.

Ubud's first museum was founded out of fear, shared by the Dutch painter Rudolf Bonnet, that the best Balinese art was leaving the island. Its galleries trace Balinese painting and woodcarving from the 1930s onwards, across the Sanur, Batuan, Ubud and Young Artist styles.

Don't miss the Pitamaha Gallery's pre-war works and the I Gusti Nyoman Lempad collection. It's a five-minute walk from the palace, around a lotus-pond garden.

Opened in 1982 by the collector Pande Wayan Suteja Neka, this was Bali's first privately owned museum. About 400 paintings and sculptures are shown in pavilions laid out like a Balinese family compound, including the Arie Smit Pavilion.

It reopened in 2022 after renovation. Tickets are sold in person only and cover the permanent collection; temporary exhibitions are free.

Water fans out over stepped black rock at Kanto Lampo, the backdrop that made this community-run waterfall go viral. It was only discovered in 2016 and is named after the Kanto Lampo tree used in Hindu rituals; the pool below is shallow enough for a dip.

Expect a queue for photos by mid-morning. For an empty waterfall, the village sells private early sessions from 6 AM. Want a quieter swim? Tibumana (IDR 25,000), 16 km from Ubud in Bangli, has an 18 m drop into a jungle bowl and lifeguards on duty.

A good half-day with children: Bali Bird Park in Singapadu has more than 1,300 birds from 250 species, many of them free-flying, in two hectares of gardens with three lakes. It breeds Birds of Paradise and the endangered Bali starling.

There are Komodo dragons too, plus bird shows through the day. Book online on the official site for about 20% off the gate price.

About 1 km from Goa Gajah in the same village of Bedulu, Yeh Pulu is a long panel of ancient reliefs carved into the rock face, set among rice fields. It's run by the Gianyar tourism office and is usually far quieter than the Elephant Cave.

Visit both on the same morning, before the day gets hot. Sarongs are required, as at all of Gianyar's temple sites.