Bali travel questions, answered

Most visitors need a visa for Bali. Passport holders from the nine ASEAN countries get 30 days visa-free. About 97 other nationalities, including the UK, EU, US and Australia, can buy a visa on arrival or e-VOA for IDR 500,000. Everyone else needs a C1 tourist visa issued before travel.

The Indonesian visa on arrival costs IDR 500,000 (about USD 30) and allows 30 days. You can extend it once for another 30 days, for a maximum of 60 days, by applying online and paying a further IDR 500,000 before your first 30 days end.

Bali charges international tourists a one-time levy of IDR 150,000 (about USD 9) per person, per visit. It is separate from your visa. The easiest way to pay is online through the official Love Bali website or app before you travel. You then receive a QR voucher by email.

Before landing, complete the free All Indonesia Arrival Card on allindonesia.imigrasi.go.id or the All Indonesia app, within 3 days of arrival. Since October 2025 it combines immigration, customs, health and quarantine declarations in one form. Also have your e-VOA or visa and the Bali tourist levy voucher ready.

Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months from the date you arrive in Indonesia, with at least 2 blank pages. Airlines check this at check-in and can refuse boarding. Emergency or temporary passports need 12 months of validity to get a visa on arrival.

Yes. A C1 tourist visa allows 60 days and can be extended twice by 60 days each, up to 180 days in total. Remote workers earning at least USD 60,000 a year from abroad can apply for the E33G remote worker visa, valid for one year. A visa on arrival stops at 60 days.

Use both. Cards (Visa and Mastercard) work at most hotels, larger restaurants, supermarkets and shops in tourist areas, while cash in rupiah is still needed for warungs, markets, small shops, taxis, temple donations and tips. Carry around IDR 500,000 to 1,000,000 in small notes each day.

Use ATMs inside or attached to bank branches, shopping malls or the airport, run by major Indonesian banks such as BCA, Mandiri, BNI or BRI. Card skimming is a known problem at isolated machines. Most ATMs dispense about IDR 2,000,000 to 3,000,000 per withdrawal, and your home bank may add fees.

Tipping in Bali is not required but is welcome, since local wages are low. Many restaurants and hotels already add a service charge, often 5 to 10% or more on top of tax, so check the bill first. Where none is added, leaving about 5 to 10% or rounding up is appreciated.

Excluding flights, a day in Bali costs roughly USD 25 to 40 on a backpacker budget, USD 70 to 150 mid-range, and USD 300 or more for luxury travel. Local warung meals cost USD 2 to 5, and a scooter is about USD 5 to 7 a day. Add the one-time visa and tourist levy.

Change money only at banks or Bank Indonesia licensed money changers. Authorised outlets display an "Authorized Money Changer" sign and a Bank Indonesia logo or certificate with a QR code. Avoid small kiosks offering unusually high rates, which are a common scam in tourist areas such as Kuta and Seminyak.

Yes, but legally you need your national motorbike licence plus an International Driving Permit that covers motorcycles (category A). You also need the bike's registration papers (STNK) and a helmet. Police run regular checks in Canggu, Seminyak, Kuta and Uluwatu, and riding without the right licence can void your travel insurance.

Your main options are a pre-booked private transfer, the official fixed-price taxi counter, or Grab or Gojek from their airport pickup points. Recent guides give rough fares of IDR 200,000 to 300,000 to Seminyak, 350,000 to 500,000 to Canggu and 450,000 to 650,000 to Ubud. Traffic makes journey times vary a lot.

Yes. Grab and Gojek work across most of south Bali and Ubud, offering car and motorbike rides plus food delivery. Some spots ban pickups by app drivers, including parts of Canggu, Sanur and Padang Bai harbours, and Pandawa Beach. Coverage is patchy in remote areas such as Amed, Pemuteran and the Nusa islands.

A private driver with a car usually costs about IDR 600,000 to 1,000,000 per day (roughly US$37 to 62). The price is per car, not per person, and normally covers 10 to 12 hours, fuel and the driver. Entrance fees, meals and small parking charges are extra.

Most visitors take a fast boat from Sanur Harbour, which takes about 30 to 50 minutes. Boats run roughly from 06:30 to 17:00. Recent guides give one-way fares of about IDR 150,000 to 250,000, and booking online is often cheaper. Visitors also pay a small island entry levy, card only.

Bali belly is travellers' diarrhoea, usually caused by contaminated water, ice or food. To lower your risk, drink only sealed or properly filtered water, avoid tap water and homemade ice, eat freshly cooked hot food, and wash or sanitise your hands before eating. Most cases are mild and clear within a few days.

No, you should not drink Bali's tap water. Mains water from the PDAM utility and the wells many villas use are not reliably safe to drink, and they are a common cause of stomach upsets. Drink sealed bottled water, water from large refill jugs, or properly filtered water instead.

Indonesia does not require any vaccine for most visitors. The exception is yellow fever: you need a certificate if you arrive from a country where yellow fever is a risk. Health agencies advise most travellers to have hepatitis A, typhoid and an up-to-date tetanus jab. Book a travel-health appointment about eight weeks before you go.

Yes. Dengue is spread by mosquitoes in Bali all year, and cases usually rise in the wet season, roughly November to April. Local reports counted 10,391 cases in 2025. Cases fell about 83% in January to July 2026 compared with the same months of 2025. Avoiding mosquito bites is the main protection.

Indonesia does not require travel insurance for entry, but government travel advice strongly recommends it. Private hospitals in Bali often ask for proof of insurance or a deposit before treating you. Medical evacuation can cost tens of thousands of pounds. Choose a policy that covers medical treatment, evacuation and the activities you plan.

In Bali, call 112 (general emergencies) or 110 for police, 118 for an ambulance, and 113 for fire. Some sources also list 119 for medical emergencies. The Bali Tourist Police can be reached on +62 361 759 687. Operators may not speak much English, so a private hospital's own emergency line can be quicker.

The best time to visit Bali is during the dry season, from April to October, when skies are clearer and humidity is lower. April, May and September are often the sweet spot: dry weather, fewer crowds and better prices than the July and August peak.

Bali's rainy season runs roughly November to March, with the heaviest rain usually from December to February. Rain tends to come in strong afternoon or evening downpours rather than all day, so mornings are often usable, and prices and crowds are lower outside the Christmas holidays.

On Nyepi, the Balinese Hindu New Year, the whole island shuts down for 24 hours, from 6am to 6am the next day. The airport closes, roads are empty, and everyone, including tourists, must stay inside. Nyepi 2027 falls on Monday 8 March, per Indonesia's official 2027 holiday decree.

To visit a Balinese temple, cover your shoulders and knees and wear a sarong tied at the waist, usually with a sash. Men and women follow the same rule. Most major temples lend or rent sarongs at the entrance, but bring your own for smaller village temples.

The small palm-leaf trays you see on pavements, shrines and doorsteps are Balinese Hindu offerings, the most common being canang sari. They hold flowers, a little food and incense, and are made daily. Those placed on the ground are meant to appease negative forces, while higher ones honour the gods.

Bali's official tourist guidelines, set out in Governor Circular No. 7 of 2025, ask visitors to respect temples and customs, dress modestly, pay the IDR 150,000 tourist levy, use licensed services and follow traffic laws. Prohibited acts include entering sacred areas without reason, littering, disrespectful behaviour, drugs and working without a permit.

For most visitors, a Telkomsel tourist SIM or eSIM is the safest choice in Bali because it has the widest coverage, including rural areas. A 30-day tourist pack costs around IDR 150,000. Travel eSIM apps are a convenient alternative you can set up before landing.

Bali is one of Asia's most popular remote-work bases, with many coworking spaces in Canggu, Ubud and Uluwatu and decent 4G and fibre in the south. Legally, though, a tourist visa does not authorise remote work. The E33G Remote Worker visa is the route designed for it.

Choose Canggu for surf, cafés and a young social scene, Ubud for rice fields, culture and wellness, Uluwatu for cliff-top views and surf beaches, and Seminyak for shopping, dining and beach clubs. Many visitors split their stay between a beach base and Ubud.

Plan at least 7 days for a first trip to Bali, and 10 to 14 days if you want to combine beaches, Ubud and an island or volcano trip without rushing. With only 3 to 5 days, stick to one or two bases to limit time lost in traffic.

Yes, Bali is a popular family destination, with warm weather, kid-friendly resorts, gentle beaches and welcoming locals. Sanur and Nusa Dua are the easiest bases for young children thanks to calm water and walkable promenades. Plan for heat, traffic and a few health precautions.