The Best 10 Day Bali Itinerary For Your First Visit (+ Mistakes We Made, So You Don’t)

Are you planning a trip to Bali and looking for a Bali itinerary? We have put together the best 10 day Bali itinerary for your first visit

We first visited Bali in June-July 2023 and fell in love with the country – the stunning beaches, greenery, hidden waterfalls, delicious food, ancient temples, and the friendly “Shahrukh-Kajol” loving people of Bali. I can’t wait to get back and explore more.

This is our recommended ten days Bali itinerary filled with all our favorite places to see and what we think are the top things to do in Bali on your first visit. It can easily be shortened, extended, and changed to your liking.

While we took a cab and a driver, we have included travel information for each location and how to get around, alongside recommendations to stay. We hope you find this Bali guide helpful in planning your trip!

The Best 10 Day Bali Itinerary

Day 1-3 – SEMINYAK

Before going to Bali, I heard a lot of mixed reviews about Kuta and many recommendations for Seminyak, Legian, and Canggu. 

We were looking to spend the first few days in a beach town (yes, I’m a beach baby) and included Ubud in the last leg of our trip. 

Seminyak was a great decision. It has good food, shopping, spas, a lovely beach, and incredible ocean views from most hotels. While our hotel didn’t have a direct ocean view from our room, the beach was a 100-meter walk, making it easy for us to enjoy it every day.

HOW TO REACH SEMINYAK:  

There are many ways to reach Seminyak from Ngurah Rai International Airport (Denpasar). Most of these options are also available to you for transfers between places. 

• Use Gojek: You can take a ride from Gojek. Please remember to download the Gojek app beforehand to avoid any hassle.
• Take an Airport Cab: You can take a cab from the airport. We had to get back to the airport the same day at night for luggage, and it cost us IDR 300k (to and fro), which is what you can expect to pay. 
• Book a ride through Klook: You can also use Klook throughout your journey to book tickets, tours, rides, etc. We found the rates competitive.
• Take a Bus: You can take a Trans Sarbagita from the left side of the airport as you leave. There are only six buses a day, so make sure you can grab them before you decide to grab this bus.
  Bus Schedule: 10.45 am, 12.45 pm, 2.45 pm, 4.45 pm, 6.45 pm and 8.45 pm. The ticket is only 350K IDR and will go to Kuta. You need to get on Kura Kura Bus going to Seminyak from Kuta.
• Book a car and a driver: Besides this, you can also prebook a car and driver to take you around for the duration of the stay. This time, we booked it through a tour agency and specifically asked them for a private car. Contact no of our driver: Hanif – (+62) 8126626167 

WHERE TO STAY IN SEMINYAK

We loved the hotel that we stayed at, Puri Saron. The rooms were big, had a huge balcony (from where you could hear the waves), a minute away from their pool (which overlooks the beach), and a 2-minute walk to the Seminyak beach. 

Whether you want to enjoy at the hotel or relax on the beach, Puri Saron has that for you. 

The staff was decently helpful, but you may have a problem with the language. The receptionist kept changing; the other might not even know if you requested one. So, get them to write it down if you need something done. 

Besides this, the location is a 10 min walk from the main market, many amazing Warungs, and right across a K-Circle (for midnight cravings or a quick can of beer – it’s open 24*7). 

 

Day 4-5 – Nusa Penida

Nusa Penida is an island near Bali and is most known for its pristine beaches and beautiful Instagrammable locations. While I had half a mind to skip over and go to Gili Islands, I am glad we stopped over. 

If you have more days, take a ferry from Nusa Penida to Gili Islands. It is a beautiful island to sit back, relax or do a lot of activities like scuba diving, snorkeling, etc. 

 

HOW TO REACH NUSA PENIDA 

Government-run ferries go via the Sanur harbor in Bali every day. We took the first ferry out at approx. 8:30 AM and reached the island by 10-11 AM. I don’t recall the exact timings, but we had ample time in hand that day. 

A few things to know:

• If you are short on days, wake up early to catch the first ferry. While the ferry might go at 8:30-9:00 AM, the traffic and ticket queues are unbelievable. So, count that in. We left our hotel at approximately 6:30 AM and made it in time. 
• We carried two small-sized suitcases on the ferry. There are no problems in doing that; they keep the luggage carefully (and in front of you). There is no problem with it, you don’t have to wade through the waters (the harbor is beautiful and well-constructed), and they don’t throw your luggage around. You can trust them! 
• The earlier you reach it, the better it is for you. You can explore the diamond beach in West Nusa Penida (something that most day tours skip over because of the travel time). 
• Roads are narrow because it is an island with many bends and turns. If you have motion sickness, I recommend you get your meds along (just in case). 

 

WHERE TO STAY IN NUSA PENIDA

We stayed at Semabu Hills, a beautiful property that is also newly constructed. The rooms are enormous, and so are the washrooms. 

They have two pools with different views, both of which are great. The food is available in the restaurant as well as the room service. You can also eat at the pool, dipping your toes into the water and sipping chilled beer. 

It is a beautiful property and worth spending a day at it alone. We also tried our first-ever Balinese Spa here, which cost us approximately $330k for both of us, and it was good. 

You could also do a floating breakfast at just IDR 200k. 

 

WHAT TO DO IN NUSA PENIDA

• Hike down the Diamond Beach
• Check out Broken Beach and Angel Billabong
• Go to Kelingking Beach (hike down if you like it; we couldn’t because it was raining)
• Manta Ray snorkeling tour
• Tembeling Beach, if possible. 

 

WHERE DID WE GO

Day 4 – We reached the harbor at Nusa Penida and went directly to Diamond Beach in our cab. Again, you can rent the bike, hire a cab or book a tour through Klook. 

Diamond Beach is breathtaking. From the top, you can look beneath the water, see turtles swimming and coral reefs. If you go down (which we highly recommend), you will fall in love with it. It is the most pristine beach you would come across in Nusa Penida/Bali.

We ended the day with Indonesian lunch and checked into the hotel.  Later in the day, we spent some time swimming in their pool, having a beer with some fish and chips. 

Day 5 – We started a little late because it was raining consistently. We covered Broken Beach – Angel Billabong – Kelingking Beach – Crystal Bay. 

You can skip over Crystal Bay if you don’t have time, but all the other three are worth a visit. Sit, soak in the beauty, look at the endless horizon, and relax. 

Mistake 1 – We missed out quite a lot at Nusa Penida. If you have more days, add some here. It’s a beautiful island. 

 

 

Day 6-8 – Ubud

Ubud is a town in Bali, Indonesia, known for its beautiful scenery, spiritual atmosphere, and vibrant arts and culture scene. It is located in the hills of central Bali, surrounded by lush rice paddies, towering cliffs, and cascading waterfalls.

 

WHERE TO STAY IN UBUD

We stayed at Bhanuswari Villa with a private pool. The room was decently sized, with a good-sized bathroom and a romantic feeling. However, I don’t recommend staying here. 

It is approx. 7 km away from the center of the Ubud, which is decently far away. If you are looking for peace and calm, this is the place to be. They look over rice paddies, have an open breakfast place, yoga classes, spa center, and more. It’s a good place for honeymoon couples. 

 

WHAT TO DO IN UBUD

• Ubud market (art market)
• Kintamani, Mount Batur
• Waterfalls
• Swing
• Rice paddies

WHERE DID WE GO

Day 6: From the Sanur harbor, we went directly to the North Bali 

We did Ulundanu Temple – Handara Gate – Banyumala Waterfalls. It was raining the entire time, so it got a little challenging to enjoy all the places, but it was worth it—especially the waterfall. 

 

We also had Tanah Lot in our itinerary, but that seems far-fetched considering it was a 2 hour drive from Banyumala. We decided to skip it. 

If you are going to North Bali, you can skip over Handara Gate (unless you want that picture-perfect photo of Bali). We had to queue for almost an hour to get this picture. 

Banyumala Waterfall is an easy trek, and you can easily do it. After all of this, we went back to check into our hotel.

 

Day 7: We kept the day not-so-hectic 

We started with the famous Bali Swing at Uma Ceking (a company owned by Aloha). You can either individually pay for the swings or take a package. We did the latter. It cost us approx 400k with another 100k for the red dress I wore. 

We spent half a day here and chilled a bit. 

 

After that, we left for the Tegenungan Waterfall. We hiked down to see the beautiful river and the waterfall. Because it was raining, we decided to go to the Omma Bali Club and enjoy the scenic views from their infinity pool. 

Instead of trekking up, we took the elevator they had. Easy peasy. 

 

Day 8: We woke at 2 AM to prepare for the Mount Batur trek

While we initially booked the trek, we upgraded it to a jeep ride and black lava tour – which was equally fun. 

We started at 4 AM from our hotel, and approx—5 AM from the meeting point. The views are to die for and don’t forget to look up and enjoy a starry night. They provide an early morning snack, and once you are at the top, they provide breakfast with the sunrise. 

Our jeep driver, Brian, was extremely co-operative. He stopped at various places for us to explore the lava rocks, and also let Amit take the jeep for a short ride.

Once we returned from the trek, we went to our final destination – Cepung Waterfall. It was a movie, like the scenes of Jumanji with caves, stones, waterfalls, and so much more. However, the best spots at the place have a queue for photos, but it’s totally worth it. 

Even though you don’t want to take photos, it’s worth a visit. It’s beautiful! 

 

 

On Day 9 – We had a flight at 2PM. 

After having our first ever floating breakfast in our private pool, we left for the airport at about 9:30 AM. 

You can add in a day to Nusa Penida or in Ubud for a bit relaxed journey.

There you go, our recommended 10-day Bali travel itinerary. As you can guess, there are plenty of things to do in Bali – there is something for everyone. You will love this country!

 

If You Have Less Than 10 Days In Bali

If you have less than 10 days in Bali or want to take it slower, you can cut down a number of things we did. I recommend you skip over: 

• At Seminyak, you can skip over Kuta beach and reach Uluwatu just before the Kecak dance starts. 
• If you have done water sports, you can skip over all of that in Bali. Instead, focus on snorkeling or scuba diving at Nusa Penida. 
• At Nusa Penida, you can skip over Crystal Bay. Instead, get down to Diamond Beach. 
• You can skip over coffee plantations and anything that is not Ubud Street market or art market. Don’t try Luwak coffee because many of these coffee plantations keep Luwaks in bad condition. The naturally obtained Luwak coffee is expensive and rarely found in the world. 
• We didn’t find anything fancy at Ulundanu Temple or Handara Gate. You can skip over both easily. If you are into temples, make sure you have a day at Tanah Lot. 
• If you want to chase waterfalls, you can skip over Tegenungan Waterfall and add others, BUT if you are into clubs, Omma Bali is a great location. 

 

If You Have More Than Two Weeks In Bali

This is a quite tight ten days itinerary for Bali. Ideally, you should have more than ten days on this itinerary since it might make you tired – which is not the aim for a vacation. 

If you add 4-5 extra days to this itinerary, you can take it slow and enjoy each place to its fullest. If you can add an entire week, you should try and include

can, for instance, add these places to your itinerary:

Waterfalls: 

• Leke Leke Waterfall
• Kanto Lampo
• Gembleng
• NungNung Waterfall in Petang
• Aling-Aling Waterfall in Sambangan
• Goa Rang Reng Waterfall in Gianyar
• Fiji Waterfall and Lemukih Water Slide in Buleleng

Other Things To Add:

• Batur Lake
• Batur Hot Springs
• Bali safari 
• Lempuyang Luhur Temple
• Lovina Beach for Dolphin

Others: 

• You can add Gili Islands
• If you want to explore volcanoes, you have many more treks like Batur. For example, Agung, Catur, etc. 

Recommended 5-7 Day Itinerary For Bali

Day 1 – Chepung waterfall, Gembleng waterfall, Kantolampo waterfall, Sumampan waterfall. You can also include Bali Safari/Bali Zoo

Day 2 – Kintamani (Mount Batur Trek. If you want to, include hot springs and Batur Lake). Evening- explore Ubud market

Day 3 – Nusa Penida day tour: Diamond, Angel billabong, broken beach, kelingKing beach. Start early.

Day 4 – Padang Padang Beach,  Suluban Beach, and Uluwatu temple (Ramayan dance show-reach by 5PM)

 

How To Get Around Bali

It is easy to explore Bali. You can rent scooters, or cabs, take a bus, or book tours. If you want to take it slow, rent a bike, and have a packed itinerary, we recommend hiring a driver and a car. 

It is the most convenient option but also the most pricy way to travel around Bali. 

We have already listed the ways to get around Bali.

 

 

The Best 10-Day Bali Itinerary For Your First Visit