Affordable Backpacker LeanneSo! You have 2 weeks to spend in Bali, and you’re now wondering what to do with your time. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Our itinerary is great for first time travellers or seasoned travellers looking for a more relaxed route. A mix of hipster coffee shops, bustling markets and lazy beach days – this has everything you need for a great getaway.
Original plan
Our original plan for 2 weeks in Bali was:
5 nights in Ubud
2 nights in Candidasa
2 nights in Gili Meno
3 nights in Gili Air
2 nights in Seminyak
Unfortunately, I was bitten by a spider on our 3rd night in Ubud and had a mad reaction – eek! Being a little low on energy, and having lots of things still left to do in Ubud, we extended our stay there to 7 nights. However, we did take a full day trip to Candidasa. We regretted not sticking to our original plan as it looked awesome here.
5 nights Ubud
There is so much to do in Ubud. I would recommend a minimum of 4 nights here but as i said before, we stayed 7 and there was still tons to do! We booked a transfer from the airport to our homestay for 350,000k (approx £19). You can get a taxi for as cheap as 300,000k but our flight arrived in the early hours of the morning and this was more convenient for us.
No matter how long you decide to stay in Ubud, make sure to visit the Tegalalang rice terraces – a truly beautiful place, even in the pouring rain!
Check out our Ubud Monkey Forest guide here!
2 nights Candidasa
As previously mentioned, we did not end up staying in Candidasa but we did visit for the day. If we get the chance to visit Bali again in future, this will be on our list of places to explore further. Candidasa is the perfect place to stay if your planning a visit to Tirta Gangga or Lempuyang Temple. (We visited both of these places in 1/2 a day from Ubud, but would not recommend this as it was far too long to spend driving.) 2 days would be enough, to do the main attractions around this area.
2 nights Gili Meno
After exploring Bali for a week, it is now time to hit the beach and relax! From Ubud we would recommend flying to The Gili Islands, but from Candidasa, it make more sense to grab a taxi to Padang Bai harbour (20 mins) and then grab a fast boat to the islands.
Spend your time soaking in the sun and enjoying the fabulous snorkeling around the island. 2 nights on Gili Meno was great, but if you have more than 2 weeks and can afford to add any extra time here … totally do it! Meno is the quietest of the 3 islands, and is best for people who want to get away from it all.
3 nights Gili Air
Bigger than Gili Meno, Air has a lot more to offer in terms of bars and restaurants.
Grab a bike and cycle around the entire island in less than an hour! Head to the western side of the island to watch the sunset, and on a clear day you can even see Bali’s Mount Agung in the distance.
To get back to Bali, you can grab a fast boat from Gili Air.
2 nights Seminyak
On our last few days, we headed to Seminyak. We spent a day at the beach enjoying surfing lessons and a day zooming around having a nosey! The surfing lessons were not with any specific company, just a random local guy at the beach. Seminyak is around 25/30 minutes from the airport, making it a great place to end your trip.
2 days here was defiantly enough for us, but those who enjoy shopping and fine dining would benefit for a few more days.
2 weeks in Bali
No matter what you decide to do, you will have an amazing time whilst in Bali. The local people are extremely friendly, and we found that they were not as pushy as in other Asian countries. We found 2 weeks to be
