Kuta Bali Travel Guide For First Time Visitors | My 2 Days Itinerary
- Mukesh Kumar
- Dec 31, 2024
- 7 min read
Updated: Jan 15
An Ultimate Guide to explore Kuta, Jimbaran & South Bali in Indonesia
Why To Visit Kuta & South Bali ?
Kuta is located just 10 mins away from Denpasar airport so it’s always a good decision to spend at least 1 night in Kuta area near beach. Other famous attractions in Jimbaran and central Bali are easily accessible from Kuta. Here are a few more reasons.
Beautiful beach life & sunset view.
Kuta market & shopping.
Beautiful cafes, bars and nightlife.
Easy access to south and central Bali attractions.
Experience rich Balinese culture and heritages.
What’s in this article ?
How to Reach Kuta, Bali ?
From Denpasar Airport - Grab a car or bike taki (Better use Grab or Gojek app). There are many riders outside the airport. Kuta is just a 10 minute ride away. Depending on your hotel distance, pay the price, if you’re booking offline (around 50,000 IDR or 3-4 USD). Car will be double the price or more.
From Ubud - Around 2 hours drive (40 KM). Rent a taxi or shared Van for 80,000 IDR (5 USD).
Hotels in Kuta, Where to Stay in Bali ?
Hotels are cheaper in Bali. Resort price starts from 1,50,000 IDR (10 USD) with basic amenities and it goes higher. Even hostel price starts from 1,00,000 ( 6 USD). So, I would prefer to stay in a hotel or resort rather than hostels in Bali.
I stayed in Bakung Beach Resort for just 1,60,000 IDR per night (10 USD). It's a little away from Kuta beach and crowded market but still at a good location and close to another beach.
Online Booking - Use Booking.com, Agoda or Hostelworld.
Bike and Car Rental in Bali
Local Transportation in Bali
Booking App - Grab and GoJek app are the best in Bali. Quick booking and they arrive within 2-5 minutes. Price is also cheaper for bikes, on average 10,000 IDR per km (not even 1 USD).
Bike Riders - There are many roadside riders everywhere who can take you around anywhere. It’s also a good choice if you don’t have an app to book. But negotiate for the price little bit.
MotorBike Rental Price - Starts from 80,000 IDR (5 USD) per day, you must negotiate here as well to get the best price.
Car Rental Price - Starts from 5,00,000 IDR (35 USD)per day with a driver.
Quick Tip: If you’re alone and don’t have to hang around much then better use Grab or Gojek. If you’re 2 people, use Bike rental.
Cash Exchange in Kuta, Bali
Cash exchange shops are available everywhere in Bali. Mostly they exchange from USD or Euro or other Higher currencies. (Dollars). Rates are different in different shops, so check first before you do.
ATM - Many bank ATM accept Visa, Master and American Express cards. Most of the Bank allows free transactions but still, one time transaction charge may be applicable depending on your Card (50,000 IDR per transaction).
Kuta and South Bali Travel Guide, Top Things to do
You need at least 2 days to explore all the importance places to visit in Kuta and South Bali. Here is my day wise travel guide and itinerary for Kuta in Bali.
Day 1 - Kuta & Tanah Lot
Kuta is like a main touristic center of Bali. You will find almost everything here, shopping market, cafes and bars, beach activities, night clubs, etc. On the first day, it’s better to hang around Kuta and nearby areas because you will already be a little tired to reach here. There are many things to do here.
Top places to visit in Kuta
Tanah Lot Temple
Visit Cafes, Restaurants or Bars
Kuta Market & Shopping
Sunset at Seminyak or Kuta Beach
Nightlife in Kuta
Tanah Lot Temple
This is a very beautiful and scenic temple located 45 minutes drive from Kuta. Temple is located at the edge of the sea, where tides are very high. You can see a broken bridge here which is perfect for pictures. You can walk on the stones and see the high waves from the edge of the stones. Tourists are not allowed to enter inside the temple.
After visiting the temple you can enjoy the Indonesian coconut water which is really big in size. They also serve coconut water with ice which was strange to me. This activity will take your half day so better back to Kuta and enjoy the rest of the day there.
Visit Cafes, Restaurants or Bars in Kuta
There are many affordable food places in Kuta. You can hang around here near Kuta or Seminyak beach, eat Indonesian food, grab some drinks, go into the water and chill at the beach.
Nasi Goreng and Mie Goreng is local food here which is also cheaper in price. There are also many continental restaurants with different price ranges.
Bintang is a local beer that you must try here. Small cane price 20,000 IDR (1 USD).
Kuta Market & Shopping
There are many options for street shopping to buy beach wear or any other different dresses. You can buy souvenir, handicrafts, make tattoo, or get Indonesian massage (50,000 IDR for 1 hour)
Quick Tip : Everyone will try to sell you something , so be careful and always negotiate the price up to 50%.
Sunset at Seminyak or Kuta Beach
Sunset is very colorful here, you can enjoy this view from any of these 2 beaches. Beaches are little crowded but still overall it gives you a good experience and memory. Yes, you can also rent the surfing board here and enjoy surfing as waves are ideal.
Nightlife in Kuta, Bali
Kuta is also famous for it’s wonderful night life. There are many dance clubs and bars to chill at the night. Sky Garden is very famous and one of the best in Kuta. There is 50,000 IDR (3 USD) entry fee which gives you complimentary food and drinks. Every nightclub has almost same entry fee in Kuta. You can end your Day 1 here.
Day 2 - Jimabaran & Kuta Selatan
Start your Day 2 as early as possible because there are many interesting things to cover. Kuta Selatan is the southern part of Bali which has many heritage and cultural things to explore.
Top places to visit in Kuta Selatan
GWK Cultural Park (Garuda Wisnu Kencana).
Suluban Beach
Uluwatu Temple
Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park, Bali
Also called Garuda Wisnu Kencana. This park has the iconic statue of Lord Wisnu (Vishnu) which is currently the tallest Hindu God statue (120 Meter) and number 4 in the height of all the statues in the world. You need 4-5 hours to explore this park as you have many things to do here. Park is very big and made of natural stones and greenery, so it is better to walk and explore. This is the must visit place in Bali.
Park Entry ticket for foreigners - 1,25,000 IDR (7 USD)
You can go on top of the statue at 23rd floor view point - 50,000 IDR (3 USD)
Park entry ticket also includes Museum visit, cultural dance show and 1 complimentary drink.
Shuttle service is available to drop near the statue (Round trip)- 30,000 IDR (2 USD).
GWK opening hours - 10 AM - 10 PM
Suluban Beach, Bali
Very high waves, the best place for surfing in Bali. Many natural caves are created at the beach which look really beautiful. There are many cafes and bars with sea views where you can chill and spend 2 hours until 4 PM. Apart from this there are many other beautiful beaches also where you can relax. But you won’t have much time so choose any one. Other beaches - Jimbaran beach, Nusa dua beach, Pandawa beach, Padang Padang beach.
Uluwatu Temple, Bali
This temple is located at the edge of the sea which gives a perfect view. You can walk around this temple for 1 hour. Be aware of naughty monkeys here, they mostly rob your cap, sunglasses. They took my sunglasses as well.
Every evening they held a cultural show called Kecak Dance at 6 PM and 7 PM (1 hour show). This is a play where they perform Ramayana story and Lanka Dahan (Hindu God Ram, Sita, Hanuman story). This is a must to do thing to experience in Bali.
Temple Ticket price - 50,000 IDR (3 USD)
Kecak Dance Ticket price - 1,50,000 IDR (10 USD)
Uluwatu temple opening hours - 7 AM - 6 PM
You can end your day here.
Best Time to Visit Bali
Weather is dry and sunny in Bali throughout the year. So you can visit Bali any time. Still, May to September is the best time as it’s a dry season. November to January is the rainy season so try to avoid these 3 months.
Some More Personal Tips
Try mostly local food like Nasi goreng or Mie goreng as it’s cheaper and has authentic taste. Always try in small restaurants. Price varies.
Use bike rental for each day. Everytime using a grab can be expensive.
In Uluwatu better go for 7 PM show, in the dark Lanka Dahan looks more real.
Feel free to drop a comment if you have any questions.
Also don’t forget to watch Bali travel guide with route map on my Youtube.
Have fun and a wonderful trip !
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