Bali is on many family’s lists to visit – it’s a destination that just sounds idyllic! Here’s our honest review of what it is like to travel in Bali as a family. We’ve spent a total of 10 weeks travelling this island and there’s a lot we love. Bali is a great place to visit with kids.

However, there are also some secrets we will share to make sure you know where you are heading, and to ensure you get the most out of your time in Bali.

We include all the practical advice and tips for visiting Bali with children as well as suggested itineraries for 1, 2, 4 weeks on this amazing island.

Scroll on to discover all you need to know before visiting this top destination for families to visit.

Read all our Bali blogs here

Practical information

Currency: Indonesian Rupees. There are currently c. 20,000 RP to RM to 1 £GBP. Paying for things in Millions takes a bit of getting used to. We worked on 1million RP being c £50.

Best time to visit: Bali is good for year round travel. The wet season is Jan – April, but don’t let that necessarily put you off. Temperatures are cooler than Thailand and Malaysia, and there is a lot less humidity – but it is still hot!

Clothing: anything lightweight. Don’t overpack – you wont wear trousers or t-shirts. Floaty clothes and vests for the order of the day.

Healthcare: Healthcare and medical services in Bali are good. Obviously in more remote areas and on islands it will be less available. We experienced the dentist (for root canal and then an extraction), a Drs for an ear infection, and a hospital for suspected appendicitis. All the treatment and services we received were increible service and quality.

Watch out: There are influencers and instagrammers EVERYWHERE and a lot of the main sites get very busy so head there early! Or avoid them! All the tourist trips you will see for volcano sunrises, ATV and Bali swings will be the same!

Getting around

Travelling with kids in Bali is easier than perhaps perceived. BUT, and here is the major downfall – the traffic is horrendous! You can take as long as an hour to do 3km when it is really bad. The north and east are less busy, but the main areas of Kuta, Canngu, Ubud and Sanur can be very very challenging. Don’t try to visit too many places for this reason!

There is public transport, but it is very limited and only local buses between a few main towns. This leaves you with 2 real options for travelling in Bali as a family: 1. Grab – the Asian version of Uber 2. Hire a scooter.

Grab provides taxis and the option to ride on a moped with a driver – both options are very affordable. The car option does take a lot longer however.

Hiring a scooter worked well for us. If you havent driven one before, get a lesson beforehand, and then practice on quiet roads, without anyone else on your bike. Within a few days we were fine and confident enough to navigate the streets of Ubud on scooters with a kid on each. We even did a hairy bikers style roadtrip on them down to Uluwatu for a weekend. The kids loved them too.

The main airport can get very busy – read our guide to arriving in Bali here which includes things to do and prepare before setting off.

Best Places to visit in Bali as a family

We enjoy a mix of experiences and there is so much on offer in Bali. These are our favourite places to visit as a family with children in Bali.

Best Beaches

Bali doesn’t really have the beautiful white sand beaches of other areas in S.E.Asia. Our favourite beachy spots in Bali are Amed for it’s great snorkelling and lovely vibe, Nusa Dua for the whitest sand, Bingan Beach for surfy vibes and Nusa Lembongan for and island break.

Best Culture

Ubud has it all – and if you can’t find what you want in Ubud, you will find it within an hour of Ubud. From visiting temples, to batik experiences, there is a lot to experience in Ubud with kids. Sideman and Munduk would also offer some great cultural experiences.

Best Family areas

Sanur would be top of our list for the best areas in Bali for families when you factor in everything. Nusa Lembongan, Amed, and Uluwatu would also be good places to visit but they don’t offer everything in one place.

Itineraries for visiting Bali with Kids

1 week in Bali

Really don’t try to do too much! Settle yourselves in Sanur and use it as a base. Take a day trip to Ubud for the monkey forest and temples, 2 days / 1 night on Lembongan and the rest of the time in Sanur.

2 weeks in Bali

2 weeks can give you a good overview of Bali, and was the amount of time we first spent on the island. Start with 4 days in Sanur to familiarise yourself, before taking the ferry to Lembongan for 3 nights. On returning, head to Ubud for 4 nights. You’ll then have 3 days to play with and we would recommend heading south to Uluwatu or Nusa Dua for quieter beaches and to be close to the airport. Hit Nusa Dua if you want the big posh hotels! If you’re more into seeing the other tourists, party vibes and a lot busier vibes, then check out Canggu.

If you are ok with travelling a bit further then spend your last 3 days in Amed – you won’t regret the extra few hours in the car.

4 weeks in Bali

4 weeks in Bali will give you plenty of time for more exploration. We would recommend a route such as:

You will then need to head back for your flight from the Gilli Isles so leave a day to stay in a hotel by the airport. The other option is to fly out of Lombok!

If you skipped the Gilli Isles, then go to Sideman and Amed from Ubud. before heading to the north. Then drive the full length of the island back to Uluwatu / Nusa Dua as per our 2 week suggestion.

Accommodation for visiting Bali with Kids

There is so much accommodation to choose from in Bali and a whole host of budgets. We will only ever recommend places we stayed in Bali as a family if we genuinely enjoyed it and thought it offered value for money. We would describe ourselves as mid-budget travellers, so we definitely haven’t been staying in 5 star resorts, but equally we stay clear of hostels without aircon! We’ve not really had too many accommodation disasters on our travels – long may that continue. We would point out that one of the hardest things to find in Bali was family rooms in our budget – so often we took 2 double rooms and split up with the kids. And often 2 doubles were cheaper than a family room!