Visiting Bali with kids is a wonderful experience. It is on many family’s lists to visit – it’s a destination that just sounds idyllic!
There’s plenty of things to do in Bali with kids. Here’s our thorough guide 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.
Table of Contents
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 in Bali
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 Cultural Experiences in Bali
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 areas to stay as a family in Bali
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 itinerary
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 itinerary
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 itinerary
4 weeks in Bali will give you plenty of time for more exploration. We would recommend a route such as:
- Sanur: 4 days
- Nusa Lembongan: 3 days
- Ubud: 4 days
- Munduk and Lovina: 4 days
- Sideman: 2 days
- Amed: 4 days
- Gilli Islands: 6 days
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.
Hotels and where to stay when 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!
- Nyaman Guest House, Sanur
- Abian Duah, Sideman
- Ghamed Sari, Amed
- Swar Bali Lodge, Munduk
- Swiss-Belresort Pecatu, Nusa Dua/Uluwatu
- Flower Bud Bungalow, Bingin Beach
- Hard Rock Hotel, Kuta – read our review here
- Funky Monkey, Ubud
- Kakiang Guesthouse, Nusa Lembongan
Budget for travelling to Bali as a family
We would class ourselves as mid-budget travellers!!!
We do not stay in swish hotels (unless it’s a treat). We have stayed in hostels. We eat out in restaurants and enjoy street food, and cook meals in. We don’t drink booze every day!
We do paid for activities but don’t tick off every tourist ‘must do’ and also have ‘free’ days of beach, pool and walks.
We don’t generally shop for clothes unless really needed, don’t wear make up and don’t have an expensive beauty regime.
In Bali, here’s what we spent for 48 days. We used Ubud has a base for 5 weeks and explored from there, often on our trusty mopeds!!
- Accommodation £1398
- Activities £1521 – everything from zip lines to gel nails and massages, to ice creams….
- Groceries £698
- Eating out £145
- Transport (taxis and mopeds) £220
- Mobile phones £22
- Visa £208
- Gym £88
- Total £5607
We started with a budget of £100 per day for the 4 of us, excluding flights, but came in just over at £116 per day.
The biggest budget shock in Bali? – the cost of suncream (£17) and tampons (£7)! Thankfully we had taken a lot of both these items out with us!!
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.
Practical information
Best time to visit Bali: 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!
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.
Clothing – what to wear in Bali: anything lightweight. Don’t overpack – you wont wear trousers or t-shirts. Floaty clothes and vests for the order of the day. But do keep in mind that some religious sites will required knees and shoulders to be covered up.
Healthcare in Bali: 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, and all the family went for a teeth clean for £20!), a Drs for an ear infection, and a hospital for suspected appendicitis. All the treatment and services we received were incredible 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!
