3 weeks in Bali in 2025 (page 3 of 3)

Saturday, August 16, well, that’s it—it’s over!

Our last day in Bali before heading back home. We hired Gusti, a driver we met in Ubud who turned out to be the best choice for these three weeks in Bali: he’s friendly, drives carefully, and his Toyota is comfy (WhatsApp +62 822-3688-6636). He was supposed to pick us up around 10:00 AM but arrived an hour early, so he got to discover our little hidden spot he didn’t know about.

That morning, I took another sunrise walk around our chalets before a much heartier breakfast than yesterday (weird how it changed from one day to the next!).



First stop of the day: Pura Tanah Lot by the sea. It’s a temple usually visited in the late afternoon for the sunset, but morning works too. The tide was low, the parking lots were empty, and there were plenty of street vendors and animal handlers around.





We took the chance to grab an "avocado juice."



Second stop: we headed back up to visit Pura Taman Ayun in Mengwi. On paper, it didn’t make much sense route-wise, but Gusti didn’t want to drive through the area in the early afternoon—the south of the island is a nightmare for traffic.

Pura Taman Ayun in Mengwi was a real pleasant surprise—our favorite temple in Bali. It’s spacious, picturesque, not too crowded, and feels authentic. We loved it!









Around 3:00 PM, we headed for lunch at "Bebek Uma Sari Resto" (a recommendation from our driver). It’s a fancier, more international version of our usual warungs. The prices were a bit of a shock, but the food was good, and the view over the rice fields was lovely.

From 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM, we visited the "Bali Bird Park." The price was another sticker shock (730 IDR for two), but hey, that’s the game, right? (And we needed something to do before our flight.) The park isn’t huge, but the birds are beautiful—though not all are native to Indonesia, like that South American parrot or the African crowned crane.





At 6:00 PM, we hit the traffic jams. Gusti suggested stopping by the Kedonganan fish market (right next to the airport), but the traffic had other plans. It took us two hours to get to the airport, so we decided to skip the market—it was dark, we didn’t want to stress, and we could let Gusti head back to Ubud earlier.

At the airport, everything went smoothly. We changed clothes (there’s a cabin upstairs), dropped off our luggage (the check-in area is air-conditioned), went through security, and grabbed dinner to use up our last rupiahs.

From there, Qatar Airways flew us back to Paris without a hitch....

What’s the verdict on these 3 weeks (19 nights there)? "It’s beautiful but it’s far!" as a former French President once said.

We really loved our trip to Bali—we’d only booked the first 7 accommodations in advance. It’s super easy to get around, visit places, and explore... as long as you speak a little English. No need (we think) to hire an agency if you’re staying on Bali.

We saw stunning landscapes (rice terraces, sea, mountains, volcanoes...) without having to take flights with all their waiting and uncertainties.

We got plenty of rest since we didn’t want to overdo it (but feel free to add tons of activities, especially in Ubud where there were loads of options).

We met friendly, smiling people... though we were never quite sure if there wasn’t a slight "commercial" side to it (we kept getting the same standard questions at every stop, like a well-rehearsed script with limited vocabulary).

We loved being able to treat ourselves on an island that’s still super affordable (75 € on average for our cozy accommodations with breakfast, under 10 € for lunch for two at a warung, day-long taxis for around 50 €...).

We weren’t bothered by overtourism (90% of tourists crowd into 10% of the island). Still, as always, we mostly saw French travelers, like in South America (oh, the crisis!).

The only real downside is the distance. With roughly 24 hours total for the trip there and back, we’d recommend staying for 3 weeks if you can.

Cost of the trip for 19 nights for two people: 2975 € (including a 10% minimum tip for restaurants, guides, and drivers) Accommodations: 1425 € (75 € / night) Meals: 470 € (12 € / meal) Activities (tours, boats, excursions, diving): 620 € Drivers: 460 €



Hope our experience helps—have a great trip! Manu

Darn. Already over! Thanks anyway for this awesome travel journal. I’ll say it again—the photos are stunning. And thanks for the price breakdown too. I’m really surprised by the prices (they’re so low). I’ll definitely come back to this journal once we’ve decided to go to Indonesia.

Thanks for this lively travel journal that took me back to some regions of Bali 🙂

Darn. Already over! Thanks anyway for this great travel journal. I’ll say it again—the photos are stunning. And thanks for the price breakdown too. I’m really surprised by the prices (they’re so low). I’ll definitely come back to this journal when we decide to go to Indonesia.

We were surprised by the prices too.

Here are some price ideas, knowing that 100k IDR = 5.3 €:

Taxi Airport / Ubud 450k Lunch for 2 at a warung 130 to 200k (1 dish + 1 drink each) Lunch for 2 at a touristy spot: >500k Individual temple entry 50 to 150k Speedboat to Meno round-trip per person 1.3M Horse on Meno 150k for a ride for 2 (300k round-trip) Dinner at Meno hotel 400k Snorkeling in Gili (2.5h) for 2 private 750k + 200k for the GoPro Snorkeling in Pemuteran (5h) for 2 in a group of 9: 1.2M Upgraded canoe Meno-Lombok 42k Ferry Lombok-Bali 150k per person Kawah Ijen 2.2M for both of us (excluding tips) Taxi Candi Dasa / Pemuteran 850k Massage 150 to 350k per person Vanilla purchase 200k for 12 nice pods (50k for 8 small ones) Bali Bird Park 770k for two Driver for a day in Jalituwih 600k Return Jalituwih / airport with 5 stops (Tanah Lot, Mengwi, restaurant, tourist market, and Bali Bird Park) for 1.2M (as soon as you head south, it’s more expensive due to traffic).

For drivers, the prices include the visits (and thus waiting time for the driver). We could’ve found cheaper options (via apps), but those are often non-Balinese drivers who sleep in their cars and undercut the local market, especially around Ubud (according to our drivers when we asked).

I definitely had a good instinct to check it out. Straightforward and punchy style, great photos, and a thorough report. I’ll happily come back to read you next time.

thanks for this travel journal

Wow, I didn’t know Bali was this gorgeous!

Wow, I had no idea Bali was this gorgeous!

We kinda figured it’d be great since several of our expat friends in Asia had told us so. But we didn’t expect to find that kind of authenticity as soon as you move a little away from the South and Ubud. Sure, it’s not a "backpacker" destination for those seeking adventure (there are plenty of other islands in Indonesia for that), but for us, it was just the right balance between ease of experiences and quality of encounters. A must-do!

We’re definitely following each other’s journeys! You’ve just finished your travel journal, and I’ve started posting mine! Thanks for sharing your experience, by the way! 😊

Hi there, and thanks a million! I really enjoyed reading this super informative travel journal. We’re leaving in about a month for roughly the same 3-week period. I think I’ll be following quite a few of your tips.

Good evening!

I’m planning a trip for next summer with my family (2 adults and 2 kids aged 15 and 11).

I’m following up on your stop at Ijen Volcano. After reading your post, I get the impression that the site’s appeal is a bit "worn down" by the crowds that seem to flood it every night. I really want to see this place, but knowing us, a huge crowd and a somewhat industrial vibe might ruin the experience for us.

Honestly, is the experience so incredible that it can make you forget the crowds and the feeling of just following the flow? Or do you think our time and travel fatigue could be better spent more peacefully elsewhere?

The trip is still in the works—we’re planning to see other volcanoes (Rinjani, Bromo, maybe another Javanese volcano). Even if the sites aren’t comparable, we won’t be short on fumaroles and "living" earth.

Thanks for reading this travel journal! !

Great question!

We really liked it, but we wouldn’t say it’s a must-do. But if you're doing Bali and Bromo, it’d be a shame to skip Ijen. Of course, it’s not as impressive as Bromo (check out Biboun’s impressions on both), but it’d be a shame to miss out if you're already nearby since the two volcanoes are totally different...

PS, Bromo will be crowded too ;)

Good evening!

I’m planning a trip for next summer with my family (2 adults and 2 kids, 15 and 11 years old).

I’m following up on your stop at Ijen volcano. After reading your post, I get the feeling that the site’s appeal is a bit "ruined" by the crowds that seem to flood it every night. I really want to see this place, but knowing us, I think a huge crowd and a somewhat industrial vibe could spoil the fun for us.

Honestly, is the experience so incredible that it makes up for the crowd and the feeling of just following the flow? Or do you think our time and travel fatigue could be better spent somewhere more peaceful?

The trip is still in the works—we’re planning to see other volcanoes (Rinjani, Bromo, maybe another Javanese volcano), and even if the sites aren’t comparable, we won’t be short on fumaroles and "living" earth.

Thanks for reading this travel journal!

Not sure if you’ve read my recently published travel journal that FamilleUS mentioned... but between Bromo and Ijen, there’s no comparison. Will the beauty of the site overshadow the crowd and minimize the industrial feel? It definitely didn’t for me. That said, it’s still Kawah Ijen—a mythical place! Did I love the experience? No. Would I do it again? Yes, still, because skipping it would be like visiting the Eiffel Tower and not stopping by the Arc de Triomphe to say hi...

Hello,

Yes, I’m deep into reading that famous travel journal—I’m almost at the end. I carefully read the flowery descriptions from Instagram influencers about Ijen :-). I have to admit, in the moment, it reinforced my current idea that we could rebel against tradition and skip the Ijen step. I found a tour that lets us discover Bromo over 2 days by doing a full crater loop with a guide, which seems to allow us to get away from the crowds and see the place from a slightly different perspective. I think just that will already be a beautiful experience. We could explore Sindoro or Welirang if we free ourselves (so to speak!) from Ijen. I was planning to spend 2 nights there, just so we don’t end up with a 24-hour day, waking up at midnight in Banyuwangi and rushing non-stop.

Anyway, anyway. I’m starting version beta 92.b of my itinerary ideas. Knowing I can’t really plan on renting a scooter on my end, unfortunately :-(

I just remembered something I heard on the edge of the Ijen crater: "It’s always better than Bromo yesterday morning because we were in fog and rain!"... The weather in Java is unpredictable, and 2 days might be a good idea... or one day on each volcano (?)... Storm in a teacup before planning 92c.

I remember a comment I heard by the Ijen crater: "It’s always better than Bromo yesterday morning because we were in fog and rain!"... The weather is unpredictable in Java, and 2 days might be a good idea... or one day on each volcano (?)... Storm in a teacup before the 92c plan.

True, I was lucky with the weather in Java for all my nighttime climbs. Weather’s a factor to consider, just like the crowds of tourists that can ruin a visit...

Ah Bali, I go there 2-3 times a year from Bangkok (direct flight, 3h30, between 80 and 150 € round-trip if you book in advance on AirAsia or Thai Lion).

Three weeks is really great—you can take your time and not rush through everything.

What I’d recommend:

Start with Ubud, like 5-6 days. It’s the "spiritual" side of Bali—terraced rice fields, temples, healthy hipster food... Personally, I didn’t click with it at first because it’s super Instagrammable, but if you get off the beaten path (like the village of Sidemen, 1h30 away), it’s gorgeous and way more authentic. Scooter rental: 5-6 €/day, it’s essential.

Then head down to Canggu or Seminyak (5 days). This is the "trendy" Bali—cafés, surfing, sunsets. Canggu’s changed a lot in recent years; it’s become the digital nomad hub. Coworking spaces everywhere, avocado toast for 5 €... okay, it’s still nice, though. Echo Beach for sunset.

Next, the Nusa Islands (4-5 days). Nusa Penida’s the star with its cliffs and Kelingking Beach (you’ve gotta descend like 400 steps—your knees won’t thank you). Nusa Lembongan’s more chill, with snorkeling at Devil’s Tear. The boat from Sanur is 15-20 € one way.

Finish up in the east, Amed (3-4 days). This is the quiet Bali. Diving, snorkeling at the Liberty shipwreck, volcanoes... The area’s still a bit spared from mass tourism. And it’s the cheapest spot.

Budget for 3 weeks: Decent accommodation (guesthouse/small hotel): 15-25 €/night Local food: 5-10 €/day Scooter: 5-6 €/day Activities: 5-8 €/day on average Total on the ground: 700-1000 € for 3 weeks. Easily doable.

One thing: avoid Kuta. Seriously. It’s the number-one tourist trap—loud, crowded, and not representative of Bali at all.