Looking for a French-speaking guide/driver in August/September in Bali

Hello,

We’re heading to Bali as a family (5 people) for about twenty days, from mid-August to early September. Since our English is pretty limited, we’d like to hire a French-speaking driver or guide to accompany us on certain days and show us around the island, picking us up directly from our various hotels.

That said, I imagine this kind of service is probably more expensive than taking a local taxi, right?

Also, which Uber-like app should we use there? And for bookings, which website should we look for accommodations on?

Thanks in advance for your replies.

Hi Léandre,

That said, I imagine this kind of service is probably more expensive than taking a local taxi, right?

You’re right. In a non-French-speaking country, speaking French always costs more (guides, drivers, accommodations, etc.), even when the person providing the service is French and living there. You’ll probably find someone eventually, but in Bali, needing them only for certain days might make things trickier for you.

Thanks for your reply. I forgot to specify in my post—if anyone has contact details for a French-speaking guide/driver, I’d love to hear them.

Hello,

I’m just back from Bali. I can recommend my English-speaking tourist taxi driver with 25 years of experience, who you can find locally. He’s really professional. He speaks and understands a little French. My English is just like yours—limited. But the language barrier didn’t stop me from having an amazing 5 days. He patiently explained everything I was interested in. He was a huge help with exchanging euros and choosing from the menu. Without him, I would’ve missed out on so many beautiful things! We used automatic translation (written or even voice conversations without internet). He shares his Wi-Fi. The price is completely different from a French-speaking driver-guide, which is quite expensive. Discuss the price with him.

This isn’t an ad—it’s from personal experience! Best regards,

Try the Keliki Painting School near Ubud. They’re very responsive on their website.

Hi What was the daily rate for the driver?

Hello, I’ll also be in Bali with family—just 3 of us—from late August to early September 2025. I searched online and found several taxi options. **Important note:** I speak English, so the following is for a driver who only needs to speak English (sorry).

For some transfers between hotels, I asked the hotels for their prices to arrange transfers via a taxi they know. Prices range from 400,000 to 600,000 IDR depending on the distance, which is about 21 to 32 €.

For excursions, I’ll be using the services of hirebalidriver.com. They weren’t the cheapest of the 5 companies or private drivers I contacted, but they responded quickly to my emails and always answered all my questions. Here are the prices for 3 days of excursions, always starting from Ubud. The prices include a private car (we’re 3 adults) for a maximum of 8 to 10 hours per day (extra hours are charged at 10 USD per hour), fuel, an English-speaking driver, parking fees (which others don’t always include, even though it costs nothing on-site), and most importantly, flexibility per day:

Day 1: Ubud - Besakih temple - Tirta Gangga water palace – Ubud. Price: 85 USD/car/day (max 8-10 hours) or 1,377,000 IDR Day 2: Ubud - Jatiluwih Rice Terraces - Ulun Danu Beratan Temple – Ubud. Price: 70 USD/car/day (max 8-10 hours) or 1,134,000 IDR Day 3: Half-day tour (afternoon): Ubud - Pura Taman Ayun temple - Tanah Lot temple at sunset – Ubud. Price: 45 USD/car (max 5-6 hours) or 729,000 IDR The same company will handle the transfer from our hotel in Ubud to Padang Bai port for 45 USD/car/way and the return transfer from the port to our hotel in Uluwatu for 55 USD/car/way.

Hope this helps with your search and choices. Best, Claudio