Ubud
Description
Ubud is a colorful town in the heart of Bali island which is increasingly inspiring for architectors, young designers and creative personalities, overgrown with museums, art private galleries, and art spaces. It is exactly here where performances and festivals, yoga retreats and painting workshops are organized, it is here where exhibitions and concerts are held, it is here where there are a lot of bright and exciting things.
For whom
Ubud is a centre of Balinese art and crafting. This is not just a popular tourist destination people from all over the world come here in search of inspiration. This city is popular with the political and business elite, celebrities and movie actors as a place for living in almost complete solitude and relaxation. Recently, here you can also see a lot of newlyweds and families with children.
Where to stay
Beaches
Travellers don’t come here for a beach holiday. The nearest beaches are an hour drive from Ubud.
What to do
A trip to the master village where more than 13,000 people create in numerous ateliers is an interesting travel story that all art lovers will remember with a huge number of handicrafts - from compact design to global architectural masterpieces with deep meaning. Traditional Balinese wood carving motives, knitted dream catchers and vibrant batik colors get together into ethnic style items. Here you can not only get acquainted with the Indonesian culture and art but also buy your favorite jewelry or home decoration. After all, this local style together with good quality, charms buyers from all over the world.
When to go
Tourists come here all the year in search of inspiration and for a cultural reboot, the average air temperature here is about 27-30 degrees. It rains more often in rainy seasons than in the southern part of the island.
Entertainment & leisure
Start meeting Balinese culture with a tropical spice garden: turmeric and curry, vanilla and cocoa, ginger and cinnamon combined with spicy herbs. It's a current palette of Indonesian national cuisine. Do you want to get acquainted with all the nuances of Balinese coffee production, including Luwak coffee and feel like an expert in this field: how to grow, when to harvest, dry, peel and how to roast grain?
Even if you are not a professional photographer, be sure that your photos will take your friends' breath away: Tegallalang rice terraces, taken from the dizzying altitude of a drone or even on a simple phone. Thanks to the unique natural landscape tourists have turned this place into a cult one without a negative impact on the environment with the unique Bali flora and fauna. Long green steps descending from the slopes of the hills, resembling wavy lines, will remain in travelers' memory for a long time. Definitely, you are lucky if you managed to get to a ceremony or festival to celebrate the harvest of rice. You can learn special wisdom from Balinese people, especially when it comes to rituals.
Try changing your usual T-shirt and shorts to a light version of an Indonesian national costume or wearing a sarong. So this way you will read a new couture story that you want to take with you. Built more than a thousand years ago Batuan Temple is recognized not only as the most beautiful temple in Indonesia but also as one of the most impressive religious monuments in the world. The gates to the temple, which are represented as split gateway symbolizing the images of good and evil, have become one of the most recognizable symbols of the island.
Don Antonio Blanco Museum is located on a hill above a river gorge in the center of Ubud surrounded by green trees and flowers. Tropical birds that are very friendly walking around the territory just ask for a shot. The artist was inspired by the beauty of the surrounding nature to create his extravagant works which are presented in the museum.
Art should not be taken only as part of a museum. Paintings, figurines, panels, masks make a perfect combination and can easily transform the home environment with other decor elements like books or ceramic vases, so be sure to visit the Art Market, an artisan market where you cannot resist from buying any wonderful stuff.
A beautiful Saraswati Temple surrounded by a pond with blooming lotuses is a hidden gem in the center of Ubud. Admission is free, you can just take coffee in a cafe nearby and sit outside to enjoy the moment. In the evenings the Legong dance is shown on the site in front of the temple there are sometimes other performances for visitors.
When you visit Monkey Forest be careful and take off all jewelry otherwise the monkeys can steal them. Curious monkeys may like your sunglasses. Although there are also fat, lazy creations fed by tourists so much that some of them are not even able to jump.
Where to eat
Ubud has a huge variety of places to fill the stomach or have exquisite gourmet food. Here you can find not only warungs with local cuisine but also restaurants with international cuisine opened by expats, this explains this big selection of cafes with Italian, Indian and Mediterranean food. A true paradise for healthy lifestyle followers is exactly here in Ubud where you can plan your meal in one of the vegetarian raw food or vegan cafes.
An excellent menu with the organic garden view is offered in a small restaurant with a funny name Moksa where the owners of the restaurant grow some ingredients for their dishes themselves. Raw food vegans will find happiness at the table ordering raw food lasagna with pesto and cashew cheese. And smoothie lovers will be delighted with dishes from atypical ingredients like avocados, cinnamon, and spirulina in cozy Clear.
Alchemy with a good salad bar where it is possible to choose the ingredients and dressing for the future dish, is loved not only by lovers of plant food, this restaurant has been chosen as number one by tourists for the atmosphere and quality of food. Down to Earth would be nice for families with children as they have a delicious menu and a small kids zone.
You will enjoy pizza cooked in the wood-burning oven visible from the street by looking into Mamma Mia cafe. Pizza lovers will also appreciate Marzano and Umah Pizza.
What a pleasure to slow down and take a break to have lunch or a cup of Balinese coffee in the open-air breathing perhaps the cleanest air on the planet with a gorgeous view of the green jungle and the artist path where local food in Elephant restaurant seems only tastier.
Ubud Gallery
