Things to do in Ubud

Ubud Art Market is all about shopping in Ubud, where you can get anything, from handcrafted goods to little trinkets, you name it. So, what’s the difference with the Ubud Night Market? First, it only opens at night (duh!), and second, it’s where most locals eat. Though you can find handcrafted items and art, you go there for dinner.

Why do locals (like yours truly) love it? The number one reason is that everything costs less than your Starbucks coffee. Whether you want chicken satay or Balinese nasi campur, you rarely spend more than $3. But since the place is very local, don’t expect them to cater to all your dietary needs. But the food is good, the ambiance is quite lively, and once in a while, don’t you want to experience the local way of eating?

Forget the British Royal Family and Kensington Palace because you get the scaled-down version at Ubud Palace. Yes, Ubud also has a royal family, though it no longer has a king or queen. If you’re looking for a free thing to do in Ubud, check out the Ubud Palace, and you’ll get a peek at where they live as the front courtyard and the garden are open to the public.

You can’t officially step into the inside palace, but the stone carvings by legendary artist I Nyoman Lempad are full of Balinese mythical creatures and symbolism, such as dragons, lotus flowers, and Barongs. The location in the Ubud center means the palace is something you must see because you don’t have to make a journey. The palace also hosts traditional dance performances every night starting at 7 PM, but you need to pay IDR 100K to see it.

If you miss the Kecak Fire Dance in Uluwatu, don’t worry, because you can see them in Ubud, sans the sunset and the Indian Ocean. The rhythmic chant of “cak cak cak,” along with the storyline of love and sacrifice, will fire up your evening. More and more temples in Ubud showcase this traditional dance, so you don’t need to beat the traffic to Uluwatu to see the performance.

The story of Rama saving Sita with the help of Hanuman is performed at Pura Dalem Ubud, Pura Puseh Ubud, and Pura Dalem Taman Kaja, interchangeably from Sunday to Saturday (except Tuesday). The performance begins at approximately 7.30 PM and lasts for 45 minutes. The ticket costs around IDR 100,000, and if you want the best seat in the house, please arrive 30 minutes before.

Visiting Pura Taman Kemuda Saraswati will check off your Ubud must-see list. Known as the water temple, you don’t have to walk far from the Ubud center. The temple is renowned for its lotus pond and intricate stone carvings by I Nyoman Lempad, the same artist responsible for the beauty of the Ubud Royal Palace. The temple is dedicated to Sarasvati, the Goddess of knowledge, arts, and cultures.

You won’t find any royal family in the Water Palace because it’s a temple, not a residence. Unfortunately, you can only walk around the courtyard where the lotus pond is. Come early or late afternoon to avoid the heat so you can snap every corner in peace. In the evening, the palace holds a different traditional dance performance starting at 7 PM.

I bet you can’t give me a more iconic destination in Ubud than Monkey Forest, can you? Because in every Ubud guide, Monkey Forest always makes it into the must-visit destination. But Monkey Forest is not just a place where you can find more than 1,200 white-tailed macaques roaming free. It’s also a conservation site for some endemic plants of Bali. Most of the trees are used for religious purposes, either to make masks or build temples.

What I love about Monkey Forest is that I can stroll there for hours! Nothing you should be afraid of as long as you don’t look the monkeys in the eye and keep your belongings inside a bag, as they love snatching stuff. And you need to experience it yourself to know how the monkey selfie is created (and it does involve some treats).