Transport in Bali
Bali's biggest problem after plastic waste: traffic. The roads are chronically congested, there is no public transport system (no train, no subway, practically no buses), and the infrastructure is not keeping pace with growth.
Means of transport:
- Grab/Gojek: Ride-hailing apps (like Uber). Cheapest option for point-to-point rides. Car or motorcycle available. Kuta–Ubud approx. 100,000-150,000 IDR (6-9€). Works everywhere except in the airport area (taxi mafia blocks).
- Private driver: Best option for day trips. 500,000-700,000 IDR (28-40€) for 8-10 hours including car and fuel. Your hotel can arrange a reliable driver.
- Scooter: See section "Renting a Scooter"
- Blue Bird Taxi: Reliable, with a taximeter. Only the real Blue Birds (blue car, bird logo) — there are many imitators.
- Shuttle buses: Perama and Kura-Kura run fixed routes between tourist centers (Kuta–Ubud–Sanur–Padangbai–Lovina). Cheap (50,000-100,000 IDR), but slow and infrequent.
Travel times (realistic, with traffic):
- Airport–Ubud: 1.5–2.5 hours
- Kuta–Seminyak: 15–40 minutes
- Seminyak–Canggu: 20–50 minutes
- Ubud–Amed: 2.5–3.5 hours
- Ubud–Kintamani: 1–1.5 hours
💡 Tipp
Avoid traveling between 7:30-9:00 and 16:30-19:00 — rush hour in Denpasar and South Bali is brutal. The Kuta–Ubud route, which theoretically takes 1 hour, can take 3 hours in traffic.