Ultimate 3 Week Bali Itinerary: Beaches, Temples, Day Clubs & Adventure

Best Time to Visit Bali for Your 3 Week Trip

Like most Southeast Asian countries, Bali is warm year-round. The main thing to consider before booking your trip is the rainy season (November to April). Avoid traveling during or immediately after this period due to heavy rain and the dangerous Dengue mosquitoes. The rest of the year is perfect for exploring the island!

How to Get to Bali: Flights and Connections

Bali is an island in Indonesia. Therefore, most travelers will fly into Denpasar International Airport, which is well connected with major airlines. If there’s no direct flight, consider connecting through Singapore or Bangkok. You should be able to find affordable flights to Bali from either of those two hubs.

Getting Around Bali: Scooters, Cars, and Private Drivers

Scooters in Bali

Renting a scooter is probably the most popular form of transportation in Bali, especially among younger people / backpackers. Personally I would not recommend this option, because the roads are narrow, crowded and accidents happen often. If you’re not confident riding a motorbike, it’s safer to skip this option.

Renting a Car in Bali

A rental car might be a good option if you’re traveling in a bigger group and / or staying in more remote areas of the island. You should be a confident driver though, because roads can be narrow and traffic can be crazy! If you’re mainly staying in Ubud, Kuta, or Seminyak, a car isn’t necessary.

Hiring a Private Driver

Hiring a private driver sounds very fancy and expensive. But honestly, if you’re on a trip with a couple of people and are able to split the cost, this is definitely the most convenient way to get around! You can ask your accommodation or other travelers for some help, I’m sure everyone knows someone who they can recommend 🙂 We hired a driver for 2 days in Ubud and 2 days in Nusa Penida and I’d do it again in a heartbeat! Leave me a comment below and I can give you my contact! You can also check out the offers on klook.com!

Using Uber, Grab, or GoJek in Bali

Rideshare apps work great in tourist areas like Kuta, Seminyak, Legian, Uluwatu, and Sanur. Ubud is a bit trickier but manageable!

How Much Time Do You Need in Bali? 2 or 3 Weeks

When I visited Bali in 2022 I spent approx. 3 weeks In Bali. Our trip was a mix of sightseeing and just enjoying life and chilling . Two weeks is enough to see the highlights, while three weeks allows a more relaxed pace with downtime and “do nothing” days.

3 Week Bali Itinerary: Day-by-Day Adventure Guide

This itinerary is flexible; segments can be swapped or removed depending on your interests.

Days 1-5: Arrival in Ubud and Exploring the Surroundings

Day 1 – Arrival in Ubud

Arrive at Denpasar, take a taxi, Uber, or private driver to Ubud. We booked our transfer through the Booking.com Taxi Service and it was a very smooth experience. We hired the same driver over the next couple of days to drive us around Ubud!
You just have a long flight behind you, so take the rest of the day easy and just hang by the pool, get a massage or explore some of your immediate surroundings.

Where to Stay: Honeymoon Guesthouse Ubud – serene, surrounded by nature, with traditional architecture and great breakfast.

Day 2 – Ubud Highlights and Monkey Forest

Campuhan Ridge Walk (40-minute trail with rice field views)
Post-walk recharge at Karse Café
Get an Uber/Grab and head to the Monkey Forest. This is probably one of the best-known attractions in Ubud, and it did not disappoint! From the moment you walk in (maybe actually even before!) you will start seeing monkeys left and right. Important: Don’t bring food or bottles!!
Lunch in central Ubud
Explore temples, palaces, markets, shops, and yoga studios in Ubud city
Evening: Have some fun at the Why Not Bar

Day 3 –Day Trip out of Ubud

Time to explore Ubud’s surroundings! If you’re travelling in a group, I’d highly recommend to hire a private driver to take you around for the day. Ask your hotel or other fellow travelers for recommendations, or check out the offers on klook.com!

This was our itinerary for the day:

Drive to the Foot of Mt. Batur and enjoy the view
Coffee tasting at Satria Luwak Coffee (or any of the ones you come by on your way back, there’s a lot!)
Visit Pura Tirta Empul Temple (dress respectfully!!)
Take the classic tourist pics at the Tegallalang Rice Terraces
Lunch at Tebasari (our driver recommended this). If you’re looking for some restaurant reviews, check out my post here.
Tegenungan Waterfall & Omma Day Club

Definitely a full day but we never felt rushed! We were even still fit enough for another night at the Why Not Bar 🙂

Day 4 – Northern Bali Temples or Ubud Activities

Visit Ulun Danu Beratan Temple in Northern Bali (if you’re into temples, culture and architecture), otherwise
Explore another waterfall, take a cooking class, or join a yoga session

Day 5 – Cretya Day Club in Ubud

Visiting Cretya was definitely one of the highlights of our trip, even if it’s not very cultural or traditional. This is how it works:

Book ahead or on the spot (e.g. daybeds, hammocks, loungers, etc…). If you don’t have a booking, get there early!
The majority of the price you will get back as prepaid credit for food and drinks
Relax and soak up the atmosphere, and make use of your free credit 🙂

Living my influencer dreams at Cretya Day Club 😀

Day 6 – Sanur Beach Town

Relax in Sanur, a laid-back seaside town near the Nusa Penida ferry
Walk the promenade or enjoy beachside restaurants
You could also skip this stop, but we preferred getting to the ferry the day before actually boarding it

Where to Stay: We stayed at Parigata Resorts and Spa, it was a good choice for one night since the location was great.

Days 7-8: Nusa Penida Island Adventures

Time to head to Nusa Penida! Nusa Penida is a little island just off the coast of Bali. It is a lot less developed, and the nature is quite rugged. I’d recommend to take one of the earliest ferries possible to maximize your time on Nusa Penida. We booked our ferry tickets through 12Go.

Day 7 – Arrival and Exploring Nusa Penida

Upon arrival, we had organized a private driver through Klook to show us around the island. Here is what our day looked like:

Breakfast at Coco Penida
Hike down to Diamond Beach (I’d recommend good footwear for this!)
Lunch at Next Level Café
Sunset swim at Crystal Bay Beach
Dinner at Penida Colada

Diamond Beach on Nusa Penida — Stunning Diamond Beach

Where to Stay: We stayed at La Colina, but we found it a little inconvenient because it was located slightly uphill and we didn’t have a scooter.

Day 8 – Kelingking Beach & Snorkeling on Nusa Penida

Time to visit THE most famous beach on Nusa Penida. If you have social media you have definitely come across Kelingking beach at one point or another – maybe you know it under the name T-Rex beach.

We hired another private driver for the day via Klook and did the following itinerary:

Early visit to Kelingking Beach to beach the day trip crowds & hike down if you feel fit enough!
Snorkeling with mantas. We didn’t see any on this trip, but maybe you’re luckier than us!
Return ferry to Bali, then take Uber/Grab to Uluwatu

Kelingking Beach — Can you tell why it’s known as the T-Rex Beach?

Days 9-10: Surf, Temples, and Sundays Beach Club

Day 9 – Uluwatu Surf and Temple Visit

Surf or watch pros at any of the Uluwatu beaches
And / or explore Uluwatu Temple

Where to Stay: We stayed at Dreamland View, but I don’t recommend it!

Day 10 – Sundays Beach Club

Time for another day club! But unlike Cretya, Sundays Beach Club is right by the beach 🙂

These were the highlights of our day:

Funicular ride down to the beach
Enjoy free marshmallows by fire pits,
Take advantage of free snorkel rentals (we saw a baby stingray!)

Marshmallows at Sundays Beach Club — Sunset & marshmallows

Either spend another night in Uluwatu or head back to Sanur, since you will be taking another ferry tomorrow morning!

Days 11-13: Gili Islands – Beaches, Snorkeling, and Bikes

Time to go to the Gili Islands!!! The Gili islands are a group of 3 tiny islands close to Bali / Lombok. What’s interesting about the Gilis is that they are car-free islands. You can only get around on foot or bikes, which is a welcome change after the busy streets of the rest of Bali.

In my experience the ferries to the Gili islands are a little hit or miss and highly affected by the waves / sea. Hence, I wouldn’t make any plans for the day of arrival.

On our itinerary we went to Gili T, therefore the recommendations for the following days will be based on our experience on Gili T. You might want to do some research yourself and decide which island is right for you 🙂

Here’s some ideas what you can do during your stay in the Gili Islands:

Explore beaches and spot turtles (I have never seen so many in one place, it’s incredible!!!)
Snorkeling trip to other Gili islands (usually half a day, you can book it on the spot)
Go diving or get certified (you might need an extra day on the island to do the Open Water Course)
Rent bikes and circle the island
Go to an openair movie screening

Turtles in Gili T — Snorkeling with turtles!!

Where to Stay: Villa Almarik Resort. We really enjoyed our stay here.

Day 14: Back to Bali

Avoid taking the ferry on the day of your flight, get back to the island of Bali the day before!!

Days 15-20: Optional Extra Week in Bali

If you want to extend your Bali trip for another week, here is what I would do:

1. Seminyak, Legian, or Canggu

Explore beaches, restaurants, shopping, yoga, and massages
Where to Stay: We stayed at Rama Residence Padma, which has a rooftop pool, nearby beach and a great breakfast 🙂

2. Nusa Dua Relaxation

Stay at an all-inclusive resort, there’s so many to choose from!

3. Surf or Yoga Retreat in Bali

One-week surf or yoga experience – I’d love to do this next time 🙂