UBUD - BALI Cultural Hearth - Wonderful Indonesian

Ubud is in many ways Bali's cultural heart. It's in the cool mountains, just an hour's drive north of the airport. This traditional country town is home to one of Bali's royal families. You can even visit the majestic palace in the centre of town. Ubud is also well known as a flourishing crafts centre. Around Ubud, there are the surrounding villages of Campuhan, Penestanan, Peliatan and Batuan. These communities specialise in crafts and woodcarving which are sold all over the island. There are hundreds of shops selling antiques, woodcarvings, crafts, textiles, paintings and jewellery in Ubud.

You'll also find some of the best art museums in the country here. Along Ubud's main street are dozens of art studios, an excellent local craft market and galleries.

There’s much you can see and do on your first visit to Ubud. This is often considered Bali’s artistic and cultural heartland, popular for it lush upland nature scenes. Valleys covered in green rice terraces serve as a backdrop to many art galleries and old temples and palaces.

Most of the popular spots are within easy walking distance of the town hub, which allows for a quick and memorable day trip. In Ubud town centre there’s the Puri Saren Royal Palace. By day, you can visit and admire its Balinese architecture from up close. In the evenings, you can watch traditional Balinese dances on its open stage. Just across the road from the palace is the souvenir shopping haven that is the Ubud Art Market. A walk down the boutique-lined Jalan Hanoman leads you to the famous Ubud Monkey Forest.

With so many things to see and do, this Ubud survival guide can help you make a manageable plan by narrowing the selection down to just the must-sees.