Self-Guided Walking Tour in Ubud

A self-guided route through Ubud that runs 8.4 km from the Sacred Monkey Forest in the south, north through the art market, temples, royal palace and painting museums, and out to the Campuhan Ridge. This page carries the map, walking time for every leg, real admission prices and hours, and two shorter versions.

7 Stops8.4 km~3 hours walking3–3.5 hours with stops
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Ubud Walking Tour at a Glance

This route is built for travellers who want to see the real Ubud on foot instead of hopping between scooter drop-offs, which is how most visitors move around Bali. It links the seven sights that define the town, and every interior along the way is optional: you can browse the museums and monkey sanctuary or simply walk past them and still get a complete self-guided loop through Ubud's core.

StartUbud Monkey Forest (Mandala Wisata Wenara Wana)
FinishCampuhan Ridge Walk
Route typeA roughly linear point-to-point route heading north and then north-west, from the Monkey Forest up through the central crossroads to the western river valley, with almost no backtracking.
Realistic timeAround 3 to 3.5 hours with stops, or about 2 hours of walking alone if you skip the museum and monkey-forest interiors and just pass each sight.
DifficultyEasy to moderate: 8.4 km on mostly paved paths and narrow roadside, with a couple of gentle climbs toward the Blanco Museum and the ridge, and no shade on the exposed Campuhan path.
Cost to followThe outdoor route itself is free to follow. Paid interiors are the Sacred Monkey Forest at 80,000 IDR, the Puri Lukisan Museum at 85,000 IDR and the Blanco Renaissance Museum at 100,000 IDR.
Best for:

Independent walkers who want temples, Balinese and foreign art, and the classic rice-paddy ridge in one continuous route, without hiring a driver.

The Route

Free Walking Tour Map of Ubud

7 stops8.4 kmabout 3 hours
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The 7 stops along this route

  1. Ubud Monkey Forest (Mandala Wisata Wenara Wana) in Ubud, stop 1 on the self-guided walking tour
    1Ubud Monkey Forest (Mandala Wisata Wenara Wana)
  2. Ubud Art Market in Ubud, stop 2 on the self-guided walking tour
    2Ubud Art Market
  3. Saraswati Temple in Ubud, stop 3 on the self-guided walking tour
    3Saraswati Temple
  4. Ubud Palace (Istana Ubud) in Ubud, stop 4 on the self-guided walking tour
    4Ubud Palace (Istana Ubud)
  5. Puri Lukisan Museum (Museum Puri Lukisan) in Ubud, stop 5 on the self-guided walking tour
    5Puri Lukisan Museum (Museum Puri Lukisan)
  6. Blanco Renaissance Museum (Museum Blanco Renaissance) in Ubud, stop 6 on the self-guided walking tour
    6Blanco Renaissance Museum (Museum Blanco Renaissance)
  7. Campuhan Ridge Walk in Ubud, stop 7 on the self-guided walking tour
    7Campuhan Ridge Walk
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Your Ubud Walking Tour, Stop by Stop

  1. 1

    Ubud Monkey Forest (Mandala Wisata Wenara Wana)

    Ubud Monkey Forest (Mandala Wisata Wenara Wana) in Ubud, stop 1 on the self-guided walking tour

    This 27-acre sanctuary at the southern end of Ubud is home to over 1,260 Balinese long-tailed macaques living among moss-covered temple ruins and giant banyan trees with roots thicker than your torso. Three sacred Hindu temples sit within the forest, the oldest dating to the 14th century, though visitors cannot enter the temple interiors. The monkeys are bold and will snatch sunglasses, water bottles, and anything dangling from a pocket, so stow everything before entering. Admission is IDR 80,000. The sanctuary opens daily from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, but arriving right at opening gives you the coolest temperatures and the calmest monkeys. The stone-carved dragon bridge over the ravine and the moss-covered statues along the main path are the most photogenic spots. Budget 45 minutes to walk the full loop trail without rushing.

    Hours
    Daily: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
    Price
    80,000 IDR
  2. 2

    Ubud Art Market

    Ubud Art Market in Ubud, stop 2 on the self-guided walking tour

    Directly across from Ubud Palace at the town's main crossroads, this two-story market has operated since the early 1900s when local women sold farm produce and handmade temple offerings. Today the stalls are packed with Balinese paintings, wood carvings, batik textiles, woven baskets, and silver jewelry. Prices are not fixed and vendors expect you to negotiate: start at roughly 40% of the asking price and settle somewhere around 60%. The ground floor focuses on textiles and souvenirs while the upper level has better-quality paintings and carved wooden masks. Come before 10:00 AM to see local women selling fresh offerings and produce at the back of the market, a scene that disappears once the tourist stalls dominate. The market opens daily from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM for the main tourist section. Even if you do not buy anything, the density of handcraft traditions packed into one building is worth the visit.

    Hours
    Daily: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
    Price
    Free (entry)
  3. 3

    Saraswati Temple

    Saraswati Temple in Ubud, stop 3 on the self-guided walking tour

    This water temple dedicated to the Hindu goddess of knowledge and the arts sits just steps from the main road but feels entirely separate from the bustle outside. The courtyard is filled with lotus ponds that bloom pink and white in the morning, framing an intricately carved coral stone facade designed by the legendary Balinese artist I Gusti Nyoman Lempad in the 1950s. The carvings depict scenes from Hindu mythology with a level of detail that rewards close inspection: look for Saraswati herself holding her veena instrument above the main entrance. The temple is an active place of worship, so wear a sarong covering your knees (available to borrow at the entrance). Evening dance performances are held in the front courtyard several nights a week, with gamelan music echoing off the stone walls. Visit in the morning when the lotus flowers are fully open and the light hits the carved facade at its best angle.

  4. 4

    Ubud Palace (Istana Ubud)

    Ubud Palace (Istana Ubud) in Ubud, stop 4 on the self-guided walking tour

    Puri Saren Agung, the formal name of the royal palace, sits at the main crossroads of Ubud and has been the seat of the royal family since the 1800s. The palace compound is only partially open to visitors, but the sections you can enter feature ornate stone carvings, split gates typical of Balinese temple architecture, and a courtyard shaded by frangipani trees. The royal family still lives on the grounds and actively supports Ubud's arts scene. Every evening at 7:30 PM, the open-air courtyard hosts traditional Balinese dance performances, including Legong, Barong, and Kecak, with tickets sold at the gate. The palace opens daily from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Stand at the main intersection outside and look in all four directions to understand how Ubud's layout radiates from this single point, with Monkey Forest Road heading south and Jalan Raya Ubud running east-west.

    Hours
    Daily: 7:00 AM – 5:00 PM
    Price
    Free
  5. 5

    Puri Lukisan Museum (Museum Puri Lukisan)

    Puri Lukisan Museum (Museum Puri Lukisan) in Ubud, stop 5 on the self-guided walking tour

    Founded in 1956 as Bali's first art museum, Puri Lukisan traces the evolution of Balinese painting from traditional wayang-style narratives to the modern expressionism that emerged when European artists like Walter Spies and Rudolf Bonnet settled in Ubud in the 1930s. Four pavilions are set among sculpted gardens with ponds, stone carvings, and frangipani shade. The collection moves chronologically: start in the first pavilion for dense, mythological scenes painted in ink on bark cloth, then follow the path to see how Balinese artists absorbed Western techniques of perspective and light while keeping their own visual language. The museum opens daily from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. It is smaller than the Neka or ARMA museums on the outskirts of town but far more focused, and the garden setting makes it a welcome break from the heat and traffic of Jalan Raya Ubud.

    Hours
    Daily: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
    Price
    85,000 IDR
  6. 6

    Blanco Renaissance Museum (Museum Blanco Renaissance)

    Blanco Renaissance Museum (Museum Blanco Renaissance) in Ubud, stop 6 on the self-guided walking tour

    Perched on a hillside overlooking the Campuhan river valley, this flamboyant estate was the home and studio of Antonio Blanco, a Spanish-Filipino artist who settled in Ubud in 1952 and married a Balinese dancer. The museum showcases his paintings, lithographs, and illustrated poetry in rooms that feel more like a theatrical set than a gallery: gilded frames, dramatic lighting, and exotic birds wandering the grounds. Blanco's style was provocative for its time, mixing European figurative technique with Balinese sensuality, and the results are either captivating or excessive depending on your taste. The hillside gardens offer panoramic views down into the river gorge, and the entrance path passes through a traditional Balinese gate flanked by dragon carvings. The museum opens daily from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The walk here from Puri Lukisan takes you along Jalan Raya Campuhan, where you will already feel the shift from town center to river valley.

    Hours
    Daily: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
    Price
    100,000 IDR
  7. 7

    Campuhan Ridge Walk

    Campuhan Ridge Walk in Ubud, stop 7 on the self-guided walking tour

    This 2-kilometer paved path follows a narrow ridge between two river valleys, with views of palm trees and terraced rice paddies falling away on both sides. The walk begins at the confluence of the Wos and Cerik rivers near the Gunung Lebah temple and climbs gently along the spine of the ridge before ending at a cluster of rice fields and a small warung (local eatery) where you can sit down with a cold coconut. The path is fully paved and easy to walk, though it offers almost no shade. Start as early as possible: by 7:00 AM the mist still rises from the valleys and the light turns the tall grass along the ridge golden. By 10:00 AM the heat makes it far less pleasant. This is Ubud's signature landscape experience, the view that appears on every postcard and Instagram feed, and it genuinely delivers. The ridge walk is open around the clock and costs nothing.

    Hours
    Open 24/7
    Price
    Free

How Long Does This Walking Tour Really Take?

Pure walking across the 8.4 km is roughly 2 hours. Add the outdoor stops and short temple pauses and you are near 2.5 hours; include the monkey forest loop and the painting museums and the full day sits comfortably at 3 to 3.5 hours.

Allow 3 to 3.5 hours including time inside the monkey forest, market browsing, and museum visits. The walking distance is 8.4 km with some gentle hills, particularly the climb to the Blanco Museum and the Campuhan Ridge. If you skip the museum interiors, you can finish in about 2 hours, but you would miss the best parts.

Full Route, Shorter Walk or Two-Day Version?

The full route runs south to north, but the seven stops split cleanly into a central cultural cluster and two longer legs at the ends, so it is easy to shorten or spread across two mornings depending on the heat and your pace.

The Complete Route

All seven stops, Monkey Forest to the ridge

Stops 1 to 7, 8.4 km, about 3 to 3.5 hours with stops

The whole walk in order: the Sacred Monkey Forest, north to the Ubud Art Market, Saraswati Temple, Ubud Palace, the Puri Lukisan and Blanco museums, and finally the Campuhan Ridge Walk. This covers Ubud's temples, art and landscape in one linear push.

The Central Core

Skip the long ends, keep the culture

Stops 2 to 5, about 1.7 km, 1.5 to 2 hours

Drop the 1.8 km leg up from the Monkey Forest and the exposed ridge, and walk only the tight central cluster: the Art Market, Saraswati Temple, Ubud Palace and the Puri Lukisan Museum. The legs here are all a few minutes each, so it is nearly all sights and very little walking.

The Two-Morning Split

Culture one day, river valley the next

Day 1 stops 1 to 5, Day 2 stops 6 to 7, each half around 2 hours

Split at the Puri Lukisan Museum. Do the Monkey Forest, market, temples, palace and painting museum on the first morning, then save the Blanco Museum and the Campuhan Ridge for an early start the next day, when the ridge mist is up and the sun is not yet brutal.

You can walk it in reverse, starting on the Campuhan Ridge and finishing at the Monkey Forest. Many people prefer that because the exposed ridge is best in the cool early light before the crowds and heat arrive, so if you start after 8 AM, consider flipping the order.

Is This Ubud Walking Tour Right for You?

The route is short in distance but the Ubud climate does the work: heat, humidity and narrow roadsides matter more here than the 8.4 km ever will. Here is who it suits and how to adjust it.

A good fit if you…

  • Independent travellers who would rather walk Ubud than book a driver for every stop
  • Anyone who wants temples, Balinese painting and the rice-paddy ridge in a single route
  • Early risers happy to start at opening for cool air and calmer monkeys
  • Art lovers who want three distinct museum traditions within a short walk

Adapt the route if you…

  • You feel the heat: use the museums as breaks and save the shadeless ridge for early morning or late afternoon
  • You have young kids or dislike crowds of monkeys: skip stop 1 and start at the Art Market
  • You only have half a day: walk the central core, stops 2 to 5, where the legs are just minutes apart
  • You want the ridge at its best: reverse the route and put the Campuhan Walk first

Tickets & Skip-the-Line in Ubud

Only three stops on this route charge admission, and none of them need a timed ticket. You can pay in cash at the gate, but here is what each costs and when it is open so nothing on the walk catches you out.

Ubud Monkey Forest (Mandala Wisata Wenara Wana)Entry is 80,000 IDR, paid at the gate. Open daily 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Arrive right at opening for the coolest air and the calmest monkeys, and you can buy tickets online in advance on the official site. official ticket site ↗
Puri Lukisan Museum (Museum Puri Lukisan)Admission is 85,000 IDR. Open daily 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. No timed slot needed; details and any current offers are on the official museum site. official ticket site ↗
Blanco Renaissance Museum (Museum Blanco Renaissance)Admission is 100,000 IDR, paid at the entrance. Open daily 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Just walk up and pay at the gate.
Everything elseThe Ubud Art Market, Saraswati Temple, Ubud Palace and the Campuhan Ridge Walk are all free open spaces with no admission charge. The ridge is open around the clock; the temple and palace keep daytime hours.
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Tips for Walking in Ubud

  • Start the Campuhan Ridge Walk before 7:30 AM for mist and golden light. By mid-morning the sun is punishing and the path has no shade. Consider reversing the route and doing the ridge first, then walking back into town.
  • Carry a sarong in your bag. You will need it at Saraswati Temple and Ubud Palace, and you can borrow one at the Monkey Forest entrance, but having your own saves time and awkward sizing.
  • At the Ubud Art Market, the stalls at the back and upstairs have better quality and lower starting prices than the ones at the front entrance. Negotiate firmly but politely: 50-60% of the first asking price is standard.
  • Hydrate aggressively. Ubud sits at 200 meters elevation so it is slightly cooler than the coast, but the humidity is intense. Every warung along Jalan Raya Ubud sells fresh coconut water for about IDR 15,000.
  • Book an evening Kecak dance performance at Ubud Palace before starting the walk. Tickets sell out by late afternoon during high season (July, August, December). The 7:30 PM show in the palace courtyard under the stars is one of the best cultural experiences on the island.

Why Walk This Route?

This 8.4 km walk through Ubud connects 7 stops over roughly 3 hours, tracing a loop from the southern monkey forest through the cultural heart of town and out to the rice-paddy ridge on the western edge. You will pass through temple courtyards thick with incense smoke, haggle over woodcarvings at a century-old market, and end on a narrow path between two river valleys where the morning mist clings to palm canopies. The route covers Ubud's full range: sacred sites, royal heritage, art museums from three different traditions, and the landscape that drew artists and spiritual seekers here in the first place.

Common Questions

Is this walk doable in the Ubud heat?

Yes, with planning. Start early (before 8:00 AM), carry water, and use the museum stops as air-conditioned breaks. The hardest stretch is the exposed Campuhan Ridge, which has no shade for the full 2 km. Wear a hat, use sunscreen, and save the ridge for early morning or late afternoon.

Do I need a scooter or driver for this route?

No. The entire route stays within central Ubud and the western Campuhan area. Sidewalks are narrow and sometimes nonexistent along Jalan Raya Ubud, so you will share the road with scooters, but the distances between stops are short enough that walking is practical. The longest gap is the 15-minute walk from the Monkey Forest to the Art Market.

What should I wear?

Lightweight clothing that covers your knees and shoulders. Temples require modest dress, and a sarong over shorts works fine. Wear closed-toe shoes or sturdy sandals with grip for the Monkey Forest trails, which can be slippery. Flip-flops are not recommended for the ridge walk's paved but uneven path.

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