Bali Trip Planning Checklist: What to Do and When

A good Bali trip starts long before you board the plane. It’s the choices you make months in advance that decide whether the trip is relaxed or stressful: when you travel, how long you stay, which areas you choose and what should be booked early. Here’s the checklist we use ourselves when planning trips for our guests, in the order things should be done.

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The checklist at a glance

When	What to do
6–12 months before	Choose your timing, trip length and budget
3–6 months before	Book flights, choose areas and a route, book a hotel or villa
1–3 months before	Book the key activities and transport, sort out insurance and vaccinations
2–4 weeks before	e-VOA, tourist levy, eSIM and cards
The final week	Customs declaration, apps and itinerary on your phone

6–12 months before: timing, length and budget

☐ Choose when to travel. The dry season from April to October brings the most stable weather. April–June and September offer the best balance of weather, price and crowds. July and August are high season, when flights and hotels need booking earliest. November–March is the rainy season, with lower prices. See the best time to travel to Bali, month by month.

☐ Decide how long to stay. Ten to fourteen days is ideal for a first trip. That gives you time for two or three areas and perhaps one neighbouring island. With fewer than eight days, stick to two places. Read more in how many days you need in Bali.

☐ Set a budget. Ten to fourteen days for two typically costs:

Level	For two, including flights from Europe
Budget	$2,000–3,500
Mid-range	$4,000–7,000
Luxury	$8,000–12,000+

Flights are the biggest single expense. Food, transport and activities are affordable, and mid-range in Bali often feels like luxury at home. The full price overview is in how much it costs to travel to Bali, or price your own trip in our holiday cost calculator.

💡 Vegard’s tips

Decide on timing and budget before you look at hotels. It’s easy to fall in love with a $400-a-night villa and then have to fit the rest of the trip around it. Do it the other way round: set the frame first, and choose within it.

3–6 months before: flights, areas and accommodation

☐ Book flights. There are no direct flights from Europe to Bali, so you’ll change once, typically in Doha, Dubai, Singapore, Bangkok or Amsterdam. A return ticket normally costs $800–1,600 per person, and prices often rise in the last six to eight weeks before departure.

☐ Choose areas and a route. Bali isn’t one place but many, and they suit very different travellers:

• Uluwatu: cliffs, white beaches and some of Bali’s most beautiful sunsets. Perfect for couples and honeymoons.
• Ubud: jungle, rice terraces, temples and a calmer pace. This is where the culture is.
• Canggu and Seminyak: surfing, beach clubs, restaurants and an international scene.
• Nusa Penida and Lembongan: crystal-clear water, snorkelling and dramatic nature – ideally at the end of the trip.

Not sure where to stay? See where to stay in Bali, or take our trip quiz. Once you know where you want to go, build the route in our itinerary planner and see the nights in each place and the drive times.

☐ Book a hotel or villa. The best-value villas go first, especially in July, August and around Christmas. Book your accommodation soon after your flights, and choose places with free cancellation if you’re unsure of your route.

💡 Vegard’s tips

Move less often than you think. Every hotel change easily costs half a day of packing, checking out and driving. Two or three places in ten days is enough. It’s better to stay a little longer where you’re happy than to try to see everything.

Our popular round trip combines Uluwatu, Ubud and island hopping – put together by us, after four years living in Bali.
See Bali & Island Hopping →

1–3 months before: activities, transport and insurance

☐ Book the key activities. Some experiences fill up fast, especially in high season:

• Mt. Batur sunrise: pick-up around 1:30 am, and you need a guide.
• Nusa Penida day trip: a long day with an early start, from $99.
• Snorkelling with manta rays: depends on weather and tides, so schedule it early in the trip.
• ATV in the jungle and surf lessons: popular and easy to combine with a beach base.

You’ll find all our day trips under day trips in Bali.

☐ Decide how you’ll get around. Bali has almost no public transport. A car with a driver costs $99 per car for up to eight hours and is the easiest option for excursions. A scooter from $15 a day suits those with a motorcycle licence. Read more in transport in Bali.

☐ Sort out travel insurance. Check that it covers scooters, surfing, diving and volcano treks if you plan to do any of them.

☐ Book an appointment for vaccinations. Talk to your doctor or a travel clinic six to eight weeks before departure.

💡 Vegard’s tips

Plan one or two activities a day at most, and don’t fill every day. The best memories of Bali often come from the quiet moments: a sunset from the villa, breakfast by the rice fields or a spontaneous trip to a local market.

2–4 weeks before: documents, data and money

☐ e-VOA (visa on arrival) is applied for online. It costs IDR 500,000, about $32, and is valid for 30 days. Read visa for Bali.

☐ The tourist levy of IDR 150,000, about $10 per person, is paid online.

☐ An eSIM can be bought and installed at home, so you have data when you land.

☐ Cards and cash: bring at least two cards, and withdraw rupiah from an ATM in Bali.

Everything that happens from the moment you leave home until you reach your hotel is covered in the guide what to expect travelling to Bali.

Example: a 12-day Bali trip

This route is the most popular with our guests and gives a good balance between experiences and relaxation:

Days	Area	What you do
1–4	Uluwatu	Beaches, temple and sunset
5–7	Ubud	Rice fields, culture and jungle
8–11	Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Penida	Island life and snorkelling
12	Journey home	Last night near the airport if you have an early flight

That way you get beaches, nature and experiences without spending much time on transport. See a ready-made trip with this route.

A Bali trip is at its best when it’s tailored to you. We help you with the route, hotels, activities and transport, and you have the same contact person all the way.
Tailor your Bali trip → See all package trips →