Bali isn't one city but a whole island, and the places on my saved list are spread across it, from the coast up to the Batur volcano. This part is about nature and views: a temple on a rock, a club with a pool over a cliff, quiet Sanur, rice terraces and the waterfalls around Ubud, a volcano with its lake and a coffee shop looking at both. Uluwatu temple and the Jatiluwih terraces are added on the advice of travel guides, mainly 34travel. I haven't added my own notes yet, so the descriptions are put together from Google Maps reviews.
Prices are Google's average spend per person; entrance fees are as reported by visitors. Valid as of 1 October 2026. Rate: 100,000 IDR ≈ $5.60.
In short
- A temple on a rock: Tanah Lot, about 75,000 IDR (≈$4) to get in. Come early; sunset brings the crowds.
- Sunset by the pool: oneeighty in Uluwatu, with a glass-bottomed pool over the cliff edge; for a calm sea, Sanur.
- A temple on a cliff: Uluwatu at sunset, followed by the Kecak dance; guard your sunglasses and phone from the monkeys.
- Rice terraces: Tegallalang by 8:30, before the crowds arrive, or vast Jatiluwih, with no swings and hardly any people.
- Waterfalls without the crowds: Tangkup and Manuaba near Tegallalang; at Goa Rang Reng, take a guide and walk up the river.
- Sunrise: hike Mount Batur, then have coffee at Pahdi looking at the volcano and the lake.
The coast: Tanah Lot, Uluwatu and Sanur
Tanah Lot
Tabanan, Beraban · temple on a rock · entry about 75,000 IDR (≈$4) · daily 6:00–19:00
Google Maps · website · Beraban, Kediri
According to Google Maps reviews (4.7 from 103,000+): a Balinese temple on a small rock in the ocean and one of the island's main sights. Sunset brings huge crowds; for quiet and photos without people, reviewers suggest arriving by 7:30 am. Only worshippers may enter the temple itself, but at low tide you can cross to the rock, receive holy water and walk along the shore. Watch the tide. It's a 5–10 minute walk from the gate through a souvenir market, and Gojek drivers can't go past the entrance.
oneeighty Dayclub
Uluwatu, Pecatu · clifftop day club · from 250,000 IDR (≈$14) · daily 10:00–21:00
Google Maps · website · Jl. Goa Lempeh, Pecatu
According to Google Maps reviews (4.6 from 1,800+): a day club on a cliff above the ocean. The star is a glass-bottomed pool that sticks out over the edge, and there are lagoon pools with cascades too. Entry and cabanas come with food credit; reviewers recommend the tuna ceviche, squid ink pasta and tiramisu. Seating is first come, first served, so arrive before 11:00, and expect someone to be doing a photo shoot at the pool edge most of the time. Skip the shisha.
Uluwatu Temple
Uluwatu, Pecatu · clifftop temple · daily 7:00–19:00
Google Maps · Pecatu, South Kuta
According to Google Maps reviews (4.6 from 53,200+): a temple on the edge of a high cliff over the ocean, with big waves breaking below and grounds larger than people expect. The thing to come for is sunset followed by the Kecak dance on an open-air stage, a chanting chorus and dancers that win over even children. You need a sarong to enter. The downside almost everyone mentions is the monkeys: they snatch phones, sunglasses, hats and food, and the locals who get your things back ask about 50,000 IDR (≈$3). Some are put off by the litter and an albino macaque kept in a cage. 34travel recommends it too (guide).
Sanur
Sanur · beach & resort town · open 24 hours
Google Maps · Sanur, Denpasar
According to Google Maps reviews (4.5 from 6,400+): the quiet side of Bali. Calm, shallow water that's easy to swim in, sunrises people watch with a coffee, and a long beach path lined with cafés, shops and bike rentals. It's less hectic than other beaches on the island, food prices are fair and families love it. Boats to Nusa Penida leave from here too.
Ubud and Tegallalang
Tegallalang Rice Terrace
Tegallalang, Gianyar · rice terraces · entry about 50,000 IDR (≈$3) · daily 8:00–18:00
Google Maps · Jl. Raya Tegallalang
According to Google Maps reviews (4.4 from 55,000+): Bali's most famous rice terraces, with palm trees, green slopes and paths up and down steps. Arrive by 8:30 before the crowds, and wear proper shoes, as parts are muddy and the loop isn't the easiest. Swings, a zip line and other extras cost more (a family swing is reportedly 450,000 IDR). The downsides: it's very touristy, and some preferred the terraces around Ubud. Many people just sit in a café with the view.
Manuaba Waterfall
Tegallalang, Kenderan · waterfall · entry about 30,000 IDR (≈$1.70) · daily 9:00–18:00
Google Maps · Kenderan, Tegallalang
According to Google Maps reviews (4.7 from 1,700+): two waterfalls with hardly any tourists. Steep steps lead to the first; to reach the second you wade through a gorge in knee- to thigh-deep water with a slight current. At the top there's a bamboo café with a view and very clean toilets. Swimming isn't recommended, as the water is murky, and the steps can be slippery.
Tangkup waterfall
Tegallalang, Pupuan · waterfall · entry about 25,000 IDR (≈$1.40) · daily 7:00–18:00
Google Maps · Pupuan, Tegallalang
According to Google Maps reviews (4.8 from 31): a small family-run waterfall that few people make it to, so visitors often have it to themselves. The path was built in 2025: about 15 minutes under bamboo, and you can swim at the end. The owner at the entrance is very welcoming and hands out passion fruit. The way down can be dangerous in the wet.
Goa Rang Reng Waterfall
Gianyar, Bakbakan · waterfall & river trek · daily 8:00–18:00, Wed–Thu 9:00–17:00
Google Maps · Jl. Goa Rang Reng, Bakbakan
According to Google Maps reviews (4.7 from 1,700+): a big waterfall down a lot of steps, but the real draw is a walk with a local guide along the river and through a canyon to several hidden falls, a cave waterfall and a warm spring. You can't go there without a guide. Along the way there are swings, jumps into the water and photos taken by the guide, who carries your things in a dry bag. Bring water shoes. Village guides work for a donation or by booking ahead, and the popular ones take only a couple of groups a day.
Jatiluwih
Jatiluwih Rice Terraces
Tabanan, Penebel · rice terraces · entry about 70,000 IDR (≈$4), cash · daily 6:00–19:00
Google Maps · website · Jl. Jatiluwih Kawan
According to Google Maps reviews (4.8 from 15,700+): vast working rice terraces ringed by mountains, where farmers still tend the fields and there are no swings, ziplines or photo props. Colour-coded trails of different lengths run through the fields, with cafés along the way, and one ticket covers the whole area. Arrive by 7:30 and you'll have it almost to yourself, with mist still over the terraces. Pay cash, as cards cost 10% more; some paths are slippery, and you only see the mountains on a clear day. 34travel recommends it too (guide).
Kintamani and Batur
Mount Batur
Kintamani · volcano & hiking · open 24 hours
Google Maps · South Batur, Kintamani
According to Google Maps reviews (4.5 from 4,700+): an active volcano people climb for sunrise. From the top you see steam rising from the crater and the lake below. The sunrise hike can be crowded and noisy; some go in the daytime and without a guide (about an hour and a half up a wide trail), although guides at the popular trailheads insist on payment. You can also go up by jeep. It's cold at the top, so bring a warm jacket; renting one costs about 50,000 IDR.
Danau Batur
Kintamani, Songan · crater lake · open 24 hours
Google Maps · Songan B, Kintamani
According to Google Maps reviews (4.6 from 950+): a large lake in the Batur caldera, surrounded by viewpoints, trekking and hot springs, with far fewer tourists than the south. It looks best from above, from the viewpoints. The downsides: getting to the water is hard, as most of the shore is private, and reviewers warn about flies in December and January.
Pahdi Specialty Coffee
Kintamani, Penelokan · coffee with a view · 75,000–225,000 IDR (≈$4–13) · daily 5:30–22:00, Mon until 19:00
Google Maps · website · Jl. Raya Penelokan
According to Google Maps reviews (4.6 from 4,000+): a huge glass café on the caldera rim, looking straight at Mount Batur, the neighbouring mountain and the lake. It opens at 5:30, so people drive up for sunrise even from Ubud. Creative coffee drinks, good matcha, croissants and cakes; the main dishes are just fine and prices are high. A tip from reviewers: go down to the lowest level, where it's much quieter. Visitors also mention an entry fee of about 50,000 IDR for foreigners into the Kintamani area.
One last thing
Bali's big sights (Tanah Lot, Tegallalang, Mount Batur) are best early in the morning: fewer crowds, better light, and in Kintamani it's cool too. One day up north works well: sunrise on Batur, breakfast at Pahdi, then Tegallalang and a waterfall or two nearby. The easiest way to do it is with a driver for the day.
More on Bali: Canggu and Seminyak, Ubud: what to see, where to eat and drink.