Itinerary · 2 weeks
Bali in 2 weeks: four bases and Nusa Penida
Two weeks let you see Ubud, the east, an island and the south coast, with a day without a program at each stage. The route turns in one direction and ends near the airport.
- Updated on
- 5 bases
- balanced pace
- 8 min read
- By Kylian Dev
Contents
Key points
- Four bases on the island, Ubud, Sidemen, Amed and Uluwatu, plus two nights on Nusa Penida.
- A day without a program at each stage: it is what absorbs rain, fatigue and the unexpected.
- Nusa Penida is done by sleeping there: fast boat from Sanur, a crossing of about 30 to 45 min.
- The return from the island is placed well before the flight: in rough seas, boats are cancelled.
With two weeks, Bali stops being a race. You keep the stages of the short formats, add the whole east and an island, and treat yourself to what rushed trips always lack: days when nothing planned happens.
Driving times and boats are detailed in the getting around Bali guide. To place the trip in the year, see best time to visit Bali.
Different length, different interests, children? Adapt this route with the planner.
Bali 2-week itinerary: the route day by day
In two weeks, sleep four nights in Ubud, two in Sidemen, three in Amed, two on Nusa Penida and two in Uluwatu. The route starts in the center, goes down the east coast, crosses to the island from Sanur and ends on the Bukit, near the airport. Each stage keeps a day without a program.
| Day | Stop | Where to stay | Road | To do | To skip |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 01 | Arrival, Ubud | Ubud | Airport → Ubud: about 1 h 15 to 1 h 45. | Check in and dinner in a warung. | Any sightseeing on arrival day. |
| Day 02 | Ubud on foot | Ubud | No car. | Campuhan ridge at sunrise, rice fields around the center, Ubud palace and a Balinese dance in the evening. | Feeding the macaques in the Monkey Forest: rabies is present. |
| Day 03 | Mount Batur or temples | Ubud | A day with a driver; for Batur, departure around 3 am. | Batur at sunrise (about 2 h of climbing), or Tegalalang early, Tirta Empul and Gunung Kawi. | Both on the same day. |
| Day 04 | Free day in Ubud | Ubud | No car. | Cooking class, craft workshop, massage, or simply nothing. | One more excursion “since we are here”. |
| Day 05 | To Sidemen | Sidemen | Ubud → Sidemen: shorter than airport–Sidemen (about 1 h 45). | A stop at Klungkung (Kerta Gosa), then the rice fields in the late afternoon. | Besakih in the middle of the day. |
| Day 06 | Sidemen valley | Sidemen | No car: the valley is explored on foot. | A walk between the rice fields and villages with a local guide, weaving workshops. | Going off to look for other sites: the valley is the point. |
| Day 07 | To Amed | Amed | Sidemen → Amed: shorter than airport–Amed (about 2 h 30 to 3 h), along the east coast. | Tirta Gangga on the way, then a first snorkel in front of the hotel in the late afternoon. | The queue for the photo at Lempuyang’s “gates of heaven”. |
| Day 08 | Amed reefs | Amed | Short rides along the coast. | Snorkeling or diving at Jemeluk, then the Tulamben wreck north of Amed. | Boat trips sold on the beach without checking the equipment. |
| Day 09 | Free day in Amed | Amed | No car. | Swimming, sunrise over Agung in clear weather, rest before the long drive. | A late dive the day before a long drive. |
| Day 10 | To Nusa Penida | Nusa Penida | Amed → Sanur: a little less than airport–Amed (about 2 h 30 to 3 h), then a 30 to 45 min fast boat. | Leave early, boat in the late morning or early afternoon, sunset on the west coast. | Kelingking the same day, after the road and the boat. |
| Day 11 | Nusa Penida | Nusa Penida | A day with a local driver: the island’s roads are difficult. | Kelingking early, Broken Beach and Angel’s Billabong; or the east coast and Diamond Beach. Snorkeling at Crystal Bay. | Both coasts on the same day, and the descent at Kelingking without good shoes. |
| Day 12 | Back to the Bukit | Uluwatu | A 30 to 45 min boat to Sanur, then Sanur → airport about 30 to 40 min and 45 to 60 min to Uluwatu. | Morning boat, check in, Uluwatu temple and kecak at sunset. | The last boat of the day: in rough seas, departures are cancelled. |
| Day 13 | Bukit beaches | Uluwatu | Short rides on the Bukit, or no car. | Bingin, Padang Padang or Melasti, a surf lesson if the swell allows. The south’s day “off”. | The trendy beach club if your budget is tight. |
| Day 14 | Departure | Flight home | Uluwatu → airport: about 45 to 60 min, more at rush hour. | A last swim if the flight is late. | A detour via Canggu or Seminyak on the day of the flight. |
Sanur–Nusa Penida crossing by fast boat
30 to 45 min
Source: sailtix.com
Departures a day, between 7:30 am and 5 pm
Some twenty
Source: nusapenidafastboatticket.com
Order of magnitude for one way, depending on the operator
≈ €7.50
IDR 150,000
Source: sailtix.com
Why this loop
The route turns in one direction: center, east, island, south. Each change of base brings you closer to the next without backtracking, and the last stage is about 45 to 60 min from the airport. Nusa Penida comes just before the Bukit, because Sanur, the harbor, is on the way.
Ubud opens the stay because its four nights let you recover from the flight without wasting time: everything is on foot or a short distance away. The east comes next, once you have found your rhythm. The island and the sea close the trip.
The 2 choices that change everything
First choice: keep Sidemen and Amed, or keep only Amed and gain a free day. Second choice: sleep two nights on Nusa Penida or skip it to extend Uluwatu. These two choices decide the pace: more rural landscapes on one side, more rest on the other.
Sidemen and Amed, or Amed alone
Sidemen and Amed are two faces of the east: the valley of rice fields and the coast of reefs. If diving is your priority, go straight from Ubud to Amed and give it one more night.
Nusa Penida, yes or no
Nusa Penida has the most spectacular cliffs in the region, but its roads are damaged and its sites very busy. If transport days weigh on you, two more nights in Uluwatu make a gentler trip.
Where to stay on a 2-week itinerary
In Ubud, stay within walking distance of the center. In Sidemen, choose the view of the valley. In Amed, sleep facing the reef you plan to explore. On Nusa Penida, the west coast brings you closer to the cliffs. On the Bukit, stay near your beach. Each destination page details the neighborhoods.
Ubud
Four nights, in the center or on the edge of the rice fields.
Sidemen
Two nights facing the valley.
Amed
Three nights by the reefs, on the Jemeluk side for snorkeling.
Nusa Penida
Two nights, west coast for Kelingking, east coast for quiet.
Uluwatu
Two nights near the beach you chose.
Variants: family, surf, diving, tight budget
As a family, replace Nusa Penida with Sanur, with its calm sea and short transfers. For surf, extend Uluwatu or add Canggu in place of Sidemen. For diving, give Amed four nights and keep Nusa Penida for its sites. On a tight budget, drop a base rather than compress.
Diving
Four nights in Amed and two on Nusa Penida, where the manta ray sites justify the crossing.
Tight budget
Drop Sidemen: one base fewer is one day with a driver fewer. A public boat rather than an organized excursion to the island.
The classic mistakes on 2 weeks in Bali
The frequent mistakes over two weeks: adding the north on top of the east and the island, doing Nusa Penida as a day trip, planning the return from the island the day before the flight, and removing the free days to fit in one more excursion. The trip works because it leaves gaps.
- Too many bases: adding Munduk to this route brings some stages down to one night.
- Nusa Penida as a day trip: here you sleep there precisely to avoid the race for the last boat.
- Ubud–Amed as a round trip: pointless on this route, which sleeps on site.
- The return from the island the day before the flight: in rough seas, departures are cancelled.
Indicative budget for 2 weeks in Bali
Over two weeks, accommodation remains the largest item, followed by the days with a driver for the changes of base and by water activities. Add the two crossings to Nusa Penida and, per person, the e-VoA and the tourist levy.
| Item | On this route | Order of magnitude |
|---|---|---|
| Entry fees | e-VoA and tourist levy, per person | IDR 500,000 and IDR 150,000, official rates |
| Boats | Sanur–Nusa Penida, there and back | Around IDR 150,000 one way, depending on the operator |
| Changes of base | Ubud, Sidemen, Amed, Sanur, Uluwatu | A day or half a day with a driver each |
| Activities | Diving or snorkeling in Amed and on Nusa Penida | The item that varies most by profile |
| Accommodation | Four bases and an island | Highly variable depending on the neighborhood and the season |
The costed profiles and the estimation method are in the Bali travel budget guide.
Frequently asked questions
What to see in Bali in 2 weeks?
Ubud and its rice fields, the east with Sidemen and Amed, Nusa Penida with a night there, then the Uluwatu coast. The north is best kept for a three-week stay.
How many nights should you spend on Nusa Penida?
Two nights let you see one coast of the island without hurrying. A single night is still possible, but the crossing day then leaves little time on the island.
How do you get from Amed to Nusa Penida?
By car to Sanur harbor, then by fast boat: the crossing lasts about 30 to 45 min and departures are spread between 7:30 am and 5 pm. Leave Amed early.
Do you need to extend your visa for 2 weeks in Bali?
No. The e-VoA covers a 30-day stay, extendable once by 30 days if needed.
Sources
Figures and rules checked on October 17, 2026 against the sources below. Entry rules and fees change: always check them on the official websites before you leave.
