Itinerary · 3 weeks
Bali in 3 weeks: the east, the north and an island, without rushing
Three weeks leave time to tour the island via the east and the north, with a day without a car at almost every stage. It is the only format where Munduk and Lovina find their place without strain.
- Updated on
- 7 bases
- relaxed pace
- 9 min read
- By Kylian Dev
Contents
Key points
- The full tour in one direction: Ubud, Sidemen, Amed, the north coast, Munduk, Nusa Penida, Uluwatu.
- Days without a car at almost every stage: walking, beach, rest.
- The north is reached along the coast from Amed, then Munduk is reached in daylight through the mountains.
- Three weeks fit within the e-VoA: a 30-day stay, extendable once.
Three weeks is the format that lets you tour the island rather than choose a piece of it. To the two-week route, you add the north coast and the mountains of Munduk, cooler, where you walk between the plantations.
The challenge is no longer fitting everything in, but not wearing yourself out: this route includes whole days without a car. Driving times come from the getting around Bali guide; the seasons, from the best time to visit Bali guide.
Different length, different interests, children? Adapt this route with the planner.
Bali 3-week itinerary: the route day by day
In three weeks, tour the island in one direction: four nights in Ubud, three in Sidemen, three in Amed, two in Lovina, three in Munduk, two on Nusa Penida, then three in Uluwatu. Long drives alternate with days without a car, and the stay ends near the airport.
| 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 early, rice fields around the center, market, Balinese dance in the evening. | Feeding the macaques in the Monkey Forest: rabies is present. |
| Day 03 | Temples north of Ubud | Ubud | A day with a driver, short rides. | Tegalalang at opening time, Tirta Empul (sarong, covered shoulders), Gunung Kawi. | The paid swings above the rice fields. |
| Day 04 | Mount Batur | Ubud | Departure around 3 am with a driver; afternoon without a car. | Sunrise at the summit (1,717 m), about 2 h of climbing and about 400 m of elevation gain. Nap, then a massage. | Batur when cloudy weather is forecast: move it by a day. |
| Day 05 | To Sidemen | Sidemen | Ubud → Sidemen: shorter than airport–Sidemen (about 1 h 45). | Klungkung (Kerta Gosa) on the way, rice fields in the late afternoon. | Besakih in the middle of the day. |
| Day 06 | Sidemen valley | Sidemen | No car. | A walk between rice fields and villages with a local guide, weaving workshops. | Looking for other sites: the valley is enough. |
| Day 07 | Free day in Sidemen | Sidemen | No car. | Reading facing the valley, a cooking class, a village ceremony if the occasion arises and you are invited. | Photographing a ceremony without permission. |
| Day 08 | 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, a first snorkel in the late afternoon. | The queue for the photo at Lempuyang’s “gates of heaven”. |
| Day 09 | Amed reefs | Amed | Short rides along the coast. | Snorkeling or diving at Jemeluk, then the Tulamben wreck. | Boat trips sold on the beach without checking the equipment. |
| Day 10 | Free day in Amed | Amed | No car. | Sunrise over Agung in clear weather, swimming, rest before the north coast. | A late dive the day before a long drive. |
| Day 11 | Along the north coast, Lovina | Lovina | Amed → Lovina: a long drive along the north coast, in daylight and with no other visit. | Arrival in mid-afternoon, sunset on the black sand beach. | Multiple stops on the way: the day is for driving. |
| Day 12 | Lovina | Lovina | Short rides around Lovina. | The Banjar hot springs, the Brahma Vihara Arama Buddhist monastery, the beach. | The dawn dolphin trip if the idea of dozens of boats chasing them bothers you. |
| Day 13 | Climb to Munduk | Munduk | Lovina → Munduk: a short but winding climb, in daylight only. | A waterfall on the way, check in among the plantations, cool evening air. | Mountain roads at night. |
| Day 14 | Munduk on foot | Munduk | No car. | A walk between coffee and clove plantations to the waterfalls around the village. | “Kopi luwak” cafés where civets are kept in cages. |
| Day 15 | Lakes and Jatiluwih rice fields | Munduk | Half a day with a driver on mountain roads. | The twin lakes Buyan and Tamblingan, Ulun Danu Beratan temple early, then the Jatiluwih terraces, irrigated by the subak. | Ulun Danu Beratan in the middle of the day, at peak crowds. |
| Day 16 | To Nusa Penida | Nusa Penida | Munduk → Sanur: allow at least the airport–Munduk time (about 2 h 30), then a 30 to 45 min boat. | Leave early, afternoon boat, the last ones leave around 5 pm. Sunset on the west coast. | Kelingking the same day. |
| Day 17 | Nusa Penida | Nusa Penida | A day with a local driver: difficult roads. | Kelingking early, Broken Beach and Angel’s Billabong; or the east coast. Snorkeling at Crystal Bay. | Both coasts on the same day. |
| Day 18 | 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. |
| Day 19 | Bukit beaches | Uluwatu | Short rides on the Bukit. | Bingin, Padang Padang or Melasti depending on the tide, a surf lesson if the swell allows. | Doing beach after beach: one in the morning, one in the evening. |
| Day 20 | Free day | Uluwatu | No car. | Beach, massage, a last sunset on the cliff. | A last-minute excursion. |
| Day 21 | Departure | Flight home | Uluwatu → airport: about 45 to 60 min, more at rush hour. | Leave with a margin for traffic. | A detour via Canggu or Seminyak on the day of the flight. |
Why the tour via the east and then the north
Touring in this direction avoids any backtracking: the east is reached from Ubud, the north coast extends Amed, Munduk overlooks Lovina, and the descent to Sanur leads to the boat for Nusa Penida. The stay ends on the Bukit, about 45 to 60 min from the airport.
Munduk is about 2 h 30 from the airport, Amed 2 h 30 to 3 h: two regions you never visit well as a round trip. In three weeks, you sleep there, and enjoy what sets them apart from the south, the cool mountain nights and the reefs of the east.
Lovina serves as a stage on the north coast: it breaks up the long road between the east and the mountains. It is not the most beautiful beach on the island, it is a useful, quiet pause.
The 2 choices that change everything
First choice: go via Lovina or reach Munduk directly from the south, giving up the north coast. Second choice: keep Nusa Penida at the end of the stay or replace it with more nights in Uluwatu or Sanur. The first affects the road, the second the fatigue.
Lovina or not
Without Lovina, you have to come back from Amed towards the center then climb to Munduk, which lengthens the road. With Lovina, the north coast becomes a stage in its own right. If the dolphins and hot springs do not tempt you, a single night is enough.
Nusa Penida at the end of the stay
After three weeks, the island and its difficult roads can weigh on you. Replacing them with two more nights in Uluwatu or Sanur gives a gentler end to the trip. If the cliffs tempt you, keep Nusa Penida and aim for a single coast.
Where to stay on a 3-week itinerary
At each stage, choose a place where you would happily stay a whole day, since the route often plans for it. In Ubud and Munduk, favor walking; in Sidemen, the view of the valley; in Amed and on Nusa Penida, proximity to the reefs; on the Bukit, a beach within walking distance.
Ubud
Four nights, in the center or on the edge of the rice fields.
Sidemen
Three nights facing the valley.
Amed
Three nights by the reefs.
Lovina
Two nights on the north coast, near the beach.
Munduk
Three nights among the plantations; bring a light sweater for the evening.
Nusa Penida
Two nights, west coast for Kelingking.
Uluwatu
Three nights near the beach you chose.
Variants: family, surf, diving, tight budget
As a family, drop Nusa Penida and replace Uluwatu with Sanur. For surf, end with Canggu and Uluwatu. For diving, extend Amed and add Pemuteran, on the north coast, for Menjangan island. On a tight budget, drop Lovina and Sidemen: two bases fewer, as many days with a driver saved.
Diving
Four nights in Amed, then a stage in Pemuteran instead of Lovina, to dive around Menjangan island.
Tight budget
Ubud, Amed, Munduk, Uluwatu: four bases, long stages, and the rest on foot. Warung and walks cost little everywhere.
The classic mistakes on 3 weeks in Bali
Mistakes over three weeks no longer come from a lack of time, but from the urge to fill it: adding one-night bases, doing Nusa Penida as a day trip out of habit, driving at night to gain a stage, and removing the days without a car. The format only makes sense if you slow down.
- Too many bases: seven stages is already the reasonable maximum; do not add one-night ones.
- Ubud–Amed as a round trip: pointless here, the east is experienced by sleeping there.
- Nusa Penida as a day trip: the route sleeps there; do not go back to the round trip to “gain” a night.
- Night driving in the north and east: leave in the morning, arrive before dark.
Indicative budget for 3 weeks in Bali
Over three weeks, the days without a car offset the long drives: the transport budget stays close to that of two weeks, and accommodation, spread over more regions, becomes the main item. Add the 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 | Seven stages, including several long drives | A day or half a day with a driver each |
| Accommodation | South, center, east and north | The north and east often cost less than the south |
| Activities | Batur, diving, snorkeling | The item that varies most by profile |
To estimate your budget item by item, follow the method of the Bali travel budget guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is three weeks in Bali too long?
No, if you use it to slow down: three weeks let you see the east, the north and an island, with days without a car. It is the only format where the full tour does not become a race.
Is the visa enough for three weeks in Bali?
Yes. The e-VoA covers a 30-day stay and can be extended once by 30 days if you stay longer.
Do you have to go via Lovina to get to Munduk?
No, but from Amed, the north coast and Lovina avoid heading back down towards the center. From Ubud, Munduk is reached directly through the mountains, in daylight.
Where should you end a three-week trip to Bali?
Near the airport: Uluwatu, about 45 to 60 min away, or Sanur, about 30 to 40 min away. Avoid ending in the north or east, more than 2 h 30 away by road.
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.
