I’m not saying it’s not worth going to these overcrowded places in Bali. They’re popular for a reason. But there’s a lot more to see in Bali, and these are places to avoid if you can’t handle tourist crowded places or don’t want to contribute to the destruction as a tourist.
But I’m not trying to discourage you from visiting Bali! After all, I still visited these places even though I knew they’d be overcrowded.
So for each of these, I’ll also let you know the pros of these places. You can decide for yourself if you’re willing to brave the crowds to experience the pros.
Because Bali is still undeniably beautiful even though it’s overcrowded.
Interested in visiting less overcrowded places in Bali? Check out my favorite not so touristy spot in Bali here.
[This post contains affiliate links.]
Ah, Ubud. I have mixed feelings about the main and central city of Bali, but there’s no denying that it’s overcrowded with tourists.
Even if there were no people, the main streets would immediately tell you that it caters to a Western population. The majority of restaurants serve western foods and the shops sell western clothes. Everything looks Insta worthy—and so not very authentic.
The locals aren’t very friendly (I can see why, given the crazy amounts of tourists pouring in), there’s taxi mafias everywhere and of course, crowds will follow you everywhere.
Well, not everywhere. Off the main roads, little side streets are tucked away offering you an oasis from the crowds, and stray rice fields here and there. There’s lots of culture in this little town, from art classes to yoga retreats to traditional Balinese dances.
And I won’t lie—the adorable cafes with delicious food were a welcome change to the cheap food and rice (sooo much rice) I had been eating elsewhere in Asia. You can find really good cheap Indonesian food as well as more expensive healthy Western food.
In the crowded chaos, you can find peace and beauty.
Also, Ubud is a great place for shopping. I found the cheapest prices there out of everywhere in Bali when it came to cheap souvenirs, and there are some really nice boutique shops in Ubud as well.
If you really don’t like crowds, try staying on the outskirts of Ubud. You can get accommodation in the rural areas around Ubud for some real peace and quiet. And the roads leading into Ubud have lots of uncrowded art shops where you can shop in peace or attend an art class.
If you’re planning on going to Lombok, Tetebatu is said to be what Ubud used to be like before tourism. While I don’t totally agrees with that, there are for sure many similarities, like the natural landscape.
The Insta famous rice terraces. These tiered rice fields certainly deserve the attention, but too much attention can turn anything overrated.
It’s not like these are the only rice terraces in Bali. They’re everywhere, and many are tourist free.
You have to pay a “donation” to enter these terraces and in several checkpoints after that. There’s also souvenir stalls lined up in front of them and photo spots…which of course you have to pay for.
They’re definitely the biggest rice terraces I’ve encountered, and they deserve the praise bestowed upon them by their Insta fame.
If you want cool swing pics over rice terraces, this is the place. Just be prepared to shell out more money than it’s worth (in my opinion).
And when I was there in September, I was able to find some quiet spots away from other people since it was so big and spread out.
If you want to see rice terraces, just drive into the countryside and you’ll find tons of them. It feels like half of Bali is rice fields, so you’re bound to find a rice terrace that’s not overcrowded with tourists.
Also, next door neighbor Lombok is spoiled for non-touristy rice terraces. My homestay in Tetebatu had one right on my doorstep. Check out more info in my guide to Lombok.
This temple is one of the most overcrowded places in Bali. Tourists come by the busloads, so be prepared to be patient and work for a photo with no one else in it.
I also thought it was way too commercialized and too expensive for what it is. Foreigners can’t even enter the temple itself, and it takes just a few minutes to look at it from the outside and snap some pics.
There is a new section to the complex where you’ll find backdrops for photos, so if you’re not into that, it’s a bit of a waste of time.
I had forgotten how little there is to see here, and I regretted going there a second time.
This is one of the most important temples in Bali, so it’s one regularly used by locals and a good place to observe the customs.
It is quite a unique temple too, since if you go at the right time, it will look like the temple is floating in the water of the lake.
If it’s temples you’re looking to visit, Bali is packed with them. You might not find one as unique as this in terms of it looking like it’s floating in the water, but there are some very beautiful ones where you might be the only foreigner there. I think that’s a much better experience than just going to the touristy temples of Bali like this one.
If you don’t like traffic (who does?), avoid Canggu. I was there in off season and still got stuck in horrible traffic jams.
It was also the first place I tried driving a motorbike, which I highly don’t recommend. I ended up falling because of the traffic.
Pretty beach (not the prettiest though). Vibrant nightlife. Hip cafes and places to hang out. A strong digital nomad community. Good surfing.
Not much more. Unless you’re wanting to see nearby sights like Tanah Lot (keep reading), I’d avoid this place if crowds irk you.
Uluwatu, also located on the southern coast of Bali, is a good alternative to Canggu. The temple is among the most crowded places in Bali (more on that later), but outside of that, I found that Uluwatu was pretty quiet.
It has much more beautiful beaches than Canggu and some of the best surfing in the world (although Canggu is better for beginner surfers). I also found that Uluwatu had a small digital nomad scene, with several cafes scattered around that had people working in.
Located nearby crowded Canggu, Tanah Lot is absolutely packed near sunset hours. You need to pass a gate to enter the area, and it’s a good thing because it would have been absolute chaos otherwise.
I wasn’t able to get a picture of the temple on the cliff without getting people in my shot, and there was nowhere to get a quiet spot away from the crowds. People were everywhere. It was definitely one of the most overcrowded places I visited in Bali.
There’s a reason so many people go there for sunset. It was a stunning one.
If you want a quiet spiritual experience with beautiful temples, you won’t find that here. But you will see a gorgeous sunset, with cool temples hovering on cliffs above the masses of people. It’s really cool to see the temple on the cliff up close in low tide.
If you want to see a beautiful sunset over the sea, consider going to another beach nearby. There’s not much in between Canggu and Tanah Lot, so the beaches along the coast there are not very crowded. For example, Pantai Mengening and Cemagi Beach are more quiet nearby places to watch sunset.
And as for the temple, foreigners aren’t allowed to enter the Tanah Lot one anyway, so you’re not missing much.
Loud, dirty, crowded, over commercialized.
Okay, it’s not that bad (read pros below), but many people avoid Kuta like the plague. And I usually do too, except for the fact that it’s so convenient for staying in when you first arrive in Denpasar Airport.
If you’re a girl alone, definitely don’t go out at night. I was okay since I was with a lot of guys in my group, but when I broke off for just a minute to buy water from 7/11, I got catcalled by several men. And all the other girls I’ve talked to had similar experiences.
Maybe it’s because it was off season, maybe it’s because I’m getting old and don’t really drink anymore, or maybe I went to the wrong venues, but I wasn’t very impressed by the nightlife. Covid didn’t help either.
It’s also a terrible place to just go for a stroll around the streets for some fresh air and to stretch your legs.
“Taxi, taxi?”
“Motorbike?”
“Masssge?”
“Please come take a look inside!”
These are just some of the phrases you’ll hear shouted at you almost nonstop in Kuta.
As for beaches, they were “eh.” You’ll find much nicer ones elsewhere, with less trash and drunk people.
It’s meant to be a great place to learn surfing. It’s definitely only for beginners, though, as the waves were tiny both times I’ve visited.
But I did see a release of baby turtles while swimming in the waves, which was pretty adorable. Maybe you’ll be lucky too!
A main draw of Kuta is that it’s right next to Denpasar Airport. The hotel I stayed at in Kuta was even within walking distance (about 10 minutes), so that saved some money by not having to pay airport prices on a taxi.
And I suppose a younger me might have enjoyed the nightlife. But it was quite dead both times I went to Kuta (both before and after Covid), so I think it’s not what it once was.
For a close place to stay by the airport, I’d recommend heading in the other direction: toward Jimabran. It felt a lot less touristy there, yet you could still find Western comforts. I stayed at a really nice hotel there that was quite luxurious with its two rooftop infinity rooms, gym, spa and restaurants, yet it was in a non-touristy area, so it was easy to find cheap local food.
For nightlife, Canggu had a much better one in my opinion. Old Man’s and Sand Bar are the popular choice for backpackers. Or if you’re willing to spend a bit more, beach clubs like Finn’s are popular places to go. Also, Seminyak is a popular place for going out. Since it’s so close to Canggu, a lot of people would take a taxi there for a night out.
And for beginner surfing, the beach in front of Sand Bar in Canggu worked well for me. You can get a board on that beach for 50k, or a board and private lesson for 350k. This was the very first place I’ve surfed, and I thought my lesson was pretty good.
As with Tanah Lot, Uluwatu is another cliff-side temple that probably used to provide a spiritually rich experience, but has now been destroyed by tourism.
If you visit around sunset, you’ll be waiting in line for entry and show tickets, and the cliffside will be crowded with people.
The taxi mafia is particularly prevalent here, so forget getting a Grab here. This actually goes for all of the overcrowded places in Bali on this list, since that’s where the taxi mafia will be strongest (i.e., Grab and similar service drivers won’t be able to pick you up there).
If you want to visit Uluwatu Temple, either rent your own motorbike, buy a tour or prepare to overpay for a taxi—even for short distances.
The view from the cliffs is really beautiful, and so is the sunset.
And lots of monkeys roaming around if that’s appealing to you. If you’ve already been attacked by several monkeys like me, though, that’s probably not a pro. Beware of the monkeys.
Also, if you want to see the traditional Kecak dance (fire involved), this is the best place to see it. Get tickets in advance. I showed up early and still didn’t manage to get tickets for the sunset show at 6pm. Luckily, the day I went they also had a 7pm show, but from what I understand, they don’t always.
As with Tanah Lot, if you’re just going for a nice sunset, head over to a nearby beach for the same sunset and less crowds.
If you’re going for the Kecak dance, you can watch it elsewhere in Bali. For example, I know that Pura Dalem Taman Kaja in Ubud has Kecak dances a few times a week. And since it’s a smaller temple, it’s a lot more intimate and less crowded.
And you can’t go inside the actual temple in Uluwatu, so don’t even worry about missing that.
For a view of the temple and beautiful cliffs below it, you can get that for free at Jaran Hill.
So, the next ones aren’t technically onBali. You need to take a boat to Nusa Penida, although this island is considered part of Bali, and it also has many overcrowded spots.
You can take a day trip from Bali to visit the famous spots of Nusa Penida. That’s great and all for the sake of convenience, but tours equal lots of tourists, which means overcrowding. Unless you book a smaller tour, you can forget about getting pics without other tourists in them.
[Also: If you’re interested in exploring other islands near Bali, check out the best ones here.]
I was so excited for this one. I saw pictures of it before, and that’s probably because it’s one of the most famous beaches in the world.
And I can see why. At least from above, because I never actually made it down to the beach part.
There was pretty much a like to climb down the long steps to the beach, and would have probably taken around an hour to get down there…one way.
Since we had other places to see on this island (link), we had to skip the beach and try to find spots to photograph the famous T-Rex head cliff with no people in it. It was not an easy feat.
It’s gorgeous. So gorgeous. The water is an amazing color, the T-Rex head is so cool…but…the people…so many people…
Well, to be honest, you can’t really find an alternative to a cliff in the shape of a T-Rex head. But if you like beautiful, dramatic cliffs, the coast around Uluwatu back on Bali has that. Also, nearby Lombok also has some gorgeous cliff formations along the coast, specifically around Kuta (not to be confused with Bali’s Kuta).
Also on Nusa Penida, this beautiful place was already getting crowded even though we got there first thing in the morning. Since it’s located on a cliff, you can’t get down to it and go for a swim or lay out on the sand.
So if you’re expecting a relaxing day at the beach, Broken Beach is not where you’ll find that.
Even if you wanted to lay out near the cliff edge to tan and watch the waves come in with the currents, you won’t be able to do that. Unless you want to get trampled by people taking pictures
Again, gorgeous water and awesome natural formation. You can also find a natural infinity pool over the ocean here, called Angel’s Billabong. It’s all beautiful to see, but not a place to relax at.
Again, this specific formation is very unique. But other spots around Nusa Penida and the south of Bali and Lombok also have unique (and uncrowded) formations in the cliffs of the coastlines. So exploring those may be better if you like going off the beaten path.
For a specific place in Nusa Penida, Atuh Beach wasn’t nearly as crowded as other places on the island, and it was better than Broken Beach in that you can actually go down onto the beach.
Have you ever been to these overcrowded places in Bali? Which ones did you think were worth visiting?
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That's a great take on Bali. I have been to Ubud, and completely agree with what you have said.
So pleased to see there are alternatives to the busy side of Bali - I am not a huge fan of visiting just tourist spots. These are great suggestions.
I've always been hesitant to visit Bali because of overtourism but this makes me feel so much more compelled to go! Wonderful article! :)
Aw thank you! So much of Bali isn't too touristy and I completely fell in love with those parts of it :)
Thanks for the tips. Although I want to visit Bali, I don't enjoy overcrowded places so I'd prefer to visit the alternatives!
There are plenty of uncrowded alternatives for you :)