How to get around Ubud without a scooter

You can do Ubud properly without ever touching a scooter. A scooter sounds like freedom until you meet the traffic on Jalan Raya Ubud, the hills around Penestanan and Sayan, and rain that arrives with about four minutes’ notice.

Here is what actually works, what it costs, and the one thing about Grab and Gojek nobody tells you before you land.

The short version

Walking

Central Ubud is walkable: Jalan Raya Ubud, Monkey Forest Road, Jalan Hanoman and Jalan Goutama are all close together. What makes it harder than it looks on the map is the pavement. It’s narrow, it rises and drops without warning, and there are open drains under some of the stone slabs.

Wear real shoes, not flip-flops. After dark, use your phone torch on side streets, because many have no lighting at all.

Further out, in Penestanan, Sayan and Singakerta, the roads get quieter and greener, but also steeper and often without any pavement. Lovely in the morning. Not something to do at 9 pm in the rain.

Grab and Gojek, and the pickup problem

Both apps work in Ubud, and for most trips they’re the easiest and cheapest option. Car or motorbike, you see the price before you book and you can share the trip with a friend.

Here’s the catch. In parts of central Ubud, local transport groups don’t allow app drivers to pick up passengers. You’ll see banners saying so. Drop-offs are fine everywhere. Pickups are where it gets awkward: the driver may cancel, or ask you to walk somewhere else.

What works:

• Walk two or three minutes to a side street or a café and set your pickup pin there, not at the main entrance of a hotel or market.
• Send the driver a short message in the app: “I’m in front of [café name]”. Drivers appreciate it.
• If you’re staying in a villa further out, the problem mostly disappears.

Car or bike? Book a car when it’s raining, after dark, when you have luggage, or on any ride longer than 20 minutes. A bike taxi is fine for short daytime trips, and the driver will give you a helmet.

Private drivers

For waterfalls, temples, rice terraces or a day in the north, hire a car with a driver for the day. Expect roughly IDR 700K to 1M for 8 to 10 hours, fuel included. Parking, entrance tickets and, on long days, the driver’s lunch are usually extra.

Before the day, agree in writing on WhatsApp:

• the price and what it includes,
• the start time and number of hours,
• the stops, in order,
• what happens if you run over time.

A good driver is worth keeping. Save their number and ask them for airport runs too.

From the airport to Ubud

The drive from Ngurah Rai airport to Ubud takes roughly 1.5 to 2.5 hours, depending on traffic and the time of day. Book a transfer before you fly. A private car usually costs around IDR 400K to 600K one way.

In the arrivals hall, ignore the people offering taxis and look for your driver holding a sign with your name. Ask your driver to send a photo of the car and the plate number the day before.

Prefer a female driver for your arrival? Read the next part first.

Female drivers

Female drivers exist in Bali but are still rare, and most work through personal recommendation rather than apps. We’re building a short list of drivers we’ve ridden with ourselves. Until it’s published, ask in the SERAYA Circle, the WhatsApp group for women in Ubud, where members share drivers they trust.

Should you rent a scooter anyway?

Your call. You should know the rules first. To ride legally in Indonesia you need an International Driving Permit with a motorcycle endorsement, plus your home licence. Without them, you can be fined at a police check, and most travel insurance policies won’t pay for a scooter accident, even a minor one.

Add Ubud’s hills, gravel corners and sudden rain, and for most first-time visitors the maths doesn’t work. A week of app rides and one day with a driver usually costs about the same as a scooter rental, without the risk.

Getting home safely at night

• Book a car, not a bike, after dark.
• Check the plate number in the app before you get in.
• Share your live trip with a friend; both apps have a share button.
• Sit in the back.
• If something feels off, ask the driver to stop somewhere busy and get out. You don’t need a reason.

Coming to SERAYA

We’re in Singakerta, on the quiet south-western side of Ubud. App drivers can pick up and drop off at our door. If you book a package with transport, we’ll arrange the car for you.