Things to Do in Bali, Indonesia: City Guides

Bali is an Indonesian island and province east of Java and west of Lombok, known for its Hindu traditions, artistic life, mountains, beaches and marine ecosystems. From the cultural centre of Ubud to the reefs around Nusa Penida and the living traditions of Balinese villages, there are many things to do in Bali beyond simply visiting the coast. Neywo has free audio guides for 6 cities in Bali, with 60 narrated places in total and 3 walking tours.

What to see and do in Bali

Explore Bali’s Hindu culture and living traditions

Bali is Indonesia’s only Hindu-majority province. Balinese Hinduism brings together Hindu influences from mainland Southeast Asia and South Asia with local beliefs, while family ancestral villages remain central to social life. Religion and everyday life are closely connected, and traditional royal houses still form a confederation linked to different parts of the island, although they are not recognised by Indonesia’s government.

The island’s calendar includes festivals throughout the year. Nyepi, the Hindu New Year, is one of the best known: it is observed in spring with a day of silence. Bali’s traditional understanding of direction also reflects its landscape. Kaja and kelod orient places between Gunung Agung, Bali’s largest mountain, and the sea, making geography part of the island’s cultural outlook.

Discover the arts in Ubud

Ubud is regarded as Bali’s cultural centre and is one of the best towns to visit in Bali for travellers interested in art and tradition. The island is known for visual arts, intricate crafts, music and dance, and Ubud brings many of these forms of expression together.

These arts are not just a performance for visitors. They belong to a living cultural world shaped by family, religion and ancestral villages. Tourism has created more opportunities for performers and increased demand for performances, but artistic skill remains both an inheritance and an active part of daily life.

Neywo’s Ubud audio guide includes 13 narrated places, including Ubud Palace, Puri Lukisan Museum, Museum Pendet and Agung Rai Museum of Art.

Visit Denpasar’s museums

Denpasar offers another way to explore Bali’s history and culture through museums. The city’s Neywo route includes 13 narrated places, with the Bali Museum, Le Mayeur Museum, Museum Agung Bung Karno and Putrawan Museum of Art (PUMA) among its featured locations.

For a broader introduction to the island, Denpasar works well alongside Ubud: the two places show different aspects of Bali’s artistic and cultural identity.

See Bali’s coast and urban history in Kuta

Kuta brings together beaches, transport, religious heritage and more recent history. The city’s Neywo guide includes the Bali Shell Museum, I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, the site associated with the 2002 Bali bombings and Wihara Dharmayana.

The 2002 bombings are part of Bali’s modern history, while Wihara Dharmayana represents another strand of the island’s religious and cultural landscape. Kuta is also a useful point of comparison with Denpasar, the provincial capital.

Follow the waterways around Lovina

Lovina’s Neywo guide includes 16 narrated places, making it one of the most extensive city guides on the island. Its featured locations include Pangkung Bulakan, Tukad Asangan, Pangkung Kelampua and Tukad Bengkala.

The names themselves point to a landscape shaped by waterways and changing terrain. Bali’s natural setting is closely connected to its cultural geography, from the orientation between mountain and sea to the villages and communities that share the land.

Explore Nusa Lembongan

Bali province includes smaller offshore islands as well as Bali itself. Nusa Lembongan is one of them, and its Neywo guide includes 12 narrated places. Featured locations include Bukit Pangkung, Tukad Pangkung, Lembongan and Jungutbatu.

The island belongs to a wider marine environment that includes reefs, dive sites and tropical aquatic life. Nusa Penida, another island in the province, is associated with reefs and diving, while Nusa Lembongan offers a way to experience the offshore side of Bali’s geography.

Look at Bali’s natural environment

Bali lies close to the equator, with generally warm lowland days and cooler conditions at higher elevations. The west monsoon arrives late in the year and continues into the following spring, bringing heavier rain, especially around the middle of the season.

The province is part of the Coral Triangle, a region of exceptional marine diversity. Its reefs support more than 500 reef-building coral species, as well as many fish and turtles. On land, hundreds of bird species have been recorded, including the critically endangered Bali myna, which is found nowhere else. The Bali tiger is extinct.

This natural wealth faces serious pressure. Tourism-related over-exploitation has contributed to rivers drying up, while erosion at Lebih Beach has taken land year after year. Bali’s landscapes and marine ecosystems are therefore not only attractions, but also part of an urgent environmental story.

Understand Bali’s long history

People have lived on Bali since Austronesian settlers arrived through Maritime Southeast Asia around 2000 BC. The island’s name appears in ancient inscriptions as Vāli-dvīpa. The Sanskrit word dvīpa means island, while the meaning of Vāli remains uncertain; some interpretations connect it with offerings or sacrifice.

Bali has also experienced major upheaval. Mount Agung erupted in 1963, killing thousands, damaging the economy and forcing many Balinese to move elsewhere in Indonesia. Yet the island’s history is not only a record of rulers and disasters. It continues through villages, religious practice, family ties and a strong sense of shared place.

Explore Bali with Neywo’s free audio guide

Neywo offers free audio guides for 6 cities in Bali, with 60 narrated places in total and 3 walking tours. Narration is available in 11 languages. The app tells the story of each place as you reach it, at your own pace, with no group and no schedule.

You can use it to discover Canggu, Denpasar, Kuta, Bali, Lovina, Nusa Lembongan and Ubud, then continue exploring Indonesia with the app as your guide.