By Michèle · Updated on
Getting around Bali
There is no train in Bali and public transport is limited. About Grab and Gojek, the boat to the islands and why your own driver is the easiest way to travel.
In short
- There is no train, and public transport is limited.
- Grab and Gojek work in the south and Ubud, but they are not allowed to pick you up everywhere.
- For a multi-day trip, your own driver is the easiest option, and not expensive.
- In Bali you drive on the left. You may only ride a scooter with a motorcycle licence and an international driving permit.
Bali has one main road in the south, and it's often jammed. From the airport to Canggu can take an hour and a half at rush hour – for twenty kilometres. Further across the island, the roads go through villages and over mountains. They're fine, but narrow and winding.
Grab and Gojek are Indonesia's ride-hailing apps. In the south they're cheap and handy. In Ubud and some villages they can't pick up passengers, because local drivers have agreements about that. In the east and north you'll hardly find them. A blue Bluebird taxi with a meter is a solid alternative in the south.
You reach the islands by fast boat: from Sanur to Nusa Lembongan and Penida, and from Padang Bai or Amed to the Gili Islands. Pick an established company, and don't cross when the waves are high.
Your own driver costs from about €45 per day, for the whole car. For two people or a family that's often no more expensive than separate rides – and you don't have to arrange anything.
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Renting a scooter in Bali: what you need to know
Renting a scooter in Bali? Which licence you need, what the police check, how your insurance works and when a driver is the smarter choice.
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