The journey from the airport can be an ordeal - apart from the endless traffic jams across the main roads, Bali is also home to a taxi mafia that thrives on travellers' ignorance. So read the following lines carefully.
Despite the relatively short distance, expect a drive time of tens of minutes to the nearest resorts of Kuta or Sanur. Traffic jams are very frequent and dense in Bali.
Taxi, Grab, GoJek directly from the terminal
Taxi is the easiest form of transport from the airport. If it is your first time in Bali, we definitely recommend using taxis.
Blue Bird and classic taxis
Immediately after arrival, still in the terminal building, you will pass the official branch of the largest taxi-carrier in Bali, Blue Bird (light blue cars). If you don't want to deal with anything after arrival, stop at this branch where the staff will arrange a taxi for you and give you an approximate price.
However, Blue Bird is one of the most expensive options for taxi transport from the airport.
If you walk out of the terminal, you will encounter offers from unofficial taxi drivers standing in front of the airport concourse. Do not respond to them, as they will most likely try to increase the price by various tricks, even after you arrive.
Outside the international terminal, or inside the arrivals hall of the domestic terminal, you will also find other official taxi stands with similar prices to Blue Bird.
Grab, GoJek
The mobile app is the most recommended. You can see the exact price in advance and it is usually 10-15% lower than the official taxis. You can also conveniently pay for the ride with your card via the mobile app.
In Indonesia, the most popular apps are Grab and Go-Jek, which offer very similar prices. However, we always recommend checking the prices on both apps and booking the cheaper of the two.
Grab even has an air-conditioned lounge about 75 metres from the exit of the international terminal, where they can help you install the app or call a taxi if needed. If you already have the app installed, you can hail a taxi straight from the terminal and proceed to your car without delay.
Approximate prices
What are the prices for taxis and Grab directly from the terminal?
- Kuta (Beachwalk) - 108 000 idr
- Sanur - 216 000 idr
- Seminyak - 170 000 idr
- Nusa Dua - 175 000 idr
- Canggu - 205 000 idr
- Ubud - 435 000 idr
- Amed - 990 000 idr
- Bedugul (Beratan) - 650 000 idr
Just follow the simple rule of caution and everything will turn out fine.
Grab / GoJek from Hotel HARRIS
You can reach the lower Grab or taxi rates with a short 3-minute walk through the off-airport parking lot to the HARRIS Hotel. From the domestic terminal, it's about a 7-minute walk.
You will see the HARRIS Hotel just after exiting the parking garage. Continue along the main street for about 100 metres further (the HARRIS hotel itself still counts as part of the airport zone) and Grab a call from, for example, the Norm House Kuta hotel level (location on Google.com/maps).
If you order Grab or GoJek from here, you'll get up to 3-5x lower prices than from the terminal 200 meters away.
Public bus
The airport is also served by Teman Bus' red and black public transport buses. The bus stop is located just outside the domestic terminal and is marked "BUS KSPN".
Line 2 runs to the terminal and passes through the eastern edge of Kuta, through the centre of Denpasar to its northern edge (terminus GOR Ngurah Rai).
Buses run approximately once every 10 minutes and a ticket costs 3 500 idr. For a map of the route, ticketing options and timetables, visit the Teman Bus mobile app on Google Play / App Store (only available in Indonesia).
Rent a scooter
Although travelling by scooter is the most common mode of transport for tourists in Bali, renting at the airport is not highly recommended.
There is no scooter rental company located directly in the terminal, however most rental companies from Kuta offer free scooter delivery on your arrival.
However, travelling on a scooter with luggage is extremely inconvenient and it is also advisable to assimilate a little with the local traffic from the position of a pedestrian tourist, at least on the first day.
Common scooter rental prices in Bali are around 70 000 idr to 90 000 idr per day depending on the quality of the vehicle.
It is ideal to rent a scooter when you arrive at your main place of stay. There are literally rental shops on every corner and there is no need to book anything in advance.
Rent a car
Driving a car around Bali is a very stressful affair due to the constant traffic jams, very narrow city streets and heavy motorbike and pedestrian traffic.
However, if you don't dare to ride a scooter, renting a small car is a great way to discover all corners of Bali. Once again, we stress that we only recommend renting a car to experienced drivers from city traffic.
Car rental prices are high and you will pay around 5 500 000 idr per week in high season.