What to know before going to Bali? — 8 top things to know before traveling to Bali & things to know before going to Bali

Bali is my most favorite destination in Southeast Asia because Bali has everything such as more than 30 spectacular and breathtaking waterfalls, stunning terraced rice fields, many majestic temples with unique architecture, attractive local culture and beautiful seas. But the most wonderful thing is that traveling to Bali is super cheap, with the same money to other countries, you can completely go to luxury in Bali. So, are you planning a trip to Bali, Indonesia and don’t know what to know before going to Bali? Let’s check out our Bali travel tips and advice & travel to Bali warnings with the best things to know before going to Bali and things to know before traveling to Bali to find out the answer to help you have a perfect trip to the paradise Island of Indonesia.

Recently, there was a direct flight from Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) to Bali at very cheap price, only from $146.70/round-trip ticket, so you should take advantage of traveling to this Asian tourist paradise. I have written a super detailed Bali travel guide article from A to Z, you can refer to it for easier trip planning.

Although Bali is so great, there are also hidden corners in tourism that I will mention below to help you can prepare better, avoiding unnecessary scams.

What to know before going to Bali: Bali’s tourist season opposites with other Southeast Asian cities

Most of the famous island cities of Southeast Asia such as Phuket, Krabi (Thailand), El Nido, Coron, Boracay (Philippines), Phu Quoc (Vietnam), Koh Rong (Cambodia) … all have the same sunny season with beautiful sea from December to May, but in contrast, going to Bali from May to August is the most beautiful, and the months from October to April is the rainy season. However, in the month of changing season such as April may be less rainy than other months. There have been earthquakes in September in the last 2 years, so if you planning to go in this month can think again.

Things to know before traveling to Bali: Be careful when exchanging money in Bali

Bali, Indonesia using the IRD currency as many zeros as the VND of Vietnam but the value is almost double. If you exchange IRD in Vietnam before you go, it is very devalued, so I recommend that you should exchange VND to USD in Vietnam first and then go to Bali to exchange to IRD later. There are 2 places that you should not be exchanged because of the low exchange rate: At the airport and small money exchange shops on the Kuta and Legian streets. If you have to exchange at the airport, you only exchange a little, with exchange rate around 1 million IRD is nearly $90.

If possible, you should book an Indonesia 3G/4G Sim Card or 3G WiFi pocket router and the airport transfer service via Klook in advance for cheaper price and take the initiative, then you do not need to exchange money in advance but get on the airport shuttle and ask the driver takes you to a reputable money exchanger.

3G/4G Prepaid SIM Card (DPS Airport Pick Up) for Bali

Private Ngurah Rai Airport Transfers (DPS) for Bali

Things to know before going to Bali: Remember to bargain when shopping in Bali

Going to the market and bargaining a half or a third down is usual, right?! But in Bali you may have to bargain down to 10 times to buy the right price. Going to the market in Bali is very interesting, the markets have all kinds of wonderful handicrafts, clothes, sarongs.

From a person who does not love shopping, but when I got there, I also fell in love with the Ubud market. Their prices are always high for me to bargain, although the high quote has already heard reasonable, so many visitors do not know to bargain or negotiate.

With regular fabric sarongs, the price is about $1-2 / item, thick fabric sarong is about $4, some miscellaneous handicrafts bargain down 5-10 times. This is my experience when shopping in Ubud market for 2 times.

Bali travel tips and advice: The traffic jam in Bali is terrible

Because Bali has many narrow and crowded old streets, so traffic congestion is very serious, so to arrange sights to visit in a day you should choose places close to each other so that you do not have to wait in the car for a long time. Also because of traffic jam, I recommend that when going to Bali, you should rent a private car or joing a tour to go to the spots for convenience, Bali is driving on the left hand side so it is difficult, the road is very crowded and winding, if you ride a motorbike it is not safe but you also have to inhale much smoke. Renting a car with a driver in Bali is very cheap compared to Vietnam.

Travel to bali warnings: Only take a taxi with a meter

Bali taxis also often rip off tourists with taxis that do not have a taximeter. So when you take a taxi you should choose a blue taxi called Bluebird. But it’s best to use a Grab app for cheaper and just to avoid use during peak times.

Things to know before traveling to Bali: Not all beaches in Bali are beautiful

Many tourists after return from Bali are disappointed and said that the Bali beach is dirty, bad, but in fact, they go the wrong beach. Bali is a very large archipelago eight times larger than Singapore, and Bali also has a lot of beaches, with some beautiful beaches and very bad ones also.

If you like beautiful beaches, I recommend you going to Padangbai and Blue Lagoon, Geger Beach – Nusa Dua, Padang Padang, Dreamland, Balangan, Jimbaran Beach … Kuta center beach and Legian beach is only suitable for watching sunset, surfing for those who want to have fun, playing, not for swimming.

Bali also has black sand Amed beach, but that is due to lava from volcanoes, not dirty but black sand.

What to know before going to Bali: Not every part of Bali is full of tourists

Although Bali is one of the most famous places in Asia, because the island is so large, there are still many unspoiled places with few tourists.

If you love peace then stay in Munduk, Lovina, Amed, Canggu. For me, Ubud is the intersection of peace and not too deserted, so I like stay in Ubud the most. And Kuta and Legian are only suitable for those who like to party, learn to surf, these places are both crowded, noisy and people are not very friendly.

What to know before going to Bali: The most beautiful islands near Bali

These are Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan and the group of 3 Gili islands, if you like pristine, watching beautiful coral reefs, you should definitely go to these islands in Bali. The perfect Bali itinerary is spend 3 days in Bali and 2-3 days on these islands.

Bali is truly a great place for any traveler, especially for honeymooners. So I recommend you going to Bali at least once in your life. I have written a very detailed Bali travel guide here, which you can refer to make your own a simpler itinerary.

Some best day tours, trips, activities and transfer services, tickets in, to and from Bali you can refer to

• Bali All Time Favourites Private Day Trip
• Bali Private UNESCO Heritage Sites Trip
• Nusa Penida Full Day Trip from Bali
• Bali Swing and Waterfall Full Day Tour in Ubud
• Bali Instagram Tour
• Private Ngurah Rai Airport Transfers (DPS) for Bali
• Private Sightseeing Custom Tour for Bali
• Private Sightseeing Custom Tour for Ubud & Surroundings
• Bali Private Car Charter
• Ubud All-Inclusive Private Day Tour
• Lovina Dolphin Watching and Snorkeling Tour in Bali
• Nusa Penida Day Tour from Bali
• Bali ATV Ride in Ubud through Tunnel, Rice Fields, Puddles
• Mount Batur 4WD Jeep Sunrise Tour With Photographer
• Instagram Tour with Photographer in Bali
• Waterbom Bali Ticket
• [ALL-IN] Bali Private Car Charter
• Nusa Penida Instagram Tour & Snorkelling from Bali
• Mount Batur Sunrise Trekking or Jeep Private Tour in Kintamani Bali
• Fast Boat Ticket between Bali (Sanur) and Nusa Penida
• Fast Boat Ticket between Sanur and Nusa Penida by Axe Stone
• Scooter & Motorbike Rental in Bali
• Nusa Penida Private Car Charter
• Bali Safari and Marine Park Ticket
• Ayung White Water Rafting
• Mount Batur Sunrise Trekking Experience
• Kecak Fire and Dance Show Ticket in Uluwatu and Melasti Beach Bali
• 3G/4G Prepaid SIM Card (DPS Airport Pick Up) for Bali
• 4G Portable WiFi for Bali
• 4G Portable WiFi for Indonesia from Uroaming
• 4G LTE WiFi (MNL Delivery) for Asia

Are you looking for more Bali travel guide and top things to do in Bali: Tours, activities, attractions and other things? Read more: Bali itinerary 8 days — How to spend 8 days in Bali (8 days 7 nights in Bali) pefectly? And more here.