Bali is one of those destinations that is on everyone’s bucket list, and with good reason! It has even been rated one of the top 10 islands in the world by Travel & Leisure! Chances are if you are coming to Bali, you will at least pass through Kuta, the main tourist beach town by the airport. Kuta has a reputation of being an overcrowded party destination, but if you give it a chance you’ll find there is so much to do in the city. Here are 10 amazing things to do in Kuta:
Learn to Surf
If you’ve ever wanted to learn to surf, Bali is the place to do it! In Kuta, you have the option of booking a lesson with a pro surf shop or you can pay one of the locals on the beach to teach you. I ended up booking a lesson with a local I met on the beach who had been surfing for many years. Despite my lack of athleticism, he had me standing and riding waves before my hour lesson was up. While I won’t be a pro surfer any time soon, I enjoyed learning to ride a wave and will definitely give it a shot again in the future!
Hang With Baby Sea Turtles
The Kuta Beach Sea Turtle Center, located right on the beach, aims to protect sea turtle eggs and increase the rate of sea turtles that make it to the ocean upon hatching. You can visit their facility and watch the hatchlings swim. Depending on the time of year, you can watch or even participate in releasing the baby sea turtles into the ocean. Plus, the center has a giant turtle statue which makes for a great photo opp. 🙂
Have a Crazy Night Out
Kuta is known for it’s amazing nightlife! Start your night at Alleycats, a tourist bar with amazing drink specials and a really social atmosphere. I went there many nights during my time in Kuta and never failed to meet new drinking buddies! After that head to one of Kuta’s many night clubs like Sky Garden to dance the night away.
Stay at an amazing resort
Kuta has so many amazing resorts, so why not treat yo’ self. When I go back to Kuta, I would love to stay at one of the amazing resorts right on the main beach, like the Hard Rock Hotel Bali. Just looking at pictures of the pool and the nightclub has me planning my return trip! Think you’d be interested in checking out the Hard Rock on your next trip to Bali? Find out here!
Take a Sightseeing Tour of the Island
Even though there are tons of things to do in Kuta, you can’t leave Bali without seeing some of the amazing sights in other parts of the island! You can book a tour at any travel agent in Kuta, though I would recommend walking farther away from the beach for a better price. Many places will take you on a private full day tour all around the island for as little as $40 USD. Some highlights I recommend: Saraswati Temple, Monkey Forest, and the Tegalalang rice paddies.
Read more: 11 of the Most Beautiful Places to Visit in Bali
Sample the Amazing Street Food
Balinese food is some of the most delicious I had in Southeast Asia and the best place to sample it all is from street food hawkers. If you walk down by the beach at sunset you can find many people selling delicious Nasi Goreng and other dishes. Just make sure to follow a few best practices to avoid the dreaded Bali belly.
Shop till you drop
Whether you are looking for souvenirs or high-end items, Kuta has some awesome shopping options. Check out shopping streets Jl. Popies I & II for tons of souvenir stalls with reasonable prices (just be sure to haggle!). For more mainstream stores like Zara & Pandora, visit the open air Beachwalk Mall.
Trick Eye Museum
If you’re looking to get out of the heat for bit, take a taxi to the nearby Dream Museum Zone to visit the 3D art museum. This trick art museum has life-size 3D murals for guests to pose and play with. The murals allow you to get as creative or funny as you like. Make sure that your camera is fully charged, because this museum has over 120 murals to pose with!
Be a Beach Bum
Kuta Beach is a lovely spot for some sunbathing and people watching! You can bring a towel or rent a chair from one of the locals on the beach. There are also food & drink hawkers that will come around and sell you an ice-cold beer. Be sure to snag a Bintang Radler (my favorite!) and stick around for the next item on the list!
Watch An Amazing Sunset
Bali has some of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen! Of all the things to do in Kuta, this is the one you can’t miss. End your day on Kuta Beach as the sun goes down and relax while the sky is filled with beautiful colors. I’ve never seen a disappointing sunset in Kuta!
Bali is such a beautiful and diverse island! With so many things to do and see, Kuta is definitely worth a stop when visiting Bali. I hope this list of things to do in Kuta has inspired you to check it out. As you guys know, I’m a huge fan of the island life, so I’m sure that I will be back someday.
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This post is sponsored by Traveloka. As always, all opinions, ideas and bad jokes are my own.
Nice article. Nothing beats a few beers on Kuta beach while watching the sun go down.
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Very true! Bali had some of the prettiest sunsets I have ever seen.
I have heard so many wonderful things about Bali, but have never heard of the turtle experience. What an interesting thing to see! Would love to take the kids.
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Unfortunately, I wasn’t there at the right time to set the turtles into the wild but I heard it was amazing. They also have a facility on Gili T that I got to see and they are doing amazing things for turtle conservation!
Hahaha the turtle statue made me giggle! I love it! I’ve always wanted to participate in releasing hatching turtles into the ocean; my cousin got to do it, and her pics were incredible! I’ve always wanted to go to one of the trick eye museums as well! All of the pics I see from them always look like so much fun! By far the number one thing I’d love to do in Bali though is visit a temple! I love the photo you posted with the walkway through the lily pads! It’s absolutely gorgeous! <3 <3
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Balinese temples are amazing! After 7 months in Asia I was pretty “templed out” but as soon as I saw the ones in Bali, that changed! They are so different from any of the ones you see anywhere else in Southeast Asia. There are so many of them too!
Bali sure is a beautiful place, it’s been many years since I last visited and I’m sure Kuta and the country has changed a lot during that time. Beautiful photos too!
I spent about a month in Bali and I loved it, I didn’t stay in Kuta but I did have a night out there before going back to my hostel in Seminyak. I travelled around most of the island, though it’s quite difficult as there aren’t many bus options. It’s an island I love and will visit again 🙂
I stayed in Kuta on either end of my few weeks on the island. It’s definitely not the most beautiful spot on the island, but there is still plenty to see. My favorite spot was Amed, by far. I can’t wait to share my love for the small fishing town on here! Did you make it there?
That optical illusion museum looks very cool! I wouldn’t expect things like that in Bali, but I guess those silly and fun museums are everywhere. Looks like a great vacation destination.
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These are huge all over Southeast Asia! I ran into them in many different places.I guess they are very popular in Korea. It was definitely a nice way to kill a few hours 🙂
Well i only did 7 out of 10 when we were in Bali. Never tried surfing, visited the Trickeye and see the baby turtles. Bali is a fun place especially Kuta.
Such a wonderful collection of best things to Do in Kuta, Bali. There are lot of do best making a good list of best thing do it more better to enjoy a trip 🙂
Thanks a lot for sharing this post.
The trick eye museum photo had me fooled. I thought that was a photo of somewhere you went and was going to ask Where?!
What was your favorite street food in Bali?
Haha it was super trippy! Some of the pictures ended up looking so real. 🙂
I think my favorite street food in Bali was all of the delicious chicken on a stick options they had, especially the peanut sauce version. I also LOVED Nasi Goreng which is their version of friend rice. So good!
I would really like to participate in releasing baby turtles in the ocean – that must be wonderful! I haven’t been to Bali but it seems either people love or hate Kuta. I admit I’m disappointed in knowing there are big chain stores like Zara. 🙁
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Yeah it’s definitely one of those places that people either love or hate for sure! But I always try to find the good in each place and Kuta does have a ton to offer 🙂
The more I read about Bali, the more I want to go. Kuta truly looks like a great place to go. I haven’t read much about it, as most coverage I have seen is on Ubud. I do like the idea of the trick eye museum and seeing the baby turtles. Yet, being a beach bum and getting a decent tan also would be up my alley.
Thanks Kassie
Grate thing sharing of kuta. This is a very beautiful place.
Thanks for sharing. Personally i found Kuta a bit to touristy, but it still is pretty!
x
Thanks for sharing nice one…
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It looks quite touristy, but I will still visit! So much to see and do!