Ubud— a city located on the island of Bali, is considered a renowned center of fine arts, crafts, dance and music. Representatives of bohemia, tourists and hippies once gathered here, but now Ubud has turned into an elegant resort, a city of galleries and mansions, where art collectors and travelers arrive. We advise you to stay here for the night, or even longer. There is accommodation for every taste in the city: from cheap rooms in private houses and charming small hotels to expensive luxury hotels located on the banks of the river in the vicinity of Ubud.
Ubud is located in the central part of the island of Bali, in the district of the same name, belonging to the Gianyar district. The city is surrounded by rice terraces, mountain gorges, small farms, agroforestry plantations and tourist bases. The population of Ubud is 75 thousand people, which is significantly less than the 3 million foreign tourists who come here every year. Interestingly, in 2018, Ubud was visited by more travelers than the Balinese capital Denpasar.
Ubud is a small green city, more like a village and has no access to the sea. The main street is Jalan Raya Ubud, which runs from east to west through the city center. Its name means “main road”. Two long streets, Jalan Monkey Forest and Jalan Hanoman, extend south from Jalan Raya Ubud. They are popular with tourists, there is always a busy traffic. Smaller, but no less colorful alleys depart from the central streets.
Ubud has been a royal city for more than a hundred years, and the princes bearing the title of tiocord or agung still live in traditional palaces-puri.
Due to its location, Ubud is a wonderful place to start traveling to other notable areas of Bali, but there is also something to see and do here. This city is full of colors and light. Perhaps it was this abundance of flowers, palm trees and rice fields that stimulated the creative mood of the population. There is real chaos on the central streets of Ubud, but it is worth moving away from them a little, as green rice terraces and jungle–covered river banks will spread out in front of you – that unique, truly magical landscape that has always attracted visitors to the island.
When is it better to go
The island has an equatorial monsoon climate. You can come to Ubud at any time of the year, but you should take into account the weather features. Bali has two seasons – dry and rainy. The average monthly air temperatures fluctuate slightly and are about +30 ° C during the day and +23 ° C at night.
The rainy season lasts from November to March, with the most precipitation falling from December to February. Despite the low season, a lot of tourists arrive in Ubud, especially for the New Year holidays. The decline begins in late January – early February. Accordingly, in order to avoid tropical downpours, it is better to plan a trip for the dry season, which lasts from May to October. However, it can be stuffy in Ubud in May, June and September, when humidity is quite high and there are few winds. The driest months are July and August, they are also the windiest. The transition period, which falls on March-April and November, is in demand among tourists who want to save money, but do not go in low season.