Things to do in Ubud

Ubud sits inland in the foothills of Bali, in a landscape of river gorges and terraced rice. It has been the island's cultural centre since the 1930s, when a handful of European painters settled here. The town itself is compact.

• The royal palace — on the main junction, still holding dance performances in its courtyard most evenings.
• The Saraswati temple — next door, with a lotus pond across its whole forecourt.
• The Sacred Monkey Forest — at the southern end, a temple complex in old-growth jungle with several hundred long-tailed macaques who are not shy.
• The Campuhan ridge walk — it climbs out of town along a spine between two rivers and takes an hour.

Around the edges the landscape takes over. The Tegalalang rice terraces lie to the north and the cave sanctuary of Goa Gajah to the east. The Ayung river gorge runs west of town.

Ubud is where the island's slower half is booked.

• Cooking classes — they start at a market and end at a table, and are among the best value in Southeast Asia.
• Yoga and wellness — an industry here rather than a sideline.
• Rafting the Ayung — through the gorge below town, grade two and three, suitable for families.
• Cycling — tours coast downhill from the volcano rim through villages and back to Ubud.
• Museums and silver — the Neka and ARMA museums, and the silver workshops in Celuk.
• Tirta Empul — the healing and purification sessions visitors join, forty minutes north.
• Mount Batur — Ubud is the natural base for the sunrise trek, which leaves at two in the morning.

Practical

• Weather. Ubud sits high enough to be a few degrees cooler than the coast. It also rains more often, in short heavy bursts, particularly from November to March.
• On foot. The centre is walkable, but the pavements are uneven and often occupied. Traffic on Monkey Forest Road is worse than the map suggests.
• Temples. A sarong and sash are required, lent at the gate.
• Rice terraces. They charge a small entry or donation at the roadside.
• Monkeys. They will take sunglasses, water bottles and anything shiny, so keep nothing loose in your hands.
• Drivers. A full day costs less than dinner for two in Europe, which is why almost everyone hires one.
• Cash. It rules outside the hotels.