For a week in Bali from Australia, use two bases: Ubud and one coastal area. With ten days, add a Nusa Penida stay if the crossing and island outings appeal; with fourteen, give the interior and east more time instead of multiplying hotel moves. Count from arrival in Bali to departure and leave space for transfers, weather changes and rest after the flight.
Count usable days and actual nights
These routes count landing as day one and departure as the last day. Seven days means six nights, ten means nine, and fourteen means thirteen. Those are itinerary allocations rather than official minimum stays. Check local arrival and departure dates before booking rooms, including the overnight flight home to Australia or the longer connection to the UK or US.
The routes start in Ubud and finish in Sanur to keep the final part in the south. If your flight lands very late, start on the coast and rearrange the order. The point is to avoid another move simply to preserve a fixed sequence. Where to stay in Bali compares Sanur with Seminyak, Uluwatu and other bases.
Book flights and bases first, then choose outings within each area. Keep a short list of activities you can swap around and establish which need a particular date. If weather interrupts a visit, move it within the same stay instead of adding a long drive to the final day.
Bali in 7 days: Ubud and Sanur
I would split the six nights into three in Ubud and three in Sanur. That gives inland visits, one southern outing and unstructured time. If west-coast dining and nightlife matter more, use Seminyak instead of Sanur and recalculate transfers from the actual accommodation.
- Day 1: arrive and transfer to Ubud. Settle in and explore the accommodation's surroundings if you feel like it; leave long visits until after resting.
- Day 2: Ubud centre, palace area, market and a museum. Add Monkey Forest only if it appeals and fits the venue's last admission.
- Day 3: Tegallalang and a Tampaksiring visit, choosing Tirta Empul or Gunung Kawi around the effort and experience you want.
- Day 4: walk at Campuhan if conditions suit, check out and transfer to Sanur. Spend the afternoon around the new base.
- Day 5: one Bukit beach and Uluwatu, adding Kecak if you have chosen the performance. Arrange the return pickup to Sanur.
- Day 6: a quieter Sanur day or a nearby activity. Keep space to recover a visit moved because of rain.
- Day 7: leave for DPS with the airline's required margin. An evening flight is not a reason to add a long excursion.
The Ubud guide helps select inland visits and check access. On the coast, choose the activity rather than the number of beaches: descending steps, swimming where appropriate and returning to the vehicle all take part of the day. You do not need a boat journey to make a week feel complete.
Bali in 10 days: stay on Nusa Penida and return before flying
Use four nights in Ubud, two on Nusa Penida and three in Sanur. The crossing sits in the middle, with the return to Bali before the international departure. Give the extra time to the island and a more manageable pace rather than filling every afternoon of the week-long route with another attraction.
- Day 1: arrive in Ubud and rest. Confirm the following pickups and download addresses for offline access.
- Day 2: Ubud centre and a chosen museum, with time to eat and walk between nearby stops rather than repeatedly getting into a car.
- Day 3: Tegallalang and selected Tampaksiring temples. Avoid booking the same route again as part of a second packaged excursion.
- Day 4: choose a dedicated outing: inland scenery, a waterfall or Batur if the activity and conditions suit. Keep the afternoon light.
- Day 5: transfer to Sanur Harbour, cross to Nusa Penida and reach the accommodation. Choose a nearby stop afterwards according to the actual arrival time.
- Day 6: explore one side of Penida, west or east. Agree with the driver whether each stop means a viewpoint or a descent to the beach.
- Day 7: return by boat to Sanur and check in. Keep the afternoon flexible rather than depending on a punctual crossing.
- Day 8: visit Uluwatu and a selected Bukit stop, or choose a simpler coastal day if the group needs a rest.
- Day 9: Sanur and free time. Use the margin if a boat or weather change has shifted another plan.
- Day 10: transfer to the airport and depart. The return from the island and flight documents should already be settled.
If boats do not appeal, keep Ubud and the coast and use those nights to explore both more deeply. You can substitute another stay, but establish the complete transfer before confirming rooms. Sleeping on an island and making a day trip have different rhythms; choose the version you actually want.
Bali in 14 days: inland, Amed and a coastal finish
For thirteen nights, I would use five in Ubud, four in Amed and four in Sanur. The east gets a proper stay and the final part remains in the south. If waterfalls and hills matter more than snorkelling, replace Amed with Munduk and rearrange the outings. Adding both is optional, rather than a requirement for using two weeks well.
- Day 1: arrive in Ubud, settle in and rest after the international journey.
- Day 2: centre, market and a museum, with an unhurried meal and time to learn the streets around your base.
- Day 3: Tegallalang and a Tampaksiring visit, with return transport arranged before setting out.
- Day 4: Jatiluwih as a landscape-and-walking outing, without adding a string of distant waterfalls.
- Day 5: Campuhan and a chosen activity, or Batur with recovery afterwards. Swap the order around weather and bookings.
- Day 6: transfer from Ubud to Amed. An agreed cultural stop can fit the journey, but keep the arrival afternoon light.
- Day 7: Amed's coast and snorkelling or diving suited to your experience, with a centre confirming the site and equipment.
- Day 8: an eastern excursion, choosing Besakih or Lempuyang around your interests and the time you want to give it.
- Day 9: another Amed day. Repeat an activity you enjoyed or rest instead of making another hotel move.
- Day 10: transfer to Sanur. Allow room to settle in and walk before booking anything with a fixed start.
- Day 11: Uluwatu and the Bukit coast, with Kecak as an optional purchase separate from temple admission.
- Day 12: a free day around the base or a chosen outing. If adding a boat, check conditions and keep the next day on Bali.
- Day 13: southern margin for a changed plan, remaining shopping or rest before the journey home.
- Day 14: depart through DPS without depending on a sea crossing that day.
Transfer times between areas
Use these references to allocate part of the day rather than guarantee an arrival. Virgin Australia allows 1.5–2.5 hours from DPS to Ubud in its airport-transfer advice, checked on 4 November 2026. Ask the driver about the specific addresses and departure time.
Amed Driver publishes approximately 2.5–3 hours from Ubud to Amed (source) and about 2.5 hours from Amed to Sanur (source) for direct transfers, checked on 4 November 2026. Visits, meals and extra pickups add time; agree on the complete route before booking.
For Sanur–Nusa Penida, Ocean Speed gives approximately 30–45 minutes on the water, checked on 4 November 2026. Add the drive to the harbour, check-in, boarding and transport on the island. The crossing duration is not the door-to-door journey. Confirm the departure harbour and conditions with the operator on your ticket.
What to change before committing to the route
If Lempuyang is a priority, keep an eastern day flexible because the gate-photo queue can displace other visits. For daily beach time, reduce inland outings and choose a base with access suited to your group. If you do not want boats, the Nusa islands need not become an obligation.
Nyepi needs a different adjustment: the official calendar places it on 8 March 2027, checked on 4 November 2026. Plan to remain at the accommodation and check flight operations around that date with the airline. The Bali travel guide covers preparation; things to do in Bali helps select the excursions.
Staying connected
Install an Indonesia data eSIM before departure to confirm pickups, boat changes and the exact location of the next accommodation. Bidaiesim's plan starts on the first connection in Indonesia and keeps your normal SIM and WhatsApp number; download the route and reservations so an area without signal does not interrupt the journey.