Gianyar, central Bali
Shopping in Ubud
Gianyar regency 35 km from the coast 1.5 to 2 hours by car Four streets, walkable
The art market, four streets of galleries, and three villages where the carving, silver and painting are actually made. The one district worth its own day.
Market 08:00 to 17:00, best before 10:00
No gallery, workshop or village pays for a mention here. Information is collected from public sources and editorial visits.
Four streets, and what is on them
Central Ubud is walkable end to end, and the character changes street by street rather than shop by shop.
Jalan Raya Ubud
Length: 10 min walk
The main road through the centre, and where Pasar Seni Ubud sits opposite the royal palace. Crowded from mid-morning and loud with traffic, but everything starts here.
Busy, narrow pavement
Art market, souvenirs, textiles, produce
Monkey Forest Road
Length: 20 min walk
Galleries and boutiques running south towards the sanctuary. Prices are marked and fixed here, which is the opposite of the market two minutes away.
Walkable, uneven in places
Galleries, boutiques, skincare, cafes
Jalan Hanoman
Length: 15 min walk
Runs parallel and calmer. Smaller studios, more independent shops, and the better street to browse without being moved along.
Quieter than Monkey Forest
Independent studios, jewellery, clothing
Jalan Kajeng
Length: 5 min walk
A lane off the main road, and the reason to walk it is Threads of Life, which works with weaving cooperatives across the islands.
Short and quiet
Handwoven textiles, natural dyes
Ride-hailing is restricted in parts of Ubud under local transport arrangements, so a car cannot always collect you where you finish. Walking between these four is usually faster than arranging not to.
The named places
Ubud is the one district where the makers are findable. These are the institutions and villages worth the detour, including three where the work is made rather than sold.
- Ubud Art Market Pasar Seni Ubud, opposite the royal palace on Jalan Raya Ubud. Textiles and souvenirs on the western side, produce on the eastern.
- Threads of Life Jalan Kajeng. Handwoven textiles with natural dyes, bought directly from weaving cooperatives.
- Neka Art Museum Jalan Raya Campuhan. Balinese painting, with a shop attached and context you will not get from a stall.
- ARMA Agung Rai Museum of Art, Jalan Raya Pengosekan. The other serious collection, and the better one for classical work.
- Gaya Ceramic Ceramics studio and arts centre. Work you cannot buy anywhere else on the island.
- Utama Spice Jalan Monkey Forest. Natural soaps, oils and balms, made in Bali and priced honestly.
- Celuk village Southeast of Ubud, and the island's silver and gold quarter. Prapen runs workshop tours alongside its retail floor.
- Mas village Wood carving, in suar, teak and sandalwood. You can watch the carvers work before you buy.
- Batuan village Traditional Balinese painting on mythological themes. The style is named after the village.
Celuk, Mas and Batuan sit on the road between Ubud and the south, so they cost nothing extra on the drive back. Buying at the village is usually cheaper than buying the same piece in central Ubud, and commissions are possible there and nowhere else.
When to be here
The market and the galleries run on different clocks, and the gap between them decides how much a day here is worth.
- 08:00
The art market opens
Stalls are setting up and the aisles are empty. This is the hour the market is worth coming for.
- Before 10:00
The best window
Fewer people, more room to look, and vendors more willing to move on price. The first sale of the day is held to bring good luck, and it shows in the negotiation.
- 10:00
Galleries open
Monkey Forest Road and Hanoman Street come to life. Fixed prices from here on, so the mental gear change is worth making deliberately.
- 13:00
Head for the villages
Celuk, Mas and Batuan are on the way south. Afternoon is when the workshops are working and the light is good for looking at silver.
- 17:00
The market packs up
Stalls start closing around five. Prices soften in the last half hour, but most of the range has already gone.
- 19:00
Galleries close
Around seven, earlier than anywhere on the coast. Ubud is not an evening shopping district and does not try to be.
The drive from the south is 35 kilometres and one and a half to two hours each way. Leaving the coast before seven is what buys you the ten o'clock window.
What Ubud is good for
Categories rather than shops, because in Ubud the material and the village matter more than the shopfront.
Wood carving
- Suar
- teak
- sandalwood
- masks
- statues
- from Mas village
Silver and gold
- Celuk village
- Prapen
- workshop commissions
Textiles
- Ikat
- batik
- sarongs
- natural dyes
- Threads of Life
Painting
- Batuan style
- Neka Art Museum
- ARMA
- Biasa Art Space
Ceramics
- Gaya Ceramic Arts Center
Natural cosmetics
- Utama Spice
- soaps
- balms
- essential oils
Home decor
- Rattan
- lampshades
- carved stone
- woven mats
Rough guide to prices: small market souvenirs run Ask For Price, a medium carving or a piece of silver Ask For Price, and a gallery painting starts Ask For Price.
Who Ubud is right for
It is the least convenient shopping district on the island and the only one where you can meet the person who made the thing.
Come if you want
- Craft made here Carving, silver, weaving and painting, from the villages that specialise in each.
- To meet the maker Celuk, Mas and Batuan let you watch the work and commission a piece. Nowhere else does.
- To bargain The art market is the real thing. Offer about half and settle between 50 and 70 percent of the first price.
- Serious art Neka and ARMA are museums with shops, not shops with pretensions.
Go elsewhere if you want
- International brands There are none. Kuta and Seminyak are ninety minutes south and carry all of them.
- Air conditioning Almost everything here is open to the street. There is no mall in Ubud.
- A quick trip Three to four hours in the car alone. This is a day, not an errand.
- Fixed prices throughout Galleries mark their prices, the market does not. If haggling is not for you, half the district is not either.
Ubud questions
How shopping here worksHow far is Ubud from the beach districts?
About 35 kilometres from Kuta and Seminyak, and one and a half to two hours by car depending on traffic. It is in Gianyar regency, not Badung, which is why the drive is longer than the distance suggests.
When should I arrive at the art market?
Before ten. It opens at eight, the aisles are empty for the first two hours, and vendors move further on price early because the first sale of the day is held to bring good luck.
How much should I bargain?
Offer about half the first price and expect to settle somewhere between 50 and 70 percent of it. Do it once, politely, and be willing to walk away. In the galleries on Monkey Forest Road, do not bargain at all.
What should things cost?
Small market souvenirs Ask For Price. A medium wood carving or a piece of silver Ask For Price. A gallery painting starts Ask For Price and goes a long way past it.
Are the craft villages worth the stop?
Yes, and they are free to add: Celuk, Mas and Batuan sit on the road back to the south. Prices are usually lower than in central Ubud and it is the only place you can commission something.
Can I use Grab or Gojek?
Partly. Ride-hailing is restricted in some parts of Ubud under local transport arrangements, so a car cannot always collect you from where you finish. Central Ubud is walkable; for the villages, a driver for the day is the practical answer.
Concierge desk
Ubud plus the villages, in one day
Leave the coast before seven, take the market at eight, the galleries at ten, and Celuk, Mas and Batuan on the way back. That only works with a car that waits.