Thinking of a Bali holiday and can’t decide whether to put Ubud or Sanur on your itinerary?
Well, we took a methodical look at both towns to help you decide, objectively, which is right for you on your next trip and this is what we found.
What’s It Like In Ubud?
Ubud is often considered to be the cultural heart of the island. It’s packed with temples, places, markets, art galleries, etc.
It’s also home to the famous Ubud Monkey Forest which contains several tribes of monkeys that fascinate and entertain visitors to the area.
You’ll find that Ubud has a very old-school hippy-vibe still though it can be buried underneath the more recent commercialization of the area, but there are yoga studios, alternative healers, etc. galore.
One thing many visitors like about Ubud is that the town is physically cooler than the beach towns and it’s a great place to spend a couple of days at the start of a Bali holiday getting used to the weather before venturing down to the ocean.
If you like walking, Ubud is also very easy to wander around and it retains much of its original charm though it is being developed quite rapidly now and is no longer the authentic Balinese village of days gone by.
What’s It Like In Sanur?
Sanur is often referred to as “sleepy” or occasionally, and quite unkindly, as “snore”. This description really applies to the Sanur of yesteryear, though.
In fact, Sanur Beach is one of the most family-friendly spots on the island and the calm waters make it an excellent place to take up water sports or learn to swim.
The boardwalk along the beach is one of the best spots for a long and safe walk in Bali and it offers an amazing sunrise view.
The area is popular with expat retirees as it offers great value for money and while there may not be much nightlife in the area, yet, many people say that’s part of the charm of Sanur.
There are plenty of places in Sanur to enjoy good food and the slower pace of life makes it fun to explore the area and interact with the friendly locals.
Sanur Harbor is also a great place to get out to the Nusa Islands of Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan.
Ubud Vs Sanur: Head To Head Comparisons
When we compare two places, we like to have a (sort of) objective comparison between them and that means we like to break down the important factors that people take into account when booking a holiday.
We always stress in advance that while this is competitive, both areas are great for tourists and if you book a holiday in either destination, we believe that you’ll have a great time.
We’d also note that Bali is a great place to have a two or even three-centre holiday and that lets you try out several parts of the island and it’s easy to explore other parts of the island on a day trip.
Which Town Is Best For Accommodation?
Ubud has the most variety of accommodation and whether you want a $ 1,000-a-night super luxury resort or a $ 15-a-night hostel, you will find it in Ubud.
You can rent villas in the jungle or rice fields or enjoy a stay in the town centre if you want to be able to walk to places of interest.
Sanur, on the other hand, is really about mid-range accommodation for families. Yes, there are hostels and yes, there are some high-end resorts, but the main focus is firmly on the mid-market.
You won’t find much in the way of rice terraces in Sanur, but many of the hotels, villas, etc. come with great views of the ocean and some even have direct access to the beach.
Overall, you won’t be sorry that you stayed in either town and the variety of choices means that you can easily get a comfortable night’s sleep.
However, Ubud has more choice than Sanur and that means, we’re awarding the category to Ubud.
What Has The Best Nightlife?
Ubud is not a nightlife destination but over the last few years, the nightlife scene in Ubud has expanded dramatically.
While you won’t find the hedonism of the night clubs and beach clubs of the beach towns of Canggu, Kuta and Seminyak, you will find plenty of bars, speakeasies and the occasional club to see you dancing until dawn.
Sanur, on the other hand, hasn’t really got much in the way of nightlife. In fact, many people joke that Sanur is in bed by 10 p.m. (it’s not true, there are a few bars and pubs open late, but only a few).
People go to Sanur to get away from it all and to enjoy a tranquil time with their family on a beautiful white sand beach.
If you want beaches with parties, then Canggu, Seminyak and Kuta are the places to be.
That means in this category Ubud wins by a mile. Sanur famously doesn’t do nightlife and for now, it’s likely to stay that way.
Which Has The Best Shopping?
If you’d asked us a year ago, this would have been an easy win for Ubud.
The area is surrounded by markets, artists, sculptors, carves, smiths, etc. and you can buy amazing traditional souvenirs for reasonable prices anywhere in town and even find some decent local boutiques for clothes too.
Whereas Sanur, hid a night market, a few local stores and not much else. But then in June 2024, Icon Mall opened in Sanur and the balance may have changed.
Icon claims to be the biggest mall in Southeast Asia and while we treat that claim with scepticism, it does mean that Sanur now has a huge variety of shops from both local and international brands.
It also has a faux-floating market within the mall grounds which is the only floating market of any kind in Bali.
So, we think this category is now something of a draw with both towns offering good shopping experiences, just very different shopping experiences.
Which Has The Best Dining Scene?
We think it’s probably telling that when we went to write our best restaurants in Ubud piece that we found 66 restaurants that our team loved.
The wealth of high-end resorts in Ubud means that the town has some of the best fine-dining experiences in Bali.
But there’s no shortage of mid-range places or local warungs, either and the Jalan Danau Tamblingan area is a great place for a walk while sampling interesting food from Bali, Indonesia and the rest of the world.
Now, when you’re on holiday 30 vs 66 is pretty much immaterial, unless you’re staying in an area for a month, there are more than enough good places to eat in both towns.
However, Ubud wins this category simply because it has the most options and who doesn’t like more choices?
Ubud’s Rice Paddies & Rice Terraces Vs Sanur Beach
This is a tough category because it’s hard to compare a beach with a rice paddy with any real fairness.
However, what we would say is that Ubud is getting busier and busier. If you visit the rice paddies just outside of town, they’re full of other tourists.
Now, this might be awesome news if you love some company while you explore, or it might be the worst thing that you’ve heard.
Whereas, while Sanur is becoming a more popular destination, it’s still not as busy as Ubud and the sunrise over the ocean in Sanur is one of the most memorable sights on any of Bali’s beaches.
The fact that you can go walking from one end of the beach to the other in relative safety and comfort is also a big deal.
So, while this isn’t the fairest of competitions, we’re going to give Sanur the edge in this category. However, we can easily see how other people might feel differently about it.
Which Is The Most Aesthetically Pleasing?
This is also a difficult thing to compare. Ubud is a country village town with plenty of attractive places and architecture to enjoy.
If you love traditional Balinese architecture then there’s no doubt you can find a lot of it in Ubud. There are also plenty of more modern buildings to enjoy.
The surrounding rice terraces and rice fields are gorgeous as is the jungle and the town is almost picture postcard pretty.
Whereas, Sanur is a reasonably typical beach town. It’s not so much the view of Sanur that catches the eye but rather turning your back on the town and looking out over the beach towards the ocean.
You can’t beat the view of the sea in Bali and it always takes our breath away.
However, we think Ubud edges this category and there’s more in the town itself that’s pleasing to the eye.
Which Has The Most Things To Do?
When we started this exercise, we thought that this category would be a very easy win for Ubud.
However, we spent some time adding up all the things there are to do in each town from yoga, and art classes, to jungle walks and Bali swings in Ubud.
To windsurfing, snorkelling, beach walks, market tours, etc. in Sanur and we found that really, there’s not much in it.
You shouldn’t be bored in either town when it comes to the number of activities available and you could easily spend a week in either place without exhausting all your options.
So, in an act that surprises us, we find this to be a dead heat between Ubud and Sanur and that’s great news for any tourist.
Where Would Expats Be Happiest?
Both of these towns have small and relatively happy expat communities. The expats in Ubud are often involved in local businesses and run yoga studios, art galleries, the Ubud book festival, etc.
There are good facilities for expats in Ubud and it’s not far from the bigger beach towns if you need access to a shopping mall.
Sanur, on the other hand, tends to appeal to retirees and people seeking a more relaxed way of living on the island.
It’s a little cheaper to live in Sanur, for now, than it is in Ubud and that difference can add up over time.
There are good expat facilities in Sanur and the new Icon Mall makes it a great place to live because you can now access all the shops and stores you need to make life easy.
With easy access to Ubud as well as boats to Nusa Lembongan and beyond, Sanur is a great place for expats to be.
Overall, this is a very tight category, but we think, for us, the cost benefits of living in Sanur make this a win for Sanur.
Which Area Is Best For Digital Nomads?
The most popular part of the island for digital nomads, at the moment, is Canggu because it has the most co-working spaces and coliving spaces and it’s a beach town.
However, in second place, it’s fair to say that Ubud has the most co-working spaces and coliving spaces after Canggu and it has an excellent reputation as a friendly and fun place to work for nomads.
This doesn’t mean that you can’t be a digital nomad in Sanur. Of course, you can.
There are a couple of coworking spaces in town, but with Wi-Fi in every cafe, you don’t really need these spaces unless you need to make calls.
There aren’t any official coliving spaces in Sanur, yet, but who cares? before these places existed digital nomads stayed in hostels and made friends among a wider travelling community.
We should note, however, that strictly speaking you must have a work permit to work legally in Bali.
While historically, the local authorities have ignored coworking and coliving spaces, that could change overnight and a social visit visa or a business visa won’t make getting caught working illegally any easier.
Overall, Ubud wins this category – it’s simply more nomad-friendly. However, there’s really no reason you can’t nomad in Sanur.
So, Ubud Or Sanur? Which Is The Best Town In Bali, Indonesia For Your Holiday?
Ubud wins when it comes to nightlife, accommodation, dining and aesthetics and it’s certainly the top spot for digital nomads.
Sanur, on the other hand, has an amazing sandy beach that we find preferable to the rice terraces and jungle environment of Ubud and it’s better for long-term expats too.
It’s a dead heat when it comes to things to do in each town and which place has the best shopping opportunities too, though the shops are very different in each town.
That means in our head-to-head comparison Ubud is the winner though not by as much of a margin as we might have expected when we went into this exercise.
However, as we said at the beginning, both Ubdu and Sanur are amazing parts of Bali and they’re both excellent places for travel with family, friends or even solo travel.
If you’re still torn between the two destinations, why not opt for a two-centre holiday? You could spend a few days in Ubud and then a few days in Sanur and open up the possibilities during your Bali holiday.
You might also consider other parts of Bali to add even more fun to your trip and Canggu, Kuta, Seminyak, Nusa Dua and Uluwatu are all a short drive away.
FAQs
Is Sanur Bali Worth Visiting?
Yes! In fact, we’d hurry to get to Sanur and Sanur Beach before it’s fully developed.
We’re sure that the local tourism industry will welcome the arrival of big beach clubs and endless luxury hotel brands, but “the real Sanur” will disappear when they do.
Sanur is a place with beautiful beaches where you can enjoy natural beauty and enjoy a more relaxed pace of life.
It’s a safe beach resort with friendly locals and more than a few different places to spend your time in. You can also still experience everyday life in Bali around this tourist hotspot.
Solo travellers are going to find that when they visit Sanur, they never feel out of place.
Is Ubud Bali Worth Visiting?
Yes! Ubud is a great place to enjoy some time among the rice fields and rice terraces and to better appreciate Balinese culture.
Nature lovers will find Ubud to offer plenty of beautiful scenery and places for walks. The laid-back atmosphere of the town will appeal to almost everyone.
It’s a great place for walking and while there are no beaches in Ubud, you can easily take a day trip to Kuta, Seminyak or Canggu and visit the beaches.
When you visit Ubud you can enjoy cultural attractions, art galleries, live music and much more.
You can easily spend time in Ubud on a solo travel experience and while it’s no longer “super cheap”, Ubud is still a very affordable destination.
Where Is Better Than Ubud?
That really depends on what you’re looking for out of a holiday in Bali. Some people would say that places like Canggu are the best for their amazing nightlife, varied restaurants and a blend of old and new Bali.
Where others might opt for the Nusa Islands such as Nusa Lembongan, Nusa Penida and Nusa Ceningan which are off the coast of Bali and provide a more chilled-out experience than the beach towns of Bali.
And yes, some people would say that family-friendly Sanur Beach or Nusa Dua are the best spots in Bali, Indonesia.
In fact, if you asked 100 people, you might get 100 answers including “nowhere’s better than Ubud”.
That’s why so many people when visiting Bali island, opt for a multi-destination holiday with somewhere in South Bali and Ubud, normally on everyone’s list.
Why Is Ubud So Popular?
Ubud is popular because of its cultural capital and its slightly “hippy” vibe that draws in yoga practitioners, alternative healers, and the like.
It has a pleasant town centre and an excellent night market. It’s cooler in the high season and in the off-season than the beach towns and many tourists like to stay in Ubud to acclimatize before heading to South Bali.
The food street of Jalan Danau Tamblingan Street is also very popular as an introduction to all the types of food you can get in Bali.
Which Is The Most Beautiful Part Of Bali?
You could argue for any part of the island, except perhaps Kuta, as the most beautiful bit and you’d be right.
Bali is full of natural beauty and manmade beauty and picking one spot is impossible.
We would note, however, that the beautiful beaches of Nusa Dua are often considered a top draw to the island.
What Is The Nice Part Of Bali?
All of Bali is nice and you’ll find that everywhere from Kuta to Uluwatu to Bedugul is safe and pleasant.
However, if you want somewhere that’s not jam-packed with tourists and still has easy access to water sports activities, the ocean, cultural activities, shops, restaurants, bars, day trips, etc. then you might want to consider somewhere like Amed which is a bit off the beaten path.
How To Book A Holiday In Ubud Or Sanur
If you’ve decided you want to spend some time in Ubud or Sanur, we’d recommend contacting the Bali Res Centre.
That’s a local travel service that can ensure you get great deals on flights to Bali, Indonesia and accommodation and any day trips that you want to book too.
Final Thoughts On Ubud Vs Sanur
Ubud and Sanur are very different places but they’re both worth spending some time in and you can easily switch from one to the other as they’re not too far apart.
That way you can enjoy the laid-back atmosphere of the beach town and the central Balinese town without compromising anything.
