In this guide5 sections
Bali is the most-booked international beach trip out of India and the one most often booked wrong. People plan the island as if it were one place with a beach at the end of every road. It is not: Bali is about 90 minutes wide by road on a good day and three hours on a bad one, and the single biggest cost of a badly planned week is time in a car.
Seven days, three bases, no backtracking. That is the trip.
What you pay before you land#
Three separate mandatory payments, not one. Indians miss this constantly, because most guides mention only the visa.
Item | Cost | Where |
|---|---|---|
e-VOA (tourist visa) | IDR 500,000 ≈ ₹2,600 | evisa.imigrasi.go.id |
Bali Tourist Levy | IDR 150,000 ≈ ₹780 | lovebali.baliprov.go.id |
Electronic customs declaration | Free | ecd.beacukai.go.id |
Pay the levy online before you fly. The official price is IDR 150,000 and reseller sites charge two to three times that for the same QR code. The full entry mechanics are in our Indonesia visa guide for Indians.
The route#
Days 1–2, Seminyak or Canggu. Land at Ngurah Rai, base 20–40 minutes north. This is the beach-club and sunset half of Bali. Canggu is younger and cheaper, Seminyak is quieter and closer to the airport. Do the arrival day light — the flight from India is long and usually lands you tired.
Days 3–4, Ubud. An hour inland and a completely different island: rice terraces at Tegallalang, the Monkey Forest, the Campuhan ridge walk at sunrise before the heat. Ubud is where the food gets good for vegetarians — Balinese cooking uses a lot of tempeh and vegetables, and Ubud has more dedicated vegetarian kitchens than the rest of the island combined.
Day 5, the Uluwatu day. Base yourself south for the last stretch. Uluwatu Temple on the cliff at sunset with the kecak dance is the postcard, and it is worth it. Note the 2026 fee revision: the outer temple area is now IDR 60,000 for foreign adults, and Pandawa Beach and Taman Ayun went up on the same schedule from 1 January.
Days 6–7, Nusa Penida or a slow south. Nusa Penida is a 45-minute fast boat from Sanur and the reason half the Bali photos on your feed exist. It is also a long day on rough island roads — go if you want the coastline, skip it if you want to rest. The alternative is two slow days in Jimbaran or Sanur, which is not a lesser trip.
What it costs#
Per person, seven days, mid-range, from Delhi or Mumbai:
Item | Cost |
|---|---|
Return flight | ₹28,000–₹48,000 |
e-VOA | ₹2,600 |
Tourist levy | ₹780 |
Hotels, 6 nights, 3–4 star | ₹18,000–₹28,000 |
Private driver, 4 days | ₹8,000–₹12,000 |
Food, entry fees, activities | ₹10,000–₹16,000 |
Total | ₹67,000–₹1,07,000 |
Hire a driver by the day rather than taking ride-hailing between towns. It is cheaper than four long Grab rides and it removes the argument at every temple car park.
The mistakes that cost the most#
Booking one hotel for the week. A Seminyak base means two hours each way to Ubud, twice. Three bases cost the same and save you a full day.
Renting a scooter without a licence. Bali police check, the fine is real, and travel insurance does not cover an accident on a vehicle you were not licensed to ride. An International Driving Permit with a two-wheeler endorsement is the only clean way to do it.
Treating the levy as optional. It is checked at attractions and at some hotels. IDR 150,000 is small; the queue to pay it on the spot is not.
Assuming remote work is fine. The e-VOA is a tourist permit. Indonesian immigration deports people from Bali every month for working on tourist visas, and the pattern is well documented in their own enforcement notices.
When to go#
April to October is dry season, and July–August is both the best weather and the highest prices. The shoulder months — April, May, September — are the value window: same beaches, fewer people, hotel rates a third lower.
If you are still choosing a destination, our seven-day Vietnam route covers the trip that costs meaningfully less, and the visa-free list covers the ones that ask for no visa at all.
Fees verified on 25 July 2026 against Indonesian Immigration, the official Love Bali levy portal, and the Badung Regency fee revision effective 1 January 2026. Costs are indicative and move with season and booking window.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a 7-day Bali trip cost from India?
- Roughly 67,000 to 1,07,000 rupees per person mid-range, including a 28,000 to 48,000 rupee return flight, the 2,600 rupee e-VOA, the 780 rupee tourist levy, hotels, a private driver and entry fees.
- What do Indians have to pay before entering Bali?
- Three separate things: the e-VOA at IDR 500,000 (about 2,600 rupees), the Bali Tourist Levy at IDR 150,000 (about 780 rupees), and a free electronic customs declaration. Most guides mention only the visa.
- Should I stay in one hotel for the whole week in Bali?
- No. A single Seminyak base means two hours each way to Ubud and back. Three bases — the south beaches, Ubud, then Uluwatu or Nusa — cost the same and save a full day in the car.
- Can I ride a scooter in Bali on an Indian licence?
- Not on its own. You need an International Driving Permit with a two-wheeler endorsement. Police check, the fine is real, and travel insurance will not cover an accident on a vehicle you were not licensed to ride.
- When is the cheapest time to visit Bali?
- April, May and September — the shoulder months of the dry season. Same beaches as July and August, fewer people, and hotel rates around a third lower.