The first time we came to Canggu was on our honeymoon. We’d read about the town and thought it would be a relaxing area to kick off our trip to Bali. We spent 3 days in town and loved everything about it!
We came back multiple times and eventually used it as our home base while living in Bali for a couple of months!
Today, we know A LOT more about the town, and we’d definitely do things a little differently if we were doing our first time in Canggu over again.
But now, we can use what we know to help you plan the best weekend possible!
We understand that Canggu isn’t for everyone. There aren’t many excursions, hikes, or scenic viewpoints. Most visitors spend their days surfing, shopping, eating, and joining the occasional yoga class.
But that’s exactly what we loved about it. Canggu has an iconic vibe and lifestyle that’s hard to find, and we had so much fun making it our temporary home!
So, with that in mind, here’s how we’d plan the ideal 3-day itinerary for your first time in Canggu!
Quick Overview + Travel Tips
Here’s a quick overview of the itinerary!
- Day 1 – Food, Yoga, & Sunsets
- Brunch at ZIN Cafe
- Take a Yoga Class
- Sunset at Nelayan Beach
- Local Dinner & Drinks
- Day 2 – Sufing, Shopping, & Beach Clubs
- Go Surfing at Batu Bolong
- Browse the Markets
- Party at a Beach Club
- Day 3 – Sun, Arts, & Temples
- Soak Up the Sun
- Silver Making / Pottery
- Sunset & Tanah Lot Temple
- Events & Specials in Canggu
But before we get into the meat of this Canggu itinerary, let’s address some logistics.
How to Get around
You do need to think about transportation in Canggu. It’s small but not the most walkable town since everything is pretty spread out, and there aren’t always sidewalks.
So. we always encourage people to rent scooters while staying in Canggu. It gives you total flexibility to go where you want when you want, and it’s not as difficult as you’d think.
Scooter rentals in Bali are also really affordable. You can typically get a scooter delivered to your hotel with Bikago for less than $10/day.
However, you need an International Driver’s Permit to rent a scooter legally in Bali.
If you don’t feel comfortable driving yourself, download Grab or Go-jek drivers (these are Bali’s ridesharing apps), or you can even book a private driver for the day!
Where to Stay in Canggu
In Canggu, there are 4 different neighborhoods: Berawa, Batu Bolong, Echo Beach, and Perenenan. If this is your first time in Canggu, we recommend staying near Echo Beach or Batu Bolong.
Any resort or villa on Jl. Nelayan (Nelayan Road) will feel central to everything! But here are our top recommended villas and resorts in Canggu!
Best Villas in Canggu
day 1 – Food, Yoga, & Sunsets
Every flight we’ve ever taken to Bali has arrived late in the evening. I think the earliest we ever flew in was at 4:00 PM, but more often than not, it’s around 10:00 PM.
Then, it takes an hour to go through customs, collect our bags, and find our driver (we usually prearrange our airport transfers beforehand. It doesn’t cost any extra, and it’s a nightmare to negotiate with Bali’s taxi drivers after a long flight.
Then, it’s roughly an hour to get from the airport to central Canggu. Similarly, if you’re traveling from Ubud, Sanur, Munduk, or somewhere else in Bali, it’s best to travel at night so you don’t waste any precious daylight sitting in traffic.
So, you should absolutely let yourself sleep in as long as you need and start Day 1 with brunch!
Grab Brunch at ZIN Cafe
There are so many places to grab brunch in Canggu (our ultimate list is right here), but one place is the one we look forward to most each time we return to Bali.
ZIN Cafe has everything Bali is about in one place: bamboo furnishings, healthy organic dishes, locally roasted coffee, and a lifestyle area with fitness classes, a spa, a co-working space, a cocktail bar, and boutique villas.
It’s also less than 300 meters from Nelayan Beach!
The brunch here is incredible. There are so many options, including open-faced toast, power bowls, omelets, smoothie bowls, pancakes, french toast, overnight oats, and more. They also have some more unique dishes, like Korean Eggs Benedict and Tex-Mex Avocado Toast!
More Brunch Recommendations:
- Crate Cafe – Huge portions, Affordable, Canggu staple
- I Am Vegan Babe – Vegan Breakfast, Chic
- Cøpenhagan – Expat favorite, Build Your Own Breakfast
- BAKED. – Pastries, Sandwiches, Coffee
Take a Yoga Class
Another must-do in Bali is Yoga. There are yoga studios all over the island, but Canggu is home to some of the best. This is an amazing way to experience Balinese culture and recover after a long flight, a trip to Nusa Penida, or a few days exploring the waterfalls in north Bali.
You can find traditional Vinyasa Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Yin Yoga, Inversion Yoga, Sound Healing, and other niche yoga classes.
A drop-in class costs 120-150K ($8-10) and usually lasts 90 minutes.
We had our best yoga experience at ‘The Path Yoga Center‘ over in Perenenan, but if you’re looking for something cheap and accessible, you can schedule a class at Serenity Eco Guesthouse near Nelayan Beach or Pranava Yoga over in Berawa.
Psst–If you’re in Bali for a couple of weeks, you could even sign up for ClassPass!
We did the free trial and got to try 5 different yoga studios, 2 pilates classes, a cycle bar, and a 60-minute massage completely free!
(Here’s a link that gets you 20 extra credits).
See the Sunset at Nelayan Beach
Once you’re done with the yoga class, take advantage of the best free activity in Canggu by grabbing a big beach blanket (or a sarong) and watching the sunset on the beach.
Our favorite place to do this in Canggu is at a smaller part of the coastline called Nelayan Beach.
It’s much better than Batu Bolong or Berawa because the beach clubs get so loud in the evening that it’s certainly not peaceful to relax by the ocean.
Nelayan Beach remains peaceful all day long. On Sundays and Tuesdays, we like to get takeaway at Milk & Madu (when they have 2-4-1 pizzas) with a Coke Zero and bring them down to the beach for a picnic. You can also rent two bean bags for about 100K ($6-7)
Go Out for Dinner & Drinks
If you don’t eat while watching the sunset, here are a few of our other favorite places for dinner!
For something budget-friendly and immersive, eat like a local on your first day and check out one of the Indonesian warungs. They’re typically cafeteria-style, but if that freaks you out, then Ithaka Warung cooks food to order!
But there are other great options for a later dinner and a couple of drinks. Some of our favorites include:
- Milk & Madu (Pizza)
- Black Sand Brewery (Great food + atmosphere)
- Lola’s Cantina (Mexican)
- Secret Spot (Vegan)
- Da Roma (Italian)
- M. Mason (Upscale Dining)
day 2 – Sufing, Shopping, & Beach Clubs
On your second day in Canggu, we’re going to switch up the pace and make things a bit more exciting!
You’ll want an early jump on the day, so head to Dawn Patrol or BGS Coffee Bar (Canggu’s only coffee shops open before 7:00 AM) and head down to the beach!
Go Surfing at Batu Bolong
You can’t visit Canggu without surfing the famous Old Man’s Break, even if you aren’t the most experienced surfer.
It’s the most consistent wave in Bali, at around 3-5 feet, which is perfect for beginner and intermediate surfers. The sandy ocean floor means there is no danger of wiping out over a reef.
When you get to Batu Bolong Beach, you’ll see a bunch of stalls with surf rentals. Surfboard rentals are just 50K ($3.30) and come with a rashguard. You should certainly look for a stall with quality boards and rashguards, but there’s no point in haggling. It’s the same price everywhere.
However, if you’ve never been a surfer and would like an instructor, expect to pay closer to 400K ($25).
This is a fantastic deal for a 2-hour private lesson, but if you plan ahead, you can actually book a surf lesson online even cheaper.
Browse through the Markets
If you are here on a Sunday, we recommend going straight to La Brisa Sunday Market and spending all your time shopping there. It’s open every week from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
However, even if it’s not Sunday, there are still a bunch of fun boutique shops around town.
We’ve found some nice ones right across the street from Crate Cafe, or you can just walk down Jl. Pantai Batu Bolong. If you’re looking for more affordable boutiques, we had a lot of luck on Jl. Pantai Batu Mejan. Sarah found an awesome activewear set here at Melo Bikini and Activewear.
Outside of boutiques, you can also find other markets around Canggu:
Party at a Beach Club
After you’ve finished shopping, pick one of Canggu’s beach clubs and spend the evening hanging out with friends, watching the sunset, and listening to live music.
There are a few beach clubs with free entry, like Finn’s Beach Club & The Lawn.
Nut for most of the other popular beach clubs in town, like Atlas Beach Club in Berawa and La Brisa in Echo Beach, you’ll have to meet a minimum spending threshold.
100% of this minimum spend goes toward food + drink credit, so don’t eat before you go! You’ll want to save your money and use it to get dinner + drinks.
Typically, a day bed that seats 2-4 people has a minimum spend of 1,000,000-2,000,000 IDR ($60-$120), and a larger area with seating between 4-6 people is about 4,000,000 IDR ($220).
day 3 – Sun, Arts, & Temples
On your final day in Canggu, you’ll want to head back to the beach in the morning to get some sun (or surf some more), take an art class in the afternoon, and then visit Tanah Lot Temple during sunset!
Soak Up the Sun
Get to the beach early so that you can make the most of the morning sun!
We recognize that Canggu doesn’t have the most beautiful beaches in Bali (Uluwatu’s beaches are significantly better), but we still loved spending time by the water in Canggu.
If you want a beach with plenty of facilities, snack bars, and sunbeds for rent, go to Batu Bolong. You can rent two sunbeds and an umbrella for 100K ($7), then spend the morning reading with the sound of the ocean or watching the surfers.
Nelayan Beach is a little more undeveloped, so you’ll need to bring your own beach blanket and towels, but there are still a couple of stands where you can get a fresh coconut or soda.
Berawa Beach is a nice mix of these two vibes. There aren’t a ton of sunbeds for rent, but plenty of space to lay out your own beach towel (it’s also much better than the others for swimming).
P.S. Try to avoid high tide! The vendors tear down most of the sunbeds at this time because the tide can cover all but about 1-2 rows of sunbeds.
Silver Making & Pottery
If you’re really into fitness, then you could use this afternoon to try one of the other gyms in Bali or take a fitness class. There’s so much more than just yoga. We’ve done CrossFit classes, reformer pilates, spin classes, HIIT workouts, dance, and more.
But you could also get a massage at one of the local spas or learn something new!
Jewelry making is really popular in Canggu. In a class like this one, you get 7 grams of silver to fashion into whatever you want. Most people make a ring, but you can always get creative and try something else!
Another awesome option is to take a pottery class. We did this with Vagabond Design Lab and had a blast! They offer pottery classes every day (by request only), and the instructor will help you learn to throw on a wheel and create your own art. It’s roughly $30 per person.
We’ve also seen interesting activities like Puppy Yoga (Yeah, we didn’t believe it at first, either)!
Sunset & Tanah Lot Temple
After your afternoon activity, drive out to Tanah Lot Temple to watch the sunset.
This temple sits out on the reef, so it comes and goes during high tide, but at low tide, you can actually walk across the reef and up into the temple complex. We expected peace and quiet the first time we visited, but that was NOT the case.
This is easily the most touristy thing to do in Canggu, but it’s something you can’t really skip. The best time to see it is around sunset.
You will need to pay 75K ($5) to enter the complex, but there is no additional fee to enter the temple.
You can rent a scooter and drive here (that’s what we did) or book a guided tour of Tanah Lot with transportation included.
Events & specials in Canggu
We lived in Canggu for a few months and discovered that some restaurants offer incredible specials.
We can’t guarantee that any of these are still running, but when we lived in Canggu earlier this year, here were some of our favorites!
You should also do some research to see if there are any fun events or live music in Canggu!
Atlas Beach Club occasionally hosts more prominent artists, but live music/events are pretty common around town.
We know of cinema nights, paint-and-sip groups, tech meet-ups, and comedy nights on Friday at Deux Ex Machina. You can check to see what events are happening during your travel dates on Rimba.
So… Is 3 Days in Canggu Enough?
Yes, we would say it’s a great amount of time to plan for Canggu. With three days in Canggu, you can do quite a lot and get a taste of the area!
Obviously, you won’t be able to try absolutely everything (we still had places to check off after two months here), but you will get to try a few of the best restaurants in Canggu, surf and sunbathe on the beach, shop around the markets, and try one or two yoga studios.
If you have more time in Canggu, check out this list of our favorite activities in Canggu to help you build out your itinerary even more!
