Arriving in Bali
Bali airport transfers
What the drive from Ngurah Rai costs and how long it takes, area by area, and when you are better off not booking one at all.
Bali has one airport, and almost everyone lands at it. What varies is what happens next: a few minutes to a Kuta hotel, or two hours north to Amed.
Ngurah Rai International, code DPS, sits on the neck of land between Kuta and Jimbaran in the south. Prices below are what a car typically costs for the whole vehicle, not per seat, and the times are what the drive takes when the road is behaving. Traffic in the south is the single biggest variable in every one of them.
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What it costs, area by area
Every figure here is the one stated on that area’s own guide, where it was researched. Rupiah first, because that is what you will be quoted.
| Where you are going | Drive | Typical car fare | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kuta | A few minutes; the airport sits at Kuta's southern edge | Rp 70,000 to 150,000 (5 to 10 US dollars) | The shortest airport run of any base on the island |
| Jimbaran | 20 to 30 minutes | Rp 100,000 to 200,000 (6 to 13 US dollars) | Close enough to the airport to work as a first or last night |
| Seminyak | 30 to 45 minutes, 10 km | Rp 150,000 to 250,000 (10 to 16 US dollars) | Traffic through the south is heaviest in the late afternoon |
| Canggu | 45 minutes to over an hour, 13 km | Rp 200,000 to 350,000 (13 to 22 US dollars) | Leave early for a flight; the afternoon crawl catches out anyone travelling to a fixed time |
| Sanur | 30 to 45 minutes | Rp 150,000 to 250,000 (10 to 16 US dollars) | No rail link anywhere on Bali, so allow for road traffic to a flight |
| Uluwatu | 45 minutes to an hour, 20 km | Rp 200,000 to 350,000 (13 to 22 US dollars) | The road climbs across the hilly Bukit peninsula |
| Ubud | About 1.5 hours, 35 km | Rp 350,000 to 450,000 (22 to 29 US dollars) | Pre-book through your accommodation or a driver app; the afternoon peak is slower |
| Amed | 2.5 to 3 hours | Rp 600,000 to 900,000 (38 to 57 US dollars) | Book a driver ahead; Grab and Gojek coverage thins out this far east |
Kintamani and Munduk are reached through Ubud or the south rather than directly, and Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan are a drive to Sanur followed by a fast boat. Those are two legs, not one transfer.
Transfers you can book now
All private, all with a driver holding your name in arrivals. The fare is for the whole car, so it splits between however many of you there are.
Most reviewedPrivate Arrival Transfer from Bali Airport to Hotelfrom$8per car839 reviews
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Bali Private arrival airport transferfrom$6.50per car332 reviews
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Private Transfer from Bali Airport to Any Hotel in Balifrom$7per car353 reviews
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Bali Airport Transfer Service in Privatefrom$23per car190 reviews
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Private Departure Transfer: Hotel to Bali Airportfrom$7.50per car214 reviews
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Private Arrival Transfer: Bali Airport to Ubud Areafrom$22per car80 reviews
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Ratings and review counts are Viator’s, captured when this page was last built. The price you pay is the one shown there for your own date and party size. We have not ridden with these operators, and we earn a commission if you book through these links, at no extra cost to you.
When you do not need a transfer
If you are staying in Kuta, Tuban or Jimbaran, you are already there. The airport sits at Kuta’s southern edge, and a prebooked car for a ten-minute drive is convenience rather than necessity. Take an official taxi from the counters and keep the difference.
If you are travelling light, arriving in daylight and heading somewhere in the south, a metered Bluebird or an app car will do the job for less. The case for prebooking gets stronger the further you are going, the later you land, and the more luggage and children you have with you. It is strongest of all for Ubud and the north, where the drive is long enough that a fixed price and a known car are worth paying for.
Many villas and hotels will also send a driver, often at a price close to what you would pay elsewhere. It is worth asking before you book anything: on this island the accommodation and the driver are frequently the same family business. See our area guides for where to base yourself, and getting around Bali for what to do once you have arrived.
Taxi, app or prebooked
The official airport taxi
Counters sit inside the terminal after you clear customs. You pay a fixed price for your destination, which removes the haggling and is the simplest thing to do when you have not planned ahead. It is normally dearer than an app car and cheaper than nothing.
Grab and Gojek
Cheapest by fare, least predictable at the airport. Local transport groups restrict app pickups in a number of places and the airport is the most contested of them, so your driver may ask you to walk somewhere specific or may not come at all. Excellent for the rest of your trip, unreliable as an arrival plan.
A prebooked private transfer
A fixed price, a named driver, and someone holding a board with your name on it. You pay a little more than an app for the short hops and often less than the taxi counter for the long ones, because the price is set by route rather than by meter. Give your flight number when you book so the driver can follow a delay.
Landing at Ngurah Rai
Drivers wait in the international arrivals hall past customs, with name boards. It is a busy hall and not everyone offering a ride is waiting for you, so find your own name and your own operator before following anybody. Domestic arrivals has a smaller meeting point of its own.
Allow properly for immigration and baggage before you decide a driver is missing. Most visitors buy a visa on arrival or arrange an e-VoA in advance, and there is a separate tourist levy that arriving visitors are asked to pay; both are covered on our visa page. Arrangements for fees change, so confirm the current ones with official Indonesian sources before you fly.
Ask for a car seat when you book if you need one, rather than on arrival, and say how many large bags you have. A standard car takes two people and two suitcases comfortably; four adults with luggage need the larger vehicle, and it is cheaper to say so up front than to discover it in the car park.
Bali airport transfers: common questions
How much is a taxi from Bali airport?+
It depends entirely on how far you are going, because the island's areas are spread over two hours of road. Kuta is a few minutes away and runs about Rp 70,000 to 150,000, Seminyak is Rp 150,000 to 250,000, Canggu and Uluwatu around Rp 200,000 to 350,000, and Ubud is Rp 350,000 to 450,000. A prebooked private transfer is usually priced per vehicle rather than per person, which is why it compares well once there are two or more of you and luggage.
Should I prebook a Bali airport transfer or just get a taxi on arrival?+
Both work. Prebooking buys you a fixed price agreed in advance and a driver holding your name in arrivals, which matters most on a long-haul arrival, a late landing, or a first trip. Taking an official taxi from the counters inside the terminal is fine too and needs no planning. What you should avoid is accepting a ride from someone who approaches you in the hall, and any driver who will not agree a fare or use the meter before setting off.
Do Grab and Gojek work at Bali airport?+
The apps work across much of Bali, but airport pickups are the one place where local transport groups most often restrict them, and the rules have changed more than once. A driver may ask you to walk to a particular spot, or may not be able to collect you at the terminal at all. For the arrival itself a prebooked transfer or an official taxi is the safer plan; for the rest of your trip the apps are cheap and easy.
How long is the drive from the airport to Ubud?+
About an hour and a half for the 35 km, and longer if you land in the late afternoon. The road north through Denpasar and Sukawati is slow and there is no fast alternative. Traffic, not distance, is what governs every journey time on this island, so treat the figures on this page as typical rather than guaranteed.
Is one transfer enough to reach Nusa Penida or the Gili Islands?+
No. Both journeys are a road transfer followed by a boat. For Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan you travel to Sanur, which is 30 to 45 minutes from the airport, and take a fast boat from there. For the Gili Islands you go to Padangbai or Serangan for a longer crossing. Book the drive and the boat as separate legs, and leave room between them.
Will my driver wait if my flight is late?+
A prebooked private transfer normally tracks the flight number you give when booking, which is the practical reason to enter it properly rather than skipping the field. Waiting time policies differ between operators, so check the one you are booking. Immigration and baggage at Ngurah Rai can take a while at peak arrival times, so allow for that before deciding a driver has not turned up.
Do I need a car seat for a child?+
If you need one, ask for it when you book rather than on arrival. Car seats are not standard in Balinese vehicles and are rarely available on the spot, whether from a taxi rank or an app. Operators selling private transfers can usually supply one when the request is made in advance.
Where do I meet a prebooked driver at Ngurah Rai?+
In the international arrivals hall, past customs, where drivers wait with name boards. It is busy and there are people offering rides who are not your driver, so look for your own name and your operator, and confirm before you follow anyone. Domestic arrivals has its own, smaller meeting area.