Transportation & Getting Around Bali

It is not so difficult to get around Bali due to Bali is a small island and not many roads should be remembered. With complete map of Bali and maps of all regions of Bali, you can make trips around Bali with Taxi, Public Transportation, Rental car or Motor bike.

However, if you want to hire a car or motorbike and intend to drive by yourself, you must definitely know and follow all the police regulations, for instance, you must be over than 18 years old and posses an International Driver's License or license from ASIAN countries. Furthermore, before making trips, please recheck and ensure all important documents of the car or motorbike including the insurance, international driving license and  maps of Bali  you must bring. Please also recheck all condition of Car or motorbike’s bodies, engine, etc. Especially for motorbike, you should definitely practice it before driving as most of motorbikes rental with automatic-machine. Besides those requirements, previously you should also research or study the roads, destinations or regions you will pass through and reach. However, if you get loss one way, please ask one of  Balinese, he/she  will be certainly very glad to show you the detailed directions or road you want to pass through.

Now if you get around Bali with a taxi, there are many official  taxi operated in Bali are with meter /counter or without a meter, such as  Blue bird Taxi, Praja Taxi, Pan Wirthi, Komotra and Ngrah Rai Taxi. The most favorite taxi in Bali is Blue Bird Taxi. All the taxis are still safe and secure to get in around Bali. Besides taxis with meter,  there are also taxis operating without meter/counter/freelance taxis in Bali.

Airport Pick up service in Bali

Many  International Hotels & Villas in Bali generally provide free airport transfers to their guests and even have airport representative staff to give VIP’s pick up treatment upon arrival at the airport as one of  special benefits or value added to their guests. However, if you do not get free airport pick up service on your arrival, there is no choice for you, you must take a taxi there. There is 24 hours taxi service at the Airport. You can take a taxi at the Ngurah Rai taxi counter, an official taxi company operating at the Airport. The taxis do not use a meter, but they apply fix and reasonable price and the price is recorded on the ticket(no bargain ).The taxi price is higher by midnight or earlier in the morning. No taxi meter can be allowed to pick up guests at the Airport. The taxi meter can be only allowed to transfer out guests to the airport.

Avoid to take a taxi outside the taxi counter, as the price might much higher , except there is no taxi at all. But you should be clever to negotiate or bargain the price, at least you get similar or just bit higher price than its normal price. Therefore, before travelling to Bali you should also know the prices of taxi in Bali, belong the price of taxi to the hotel you will be. Besides you can also ask through e-mail to the hotel staff concerned regarding its complete address, local phone number and emergency contact phone number of the hotel in order to be able to contact the hotel any time you need assistance quickly.

Transfer out/Departure to the Airport in Bali

What you should do :

• Before leaving the hotel, you should recheck all of your belongings, especially all important documents such as airline ticket, passport, visa, etc.
• Kindly pay all bill one day before departure from the hotel to avoid in hurry, especially  when your departure time early in the morning.
• Reconfirm your flight few days before if needed
• If your hotel location will pass through crowded area or traffic jam, you should go to the airport 30 minutes or more time earlier to avoid arriving at the airport very late.
• Borrow a scale at the hotel  to recon your weight belongings if you still have doubt about your belongings weight.
• There is any departure/airport tax, you can ask information to the Front Office staff of the hotel regarding the airport tax.
• If the hotel don’t give free transfer out service to the airport, you can take a taxi with meter or without meter. Just remember if you take a taxi without meter/counter, before dealing the price you ask to Receptionists how much the price of taxi from the hotel to the Airport. Then you can negotiate the price to the taxi driver. If the price is just bit higher, while it is at midnight or earlier in the morning and even the location of the hotels/villas are difficult to get through a taxi as remote location , the price offered is still reasonable for you, instead of taking a long time for a meter taxi or even never get any taxi at all, especially for hotels/villas which have remote locations

There are some tips you may consider before and or after taking a taxi in Bali:

For Taxi meter:

1. Keep the complete data of your hotel/villa like its address and phone number in order to easy to contact or ask for quick assistance if you get lost one way or any incidents occur with you.
2. Keep the map of Bali and map of the regions in the island.
3. Search or study first the location you want to reach  such its directions, roads pass trough, the region, complete address, the distance, estimation of obtaining time, the estimated taxi price to get the location,  etc.
4. Don’t get in a taxi before making right deal with the driver
5. Although the taxi counting the price in the taxi meter , better to look at the taxi meter/counter on normal condition when getting in.
6. Record the type of taxi, its color, the number of taxi, the police number of the taxi, name of taxi and name of the driver.
7. Don’t ever stop or get in a taxi which is already any passengers in the taxi.
8. Ask the taxi driver to pass through the quickest way
9. Better take a seat back of the driver

For Taxi without meter/counter

For taking a taxi without meter/counter, there are other additional important tips beside the same tips if you take a taxi with meter/counter, such as :

1. After getting information of the taxi price, you can take a taxi without meter/freelance taxi. Here the rate can be negotiable   or you can bargain the taxi price till you get the price similar with meter taxi. If the price is just bit higher it is still reasonable, moreover during the night/midnight times, you should wisely consider to take the alternative taxi instead of you wait for a taxi meter for long time or even no taxi for you at all. Now is your choice !
2. If you leave your hotel and want to go shopping, tours, or wherever, it is better for you to keep the name card of your hotel in order to be able to contact or need assistance quickly if you get losing one way or any incident or accidents occurs with you.