Country
Indonesia
73 beaches surveyed and measured. Ten chosen by fame. All ten rated.
14 judged · 73 surveyed · See on the Atlas →
The 10 best beaches in Bali
Ordered by fame: how often Condé Nast Traveler, TravelOnline, Bali Holiday Secrets and Lonely Planet name them, plus measured size. The order is theirs. The rating is ours. Every number is measured or sourced.
- 1
Nusa Dua Beach
WORTH A DETOURSearch for it on a map and you may arrive at a hotel lobby. Several pins share the name.
The factIt is inside a gated resort area with security checks, and entry is free and open to the public.
4,692 m long · 46.8 m wide · Photo: Anton Ardyanto, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2
Jimbaran Beach
WORTH A DETOUREveryone arrives just before sunset. In December and January, so does the rubbish.
The factAt sunset the grills start smoking and the beach becomes one long row of tables set on the sand.
2,992 m long · 42.8 m wide · Photo: Jorge Franganillo, CC BY 2.0
- 3
Canggu Beach
WORTH A DETOUROne of the most popular beaches on the island. This beach looks calm, and that is the problem.
The factIt draws surfers for its strong breaks and sunbathers for its long stretches of black sand.
1,204 m long · 32.7 m wide · Photo: Mx. Granger, CC0
- 4
Padang Padang Beach
ONLY IF YOU'RE ALREADY THEREIDR 15,000, cash only, to squeeze through a rock and find the beach already full.
The factThe way in is roughly 120 steps down a narrow stone staircase that winds through a rock crevice.
▶ Watch it: Global Walks on YouTube
147 m long · 17 m wide · Photo: TMFalkner, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 5
Seminyak Beach
ONLY IF YOU'RE ALREADY THERELoud at sunset, strong underfoot. You swim where the flags say and nowhere else.
The factIt runs for about 3 km along the west coast, from near Double Six up to Petitenget and Batu Belig.
3,596 m long · 38 m wide · Photo: Simon_sees, CC BY 2.0
- 6
Sanur Beach
ONLY IF YOU'RE ALREADY THEREFlat and walkable from end to end on a beachfront path. The excitement is a kite festival.
The factIt is a stretch of coast about 7 km long, running down Bali's east coast.
3,351 m long · 35.6 m wide · Photo: Aspere, CC0
- 7
Amed (Jemeluk Bay)
WORTH A DETOURUp to three hours from Canggu, and you enter the water over slippery stones. What is down there is the reason.
The factOn the seabed at Jemeluk Bay are a working postbox, several Apsara-style statues and a small temple-like structure.
1,899 m long · 16.5 m wide · Photo: Marklchaves, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 8
Dreamland Beach
OVERRATEDThe dream now sits inside a resort development, with a wave one guide flags for spinal injuries.
The factSurfers in the 1970s nicknamed it Dreamland.
905 m long · 25.9 m wide · Photo: Rendy Chandraditya S…, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 9
Lovina Beach
WORTH A DETOURA little over three hours from Seminyak. Even in July you will not be bumping elbows.
The factIt is known for black volcanic sand and dolphin sightings at sunrise.
450 m long · 30 m wide · Photo: Arian Zwegers, CC BY 2.0
- 10
Kuta Beach
OVERRATEDThe busiest beach in Bali, with an undertow for anyone who came to swim.
The factIt is now best known for its party atmosphere, with bars, restaurants and nightclubs lining the beach.
1,982 m long · 44.4 m wide · Photo: Sanji24, CC BY-SA 4.0
How we rate: we have not stood on these beaches, so the sources decide. A beach starts in the middle. It moves up for something no other beach has, or for a top-three place on the fame list. It moves down when someone has been hurt there, when it is closed or banned, or when a source calls the water dangerous. Ordinary cautions are printed on each beach’s page and leave the rating alone.
Asked about beaches in Bali
- What is the best beach in Bali?
- By fame, Nusa Dua and Jimbaran: Condé Nast Traveler, TravelOnline and Bali Holiday Secrets all name both. Our rating puts Nusa Dua, Jimbaran, Canggu, Amed and Lovina highest.
- Which Bali beaches can you swim at?
- None of our sources calls a beach safe. They flag strong currents at Canggu, Seminyak and Kuta, a rip at Padang Padang and a steep shore break at Dreamland, and they say to swim between the flags where lifeguards are on duty.
- Do Bali beaches charge an entrance fee?
- Most of these ten are free, with a parking charge of IDR 2,000 to 20,000 collected locally. Padang Padang charges IDR 15,000 for adults, cash only.
- How warm is the sea in Bali?
- Warm all year. At these ten beaches the sea stayed between 27.7 and 30.5°C through 2025. July and August were the coolest months.
- Why are Uluwatu and Green Bowl not on this list?
- The list ranks beaches we could measure. Green Bowl, Keramas and Medewi are not yet drawn as named beaches on the map we measure from, and the beach at Uluwatu, Suluban, is 93 square metres, under our size floor.
Reviewed in Indonesia
Indonesia · Bali
Legian Beach
Kuta's quieter little sister, by her own description.
Legian is described as the much more peaceful and less crowded little sister of Kuta Beach. We measured 1.4 km of it. Like Seminyak it can have rough surf, and the advice is to check the weather and the conditions before heading out. Flags fly at the lifeguard towers. One of the four best-of lists we read names it.
Best: December (30.0 °C), then April and February →
Indonesia · Bali
Pandawa Beach
Six statues in a cliff, and a ticket booth.
Carved into one side of the cliff above Pandawa are six large statues, each in its own niche, and the five Pandawa brothers are where the beach gets its name. It is no longer the quiet spot it was a decade ago. There is one main road down and you can drive almost to the beachfront. Seven lifeguards cover five points along the beach through the day. The entrance fee in 2026 is IDR 25,000 for an international adult, and the older prices of 10,000 and 15,000 are still all over the internet.
Best: April (29.9 °C), then March and December →
No photo we can show yet
Indonesia · Bali
Nunggalan Beach
A twenty-minute walk to a shipwreck and nobody.
Nunggalan takes about 20 minutes to walk down to and about 30 to walk back up from. At the bottom there is a long stretch of golden sand, an old shipwreck rusting into it, and almost no one else. There are no vendors and no beach clubs. The waves are often strong, and the emptiness that makes the beach is also the reason to be careful in the water: few people will be around if there is trouble. It also goes by Shipwreck Beach and Secret Beach.
Best: March (29.9 °C), then December and April →
Indonesia · Bali
Nyang Nyang Beach
More than 500 steps down, and the same back.
The way to Nyang Nyang is a long staircase of more than 500 steps, down through green hills and rice terraces from a small parking area near Uluwatu. Crowds are low all year. There are no toilets, food stalls or shops on the beach, so what you carry down is what you have. The waves are powerful and there are no lifeguards. We measured 1.3 km of sand, which is a lot of beach per person.
Best: March (29.9 °C), then December and April →
From the blog, on Indonesia
The Deep Guide · Padang Padang, Bali
Padang Padang Beach: The Complete Guide, From the Gap in the Rock to the Last Wave
A cove you enter sideways, a wave that works about 25 days a year, a Julia Roberts film, a 1973 first ride and a village ceremony on the sand. Everything, sourced.
October 2026 · 9 min
Beach Science
Bali's 10 Most Famous Beaches in Photos, and the Best Thing About Each
Sunset dinners on the sand, a postbox under the sea, dolphins at dawn. One photograph and one true fact for each of the ten.
October 2026 · 4 min
Beach Science
Padang Padang Beach: The Bali Cove You Enter Through a Crack in the Rock
147 metres of sand, a staircase through a rock crevice and fishermen at sunset. Five things worth knowing, with the photographs.
October 2026 · 3 min
Beach Science
Bali Beach Rules: Ten Things the Beaches Teach You Anyway
Ten rules, each taken from one dated source about one named beach, in roughly the order they will find you.
October 2026 · 4 min
The Roast · Kuta, Bali
Kuta Beach or Legian Beach: The Same Coast, 1.6 km Apart
One is described as the busiest beach in Bali. The other is next door and described as its quieter little sister. Here is the swap, and what it does not change.
October 2026 · 3 min
Beach Science
Nyang Nyang Beach: What to Bring for 500 Steps and No Shops
More than 500 steps down, no toilets, no food stalls, no lifeguards and hardly anyone else. This is the packing list the beach wrote for you.
October 2026 · 3 min
The Rankings
Hidden Beaches: Twelve That Make You Work for It
A beach on a best-of list is not hidden. What is left is effort: steps, dirt roads, hikes and boats. Twelve from our records, ranked by what stands between you and the sand.
October 2026 · 4 min
Fake Beach Police · Case 005
Best Beaches in Bali: Four Lists, About Thirty Beaches, None on All Four
We laid four published best-of lists side by side. Five beaches appear on three of them. Lonely Planet's list shares nothing with two of the others.
October 2026 · 3 min
One Beach, One Story · Dreamland, Bali
Dreamland Beach, Bali: Named by Surfers, Renamed by a Resort
Surfers called it Dreamland in the 1970s. A resort development made it New Kuta Beach. About ten people a month search for the new name.
October 2026 · 3 min
Beach Science
Black Sand Beaches in Bali: Where the Sand Is Black, and Why
The black is volcanic, and it is mostly in the north and east. The one everybody photographs is on the west coast.
October 2026 · 2 min
Fake Beach Police · Case 004
Bali Beach Entrance Fees in 2026: What 12 Beaches Actually Charge
Most are free with a small parking charge. One popular beach costs IDR 25,000, and pages all over the internet still say 10,000.
October 2026 · 3 min
The Big Board · Bali
How Many Beaches Does Bali Have? 132 on the Map, 74 With a Name
We counted every patch of sand drawn on the map of Bali. The answer depends on what you call a beach, so here are all the answers.
October 2026 · 3 min
The Roast
Six Beaches That Look Better Online
Every beach we have rated Overrated or worse, what the photo leaves out, and what to do instead.
October 2026 · 4 min
The Rankings
The Most Dangerous Beaches We Have Checked
Ten beaches from our records, ordered by what is on record: people killed, people injured, then closures and warnings.
October 2026 · 4 min
The Big Board
Which Country Has the Most Beaches?
We counted eleven countries the same way, in the same month. Spain names the most beaches. Australia has the most sand. Croatia's, all of it together, covers 4.6 km².
Updated October 2026 · 4 min
Surveyed, awaiting judgment
59 beachesEvery one is real: taken from OpenStreetMap, pinned where it actually is and measured. We have not rated these yet.