Best way to get around Bali — scooter, car, or taxi?

For a short transit trip through Bali (e.g. 2 days), hiring a driver is better value than renting a car — a driver for a full day costs around 1,000,000 rupiah, which is cheap. Roads in some areas are uncomfortable and local driving style makes self-driving a car difficult; riding a scooter is more manageable.

In remote areas of Bali, it's often easier to arrange transport directly through the hotel owner. If renting a scooter without experience, practice first in a quiet, low-traffic spot to build coordination — traffic there is usually calm, but ride slowly and carefully.

If you don't ride a scooter yourself and rely on walking or waiting for taxis/Grab, short distances in Bali feel much longer because of traffic — 1 km can feel like 3 km. One traveler managed like this for a couple of days before switching to a scooter.

On the smaller islands near Bali, taxis wait right at the dock after fast boat arrivals. On Bali itself, Grab cars, Grab scooters, and regular taxis are available almost everywhere.

Riding as a passenger on a scooter is one of the highlights of visiting Bali — you can stop anywhere, enjoy the scenery, and experience the island on a completely different level compared to being in a car.

Travelers who have explored Bali both by car and by scooter consistently say the scooter experience is on a completely different level. The risks are real, but it's a personal choice each traveler makes for themselves.

Bali looks small on a map, but heavy traffic means journeys take far longer than expected. Always budget extra time when traveling between areas of the island.