If you’re going to spend some time in Canggu, Bali, you don’t need to spend days pouring over Google Maps working out what to do with your time.
Our 3 day itinerary for Canggu will help you decide on where to stay, what to do and more!
Where To Stay In Canggu?
FINNS Bali Resort, of course, this is the ultimate place to enjoy a high-end lifestyle and get priority bookings at the beach club.
We’d recommend that you book a single place for all your time in Canggu. The area’s not that big and it’s easy to get around and it means you spend less time moving hotel rooms and more time having fun.
However, the FINNS Bali Resort’s not open for business just yet and until then, you might want to check out:
- White Goose Boutique Hotel
- Saba Villas
- Villa Kalayni
- Villa Batu Sari
- Villa Asta
- Imani Villas
- Shore Amore Canggu
- Theanna Villa and Spa, Canggu
- Aeera Villa Canggu
- and Eastin Ashta Resort Canggu
The Ultimate Canggu Itinerary
Day One: Time To Recover From That Long Flight
If you’ve just arrived in town, it’s time for a gentle day to get the blood flowing and start your Canggu itinerary feeling enthused and excited by what this area has to offer.
Get A Surf Lesson On Echo Beach Or Batu Bolong Beach
You can get a surf lesson anywhere in Canggu, Bali but given that we’re aiming for Berawa later in the day why not start on the famous Echo Beach.
You can arrange a class with a local surf shack and they’ll be happy to rent you a board too. The instructors are all local surfers and many are up and coming professionals and they’ll be happy to give you insider tips to conquering the local surf breaks.
You can surf at Echo Beach or Batu Bolong Beach, its neighbouring beach, all day long from low tide until almost high tide.
Just make sure that your travel insurance covers you for surfing as while most trips to these black sand beaches are uneventful, even the best surfers have been known to have accidents.
Once you’ve finished surfing why not grab a light lunch at Beach Bums cafe? Before heading to FINNS in a Grab or Gojek.
Visit FINNS Beach Club
FINNS Beach Club on Berawa Beach is the world’s best beach club. There’s no entrance fee and you only have to commit to a minimum spend if you want to sit on one of their super comfortable day beds by their amazing beachfront infinity pool (or the other two pools).
If you’ve never been to a beach club before, this is definitely the place to get started and if you have been to a beach club before, this is where you go to see how much better a beach club experience can be.
Nearly 15% of all visitors to Bali spend some days in Canggu just to come to FINNS Beach Club. It’s the place to be if you want to enjoy spectacular sunsets, world class entertainment and ocean views to die for.
We recommend that you book a day bed in advance if you want one as it will get you the best deal on the minimum spend and guarantee you get an amazing seat for the action.
At high tide the beach almost disappears under the waves but the fun never stops at FINNS and it’s one of the reasons so many people love Canggu.
Finish up the day by having a slap up meal at either St. Tropez or Monsoon party restaurants – the food is world class and the dancing is so much fun! (Check out all the best restaurants in Berawa – there are a lot of choices in this area).
Day Two: Kick Off With Coffee And Get Into The Culture
OK, after easing yourself into Canggu life on the first day, it’s time to get up and explore a bit more of the area.
Go On A Crawl Of The Local Coffee Shops For A Delicious Breakfast
There are some awesome places to start the day with a great brekkie, we can recommend Zin Cafe, I am Vegan Babe, The Shady Shack, and Crate Cafe among others. You might even opt to follow the Canggu shortcut and find a coffee shop that’s a little off the beaten path.
Bali produces its own coffee beans and it’s worth trying some of the local Kintamani coffee, be warned it’s a robusta-style coffee which means it’s not quite as sharp in the mouth as an Arabica coffee – so you may find it a bit odd to start with.
Once you’ve had your French toast or whatever a breakfast for a good life looks like for you, it’s time to go and hit a local spa.
Enjoy A Balinese Massage In One Of The Private Rooms At A Top Local Spa
There are plenty of awesome places where you can get a massage and you’ll find that while the prices look high in Indonesian Rupiah, they’re way cheaper than they are at home.
We’d recommend trying the local Balinese massage technique as it’s much more relaxing and soothing than the harsher Thai massages that Southeast Asia has become famous for.
You can expect some lovely aromatherapy as part of a massage session in Canggu too.
(Find lists of the best manicure sports in Canggu, best spas in Canggu, best hair salons in Canggu and the best barbers in Canggu).
Go Shopping At The Boutiques And Love Anchor Market
Ever Bali itinerary needs some time for a bit of shopping and you will find that Canngu has a huge number of places where you can buy high fashion for much less than you’d pay for it at home.
The Love Anchor Market is a very popular spot if you want to take some Instagram shots and check out lots of local brands specializing in modern and vintage clothing.
But both Jalan Pantai Berawa and Jalan Pantai Batu Bolong have a huge range of stores to choose from and you’re bound to find something you like.
If you’re in town on a Sunday, you could also hit up the La Brisa Sunday Market and enjoy some tasty treats from the local farms.
Visit Tanah Lot Temple Complex For A Perfect Sunset
Now, it’s time for a short day trip out to Tanah Lot Temple which is Canggu’s most famous temple site and it sits on an island just off the shore.
You can’t actually go into the temple, but you can watch the light show as the sun drops down behind the Indian Ocean and this place becomes alive in the glow of beautiful coloured natural lighting.
There’s a small fee for entrance here but it’s not very much and it helps to support the local community.
Have A Tasty Dinner And Drinks
Canggu is home to some of the best restaurants on the island and it’s time to go out and enjoy a hearty dinner at one of these places.
We can recommend:
- Uma Garden – a very beautiful garden setting with very good food
- Vagabondo – possibly the best Greek restaurant on the island with amazing lamb skewers
- Ji Terrace by the Sea – a great value Japanese restaurant serving excellent sushi made with local fish
- Billy Ho – Balinese Street Food made by the island’s most famous chef – Will Meyrick
- Good Mantra – a great sport for the plant-based eaters to enjoy not just awesome food but also, vegan cocktails!
Day Three, The Final Day: Be Healthy
Time flies and you’ve only got one day left of your Canggu trip but where to spend it?
We’ve got some awesome ideas for you:
Take A Yoga Class At One Of The Many Yoga Studios
What could be more emblematic of Bali than a yoga class? There are plenty of places to learn this gentle art of stretching in the Canggu Beach area and we’d recommend:
- FINNS Recreation Club – with daily yoga classes in nearly every discipline of yoga, you won’t be disappointed
- Samadi Yoga Studio – a pleasant spot near Echo Beach practicing restorative yoga
- ADDA Yoga – with a lovely rooftop setting, you might want to consider a sunrise session here
- The Freebird Yoga – a place that helps you recover from trauma using yogic practices
- The Path – this yoga studio also has a nice onsite yoga store where you can buy all the accessories you need
Be Creative
There are a few things that you can do that are a little out of the normal in Canggu, consider:
- Taking a graffiti walk – there is a lot of awesome street art in this part of town particularly around Jalan Raya Canggu
- Take part in a beach clean up session – it’s a great way of giving a little back to the island
- Find a secret temple – get a little out of town and you can find some temple sites that don’t see as many visitors as the ones that feature in all the tourist guides
Visit The Rice Paddies
Then, it’s time to spend some time in the rice paddies of Canggu which are one of the most beautiful parts of Canggu.
You can get some lovely photographs in these places and even in bright sunlight, you can capture moments to remember.
Enjoy A Horse Ride Through The Sunset Surf
As we draw to the end of the day, why not contact one of the local horse riding centres and arrange a horse ride at sunset through the surf along the beach? It’s an unforgettable experience.
Bring Your Canggu Adventure To An End With Dinner By The Beautiful Beaches
Then it’s time for one last meal before you move on from Canggu. Why not try:
- Hippie Fish – this swanky seafood restaurant is a very memorable place and looks brilliant in Instagram snaps
- Sababa – if you fancy some Middle Eastern comfort food for sharing this is the place to be
- Sa’Mesa – adventurous eaters shouldn’t miss this fine dining treat, you need to book in advance and each evening there are 20 surprise dishes with no two nights in this place ever having the same menu
- Sensorium Bali – this multi-sensory eating experience is a a truly different and wonderful way to spend an evening in Canggu
Where To Go After Canggu If You’re Staying In Bali
Then, once your 3 days in Canggu are up, why not consider moving on to one of these awesome destinations in Bali?
Ubud
Ubud is the spiritual heart of the island and ideal if you want more temples, rice paddies, yoga classes and cooler temperatures.
West Bali
This is the least explored part of the island by tourists and it’s a shame as the island’s only national park West Bali National Park is very much worth seeing.
Amed
If you love diving and snorkelling, you shouldn’t miss out on a trip to Amed. This is a great area which is only just starting to be discovered by visitors to Bali.
Lovina
There are only a couple of places in Bali where you can see dolphins in the wild and Lovina is the most popular.
Nusa Islands
If you want to see small island life, you could always take a boat from the mainland to see Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan. The white sand beaches on these islands are amazing!
FAQs
Is 3 Days In Canggu Enough?
If you visit Canggu, you may find that you’re having so much fun that 3 days in the Canggu Beach area just isn’t enough.
But don’t forget you can always come back to Canggu Bali in the future and for your first Canggu itinerary, three days is enough to get most of the major highlight that the area has to offer ticked off.
You can spend time on Berawa Beach, Echo Beach, and Batu Bolong Beach and see the world famous Tanah Lot Temple and the rice fields.
You can take in some of the brunch spots and have an amazing time getting a massage in a spa or people watching in the places that are popular with digital nomads.
You could enjoy some live music from local artists and chill out watching the sunset on a comfy day bed with a day pass at FINNS or from one of the expensive, but lovely, private villas by the beach in this area.
If you follow our travel tips above, you’ll be able to see the highlights of what Canggu offers in three days and then, you can decide whether you’re coming back again in the future as so many people do.
How Many Days Do You Need In Canggu?
It very much depends on you, we know people who’ve spent a week or more at FINNS, the beach club lifestyle really suits some people.
However, if you’re looking to spend just a day at a beach club and then do some other things, then 3-7 days in Canggu is probably enough for your first visit.
Most people who visit Canggu will spend some time in one of the other popular spots on the island too, to ensure they get the most out of their holiday.
How Many Nights Should You Stay In Canggu?
We’re not big fans of moving around the island and we’d stay in Canggu for around a week. This gives you enough time to see all of Canggu and to visit Seminyak, Kuta, Legian, Seseh and Jimbaran too, as they’re not that far away in a car.
The more often you change where you stay, the more time you spend packing and unpacking and in hotel lobbies waiting to check in and out rather than enjoying your holiday.
Pick a spot that’s close to most of the places you want to see and then organize a couple of day trips to see what the rest of the nearby neighbourhoods have to offer.
Move when you’re ready to see a different side of the island.
Is It Better To Stay In Seminayk Or Canggu?
We would always recommend that you stay in Canggu rather than in Seminyak. That’s because Canggu has a better blend of attractions and things to see and do as well as still having a few rice paddies and cultural attractions.
You can get from the Canggu Beach area to Seminyak pretty quickly though and Blue Bird Taxis, Grab or Gojek or even a scooter rental can see you from one place to the other in 20-30 minutes even in the worst of the Bali traffic.
Final Thoughts On Spending 3 Days In Canggu
If you’re coming to Bali, Canggu is a must-see destination on your Bali trip. Three days is an ideal amount of time to spend in the town if you want to get a flavour for the place before coming back in the future.
Our simple 3 day Canggu itinerary should help you make the best of your time in the town and ensure that you leave Canggu, Bali with amazing memories and a desire to come back soon!