What to Do in Bali on a Rainy Day: My Favorite Ways to Spend Wet Season

If you’re wondering what to do in Bali on a rainy day, I have quite a few suggestions after living here for years. Some involve leaving the house, some involve eating very well, and some involve staying exactly where you are with your Kindle and a takeaway. Honestly, I love sitting at home here when it’s raining, -especially when I can hear it and watch it pouring down outside. Maybe it’s the Californian in me (aka growing up with hardly any rain), but I LOOOVE the rain here.

But Bali also has some of the best food I’ve found anywhere, more wellness classes than I could possibly keep up with, and spas where you can happily spend an entire afternoon on a package treatment. There are some really interesting museums, too, which people tend to overlook when planning a trip here. I took my parents to one recently, and it ended up being such a good way to introduce them to Balinese culture.

So, here are my favorite things to do in Bali when it rains, with suggestions around different parts of the island. Hopefully, you’re already staying somewhere lovely, because that brings me to my first point.

1. Stay In and Actually Enjoy Your Villa – or a Super Unique Bali Stay

Sometimes I think we spend so much time exploring that we barely enjoy the place we booked! If you have a gorgeous room overlooking the jungle, a big covered terrace, or a ridiculously comfortable bed, a rainy afternoon is a pretty good time to actually appreciate it. Order something delicious, open your Kindle, journal, or finally watch that show you keep saving.

On that note, Bali must be a contender for the world capital of unusual accommodation, and I’ve made it my mission over the years to find and stay in as many unique Bali stays as possible. My guide to unique places to stay in Bali has plenty of places worth spending time in. A Bali bamboo house would be particularly magical in the rain, with all that greenery around you and those beautiful curved bamboo roofs overhead making you feel protected yet also completely immersed in nature. Pick one with an enclosed bedroom if you want to watch the jungle getting soaked from somewhere properly cozy!

Your afternoon in might also involve editing photos, calling someone back home, or playing games on your phone, including browsing Win Spirit casino Australia if that’s your thing. Personally, I can lose quite a few hours sorting through travel photos, especially when I’ve been putting it off for approximately forever. Add the sound of rain outside, and I’m very happy staying put.

2. Find a Cozy Café and Watch the Rain

Bali has some of the BEST café food I’ve had anywhere, and I have spent an honestly quite impressive amount of time investigating this. The coffee is excellent, the brunch options are endless, and there are cafés overlooking everything from jungle valleys to busy little streets. Watching the rain pour down with something delicious in front of you is absolutely one of my favorite Bali rainy day options.

In Canggu, Miel has a lovely indoor space full of greenery, while Alchemy has a beautiful bamboo building with a back garden and healthy food. Blacklist is another good option for proper coffee and an indoor seat. My Canggu brunch and cafés guide is the result of years of eating my way around the area, so there are plenty more opinions in there, haha.

Around Ubud, I love a jungle view when it rains, especially when you can watch the mist hanging over the trees. These Ubud restaurants with a view include some beautiful places for that; a covered table set back from the edge is usually much more enjoyable when the rain starts blowing sideways.

And it doesn’t have to be brunch. A local warung is a great place to try Indonesian food, whether you’re choosing a few dishes for nasi campur or ordering a big plate of nasi goreng. Warung Lokal in Canggu is one option, and a rainy lunch is a good opportunity to try something beyond your usual order.

3. Spend an Entire Afternoon at the Spa

I think spa time belongs on pretty much any Bali itinerary, and I usually get a treatment at least once a week when I’m here. Sometimes I book somewhere fancy with a private room, and sometimes I go to a cheaper neighborhood spot where the massage beds are separated by curtains. Both have their place, and sometimes my decision comes down to how much I feel like spending that day.

Lots of spas offer two- or three-hour packages combining a massage with a body scrub, facial, foot massage, head massage, or flower bath. You can arrive while it’s pouring, spend the afternoon being scrubbed and massaged, and come out feeling very refreshed. The rain outside feels like nature’s own perfect Bali spa soundtrack!

There’s a huge range of prices, so a spa afternoon can be a splurge, or also less than $20. Paying more often gets you a more private room, beautiful surroundings, oftentimes better massages, and extra facilities, while the little local places can be amazing value. I love having both options so close to home.

4. Visit a Museum or Browse Ubud’s Galleries

Museums aren’t usually the first thing people associate with Bali, but there are some really good ones here. Ubud alone has enough galleries and art museums to fill several rainy afternoons, and you’ll see paintings displayed in shopfronts all over town. It’s quite incredible how much art there is especially in this area.

My personal recommendation is SAKA Museum at AYANA in Jimbaran, which I visited with my parents. They loved it, and it’s great to learn all about some of the traditions you see around the island. There are huge ogoh-ogoh – the elaborate, often demonic-looking figures paraded through the streets on the eve of Nyepi – as well as films and exhibitions explaining these and many aspects of Balinese culture.

The exhibitions also explore subak, Bali’s traditional cooperative irrigation system, and its connections to farming, religion, and community. If you’ve been admiring rice terraces all over the island, it’s fascinating to learn more about how they work and what they mean to the people farming them. The building itself is beautiful, too.

A few other museums worth knowing about:

• Museum Pasifika in Nusa Dua: Paintings and other artworks connected to Bali and the wider Asia-Pacific region, including work by artists who lived and traveled here. This is a good one for anyone staying around Nusa Dua.
• ARMA in Ubud: The Agung Rai Museum of Art displays traditional and contemporary paintings by Balinese, other Indonesian, and international artists. The collection sits within a beautiful garden complex, with separate buildings to explore.
• Museum Puri Lukisan in central Ubud: Balinese paintings and woodcarvings, with plenty to look at if you’re interested in the island’s artistic traditions. Its central location also makes it easy to combine with lunch and some gallery browsing.
• Bali Museum in Denpasar: Historic objects and displays about Balinese life and culture, housed in traditional-style buildings.

5. Take a Balinese Cooking Class

I’ve taken a few cooking classes in Bali, including ones offered through hotels and restaurants, and I always come away having learned something new. There are so many ingredients, spice combinations, and preparations involved in Indonesian cooking that you don’t necessarily notice when you’re just happily eating it. Sambal alone deserves some attention, especially if you’re someone who puts it on everything (like me).

I did a cooking class at Warung Nia in Seminyak, where the experience includes a market visit before the cooking session. Buying ingredients and then learning what to do with them makes the whole thing much more interesting, particularly when you see the whole process from buying ingredients to combining them.

You can book the Warung Nia cooking class here. The market portion is also covered, but you’ll just have to get there. The cooking takes place under cover, and obviously you get a meal out of the afternoon (actually, its more of a FEAST). Which is a pretty good ending if you ask me.

6. Make Something at a Creative Workshop

Bali has SO many workshops, from silver jewelry and ring-making to batik, pottery, painting, and perfume. A rainy afternoon is a great time to sit down and make something, especially if you’ve spent the rest of your trip moving between beaches and waterfalls. There’s a pottery class in Canggu I’ve been meaning to try myself, so I probably need to take my own advice here.

Silver workshops are especially popular around Ubud, and making a ring is a pretty special souvenir to take home. Batik classes introduce you to the wax-and-dye process used to create patterned fabric, while perfume workshops let you experiment with different scents. L’Atelier Parfums & Créations has workshop locations in Seminyak and Sanur. Perfuma classes are something even a lot of us who live here like to do on special occasions.

In Jimbaran, Jenggala’s Paint-a-Pot lets you decorate a ready-made ceramic piece, such as a mug or bowl. This is painting ceramics rather than making them on a pottery wheel, and the finished piece needs several days for firing. It’s a fun option earlier in your trip, especially if you’re already visiting SAKA nearby.

7. Take a Yoga, Pilates, or Gym Class

Bali is Bali, after all, so you’re hardly going to struggle to find a class. Canggu alone has an almost unbelievable number of Pilates studios, yoga spaces, and big gyms with classes running throughout the day. If it’s one of those afternoon downpours, you could spend an hour moving your body and come back out to a completely different sky.

I’ve tried most of the big gyms and done my best to explore the studios, too, and I’m working on a gym comparison article because I have quite a few opinions at this point. There’s everything from sweaty strength sessions to reformer Pilates and slower yoga classes. My Canggu yoga guide covers some of my favorite spaces.

For a particularly beautiful setting, Chandra in Pererenan and Yara Wellness farther out toward Tabanan have lovely connections to the surrounding greenery. You may get a little wet walking to the shala, and they’re more open to nature than a sealed indoor studio, but hearing the rain around you during a class can be pretty special.

8. Try Sound Healing, Breathwork, or Meditation

You also don’t have to be in the mood for a workout to book a class. Bali has loads of sound healing, breathwork, meditation, and other interesting sessions, and I highly recommend trying sound healing while you’re here. Lying down and listening to the room fill with the sound of bowls or gongs is a very different afternoon from running around sightseeing.

Ubud and Canggu both have plenty of options, and you’ll find sessions through individual studios and on ClassPass. Some take place in beautiful covered spaces surrounded by greenery, so the rain becomes part of what you’re hearing. There’s even a floating sound healing in Bali – but maybe that wouldn’t be the ideal one to try on a rainy day! This would be a lovely idea to pair with a massage if you’re going all in on a very mellow day.

9. Go to the Cinema

Sometimes I just want a big screen, snacks, and a couple of hours watching a film, and many people don’t know that Bali does have proper cinemas. ICON Bali XXI and IMAX is in the ICON Bali mall in Sanur, while Beachwalk XXI is in Beachwalk Shopping Center in Kuta. These cinemas are actually worth hopping in a car for.

You can combine a film with lunch and a bit of shopping on a rainy day – it’s nice to stock up on things in an actual mall sometimes. Beachwalk has open-air sections, so the cinema itself is the indoor part of this recommendation. And yes, watching a movie is still a perfectly enjoyable thing to do on holiday – I live here and sometimes forget it’s an option myself.

10. Browse Bali’s Independent Boutiques

There is so much more to shopping in Bali than souvenirs, although I do love a good souvenir browse as well. You’ll find Bali-based clothing labels, handmade jewelry, ceramics, art, and homewares that make you start wondering how much room you actually have left in your suitcase. Uluwatu, Canggu, and Ubud all have plenty of independent shops worth a look.

Central Ubud is particularly good for wandering between boutiques and galleries, with plenty of cafés in between when the rain gets heavier. Around Canggu and Uluwatu, the shops are more spread out, so it’s easier to pick a small area and explore what’s there. I could happily spend a rainy afternoon looking at clothes, stopping for coffee, and convincing myself that one more piece of jewelry takes up no space.

11. Bounce, Climb, and Play at AeroXSpace

If you’re feeling more energetic, AeroXSpace is a big indoor adventure park in Denpasar with trampoline areas, climbing activities, elevated challenges, and games. It’s a very different option from another café or spa, and it could be particularly useful if you’re traveling with kids or teenagers who have been stuck inside all morning.

There are activities for adults, too, so this doesn’t have to be a parents-watch-from-the-side situation. Have a look at the different attractions and see what appeals to your group. After several days of eating, getting massages, and lying around a villa, bouncing around indoors might actually be quite welcome.

A Few Rainy-Day Combinations Around Bali

If you want to put a couple of these together, these are the combinations that make sense to me:

• Ubud: Start with a museum or some galleries, have lunch overlooking the jungle, then book a long spa treatment. This is an udeal day whether or not it’s raining, to be honest!!
• Canggu: Brunch first, obviously, followed by a Pilates or yoga class and a massage. Or make it a café, some boutique browsing, and a sound healing session if you’re feeling less energetic. Or end with jewelry making or perfume!
• Jimbaran: Visit SAKA Museum, have lunch, and spend some time painting ceramics at Jenggala. If the rain clears in time, Rock Bar at AYANA is one of my favorite places to watch sunset on the entier island.
• Sanur: Try a perfume workshop, stop for lunch, and catch a film at ICON Bali. You could come home with your own perfume and finally have seen that movie everyone keeps talking about.

Or book one thing, enjoy it, and head back to your beautiful room when you’re ready and soak it all in from there. I love exploring Bali, but I also love hearing the rain outside while I’m tucked up at home with a cup of tea, and there’s room for both on a trip here.

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Well, I hope that has given you some solid ideas for what to do on a rainy day in Bali! Let me know what you end up doing in the comments below.