Ubud Guided Walking Tour

everything was perfect! If you want a tour with a local, small groups, many stories and a good storyteller - this is your tour! You will never regret it!

Ira led us on a wonderful walking tour of some of the sights of Ubud. The royal palace was the most interesting site we visited, but it was even more interesting to hear about the history and culture of Ubud and Bali as well as to hear her tell us about what it’s like to grow up in modern Balinese society. Don’t leave Ubud until you havevtaken this tour.

I visited Ubud in 1989 so revisiting after 37 years I wasn't sure what to expect. But I knew I wanted to take a walking tour cause I wanted to learn about what had changed and what hasn't. Clearly Monkey Forest Road is not the sleepy street it was in '89 but luckily this tour avoided that hustle and bustle. Our guide Joe was knowledgeable, insightful, and thorough about Bali's history and current state of affairs, while always being aware of how hot and tired we may be, so the breaks, and snacks and water were much appreciated. We visited 5 locations and got to see parts of the Royal Palace we would not have on our own. And I had no idea how both old and current many of Ubud's temple structures and compounds are. He was very willing to answer all our questions about Ubud's challenges with crowds and tourism and before we knew it 3 hours had gone by, so keep track of that if time is an issue (hopefully it's not, you're in Bali!).

I highly recommend starting your time in Ubud with this tour. Ira was excellent — great explanations, answered all my questions, excellent English. I wish they offered more tours.

It was informative, involving a blend of cultural references, Bali anecdotes and nuances that only the locals would know. It was lots of fun.

I like doing walking tour whenever I travel. Really helps to understand culture and gives you a good idea on where you’d like to explore more moving on. Such a pleasant experience with our tour guide Ira too, it really helped me to appreciate Ubud and Bali in deeper level

Really interesting walking tour of Ubud. Ari was an excellent guide offering a genuine insight into Balinese life, culture and history. Thoroughly recommend!

I highly recommend the Ubud past to present walking tour with Ira. She makes the tour very fun, you learn a lot about history of Ubud and Bali, and she has great suggestions for what else to do.

Couldnt recommend ubud story walks more! I had Ira as my tour guide and she was amazing. I learnt so much from her and we had so much fun together. Thanks so much Ira it was the highlight of my trip 🙏🏼

A wonderful introduction to Ubud! Our guide Ira was very knowledgeable and friendly. She patiently and expertly answered many questions and the content of the tour was great. I learned so much about Ubud and Balinese culture, it was great context for day 1 of a vacation in Bali. Highly recommend!

We had a wonderful tour with Ira and Linda. They were knowledgeable and personable. We learned a lot and had a great time. Ubud Story Walks is locally owned by a Balinese woman - a great small business to support.

Had a wonderful time. Our guide, Joe, was very knowledgeable and personable. He took time to get to know each person in our group. The tour was very well organized. We took advantage of the tour card to go back and visit the Modern Art museum again.

Great guided tour with Ira, a local with great insights to share and very good English. Our group of 7 had the tour to ourselves, and felt very well looked after. We went to some lovely quiet spots with beautiful gardens, and had a lovely snack sitting in the shade and hearing about the local customs. Final spot was the Royal Palace gardens which are very quiet and lovely. It was a shock after the trip to be in the busy main road with all the crowds!

Very pleased with this beautiful service 😍 after enjoying Bali with my eyes only, I've been dying to give something to my brain - to learn about the culture, history and life of the people here, and I'm glad I found this absolutely lovely tour which I enjoyed so much! Thanks to Ira, our guide, who told us so much and expanded my understanding of the world ❤️ the guide, the information, the arrangement, the snack, the partnering places, everything was just the best. I wanted to also go on another tour (the second tour) to learn more, but it was fully booked, so recommended to book in advance 🫶 please make more of different tours like that for us to enjoy and get to know Bali and Indonesia 🫰☺️🫶 Great value for money, the length is perfect, and enough chance for rest, not a big group, perfect activity for Ubud, highly recommended

My guide was Joe and was very open to my many questions. I would recommend this as a great starting point activity in Ubud. I learned a lot and felt it was a less touristy option to other tours out there.

What an absolute amazing tour. Joe our tour guide is brilliant with lots of stories and so funny. I can’t recommend this enough. The tour runs for 3 hours and it’s an easy walk.

This walking tour was such a lovely way to start the morning in Ubud. Joe was an excellent guide - incredibly knowledgeable, patient and full of interesting stories about Ubud’s past and present. He also shared a lot of detailed information about the town’s traditions, culture and daily life. He gave us water and balinese snacks when we took a break. You could also ask him for recommendations about Ubud. With just two other participants it felt personal, and easy to ask questions. The pace was relaxed and comfortable. The morning weather was perfect, cool and pleasant, which made the walk smooth and enjoyable. Highly recommended if you want a meaningful introduction to Ubud, take this walking tour on your first day in Ubud.

I took a tour with Ira today. I must say it was excellent! More people should be doing this tour, I was solo and the only person on the walk! Ira was incredibly knowledgeable, funny and friendly, and I learnt a great deal about every day Balinese life today and the story behind Ubud, from the early Animism beliefs of the original inhabitants, through the Hindu pilgrimages, the impact of the Dutch East India company and later Dutch colonial rule, the 20th century art scene and the post war tourism boom. It was a story of religion, economics, art, architecture, and the many influences that have shaped such a unique culture and people. Highly recommend this tour for people visiting who would like to know where they are and how this place came to be. Plus there’s snacks! Ten outta ten, thanks Ira!

Very nice tour about local culture and history. Ira was very nice and professional and we also got local deserts to try.

We booked this tour because it was the only walking tour highly recommended by Lonely Planet, and it absolutely lived up to the hype! Our lovely local Balinese guide, Ira, was incredibly bubbly, knowledgeable, and engaging. She guided us through Ubud’s most important temples and museums, sharing fascinating insights into Balinese culture, Indonesian history, and everyday local life. She even provided iced water and delicious local snacks during our breaks, and even helped us take some fantastic photos. This tour was one of the highlights of our time in Ubud. We would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to explore Ubud from a deeper and more authentic perspective. Thank you again, Ira!

Loved this walking tour around Ubud centered around its history from past to present. Our tour guide Joe was super knowledgeable and a pleasure to talk to. I learned a lot and glad I got more insight on Ubud’s culture and history.

Brilliant walk with Joe. Learnt lots about Ubud. A must do when visiting Ubud.

Definitely recommend this tour! A great starting point to get your bearings! Joe was our guide and he was super informative, helpful and professional! Thanks Joe for giving us a very insightful experience!

Excellent tour thank you Ira A must do in Ubud Ira is so knowledgeable, she could answer anything. We did it as a family and the children enjoyed it too.

We joined the Ubud Story Walks and had the pleasure of being guided by Joe. He was incredibly friendly, knowledgeable, and patient—taking the time to answer all of our questions thoroughly. What made the experience truly special was how Joe shared his own personal stories and experiences, giving us a deeper understanding of life in Bali and on other islands. His English was excellent, and his storytelling covered a wide range of topics: history, culture, daily life, traditions, and much more. It felt like walking through Ubud with a friend who opened doors into the heart of Balinese life. This tour was both enriching and enjoyable, and I would highly recommend it to anyone visiting Ubud.

Joe was an excellent guide, very informative. Speaks great English. Responded to questions from the group. Free local snacks was a pleasant surprise! Highly recommended!!

An excellent way to spend an afternoon, our knowledgeable guide, Ira shared lots of interesting information and stories that helped us to better understand and gain insight into the history and culture of Bali

We loved the UBud walking tour Past to Present. Ira was our guide and she was fabulous!! Very knowledgeable, engaging, interesting! It was a great way to see so many things and learn about them historically

Even after living in Bali for 2 years, I learned so much on this tour. It was really interesting insight into the island and why it is what it is! Joe was lovely, well studied and entertaining. Definitely recommend adding this to your itinerary!

Ira was very friendly and informative, and took time to answer questions we had. We went to five different locations and I definitely think the guided tour was worth it, learning about the rich history here. Highly recommend!

Me and my partner joined the Ubud Story Walk on 17 March 2026 and it was really money well spent! Joe and their colleague walked us through the essence of Ubud from past to present and we were able to ask many questions and get a much better picture of Balinese history and culture. It was not only informative, but also super nice from a human perspective. Thanks so much and all the best!

This was an outstanding tour. It was super informative. My guide, Ira, has excellent English capabilities. She was knowledgeable, pleasant to chat with, enthusiastic, and friendly. I highly recommend food Ubud Walking Tours

This was a great way to get a broad overview of Balinese culture, history, and religion while also seeing some of the iconic sights in central Ubid. Ira is an excellent guide and story teller which is why this is such a great excursion. As a trained English teacher, she is quite fluent. She is personally very engaging and provides a great insight into Balinese life, both past and present.

If you are visiting Ubud and want to truly "see" the heart of Bali rather than just look at it, Joe is the guide you need. Joe is the definition of a professional. He was incredibly friendly and patient, taking the time to answer every single one of our questions with deep knowledge and a smile. He also went above and beyond with thoughtful touches that made a huge difference. He surprised us with delicious local Balinese snacks and water to keep us refreshed. This experience reminded us why having a guide is so vital. You can read a guidebook, but you can’t ask a book a follow-up question about a local ritual or the meaning behind a specific stone carving. Joe didn't just show us sights; he gave us context. After these three hours, we walked away with a genuine understanding of the island's soul. Thank you, Joe, for a perfect experience! 10/10 recommendation. Ada & Dan, Canada.

The Ubud: Past to Present tour was excellent with Ubus Story Walks. We had Joe and Rai as our tour guides and they were both very knowledgeable, friendly and fun. Communication prior to the tour was very good. We would highly recommend this tour.

We booked the Ubud Walking Tour and had a great time with Ira. In three hours, we learned so much about the history of Ubud, art, culture and history, and Bali. It was a pleasure to listen to her fascinating explanations. She is very knowledgeable and patiently answered all our questions. The places we visited together were very well chosen for the different topics and very informative. We can wholeheartedly recommend this tour to anyone who wants to delve deeper into the history and culture of Ubud. A great experience!

This tour was a wonderful introduction to Ubud. We learned so much from Ira and Rai as our guides - they were incredibly knowledgeable about Ubud and Balinese history and culture and they further brought it to life by generously sharing their family and personal experiences. Highly recommend this tour.

I had such a wonderful time with Ubud Story Walks. I love doing a walking tour in a new place, and this company is the only one I could find in Ubud. The route was great, content was informative, and my guide was so lovely and answered all of my many questions. Highly recommend to book if you want to learn about Ubud but also Balinese culture and history as well.

My guide was wonderful, knowledgeable and friendly. We had a relaxed time waiting for the rain to stop at the beginning, then proceeded. All the stop were along the main road and around the palace. I had seen these structures, but took the tour to know the purpose and history of these structures. It was all put in context. Yes my guide was very insightful in the whole History of her culture. Very enjoyable.

I don’t leave reviews, but this is not to be missed! We did the Ubud: Past to Present tour with Ira and Rai as tour guides and they were incredible! Great introduction to Ubud and Balinese culture. We got so much more out of it, than if we had just went to the sites by ourselves or read about them. They were also very friendly and answered all our questions. We left feeling like we knew so much more about Ubud and Balinese culture. Plus, you get discounts and recommendations for the rest of your trip. Highly recommend! And I hope you get Ira and Rai!

This afternoon walk exceeded my expectations! The guides for this tour were Joe and Rai. Joe was the tour leader and was incredibly knowledgeable and provided some very detailed information about the past of Ubud to the Ubud of today. The office/cafe Little Talks provided a delicious snack which we enjoyed at a rest stop along with a bottle of water but I would highly recommend bringing a bottle as well. (I also recommend Little Talks cafe for a well priced delicious coffee). The walk is about 3 hours but done at a very leisurely pace and I believe it’s even suitable to those who may not be regular walkers. Joe took time to answer any questions and was ably assisted by Rai. It was fascinating to hear and see a side of Ubud many tourists would not be aware of. I believe group numbers are kept small which gives every participant a great experience.

We had an amazing 3-hour walking tour with our guide, Joe. It was just the two of us, and Joe made the experience truly special. He was incredibly well-prepared and knowledgeable, answering all our questions with great detail and enthusiasm. We learned so many fascinating things about local life, culture, and nature - insights we never would have discovered on our own. Joe even brought along lovely local snacks for us to try, as well as umbrellas, mosquito spray, and water - he thought of everything (and as a plus is a great photographer for some memories to keep)! The walking route was very manageable and full of variety. We can highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Ubud. It was one of the highlights of our trip, and we would happily do it again anytime!

We had a wonderful tour today with Ira. We did the Past to Present tour. She was very knowledgeable about all the sights she took us to. Her english was perfect and she was very engaging answering all our questions. I highly recommend this tour if you are in UBud. It gives you that feel for the history of the area

We had a wonderful Tour with Ira. Her English is very good, we learned a lot about Ubud, the Hinduism and the Life of royals and not-royal people in Bali and Indonesia. We would definitely recommend to do this walking tour while your Stay at Ubud!

Joe was very friendly and knowledgeable on Ubud and made it a fantastic day for my girlfriend and I. We loved seeing parts of Ubud we wouldn't have found on our own and learning about the rich history Ubud has to offer! Would highly recommend to anyone to try the walking tour

Amazing tour to learn about the essence of Ubud and Balinese culture. So glad I did it! Joe , our experienced guide, walked us through art, religion, traditions, history, in the most engaging way!

I booked this tour for my family, but my wife twisted her ankle the night before, so only my 25-year old daughter and her boyfriend were able to take the tour. She loved it though. Here's her review: "We had a wonderful time on our tour today. Win and Agus were so fun and taught us so much. We’re so glad to have joined this tour."

I had an amazing experience with Ira, she taught me so much about balinese history, religion and tradition. It really helped me understand the culture better and enjoy more the other visits I did during my stay.

Yesterday we had a wonderfully informative and engaging walk with Win. She was genuinely friendly, kind, encouraged questions and really knew her topics. I learned more on this tour about Balinese history, culture, art and Ubud itself than I had amassed in 10 years of visits. The itinerary was perfectly doable though people with mobility issues could struggle with the initial few steps down to the river. I think Win is an asset to Ubud Story Walks. Ask for Win for yiur tour!