Most of the Bali locations for Eat Pray Love, the movie, were filmed in and around Ubud.
You can find beautiful rice fields that surpass those shown in the movie. The beach scenes were shot at Padang Padang, on south Bali’s Bukit Peninsula. Oddly, the real beach is more attractive than the sort of grey version seen in the film.
But for those hoping to imbibe at the beach bar where Julia Roberts meets Javier Bardem, there’s no point trying, as the bar was created for the movie.
Besides, there are many interesting things you can find in Ubud like, views at the Campuhan Ridge Walk, visiting a lot of Art Museum, Pura Taman Saraswati, Textile Arts Center, Goa Gajah Tempel, Ubud Monkey Forest, Ubud Art Market, and Tegallalang Rice Fields.
Views at Campuhan Ridge. If you want to get out and about in Ubud and take in the best of the local scenery then head to the Campuhan Ridge Walk which is located slightly out of town.
The walk will take you through a lush area of gorgeous hills which overlook an exquisite valley and you can meander along the ridge from the pretty starting point of Gunung Lebah Temple. There is a dedicated path here that you can follow and this is one of the nicest ways to take in some of the less developed areas around Ubud.
Interesting Art Museum in Ubud. You can find a lot of art museum such as Puri Lukisan Museum, Rudana Museum, Blanco Renaissance Museum, and Agung Rai Museum of Art.
When you just come to Bali and you have an interest in arts Ubud is a good choice to visit. If you want to learn more about the great art scene here and get an overview of the kinds of works produced in Bali then this is a great place to come.
Pura Taman Saraswati is a temple that dedicated to the Hindu goddess of wisdom and art called Dewi Saraswati. To that end, you will find gorgeous carvings of the goddess all over the building as well as fountains that gush from the front of the temple and fill a large limpid pond area.
The pond is covered in lush lotus blossoms and it is customary to bathe or drink the waters in order to harness some of the power of the goddess. There are also dance performances held here in the evenings when the temple is illuminated against the night sky and is even more magical than during the day time. Pura Taman Saraswati Ubud is slightly different from other temples in Bali.
On this temple, you will see ponds with pink lotus flowers and neatly arranged water parks. It makes the lotus pond become the main attraction of the Saraswati temple Ubud. Also, you will see frangipani trees are adorning the edge of the pond, and there is a bridge connecting the outer temple area to the main gate area.
When you cross the bridge, you will see many statues lined up on the edge of the bridge. Then you will see the beauty of the main gate with three large doors decorated with gold ornaments. Tourists prohibited from entering the inner temple area because those who can enter the inner temple area are only visitors who wish to pray.
Visiting Textile Art Center. This gorgeous textile gallery is not to be missed in Ubud and is also part of the Threads of Life charity which helps the local area through the sale of sustainable textiles. All the pieces here are made using natural dyes and with a range of weaving techniques found around Indonesia.
This means that you can enjoy centuries of handicrafts traditions here and there is an adjacent shop where you can pick up a few of your own pieces as souvenirs of your trip. If you want to get hands on then you can also join one of the in house textile-appreciation courses.
You can’t come to Ubud and not visit one of its signature attractions which is Monkey Forest. This is actually a series of three temples that date from the 14th century and sit in a nature reserve which has also been turned into a conservation area.
The complex is now overrun with cute primates, as you would expect from the name, and the monkeys here are said to be spiritual animals that guard the temples. You can buy bananas to feed the monkeys here but take care with your personal belongings as the monkeys have been known to snatch items like sunglasses from visitors. The Ubud Monkey Forest is not just a monkey spotting opportunity, it is a deeply important religious and spiritual complex for the local community.
Here you will find Balinese Hindu temples, tranquil rivers, beautiful moss-covered stones and stunning forested areas to explore. It’s also important to note that this is where the monkeys live and they are free to roam as they please, they are not confined.
Ubud Market is actually a series of different markets throughout the day and may look familiar as it was used as a location for the film Eat, Pray, Love starring Julia Roberts. The market sells fruits and vegetables in the morning and in the afternoon you will find arts and crafts pieces on offer which can make great souvenirs. And it is similar to Sukawati Art Market. It gets rather crowded in the afternoons so it is best to get here as early as possible to get the best deals.
If you’ve seen any photos of Bali online you will most likely recognise the shot below of lush green terraced rice fields. This is the iconic Tegalalang rice terrace, one of the most visited tourist attractions in Ubud.
If you’re planning a trip to Bali, you have to add a visit to the rice fields of Ubud to your itinerary. Tegalalang rice fields is a series of rice paddies located close to Ubud, in the centre of Bali, famous for its terraced layout.
This is a traditional Balinese irrigation system known as subak. Positioned in a valley the Tegalalang rice terraces offer extremely scenic lookouts over the rice fields and surrounding green landscape. It’s a very popular tourist hotspot in Bali and a must-see in many Bali itineraries.
