Bali is primarily reached by air, since many visitors fly directly in and out of Denpasar. Other travellers come to Bali as part of wider journey through Indonesia and the region, and they invariably arrive by boat.

Getting to Bali by Air | Getting to Bali by Sea

By Air

Ngurah Rai is the name of Denpasar International Airport, one of the largest and busiest airports in Indonesia. The main arrival point for around 90% of visitors to Bali, the airport has 17 gates and is served by a very wide range of carriers and destinations including:

Domestic
Garuda Indonesia (who fly to Jayapura, Makassar, Mataram, Balikpapan, Jakarta, Surabaya, Timika, Yogyakarta)
Lion Air (Jakarta, Makassar, Manado)
Merpati Nusantara Airlines (Bandung, Bima, Mataram, Maumere, Merauke, Jakarta, Kupang, Surabaya, Waikabubak, Waingapu)
Wings Air (Surabaya, Yogyakarta)

International
Air Asia (Kuala Lumpur)
Cathay Pacific (Hong Kong)
China Eastern Airlines (Shanghai)
Eva Air (Taipei-Taoyuan)
Garuda Indonesia (Hong Kong, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, Seoul-Incheon, Shanghai-Pudong, Singapore,  Nagoya-Centair, Osaka-Kansai, Tokyo-Narita)
Japan Airlines (Osaka-Kansai, Tokyo-Narita)
KLM (Amsterdam, Singapore)
Korean Air (Seoul-Incheon)
Malaysian Airlines (Kuala Lumpur)
Qatar Airways (Doha, Kuala Lumpur)
Royal Brunei Airlines (Bandar Seri Begawan)
Singapore Airlines (Singapore)
Thai Airways International (Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi)
Transaero (Moscow-Domodedovo)
Uni Air (Kaohsiung)

The above is by no means an exhaustive list. Many more airlines are queued to start regular services out of Ngurah Rai and also, many seasonal and charter jets serve Chinese and Australian locations.

The airport is located about 13kms south of Denapasar and holiday makers relaxing on Kuta Beach can see the jumbo jets landing just towards the cape at the very far end of the main beach.

Bali by Boat

The main ferry service to and from Bali runs from Ketapang, a pier on the west side of Bali, to Gilimanuk in the island of Java. These services run very regularly – several times an hour – and the jounrey takes about thirty minutes. The three-and-a-half hour ferry journey from Padang Bai to the neighbouring island of Lombok and these leave every three hours.

Beautiful Bali

One of Asia’s most popular destinations continues to draw the crowd, with its fantastic beaches, excellent hospitality, lovely landscapes, intriguing temples, tropical gardens and exotic Balinese culture. Whether you’re coming for a party or some peace and quiet, the island offers all that and more, both in the mountains and beside the sea.

This Bali guide and blog is the pre-cursor to a full travel guide to the island, featuring dozens of pages and images to help you plan your trip and get the most from your visit. From spas to surfing, food to festivals we have it covered here with our expert travel writers. It’s part of a larger series on Southeast Asia travel destinations.

Bali has recovered from it’s terrible bombing and offers a safe and relaxed destination that epitomises the best of tropical Pacific islands. Come on in to this site to see it for yourself before you’ve left home. Before planning your trip consider saving money on flights, travel deals and hotels with discount vouchers offered by some sites.