As it's an island, there are really only two ways to get to Bali: by air or by sea.
Note: Visitors should be aware of the Balinese New Year (Nyepi), which occurs sometime between mid-March and late April. Nyepi is a day of silence, when restaurants are closed, taxis are off the streets, and people are supposed to remain indoors. Note especially that the airport is closed on Nyepi. There are no scheduled arrivals or departures on the day.
Bali by Sea
The main sea route is by ferry from the eastern tip of Java. Ferries leave Ketapang on Java every 15 to 30 minutes, 24 hours a day.
Bali By Air
If traveling by air, your point of entry and exit is the Ngurah Rai international airport of Denpasar (code: DPS). Many international airlines have daily flights to and from Bali. The airport is also well connected to the rest of Indonesia by the country's half-dozen domestic carriers.
If connecting between domestic and international flights, note that the connection will involve getting from one terminal to another, which requires a short 10 to 15 minute walk.
Airlines Serving Bali
The list below shows the domestic and regional airlines that service Bali. If flying to Bali from Europe, you may wish to consider Thai or Singapore airlines, which will involve a change of planes in Bangkok or Singapore, respectively. Flights from North America typically involve transits of Taiwan, Japan or Hong Kong.
- Air Asia
- Air Asia is Malaysia's discount domestic carrier, with operations in Thailand and Indonesia as well. If you book well in advance you can get some absolutely rock bottom fares.
- Batavia Air
- Small domestic airline. At last check, web site had no English language version and no online reservation capability.
- Garuda Indonesia
- Garuda is the national carrier of Indonesia. The have a global network of routes to bring visitors to Indonesia, and of course they have a domestic network which serves the major cities in Indonesia. They have, from time to time, offered heavy discounts (50%) on domestic flights for people coming to Indonesia via Garuda.
- Lion Air
- Very large carrier, covering about 20 cities in Indonesia, and international connections to Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Singapore.
- Malaysia Air System
- The Malaysian national carrier flies internationally between Kuala Lumpur and major cities around the world.
- Mandala Airlines
- Covers major cities in Indonesia, including Jakarta, Bali, Yogyakarta and Surabaya.
- Merpati Airline
- Another large Indonesian carrier, with an extensive domestic network and international connections to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. Has a reputation for very bad service.
- Singapore Airlines
- The Singaporean national airline flies daily between Singapore and Bali.
- Thai Airways
- The Thai national carrier flies daily to Bali from Bangkok.
In addition to the above, other airlines include American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, China Airlines, EVA Airways, Gulf Air, Japan Airlines International, Korean Air, Qantas Airways, Sriwijaya Air and United Airlines.
Bali Visa on Arrival
Visitors from 36 nations, which includes the U.S., EU and GCC countries, can get a visa on arrival. The costs are US$10 for a 7-day stay and $25 for a 30-day visa. At Denpasar, it's a fairly straight-forward process, with the visa purchase counters directly in front of the immigration counters. Simply stop at the first counter and pay your visa fee. Then take your passport and visa receipt to the next counter, where they'll print the visa and stick it into your passport. Finally, proceed to the last counter, which will stamp and cancel the visa just placed in your passport (don't you just love bureaucracy?)
Departure Tax
The departure tax is 30,000 Rupiah (1.80 USD) for domestic flights and 150,000 (9.00 USD) for international flights.