The Ultimate Guide for Shopping in Bali (+ 1 secret place no one talks about!)

Are you are planning a trip to Bali and wondering what to buy? Or are you already in Bali wondering where to go to get the best deals? Not to worry. Here’s the ULTIMATE Bali shopping guide, with the best places to shop from, places to avoid, the best and worst shopping markets in Ubud, what to buy, and the secret places that offer you the best price. I also try to take you through what I bought on my trip and the approximate Bali shopping prices.

Bali is a shopper’s paradise. But there are so many shops and markets to choose from , that it gets really hard to find the one that will fit your budget. Especially if you do not like to bargain. Many of the famous shopping markets also tend to have the steepest prices and if you do not like haggling, there’s a high chance of you overpaying for most of the goods.

You can find places to shop in Seminyak, Kuta or Sanur but the main shopping hub is centered around the Ubud area, which is where this post will be concentrating on.

Before we get to the good places, let’s go through places you should mostly avoid when you are shopping in Bali.

This might be surprising to most of you, but the shops in and around Ubud Art Market and Ubud Sacred Monkey Forest quote the highest prices of them all. I was excited to visit these but when I went there, I was surprised to hear that the prices were 4x-5x more than what I was expecting. They will tell you to ask for the best price so that you can haggle your way down to a price you like, however, I personally hate going through the whole charade of haggling, and try to avoid it as much as possible.

I have been to Ubud Art Market, Arjuna Art Market and Prianka Ubud Art Market personally and experienced the same thing in all of these places. I had been to one of these markets at the start of the trip and ended up paying a ridiculous amount for a pair of beaded chokers that really wasn’t even worth 30% of what I paid. And this was after haggling.

This is not to say that you should avoid these markets altogether. These are great when you don’t have enough time to roam around and just want to pick up a few souvenirs or bags to take with you. However, if you are serious about shopping there are better places to go to.

One of the places where I found a really good collection of bags and other souvenirs for reasonable prices. You might need to haggle a bit here but I found the shopkeepers to be really sweet and not so pushy. The prices are definitely better than what you hear in Ubud Art Market. So, when you visit Tirta Empul whilst in Bali, be sure to keep some time aside for shopping outside in the market stalls . Now coming to my favourite – the best, most secret place to buy things at wholesale prices in Bali – *drumrolls*

Jalan Raya Andong Street is the best place to shop in Ubud (and in Bali, in my opinion), and such an underrated gem that no one talks about. It’s a long street filled with shops selling Rattan decor, bags, really unique showpieces, dreamcatchers and teak products for wholesale prices. The best part? Most of these places have fixed, wholesale prices, so you really don’t need to go through the hassle of bargaining at all! The street also has two supermarkets where you can pick up some regional snacks, coffees etc and it’s just a few hundred meters away from the art markets. 

How to get to Andong Street? From the Ubud Palace, head straight towards Patung Dewa Indra statue and turn left at the circle. You should see a Delta Dewata supermarket if you walk a few meters ahead. It’s a long street and you can walk all the way up and explore all the shops on either side of the road. Click here for the location of Delta Dewata supermarket which you can use as your starting point. I’m listing a few places below where I bought stuff personally so read on ahead. Ubud markets will do when you are in a hurry but if you are looking for the best shopping in Bali look no further than Andong Street.

If you have eaten in any of the cafés in Ubud, you would have seen food being served in these wooden bowls and plates. This is just one of those things that fits the Ubud aesthetic in my mind. Well, if you want to take them home, you can. There are a lot of places selling cutlery, chopping boards, mugs, bowls and trays made from Teak, especially near Ubud Art Market, like Bali Teaky but I found them to be super expensive. For the best deals, you can visit the shops in Andong Street. 

Sari Mumbul in Jalan Raya Andong – Petulu (pictured) had the best pieces all in wholesale prices (1/3rd the price quoted elsewhere). This is located at the start of Andong Street on the left if you are following my instructions. There was also one more outlet that I noticed at the end of Andong Street.

Drive down Andong Street to see a lot of such unique art pieces and carvings out on display and you will be tempted to buy all of them. Some are too big for your check-in luggage but most of these places also export their stuff and might even ship these items out for you, if you are willing to pay the price that is. The artwork is impeccable and the skill needed to create these hand-carved works of art deserves whatever money they ask for. 

Ubud is a bohemian paradise. The amount of bohemian decor from bowls to mirrors to lampshades that you see is astounding. Made from cane, rattan, and shells, these pieces are again handmade and look so refreshing in any house. 

Best place to buy these? You guessed it. Andong Street it is. There are a lot of other shops you can choose from but I went to Kharisma (shop details below) and can personally recommend them.

If I could buy all the rattan stuff I saw in Bali, trust me, I would. Beautifully woven and well made, these add such an earthy, rustic vibe to any space. All of the rattan home decor that I saw was sadly too big for my suitcase, but I did end up buying some knick-knacks.

For rattan bags, I really loved the collection in Tirta Empul. For all the other stuff pictured above, to Andong Street we go!

This is another thing you see everywhere in Bali. Dreamcatchers and other crocheted items make for a very good souvenir to take back home and are fairly inexpensive. 

If you are looking for some natural skincare and body care, there are plenty of shops and boutiques in Ubud that sell these. You can also pick up samples from any of the spas that you visit in Bali.

Another thing you can buy in Bali is good quality, pure cotton clothes, which are perfect for that South Asian hot weather. Expect the prices to be a bit expensive than what you can find in India but these are great options to have when you need some extra clothes to wear in Bali.

I try not to shop a lot when I travel (try being the keyword here), but Bali is one such place where I just couldn’t help myself. If not for the luggage restriction, I would have probably brought back the entire shop’s inventory. In fact, I would love to go to Bali for shopping all the decor I can when I have my own house. 

I’m making this list here to give everyone an idea of what they can pick and the approximate cost of each.

• Rattan bags – a must when anyone visits Bali. I picked these up from a shop outside Tirta Empul where I met the sweetest uncle who had made these by hand. I picked up really unique ones which cost me around 200K IDR each. However, the cheap ones which are actually made from plastic will cost you as little as 30.000 IDR. Tip: Pay more for the well-made rattan ones.
• A very bohemian mirror made of cane (which I miraculously fit in my suitcase) – a shop on Andong Street. Costs around 120K IDR.
• Wooden salad bowls, wooden spoons and wooden chopping boards and trays – from Sari Mumbal on Andong Street. Made of teak, the bowls were around 55.000 IDR, and chopping boards and trays are around 50.000 IDR. Spoons were as cheap as 10.000 IDR.
• Rattan placemats. Costs around 100K IDR for two. Depending on the quality the prices may vary.
• A bag of coffee from Sineman Coffee Roasters. Pretty expensive but totally worth the money.
• Box of Indonesian coffee samples and cocoa powder – picked up from the supermarket. These are pretty inexpensive.
• Random souvenirs like fridge magnets (which will cost you anywhere between 10.000 IDR to 50.000 IDR depending on the quality and intricacy of the work).
• Bought it to avoid renting at the temples but ended up becoming a souvenir – Sarongs. These were around 50.000 IDR but you get cheaper ones as well.
• A wooden carved tribal mask which makes for a beautiful centerpiece – a shop on Andong street (anyone will do). Costs around 200K IDR.
• Small Dreamcatchers which I got to give as gifts. Costs around 10.000 IDR.
• Face mask from Angelo Store, Ubud cuz I was badly tanned and needed a quick pick-me-up while I was there. Guardian also had a really good range of body scrubs and lotions that I tried and liked.
• I also picked up some jewellery out of necessity (since I forgot my jewellery pouch at home during this trip). The beaded chokers I picked up at one of the shops in Ubud Art Market were way expensive for the quality and I would not recommend them.