I spent three days in Canggu during my week in Bali in May. I chose it after reading so many positive reviews online. Plus, I was desperate to avoid the crowds, if that was even possible in such an up-and-coming destination like Bali.
Despite reading about the chill vibes and ‘authentic’ Bali experience, on arrival, I realised that I didn’t actually know what to do for three days in Canggu.
As someone who likes to be busy at all times, I usually visit somewhere for one or two days maximum. So it took some adjusting to spend three days in Canggu. But I have no regrets.
Canggu forces you to take life at a slower pace.
Whether you visit for one day, three days or you plan to live here (this is a super popular destination for digital nomads). Here is my list of things to do in Canggu.
But remember: Doing nothing is half the fun!
14 Things To Do For The Perfect Three Days In Canggu
1. Eat Somewhere Different Every Meal.
She wasn’t kidding when Elizabeth Gilbert titled her book Eat, Pray, Love. Canggu has the best vegetarian food options I’ve ever experienced in a destination (rivalled only by Ubud!) Take the opportunity to try as many as possible, and resist returning to the same place twice. Although it won’t be easy, everywhere I ate I wanted to go back again. My favourite meal was the Nasi Goreng at potato head club, the meal with the best view is at Sunset Point and the funkiest design has to be Clear Cafe.
2. Take A Yoga Class
In honour of ‘Pray’ and ‘Love’, be sure to take at least one yoga class during your three days in Canggu. Whether you need to stretch your muscles after surfing, or just want to find some zen, there are yoga classes of all varieties at all times of the day.
3. Relax With A Massage
Probably at the top of every list of relaxing activities, getting a massage in Canguu is affordable, professional and a must do activity. Personally, I don’t love massages (because I’ve never understood the concept of a stranger touching me while I’m naked to be relaxing). But if massages are your thing, Canggu is the place for you.
4. Enjoy A Pedicure / Manicure
This is something that I would never do at home, but I figured ‘when in Rome’, right?! Pedicures and manicures are incredibly popular in Canggu and can range in price from anywhere from £5 to £30.
As it was the last day of my trip, and I had a mostly travelled on a budget, I decided to treat myself and get the full gel manicure and pedicure experience from one of the most highly recommended spas in Canggu. Arguably one of the best spas in Bali for manicures and pedicures, AMO Spa was a dream. The experience was new to me, but very relaxing and incredibly luxurious.
5. Visit The Canggu Temples
Did you even go to Bali if you didn’t explore at least one temple? Balinese temples are gorgeously decorated and certainly worth exploring. Be sure to carry a sarong (or trousers) with you as it’s essential that you cover your legs and arms in order to enter and be respectful. Check out Pura Kahyangan Jagat Batu Bolong right by the beach, or take a day trip to Tanah Lot which is further up the coast from Canggu.
6. Try Out Surfing
You can’t write a list of things to do in Canggu without mentioning surfing. I was super excited to surf again, and it’s one of the main reasons I chose to visit Canggu. The waves are perfect for all ability levels, whether you’re taking your first surf lesson, or you’re a professional travelling with your own board.
Surf shack’s line the beaches, and it costs around £5 to rent a board for two hours. They also lent me a rash vest, which is essential for protecting your skin in the water from the intense Bali sunshine.
6. Shop At Love Anchor
I stumbled upon Canggu’s market / shopping area by accident, after getting a taxi to the town centre. This is the best spot for boutique clothing, and souvenirs. Even if you don’t plan to buy anything, the shops with air-conditioning are an absolute god-send to stroll around and get some relief from the heat.
It’s customary to haggle in Bali, so be prepared to bargain the price down. (But don’t lose sight of the overall affordability of Bali & the fact that you’re supporting local business).
7. Join A Canggu Beach Clean Up
If you have more than three days in Canggu and are looking for something a little different, this is the activity for you. This isn’t something that I participated in on my trip, but would certainly consider in the future.
Before arriving in Canggu, I recommend joining some Facebook groups for locals and tourists in the area. Many of them advertise various dates at which locals, expats and tourists get together to clean up the beaches. It’s such a beautiful thing to do to give back to the destination that you are exploring.
8. Search For Street Art
I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of street art that I found in Canggu, and loved snapping pictures of as much as possible. Wander around Canggu town centre, up side streets and along the beach to explore the work of local artists.
9. Indulge In Affordable Luxury
I wrote an entire blog on destinations where you can find affordable luxury accommodation. And the list would not be complete without mentioning Bali. Staying in Canggu, an unspoilt-by-tourists destination (for now), means that gorgeous boutique hotels, Airbnb villas and guest houses are within your budget. I stayed slightly further out of the town centre, in order to treat myself to a fancy spa hotel. I stayed at Kalapa Hotel & Yoga Resort. For more tips on how to find cheap accommodation, check out this blog.
Since the main goal of your three days in Canggu should be to relax, don’t feel guilty if you spend a whole day soaking up the luxury of your hotel.
10. Spend A Day At A Beach Club
I was initially put off by the idea of a beach club. I pictured a tacky resort full of drunk backpackers and students. I’m sure some of them may resemble this, but the beach clubs in Canggu that I saw and experienced pleasantly surprised me.
Access and prices vary from club to club. Some allow you to reserve beds online in advance, others have no upfront entry cost, but a minimum spend in order to use a day-bed. Whichever you choose, get a day pass and enjoy relaxing on the sun loungers by the pool and indulging in affordable food and drink.
I opted to explore Potatohead one evening, after a long walk along the beach from Canggu to Kuta. Although I didn’t spend a full day there, I enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere, the music and eating the always-incredible Balinese cuisine.
11. Admire The Sunset
Bali is world famous for its sunsets, and I can see why. There are many spots along the coast where you can catch a perfect sunset. My favourite was the appropriately named ‘Sunset Point’, where I had a front row view of the surfers still in the water, the sunset on the horizon is and some incredible food to enjoy along with it.
Top Tip: There are a ton of beanbags to sit on & enjoy the sunset, but be wary of stray dogs. I watched one walk right up to a low table and eat a full meal! If you’re ordering food – get a proper seat at a human-height table!
12. Take A Day Trip
Technically it’s not an activity to do in Canggu. But if you’re staying for a longer period of time, the island of Bali is incredibly accessible to explore beyond this town. Head further up or down the coast to a different beach resort, or catch a taxi inland to Ubud (although I would recommend more than one day to properly explore here). A popular day trip from Canggu is to Tanah Lot Temple, however I opted to miss this one as I heard that there can be a lot of crowds.
13. Rent A Scooter
If you’re feeling confident, you can also rent a scooter to explore the town, and more of the island. However, be careful, as there are plenty of stories of tourists being injured through reckless driving. Either their own or other drivers on the road.
Alternatively, I used Blue Bird taxis to get around and it was always reliable & affordable. Be careful for lookalikes, and avoid scams by booking via the app instead of flagging down a car on the street.
14. Walk Along The Beach
As simple as it sounds, this was one of my favourite things to do during my three days in Canggu. I was worried that Bali would be overcrowded, but all it takes is a bit of walking along the sand away from Batu Bolong to find stretches of almost unoccupied sand.
In the end I walked 8km from Batu Bolong to Potato Head Beach Club. According to Google Maps, it’s not walk able. However, as long as you’re comfortable paddling through a few shallow streams of water, it’s totally doable. If you plan to do this, give yourself a few hours and take water!
Three Days In Canggu Itinerary
Spending three days in Canggu meant that I could really take things at a slower pace and relax. However, if you’re tight on time, you could definitely tick off most of the main things in two days, or use one day for a day trip.
Day 1
- Catch a taxi to Canggu main town centre.
- Walk down Pantai Batu Bolong Street enjoying the shops & street art
- Smoothie bowls at Old Man’s Bar.
- Sunbathing on Batu Bolong
- Surfing
- Dinner At Sunset Point
Day 2
- Brunch at Clear Cafe
- Walk down Jl. Batu Mejan to the beach (more street art & shopping)
- Walk from Batu Bolong along the beach to Kuta.
- Dinner & sunset at Potato Head Beach Club.
- (Taxi back to Canggu)
Day 3
- Morning yoga at the hotel
- Sunbathing and enjoying the hotel complex & pool
- Taxi to Canggu centre
- Souvenir shopping at Love Anchor
- Manicure & Pedicure at AMO Spa
- Final sunset at Sunset Point
