Best temples in Ubud to visit with kids
Bali is the island of a million temples but visiting a religious site with kids in tow may fill you with dread. Learning about new cultures and religions is great for kids education and it’s something we always ensure we weave into our days on occasion. When travelling with kids in Bali don’t shy away and choose some of these family-friendly temples in Ubud.
SARASWATI TEMPLE - THE UBUD WATER PALACE
It’s hard to imagine that in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Ubud there is a place of calmness and tranquillity, especially as the entrance is right behind Starbucks. We took the kids on a worldschool field trip to learn more about Hinduism and the water palace provided a good 30 minutes of exploration. Entrance fee is 35k for children and 50k for adults (so around £6 for a family of 4) and that includes the religious clothing you have to wear which consists of a sarong and robe for adults (even if you have already dressed appropriately), and a sash and head-piece for children which was a novelty they enjoyed. As you enter you face a beautiful pond with lily pads, and a walkway over the water which leads to a stage area for their weekly dance performance, a couple of ‘tourist’ thrones and then the beautiful ornate doors, statues, and carvings. There are a few beanbags if you want to sit and take it all in for a moment. Along the road from the water palace is the Ubud palace which is worth combining with the visit. It’s free to enter and you’ll spend around 10 minutes inside. As temples in Ubud go, this is one of the best.
Goa Gajah, The Elephant Cave
Located just to the south east of Ubud centre, lies the elephant cave which the name alone is going to spark interest from the kids. Visiting this temple could be combined with our suggested waterfall tour as you will pass it on the way in and out of Ubud. It is also a temple which can be visited in less than an hour so a full day isn’t needed.
As you arrive in the car park, you will be pounced on by the local market stall sellers trying to ‘rent’ you sarongs to cover up before entering the temple. They will even offer to look after your mopeds for you - we were very grateful when we returned to cardboard covering the seats and saving some serious flesh-burn! However, after walking along the gauntlet of local sellers, there are sarongs available to use at the entrance kiosk to the temple.
The entrance fee is c£2/50k per person before heading down a path into the square with amazing stone carvings, pools and water sprouts and of course the famous elephant cave. For kids this is pretty cool as you enter via the carved mouth and it feels like you are entering the belly of a monster! Once inside, there is a short tunnel to a t-shaped cavern with offerings and shrines inside. This area is no bigger than a small children’s pool, so you wont be in the dark space for long - although it is a cool break from the heat outside.
After marvelling at the carvings of the cave itself, there is more of the area to explore via paths down towards a river. You will pass a couple more shrines, a decent waterfall, more carvings, flowers, fish ponds and amazing rooted trees towering above you. The river itself has a small beach, again with some religious offerings, but this variety of things to see and paths to explore kept the kids interested for the whole hour we were there.
It is quite a steep climb back to the main temple complex so probably not suitable for pushchairs, but bring the carrier and you’ll have no issues with smaller kids. The Goa Gajah temple in Ubud is not to be missed.
Gunung Kawi
This is a temple in Ubud we visited back in 2019 and is definitely one of the more popular and forms part of day trips from Ubud. There are c.600 steps to get to the bottom of the temple, but our near 4 year old managed it with the odd bribery of sweets! At the bottom the carved stone is something to definitely marvel at and there are lots of places to explore and take in this amazing scenery. It’s located around 45 minutes from Ubud (traffic depending).
