The town of Canggu in Bali is a perfect getaway paradise. Whether you are seeking an adventure, some time to relax, calming sunsets, sunrise yoga, or beautiful vibrant landscapes, Canggu is a perfect choice. It is packed with stunning beaches, a multitude of cafes, restaurants, numerous yoga studios, wellness retreats, and so much more stuff. There is no shortage of things to do in Canggu.
Canggu has an ancient temple nearby which you can visit on a day trip or explore nearby villages to gain insights into the rich cultural heritage of Bali. Canggu gets even more alive with a lively nightlife when the sun sets. There’s something for everyone, from beach clubs and rooftop bars to live music venues and beach bonfires.
So, pack your sense of adventure, don’t forget your sun hat, and get ready to discover the best things to do in Canggu, where dreams come true, and paradise awaits you at every turn. The top things to do in Canggu are mentioned in this article in detail. For any questions don’t hesitate to leave a comment.
Things to do in Canggu
- Beaches
- Beach Clubs
- Surfing
- Restaurants
- Bars
- Party Places
- Zycle Studio
- Body Factory
- Yoga Studios
- Spas
- Mother Huckers Axe Club
- Nusa Clay Club
- Tanah Lot Temple
- Rice Fields
- Markets
- Day Trips
Beaches
Batu Bolong Beach
This is the most popular beach in Canggu because it’s right in front of the main town. The famous Old Man’s beach club is right in front of Batu Bolong Beach. There are lots of restaurants and bars on the road to the beach. The beach has a good surf break and you will find lots of beginners practising here. There are surfboard rentals on the beach and you can get surf lessons from the locals. The beach tends to get crowded during the day because everyone wants to be here.
Berawa Beach
In comparison to other busier beaches around the city, Berawa Beach is famous for its wide area of golden sand and a much calmer atmosphere. It’s a great spot to sunbathe, walk unhurriedly and watch the sunset. The Finns’ Beach Club, offering swimming facilities, restaurants and entertainment, is also located at Berawa Beach.
Beach Clubs
La Brisa
This is a beach club on Batu Bolong Beach with a very bohemian and earthy vibe. The club is huge with indoor and outdoor seating. They have lots of sunbeds on the sand right in front of the surf break. Their stone pool is very pretty and calming. I have always heard great things about their drinks and the food. They have a primarily seafood menu but they do have sides that are great as snacks. I love the cosy vibes of this place and it feels less party-like than other beach clubs in Canggu.
The Lawn
A beach club with really clean and inspiring architecture in Bali is the one at The Lawn. They have sunbeds next to their infinity pool and some sunbeds on the sand at the beach. This is the perfect beach club for families with kids because the sunbeds are huge and it’s really nice to relax on them. I love their menu because they have a lot of snacks and vegetarian options. They have a charcuterie board which is really fun for sharing and delicious pizzas. If you are looking for a chill beach club to work during the day then I would recommend The Lawn.
Finns
This is the ultimate commercial party club. Not really my vibe but people seem to love it. They have 4 pools, 9 bars and 3 restaurants. It has a Cancun meet Vegas vibe going on which you might or might not like depending on your taste. They have great parties and you will find something going on here during the weekends.
Surfing
There are lots of surf breaks stretching along the coast of Bali from north to south. There are a few next to the town of Canggu. Batu Bolong is a beginners beach, unless it’s a big swell in which case advanced surfers can get in as well. There are other surf breaks 200 metres down and up Batu Bolong that have great waves as well.
You will find surfboard rentals at every beach that has surfable waves in Canggu. The cost for renting a board for one hour is IDR 50,000. You can get lessons for IDR 300,000 for 1.5 hours at these shops as well. The locals are great surfers and teach very well.
Restaurants
Crate Café
Crate Café is a fashionable Canggu café in a huge barn. They have lots of smoothie bowls including the Acai Bowl, Dragon Bowl, and Green Bowl, all of which include a selection of different fruits, granola, or superfoods. This is a very hip and popular cafe so you will find lots of people here on the weekends and during brunch hours.
Avocado Factory
The Avocado Factory, located in Canggu, is a popular café that honours the beloved avocado. They are well-known for their avocado-themed meals but also provide delectable smoothie bowls. Try their Avocado and Spinach Bowl or the Tropical Bowl for a warm treat.
Milk & Madu
This is my favourite cafe in Canggu because their pesto gnocchi blew my mind. It was the perfect amount of soft, cheesy and savoury. They had a small portion of a bitter salad on top of it which pulled everything together. Everything I have ever ordered at Milk & Madu has been so delicious. If you are looking for the best restaurant in Canggu then Milk & Madu would be at the top of my list.
LowCal Cheatery
Whoever thought of a restaurant where you have different menus for vegetarians, vegans, pescatarians, low cal and paleo is a genius. I love the variety this restaurant has in terms of vegetarian dishes and their choice of meat dishes. Their chicken breast is really delicious and so is their vegan croissant. They employ deaf people and I love that they are supporting the local community. They have nice live music in the evenings and since it’s near the beach I went there for dinner a lot.
Bars
Shady Fox
This is a very interesting 1930s style speakeasy bar where you can only enter by saying the password. You have to make advanced reservations and be on the guest list to be able to get the password. It’s all very bougie and secret. The bar itself is very nice with old school vibes and live music playing. You will find everyone dressed to the nines here. It’s a very beautiful place and great for an intimate night.
Penny Lane
This is a beautiful bohemian bar that reminds you of outdoor bars in Mexico. It’s what you would expect to find in a seaside shack at sunset. It is inspired by middle eastern architecture and has some really cool plants and vines climbing up the walls. It’s a huge place and has lots of open space so lots of people will be enjoying the evening here.
Bam Bam
This bar has very chill vibes with a vinyl player and lots of cool tunes on their old school records. This would be a great place for solo travellers to enjoy a great night. Their food menu is also pretty good with local dishes and lots of snack options like fried chicken, burgers and sandwiches. It’s the bar to go to for last minute plans when you’re in jeans.
Party Places
Shady Pig
Since Shady Fox is one of the best bars in town it’s no surprise its sister bar The Shady Pig is one of the biggest parties places in Canggu. They have a cool DJ or party happening every single night but the best nights I’ve heard are their Disco Biscuit Tuesday night parties every week.
Miss Fish
One of the best restaurants and party places in Canggu that I find especially lovely is this Japanese sushi restaurant with the most pure and delicious ingredients. Their architecture is so stylish, sleek and gorgeous. The dishes are just mouth watering and they have the best parties in the area. If you look at their Instagram, they regularly update what parties are happening that day at Miss Fish and it’s always someone amazing playing. They recently had a barbie party, the pictures from which look so good.
The Vault
The Vault is not like the two places above. It’s a proper club with a DJ booth in the middle and the dance floor all around. This is for the hardcore party people that don’t mind standing in the middle of hundreds of other sweaty people. It’s a great place to dance the night away and they have a pretty great lineup every week.
Zycle Studio
I only took one class here but it kicked my butt. Zycle is an indoor cycling studio with the best music and led lights. It’s like a party on cycles. The instructor was so enthusiastic and pushed everyone even though it was a beginner class. I loved it and I can’t wait to try it again now that I have more stamina. It’s one of the best ways to do cardio and work up a sweat. They have beginner to advanced level classes and it’s really fun to cycle with lots of other people.
Body Factory
One of the places I used to go to regularly was Body Factory Bali. It is a huge gym and recovery area in Canggu with an ice bath, sauna, jacuzzi, yoga studio, outdoor workout spaces and a health bar. You can take a membership to use the entire gym and recovery area or get one just for the recovery area which is what I did. If you have never tried an ice bath or a sauna then this is the perfect place to go.
They have day passes that you can use to try out everything if you aren’t sure about getting the membership. I went there almost every evening and did a few rounds of ice bath and sauna and then relaxed in the pool till I felt like going home. It made all the difference in the world, both in terms of recovering from surfing and my mental health.Â
Yoga Studios
Samadi
This is a very interesting yoga studio in Canggu with classes like mandala art therapy, back pain relief classes, breathwork for trauma etc. They host a lot of 2-3 day yoga and wellness retreats during the year. The best thing about this yoga studio is the huge breadth of yoga classes they offer. Whatever your style is, you will find something here.
Radiantly Alive
This beautiful yoga studio has locations in both Canggu and Ubud. They have lots of different types of yoga classes everyday. More importantly they offer yoga teacher training for different kinds of styles. You get the entire 200H training at their studio and become certified. If you’re in Canggu for a month you can get certified at this studio.
Spas
Goldust Beauty Lounge
I got a pomegranate deep cleanse facial here and my skin looked so glassy the week after it. It was a long facial and had a lot of steps. I felt so relaxed and the lady doing my facial was so professional and good at it. They are known for their gold facial but I did not try that because it didn’t seem worth it. It does look really cool in pictures though.
HAIR Canggu
I got my hair cut and conditioned here and these guys are geniuses. My hair was fried from surfing in the sun for a month and looked like crap. So I did not expect it to look as good as it did when I got the cut and treatment. The staff was so polite and nice and answered all questions. It’s also not as expensive as other hair studios in Canggu, some of which I was truly surprised were charging so high for just a cut.
House of Orange
This is the premier nail salon in Canggu and it’s almost impossible to get an appointment here. They currently have a waitlist and you have to contact them by Whatsapp to get on it. They have the best nail technicians who create such beautiful art on your nails you won’t believe it’s real. I have not been here yet but I’m really hoping to snag one appointment for my next visit to Bali.
Home Massage by Nuri
I got massages all over Canggu at different spas but the only masseuse that could relieve my back pain from surfing was Nuriani. She is a home masseuse and she comes to your hotel for the massage. She is the best masseuse I have ever had. The first thing I do after getting back to Bali everytime is find out when she can come next. Her number is +62-818-1819-3778 and she can be contacted through Whatsapp or by call.
Mother Huckers Axe Club
Mother Huckers is an indoor urban axe-throwing club which is one of the best things to do in Canggu. It is a unique experience that is hardly available anywhere else. It is a thrilling game, whether you want to channel the inside lumberjack or have fun with your friends.
Nusa Clay Club
Visiting a clay club is a very underrated but one of the best things to do in Canggu. Creating pots at Nusa Clay Club, an independent pottery school operated by Susan (an Ubud resident), is a unique way to begin your time in Canggu.
She teaches all levels of pottery and gives a hands-on learning experience where you learn the fundamentals of how to operate the potter’s wheel. Experience an extraordinary afternoon in her serene and inviting studio by making beautiful ceramics that you can take home.
Note: The glazing process takes a few days or weeks, so take an art class at the start of your holiday to ensure you can pick up the artwork in time for departure.
Tanah Lot Temple
Tanah Lot Temple is a beautiful temple in the middle of the ocean. The name means “Land in the Sea” in the Balinese language. The temple is Located in Tabanan, about 10 kilometres NorthWest of Canggu and it takes about 45 minutes to get there. The temple sits on a large offshore rock that has been shaped continuously over the years by the ocean tide.Â
Since the temple is on a rock in the middle of the ocean you can only access it during low tide. At high tide, the ocean comes in and the rocks between the mainland and the temple get submerged in water.
Rice Fields
Rice fields have been a prominent part of Canggu for 2000 years, so visiting them will give you a touch of Bali’s nature and its traditional cultures. Although Canggu’s rice fields may be smaller than other prominent places in Bali, the feeling is much more authentic. Once you reach Canggu, there is no difficulty in finding rice fields because Canggu is full of rice fields. To visit some of the best rice fields in Canggu, you can take the streets from the centre of Canggu – Jalan Babadan, Jl. Pantai Munggu, Jl. Raya Seseh, and Jalan Raya Buta Mejan.
Markets
Samadi
Every Sunday from 8am to 4pm you will find a really cool market full of local organic stuff at Samadi Bali. One part of the market is for food vendors, and the other is for crafts. People come and sell locally made products and produce here. The food is very fresh and your breakfast will be delicious.
La Brisa Sunday Market
This is the biggest and broadest market in Canggu. It is held every Sunday from 10am to 4pm. It is at the La Brisa beach club next to Echo Beach. The market has food stalls, boutique shops, local artists, and more. I loved exploring this market because of the variety of amazing stuff I found here.
Boutiques
Canggu has a whole ton of really good clothing stores. I visited a few but the ones that stood out to me were Cute Mistake for their bikinis and beachwear, Bamboo Blonde for summer style clothes and Lost in Paradise for edgy fashion that works both for the day and night.
Day Trips
Ubud
Ubud is much closer to Canggu than people think and it’s possible to explore this town in one day if you are short on time. I would advise you to plan ahead and visit the monkey forest, Sumampan waterfall and the Saraswati temple if you have time. That is enough to give you a quick glimpse of the town. Sumampan waterfall is one of the closest and underrated waterfalls in Ubud and better than the crowded waterfalls like Tibumana.
Nusa Penida
You should not miss swimming with the Manta Rays in Nusa Penida. They are the most beautiful and graceful creatures of the ocean. The best sightings happen at Manta Bay in Nusa Penida. Lots of your operators have day trips to Nusa Penida and pickups from hotels in Canggu. You get picked at sunrise, take a boat to Nusa Penida to swim with the Manta Rays and then come back in the evening.
Summary
The small town of Canggu is a beautiful place with so much stuff to do it’s impossible to fit everything in it. Canggu has it all, whether you seek culinary delights, outdoor adventures, cultural immersion, or simply a laid-back beach getaway. I always recommend people stay at least a few days here because there are just too many things to do in Canggu. I personally love the town and the plethora of activities it has. So enjoy your time in Canggu and make the best of what the town has to offer.
