Nusa Dua Day Trip: Ultimate One-Day Itinerary

Nusa Dua is a luxurious resort town on Bali’s Bukit Peninsula. It’s home to pristine white sand beaches with clear, calm waters that make it a popular spot among families.

While Nusa Dua is known for its upscale hotels and resorts, you don’t need to stay overnight to enjoy the highlights as we’ll share in this Nusa Dua day trip itinerary.

Quick Summary

How To Use This Itinerary

Once you arrive in Nusa Dua, we’ve ensured that everything on this itinerary is walkable. The activities included below are all less than 10 minutes on foot from one another.

With this in mind, we don’t recommend hiring a private driver for the full day as you won’t get the full benefit. Instead, consider taking a Grab or Gojek (online taxis) to get there and back.

This itinerary can also be done using your own transportation, provided you have the correct licence. See our tips for renting a scooter in Bali for more information.

One of the itinerary highlights is the Devdan show which only runs on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. Take this into account when planning your trip.

Travel Times To Nusa Dua

Don’t worry about an early start for this itinerary as you’ll be out well into the evening. Aim to leave mid-morning.

Here are the travel times from different areas (accounting for average traffic):

Nusa Dua One-Day Itinerary

11.30am - Museum Pacifika

When you first in Nusa Dua, head straight to Museum Pasifika. This modern gallery is home to Asia’s largest collection of Asia-Pacific artwork.

Museum Pacifika holds over 600 artworks by 200 artists from 25 different countries. The one thing all of the artists have in common is that they all lived in the Asia Pacific and were inspired by the region in their work.

You can see paintings and sculptures by established Indonesian artists, such as Balinese painter Nyoman Gunarsa and Javanese artist Raden Saleh, as well as many European artists who lived and worked in Indonesia. All artists have used the region's culture, people, and landscapes as inspirations for their work.

Other exhibits include indigenous art from Oceania and many exotic paintings from Japan, China, and India.

We’re not usually huge art gallery people, but we thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Museum Pasifika, with its huge range of artistic styles and focus on the amazing cultural diversity of the region.

Tickets to Museum Pasifika cost 100,000 IDR per adult and come with a free audio guide you can scan on your phone. We recommend spending around 45 minutes to 1 hour at the museum.

12.30pm - Lunch at Kekeb Restaurant

Around a 10 minute walk from the museum is Kekeb Restaurant, a cute and colourful beachfront spot with plenty of outdoor seating overlooking the ocean.

They serve an all-day menu of tasty and authentic Balinese food. Their speciality is meat and seafood skewers brought out to your table on a mini BBQ grill.

1.30pm - Dharma Island and Peninsula Island

Nusa Dua translates as "two islands," a reference to the two small islands that you’ll be able to see from your lunch restaurant. Despite being called islands, they are connected to the mainland and easy to reach by foot. Take a stroll around them to walk off your lunch.

Begin with the tiny Dharma Island on the left, home to a peaceful garden and a small Hindu temple. It offers some lovely views over the ocean and surrounding bays.

After this, head to the slightly larger Peninsula Island. This ‘island’ is mostly parkland with a lovely circular walking route centred around a large statue of Krishna and Arjuna.

On Peninsular Island, you’ll find the iconic Nusa Dua Water Blow. This is an amazing natural phenomenon where the waves crash through a hole in the volcanic rock and surge high into the air, reaching crazy heights of up to 30 meters.

At high tide, the mighty waves soak everyone in the area – a refreshing way to cool down from the intense Bali heat. The Water Blow now has a 25,000 IDR fee to enter (cash only).

2.30pm - Afternoon at Mengiat Beach

The two islands you just visited sit at the northern end of Mengiat Beach, a long stretch of pristine white sand beach that makes an excellent place to spend an afternoon relaxing in the sun.

The water in the bay is extremely clear and the waves are calm, making it a great place to swim or snorkel.

Mengiat Beach is where you’ll find many of Nusa Dua’s most luxurious hotels and resorts, so some sunbeds near the northern end are reserved for their guests.

Wander a little further down the beach along the promenade and you'll find plenty of loungers for general hire. Or you claim a spot for yourself on the sand.

If you'd rather sit at the back of the beach and enjoy a cocktail or two, we're also big fans of the Ayodya Beach Club and Grill (here), with plenty of colourful seating overlooking the sand.

5pm - Shopping & Dinner at The Bali Collection

After a relaxing afternoon, head to The Bali Collection, a spacious outdoor shopping and entertainment complex in Nusa Dua. This is around a 10 minute walk from Mengiat Beach.

Set amongst a lush green park, the mall is home to a variety of shops, market traders, restaurants, and bars.

You can shop many local and international brands, including Levis, Nike, Billabong, and 69 Slam. There’s also a large Balinese arts market where you can grab local souvenirs without needing to barter.

But for us, the highlight of the Bali Collection had to be its many beautiful restaurants and bars, with lovely al fresco seating areas and live acoustic music most nights of the week.

We recommend grabbing dinner from Nusa By/Suka where you can enjoy a delicious menu of pasta, pizzas, and meats cooked on their wood-fired grill.

7.15pm - Devdan Show (starts at 7.30pm)

Finish your day by watching the Devdan Show at Nusa Dua Theatre, just around the corner from the Bali Collection. This is one of the best cultural performances we’ve seen in Bali.

The mesmerising production showcases the diverse cultures of Indonesia, taking you on a journey through the islands of Bali, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, and Papua.

The show features a dynamic blend of traditional and modern dance, breathtaking acrobatics, and state-of-the-art special effects. There are vibrant costumes, amazing props, pyrotechnics, water performances, illusions, and so much more!

As mentioned earlier, the Devdan Show only runs every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday evening. The show starts at 7.30pm, so aim to arrive around 7.15pm to get your seat.

The performance lasts just over an hour, but allow additional time for a photo opportunity with the performers outside afterward - a fantastic keep-sake from your time in Bali!

There are four categories of tickets to choose from which vary in price; VIP, A, B, and C. The VIP ticket simply gets you a comfortable armchair. But to be honest, you don’t really need it for an hour-long show.

We purchased our tickets online and got Category C side-view tickets. We ended up just a few rows away from the stage with a fantastic view! You don't really need the more expensive tickets.

Getting Home

Traffic should be more manageable at this time of day, so you’ll get home a little faster.

Here are the estimated arrival times assuming you leave Nusa Dua around 9pm.

Other Activities

If you’re looking to extend your day or make some alterations to the itinerary, here are a few more activities in the area to consider:

Watersports – Just north of Nusa Dua is the Tanjung Peninsula, known as Bali’s watersports hub. You can enjoy a huge range of exciting water sports activities, including surfing, snorkelling, scuba, jet skiing, waterskiing, banana boats, flying fish, parasailing, and more - book here.

Balinese Cooking Class – If you’d like to try your hand at cooking up some traditional Balinese dishes, Nusa Dua has a few cooking classes to choose from. Bumbu Bali holds classes every Wednesday while Kekeb Cooking School (from Kekeb Restaurant where we recommended having lunch) offers daily classes from Monday to Saturday.