good to know before you plan
Early December is one of the better-kept secrets on this calendar. It is effectively November, with the same low prices and the same green valley, and the rush has not started.
The holiday fortnight is a different proposition entirely and I would only book it if the dates are fixed for you. You are paying peak-season rates for wet-season weather, which is the worst combination the year offers. If you have a choice, come in the first week of December or wait for January, when prices collapse again and the weather is no worse.
Bali in December: A 7-Day Ubud Itinerary Before the Holiday Rush
December is really two months wearing the same name. Until around the twentieth it is a wet-season month like November: green, quiet, cheap, with heavy afternoon rain and clear mornings. From then until early January it becomes the most expensive fortnight of the year, as the Christmas and New Year crowd arrives in force.
Ubud handles the festive rush better than the beaches do, because the valley is large and the crowd concentrates in a few places. But the pricing is not gentle. Rooms that cost a fraction in early December can triple over the holiday, and the good restaurants need booking well in advance for the final ten days.
Two different months in one name, quiet and cheap before the holiday rush
December
Week 1
day by day
One base in Ubud. If your dates cross the Christmas fortnight, book everything, including your airport transfer, well before you arrive.
Day 1: Arrive, settle, eat well. Book anything you need for later in the week tonight.
Day 2: Temples in the morning, back before the afternoon rain.
Day 3: Campuhan Ridge Walk at first light, market and palace after.
Day 4: Tegalalang. The terraces are filling with water and the green is back.
Day 5: Waterfall day. The rivers are running hard, so this is the month the falls look their best.
Day 6: An open day for the weather. Museum, spa, cooking class.
Day 7: Slow morning, then the airport with generous time for December traffic.
If your dates fall after roughly 20 December, book the restaurants, the activities and the airport transfer before you fly. The holiday fortnight sells out and prices roughly triple.
Where to Eat
Central Ubud for the broadest dining selection
Penestanan for cafés and relaxed healthy dining
Tegallalang for restaurants overlooking rice fields
Local villages for traditional Balinese warungs
Ubud markets for casual local food and snacks
Where to Stay
Central Ubud: best for walkable sights.
Monkey Forest Road: best for shops and cafés.
Penestanan: best for a quieter base.
Sayan: best for valley views.
Nyuh Kuning: best for a village setting.
Tegallalang: best for rice terrace stays.
best Things to Do
Explore Ubud’s cultural centre
Walk through rice fields and terraces
Visit Tegallalang Rice Terrace
See Tirta Empul and nearby temples
Walk the Campuhan Ridge
Attend a traditional Balinese dance performance
Join a cooking, craft or wellness class
Explore waterfalls and river valleys
Take a day trip into Bali’s central highlands.
Early December is cheap. The holidays are not
Compare hotel prices carefully, because December splits in two: the first three weeks sit near the yearly low, and the Christmas fortnight is the most expensive period of the year. If your dates are over the holidays, book everything now, including restaurants and the airport transfer. A car with a driver is worth more in December than most months, since wet afternoons and holiday traffic both reward having someone else deal with the road. Three links below.
frequently asked questions
What is the weather like in Bali in December?
Wet and humid throughout. December sits in the rainy season, with heavy afternoon showers most days and temperatures around 27 to 31 degrees. Mornings are often clear, which is when anything outdoors is best done. The weather does not improve over the holiday period, which catches out many people booking the Christmas fortnight.
Is Bali expensive at Christmas?
Very. The fortnight from roughly 20 December to early January is the most expensive period of the year, rivalling and often exceeding August. Accommodation can multiply several times over, restaurants require advance booking, and airport transfers cost more. Early December, by contrast, is one of the cheapest weeks on the calendar.
When should you book for Christmas in Bali?
Months ahead. The good accommodation for the Christmas and New Year fortnight is taken well in advance, and what remains late is expensive and poorly located. Restaurants for Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve run set menus that book out early, and transfers should be arranged before arrival rather than on the day.