Bali airport to your hotel
1 h route3 stopsBest: Pay the levy before you fly and arrive with the QR doneUpdated July 2026
Denpasar sits in the south, close to nearly all the tourist areas, so the transfer is short. But there are two things to settle before getting into anything, and one of them is money.
First: since 2024, foreign visitors pay a compulsory tourist levy to enter Bali, once per trip. You pay on the official site before arriving or at an airport counter, and you get a QR code. Second: the only official site ends in .go.id. There are copycats on .com and .org, well made and well ranked on Google, charging double or more. It’s this destination’s most widespread scam and it’s entirely avoidable.
The route, stop by stop
3 STOPS- 01
The tourist levy, and the scam
Since February 2024, every foreign tourist pays a fixed levy per person per trip to enter Bali. The money goes to the island’s cultural and environmental conservation. It’s compulsory, though enforcement is uneven: you may be asked for the QR at some sites.
What matters is where you pay: in the official Love Bali system, whose address ends in .go.id, the Indonesian government’s domain. There are copycat sites on .com and .org that rank high in search, look identical and charge double or triple, keeping the difference. If a site asks for considerably more than the official figure, close the tab.
Pay before you fly and arrive with the QR saved on your phone: there are counters at the airport, but there are also queues.
- 02
The official taxi, and the apps
Two ways and both valid. In the terminal there’s an official taxi counter where you pay a fixed price in advance according to your destination zone: it’s transparent, there’s no haggling and no surprises.
And there are the local apps (Grab, Gojek) which usually come out cheaper. The nuance: there has been historic friction between local drivers and the apps, so at the airport pick-up happens at marked points and not at the arrivals door. The app will tell you where.
In some areas of the island you’ll also see signs banning app pick-ups: respect them and take a local taxi, because that’s a conflict that isn’t yours to solve.
- 03
The scooter, and the licence
Bali moves on scooters, and the temptation is obvious: cheap, available everywhere and rented to you without a single question. That’s the problem: nobody asking doesn’t mean it’s legal.
To drive here legally you need an international driving permit with the motorcycle category, on top of your home licence. There are police checks and they issue fines. But the fine isn’t the point: if you have an accident without the correct permit, your travel insurance won’t cover you, and tourist scooter accidents in Bali are frequent and sometimes serious. The roads are packed, the traffic is chaotic and they drive on the left.
If you’ve never ridden a motorbike, Bali isn’t where to learn. Hire a driver for the day: it costs little and you risk nothing.
Frequently asked
Do you have to pay a fee to enter Bali?
Yes: since 2024 foreign tourists pay a fixed levy per person per trip. You pay in the official Love Bali system, whose site ends in .go.id, before flying or at an airport counter, and you get a QR code. Beware: there are copycat sites on .com and .org charging double.
Do you need an international licence for a scooter in Bali?
Yes, with the motorcycle category, on top of your home licence. They’ll rent you one without asking, but that doesn’t make it legal: there are checks and fines, and the serious part is that without the right permit your travel insurance won’t cover an accident. If you’ve never ridden, hire a driver.
Can you use Grab in Bali?
Yes and it’s usually cheaper than a taxi, but at the airport pick-up is at marked points and not at the arrivals door, because of historic friction with local drivers. In some areas of the island there are signs banning app pick-ups: respect them and take a local taxi.