14:00–15:00
1Check in, Sanur hotel Rest
Settle in and let the toddler nap off the flight before venturing out.
Trips planned by Robin · Sanur, Indonesia
Bali with Toddlers: A Slow 6-Day Itinerary.
Bali with a 2 year old works if you base in Sanur and politely ignore most of the island. Robin planned these six late-May days around one piece of geography: a reef wall offshore that turns the whole beach into a warm, knee-deep lagoon, with a flat paved path behind it that a stroller rolls along for kilometres. A private driver takes you out twice, to the rice terraces and to the animal parks, and the car does the napping.
Robin planned this trip forFirst visitToddler (age 2)Naps built inPrivate driverRelaxed paceLate MayChange these assumptions →
Planned by Robin
6 days · 29 stops
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6-day Sanur itinerary at a glance
1Check in, Sanur hotel→Sanur Beachfront Promenade→Warung Mak Beng
2Sanur Beach→Turtle Conservation and Education Center→Genius Cafe Sanur→Jalan Danau Tamblingan nap walk→Three Monkeys Sanur
3Drive to Tegallalang→Tegallalang Rice Terraces→Sari Organik→nap drive back→Sanur Beach run-around→Soul on the Beach
4Drive to Bali Zoo→Bali Zoo→lunch at the zoo café→nap drive back→Sindhu Night Market stroll→Massimo Restaurant
5Drive to Bali Bird Park→Bali Bird Park→lunch near Bird Park→nap drive to Uluwatu→Uluwatu Temple at sunset→dinner near Uluwatu
6Sanur Beach, last swim→checkout and pack→babi guling farewell lunch
- Best for
- A first Bali trip where the toddler sets the pace and the parents still get green terraces and one cliff sunset
- Car needed
- Yes, a private driver on the three drive-out days and for the airport. Bring your own car seat; his car will not have one
- Where to stay
- Sanur, on the beach path or one street back from it
- Best months
- May to September, the dry season. Late May is the start of it: clear mornings, sea around 28 degrees
- Pace
- Slow. One drive and one big thing on three of the six days, the lagoon and the path on the rest
- Robin recommends
- Day 2 at 10:00, walking into Sanur Beach with the toddler holding one finger. No waves, water to the knees for a long way out, and you are dry and eating lunch by 13:15. It is the reason the base is Sanur and not somewhere prettier.
Your 6-day route
All stops, numbered by day order · Map © OpenStreetMap contributors
Day 1 · Monday
Day 1: Land, unpack, walk the path
Getting around: 2.1 km on foot (~26 min)
Arrival day, settle into Sanur, ease in with a slow walk on the flat beachfront promenade and an early, easy dinner.
Stops in walking order · Map © OpenStreetMap contributors
16:00–17:30
2Sanur Beachfront Promenade Walk
Flat paved path right along the sand, perfect easy first walk, toddler can run free on the grass edge.
↓2.1 km · ~26 min walk
18:00–19:00
3Warung Mak Beng Eat
Legendary simple fish-soup warung, quick and kid-welcoming, an easy first Bali meal.
Robin's tip. Do not skip the 14:00 hotel nap even if the toddler seems fine; the flight catches up around 17:00 otherwise. The promenade at 16:00 is warm but past the worst of the sun, and the grass edge along it is where our two year old first ran off the plane. Warung Mak Beng is a fish-soup warung with plastic chairs and no high chair, so it is a lap-and-bench dinner; ask for the soup tidak pedas and let the toddler pick fish out of your bowl.
Traveling on different dates, or with kids? Robin rebuilds this plan around you.
Plan with Robin →Day 2 · Tuesday
Day 2: The lagoon and the turtles
Getting around: 2 short rides
A gentle Sanur day: shallow, calm water for splashing at the beach and a stroll to the turtle center, with the afternoon nap folded into a stroller walk.
Stops in walking order · Map © OpenStreetMap contributors
10:00–11:30
1Sanur Beach Nature
Calm, reef-protected shallow water, the safest swim on the island for a toddler to paddle in.
↓6.5 km · ~29 min by taxi or transit
11:45–12:45
2Turtle Conservation and Education Center Nature
Short, hands-on stop where the toddler can peek at baby turtles up close, genuinely toddler-first, not a slog.
↓2.9 km · ~16 min by taxi or transit
13:15–14:00
3Genius Cafe Sanur Eat
Easy, healthy lunch spot with high chairs, a short walk from the turtle center.
14:15–15:00
4Nap drive/stroller walk along Jalan Danau Tamblingan Walk
Long flat stroller loop timed for nap, shaded lanes past shops, toddler sleeps through it.
18:00–19:00
5Three Monkeys Sanur Eat
Relaxed garden setting, kid-friendly menu, a calm end to a beach day.
Robin's tip. Check the tide before 10:00. The range here is up to 2 metres, and at low tide the water walks off hundreds of metres to a coral-rubble shelf, so swim within two hours of high tide and put reef shoes on everyone. The turtle center is a 40-minute stop, which is exactly right, and Genius Cafe has proper high chairs and a kids' menu, which after Mak Beng feels like luxury. The 14:15 walk along Jalan Danau Tamblingan is the nap; stay in the shade and keep rolling.
Traveling on different dates, or with kids? Robin rebuilds this plan around you.
Plan with Robin →Day 3 · Wednesday
Day 3: Terraces early, lunch on the way back
Getting around: 400 m on foot (~5 min) · 11 km of driving (~16 min)
The rice terraces day. Tegallalang's green stairs in the morning light, with the walk back timed to become nap time in the car.
Stops in walking order · Map © OpenStreetMap contributors
08:00–09:30
1Drive to Tegallalang Transit
About 45 min from Sanur; go early to beat the tour buses and midday heat.
10:00–11:30
2Tegallalang Rice Terraces Nature
The famous stepped green terraces, walk the upper viewing paths only, skip the steep swing-tower descent with a stroller.
↓11 km · ~16 min drive
11:30–12:30
3Sari Organik Eat
Lunch on a terrace overlooking a smaller rice paddy, reached by a short flat path, a quieter version of the view.
12:30–14:30
4Nap drive back to Sanur Transit
The 45-min return drive is timed exactly for the toddler's nap window.
15:00–16:30
5Sanur Beach playground run-around Nature
Open grassy stretch by the beach path for the toddler to burn off energy after the car nap.
↓400 m · ~5 min walk
18:00–19:00
6Soul on the Beach Eat
Beachfront tables, sand underfoot, casual enough for a squirmy toddler.
Robin's tip. Leave at 08:00 sharp. By 10:00 you have the upper viewing paths at Tegallalang more or less to yourselves, and by 11:00 the tour buses arrive and the heat does too. Use the carrier here, not the stroller; the terraces are steps and mud, and the swing-tower descent is not for anyone under a metre tall. Sari Organik at 11:30 is a short flat path to a terrace above a smaller paddy, quieter than the big view, and it puts a full toddler into the car for the 12:30 nap drive home.
Traveling on different dates, or with kids? Robin rebuilds this plan around you.
Plan with Robin →Day 4 · Thursday
Day 4: Zoo morning, market afternoon
Getting around: 1 short ride
Bali Zoo day, trails are flat and stroller-friendly, with elephants and a keeper talk making it the toddler's favorite day yet.
Stops in walking order · Map © OpenStreetMap contributors
09:00–09:45
1Drive to Bali Zoo Transit
About 30–40 min from Sanur, arrive near opening before it gets hot.
10:00–10:45
2Bali Zoo Sight
Flat, shaded, stroller-friendly paths and an elephant feeding session that's a genuine toddler highlight.
12:15–13:00
3Lunch at Bali Zoo café Eat
Eat on-site before the drive back so the toddler isn't stuck waiting for food off-site.
13:15–14:00
4Nap drive back to Sanur Transit
Short drive back doubles as nap time.
15:30–17:00
5Sindhu Night Market stroll (early, quiet hours) Walk
Wander the stalls before the evening crowd arrives, easy browsing, no pressure.
↓2.8 km · ~16 min by taxi or transit
18:00–19:00
6Massimo Restaurant Eat
Relaxed Italian-Balinese spot with a kids' menu, a change of pace from warung food.
Robin's tip. Bali Zoo is one continuous shaded loop, so park the stroller and let the toddler stand and stare. Half a morning is enough, and eating at the zoo café before the drive back is the right call, because a hungry 2 year old and 40 minutes of Gianyar traffic is not a combination anyone enjoys. Sindhu is a night market, so at 15:30 expect a fair few shutters still down; treat the stroll as a shaded hour to fill before dinner, not a shopping trip. Massimo is Italian-Balinese with a kids' menu, which is the reset the toddler needs after four days of rice.
Traveling on different dates, or with kids? Robin rebuilds this plan around you.
Plan with Robin →Day 5 · Friday
Day 5: Birds, then the cliff
Sunset at Uluwatu, the trip's big view, paired with a relaxed morning at the Bird Park's shaded, walkable paths.
Stops in walking order · Map © OpenStreetMap contributors
09:00–09:30
1Drive to Bali Bird Park Transit
About 30 min from Sanur; go right at opening for cooler air and calmer paths.
10:00–10:45
2Bali Bird Park Sight
Lush walkable aviaries and a low-key petting zone, the day's toddler-first stop.
12:00–12:45
3Lunch near Bird Park Eat
Simple nasi campur stop close by before the longer drive south.
13:00–14:30
4Nap drive to Uluwatu Transit
The roughly 1hr15 drive south covers the afternoon nap, toddler sleeps in the car seat.
16:30–17:15
5Uluwatu Temple at sunset Sight
Clifftop temple with the sea 70m below, arrive by 16:30 to beat the sunset crowds and skip the evening kecak show with a toddler.
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18:00–19:00
6Dinner near Uluwatu before the drive back Eat
Quick relaxed bite before the hour-plus drive back to Sanur, since bedtime is looming.
After the Bird Park: how much car can one afternoon hold?
If you have a toddler who sleeps in the car seat and a driver who is happy with the Uluwatu roadsRun the day as written. Lunch near the Bird Park at 12:00, the 13:00 nap drive south, temple at 16:30 before the crowds, dinner near Uluwatu at 18:00, and then an hour-plus drive home in the dark. The toddler sleeps the whole way back and gets carried to bed. It is a lot of car, and the sunset is worth it once.
If you look at that plan and feel tired alreadySkip Uluwatu. Nap-drive straight back to Sanur after lunch, spend 16:00 in the lagoon or on the path, and watch the sky go pink over the reef at about 18:15 from the beach in Sanur, ten minutes from bed. The sun sets behind the town here rather than over the water, and no one under three will notice the difference. Ask Robin to swap the evening for a Sanur dinner at 17:30.
If you want the sunset over the water but a softer version of itGo to Jimbaran instead of the temple. Tables are set on the sand at the seafood places, the toddler builds sandcastles at the table while you eat grilled fish, and you are seated by 17:30 with the sun going down in front of you. Book ahead if you need a high chair or room for the stroller, and the drive back to Sanur is a second nap. Ask Robin to swap the temple and dinner for this.
Ask Robin to personalize this day →
Robin's tip. This is the long day of the trip, so read the choices below before you commit. Bird Park is flat, has baby-changing, is free under 2 and is done in 90 minutes; if the toddler is zoo'd out after yesterday, that is fine, it is the lighter of the two parks. At Uluwatu the monkeys take glasses, hats and anything in a small hand. Bali is a rabies-endemic island. Carrier only, no snacks out, nothing loose, no touching, and any scratch means 15 minutes of soap and a clinic the same day. Sarongs are required, and skip the kecak dance: an hour of fire and shouting on stone tiers at sunset is for children who can sit still, which is not this one.
Traveling on different dates, or with kids? Robin rebuilds this plan around you.
Plan with Robin →Day 6 · Saturday
Day 6: Last swim, then home
A soft last morning by the water before the drive home, closing the trip where it began, on Sanur's calm sand.
10:00–11:00
1Sanur Beach, last swim Nature
One more calm paddle in the shallow, protected water before packing up.
11:00–12:00
2Checkout and pack Rest
Unhurried checkout, no more sightseeing scheduled to keep the last morning calm.
12:15–13:00
3Warung Babi Guling-style farewell lunch, Sanur Eat
One last plate of local specialties near the hotel before heading out.
Robin's tip. Check the tide again for the 10:00 swim; a low-tide morning means a shelf walk in reef shoes rather than a paddle, which a 2 year old still thinks is excellent. Babi guling is roast pork with crackling, and the toddler gets the soft meat and rice while you get the skin. Have the airport transfer pre-booked as one that says car seat fitted, or install your own; the airport taxi desk will not have one.
Bucket-list foods in Sanur
Fish soup at a warung
Fish soup with rice to soak it up and the chilli on the side. The first meal of the trip, and quick, which matters on arrival night.
On this trip: Warung Mak Beng, day 1
Nasi campur
Rice with a little of everything around it. The toddler gets the rice, the fried tempeh and the egg; you get the rest. Ask for tidak pedas and check the sambal is on the side.
On this trip: Lunch near Bird Park, day 5
Babi guling
Roast suckling pig with crackling, Bali's celebration dish. Soft meat and rice for the small plate, skin for the grown-ups.
On this trip: Farewell lunch, Sanur, day 6
Satay
Finger food on a stick, which is the whole appeal at two. Every warung does it and none of this plan's meals name it, so ask Robin to swap one in on day 3 or 4.
Jimbaran grilled fish on the sand
Grilled fish, feet in the sand, sunset in front of you. It only happens if you take the third door on day 5's choice.
Where to stay for this itinerary
Stay in Central Sanur, near Jalan Danau Tamblingan if…
- you want the beach path and the lagoon at the end of your street
- cafés with high chairs at breakfast matter more than a view
- you want the driver to find you without a phone call each morning
Stay in North Sanur, the Sindhu end if…
- the calmest water is the point, since the reef sits closest to shore here
- the night market on day 4 being a walk rather than a drive appeals
- you would rather have the quiet end of a town that is already quiet
Stay in Jimbaran, for a different trip if…
- seafood on the sand at sunset every night sounds better than a lagoon
- you would rather be an hour closer to Uluwatu and Melasti Beach
- you accept there is no flat, car-free path like Sanur's; the stroller stays in the car more
Before you go
Why late May?
It is the first stretch of the dry season. Highs of 27 to 31 degrees on the coast, nights of 22 to 25, about 70 to 80 mm of rain spread thinly over eight or nine days, and mornings that start clear. The sea sits around 28 to 29 degrees, which for a toddler means no shivering and no arguing. The sun is equatorial, so the danger window is 10:00 to 15:00 every day, cloud or not; the plan keeps those hours in a car, under a roof or in a shaded aviary.
Can we just use Grab or a taxi with a car seat?
No. Bluebird taxis, Grab cars and Gojek cars in Bali carry no child seats, the apps have no child-seat class and drivers will not fit one for you. Motorbike taxis are the local default and are out of the question with a toddler. The private driver is the answer, and the seat you bring from home is the other half of it. Airlines check it free.
How does a driver day actually work?
You hire the car and driver for 8 to 10 hours at a fixed price. Some drivers offer a child seat if you ask in advance, but what turns up can be a booster with a lap belt, so bring your own and install it yourself. When you book, ask for the car model and confirm working rear three-point belts; whether a given car has ISOFIX is unknown until you ask. Ubud is about 45 minutes from Sanur, Uluwatu 60 to 75, and both are exactly one nap long.
Tap water, nappies, formula?
Tap water is a no: not for drinking, not for formula, not for rinsing bottles, and brush teeth with bottled. Hotel water refills are fine. MamyPoko, Merries and Sweety nappies are in every Pepito, Carrefour and minimart, pull-ups less reliably. Bebelac, Lactogen and S-26 formula are standard; hypoallergenic or soy tins are hard to find, so pack the specialist one.
What about mosquitoes?
Take dengue seriously. Gianyar, the Ubud district where the zoo and Bird Park sit, had the island's highest count in 2024. The mosquito bites by day, peaking two hours after sunrise and two before sunset. For a 2 year old: picaridin up to 20 percent or DEET 20 to 30 percent (no lemon eucalyptus under three), light long sleeves, a net over the stroller for shade naps and a fold-flat cot net at night. Repellent is sold at every Indomaret, but bring the child formula from home.
Monkeys. How worried should we be?
Honestly worried. Bali is rabies-endemic and Gianyar renewed its warnings for tourists at monkey parks in 2025. A toddler at monkey height holding a snack is the exact profile that gets grabbed. At Uluwatu on day 5: carrier, no food out, nothing loose, no touching, no eye contact. A scratch or bite means 15 minutes of washing with soap and a same-day clinic for post-exposure shots. Ask your doctor before you fly whether a pre-travel rabies vaccine makes sense for the child. Ubud's Monkey Forest is not on this plan for the same reason.
Where is the pharmacy, and the doctor?
Kimia Farma is the state chain, cheapest and everywhere; Guardian is in the malls. Both stock children's paracetamol syrup (Tempra), rehydration salts and antihistamines. For anything real, Bali International Hospital in Sanur is the newest international-standard hospital and the obvious choice from this base.
Is Waterbom worth adding?
Only as a dedicated splash day. The AquaPlay zone has no height minimum, toddler slides cap at 130 cm and everything is in the ticket, but children under six need an adult within reach the whole time and it is a 40-minute drive to Kuta, on the way to nothing else. Stroller and swim-nappy rules are not published, so ask before you go. The lagoon does the same job for free most days.
The toddler reality check
Bali is genuinely good with a 2 year old if you stay in Sanur, and much harder anywhere else, which is why this plan never moves house. The reef-protected lagoon and the flat beach path do the work a playground would do at home, three of the six days go out by car with the nap in the car seat, and every dinner is seated by 18:00. Two things to be honest about: day 5 is long, nearly three hours of driving after a bird park, and the choice point is there so you can shorten it on the spot; and days 4 and 5 are two paid animal parks back to back, one more than we would normally pick, though the Bird Park is the 90-minute kind. Respect the sun between 10:00 and 15:00, the tides, and the monkeys, and the island is warm-hearted in the way that makes travelling with a small child easier rather than harder.
What is the car seat law here?
There is none. Indonesia's traffic law requires seat belts and says nothing about child restraints, so a toddler on a lap in a taxi is legal and common. The honest sentence is not that taxis are exempt, it is that no rule exists. Bring your own car seat, fit it in the driver's car yourself, and pre-book an airport transfer that states a car seat is fitted. You will be the only ones doing it and nobody will mind.
Will there be a high chair?
In Sanur's beachfront cafés and anywhere that courts families, usually. Genius Cafe on day 2 has them, Blossom Steakhouse and KidzCafe advertise them along with changing tables. Warungs like Mak Beng on day 1 have plastic chairs and none, so a lap or the bench it is. Nowhere is it universal; if you cannot do without a high chair, message the place the day before. A clip-on travel seat earns its space in the bag on this trip.
How do restaurants treat a 2 year old, and does early dinner work?
Warungs are the win. Nasi goreng and mie goreng arrive in minutes, rice is the universal toddler food, satay is finger food and nobody minds a child wandering off to look at the fish tank. Early dinner is native: sunset is about 18:15 all year, Balinese families eat early, and a 17:30 table is unremarkable. Every dinner on this plan is at 18:00, and nothing in scope has a late-reservation problem. Staff carrying your toddler off to see the kitchen is normal, not an alarm.
Where does a toddler run, and can we push a stroller?
The beach path: 5 to 6 km of flat, car-free, mostly paved promenade, wide enough for two prams to pass, with short sandy patches and a few wooden bridges where big wheels beat umbrella-stroller wheels. The quiet window is 07:30 to 09:00. We could not find a public playground in Sanur we could name; the lagoon and the path do that job, and the grass edge on day 3 is where the running happens. Bali Zoo and Bird Park both have flat stroller paths. Tegallalang and Uluwatu are carrier country.
What does the weather do to the day?
It sets the shape. Late May is dry-season weather, 27 to 31 degrees, and the UV is dangerous from 10:00 to 15:00 whether or not there is cloud. The rhythm that works: beach path and lagoon early, driver or shade from 10:00 to 15:00 with the nap inside it, a second swim at 16:00, dinner at 17:30 or 18:00. Rash guard, wide hat, mineral sunscreen. The hotel pool is unheated and at this latitude does not need to be.
How do the Balinese react to a toddler?
With open delight, and with their hands. Babies here are carried by everyone, mother, siblings, neighbours, the whole banjar, and visiting children get the same: cheek pinches, a waiter carrying your toddler behind the bar to see the fish, a grandmother at the warung taking the baby so you can eat. The word for it is kebersamaan, togetherness; a child is shared happiness. One thing in return: the head is sacred, so do not ruffle a Balinese child's hair.
Why is the Monkey Forest not on this plan?
Stone paths, steps and bridges, so a carrier not a stroller, and the rules are no food, no touching, no eye contact, nothing loose. The macaques there have been vaccinated since 2023 and no visitor rabies case from the forest has been reported, but a toddler at monkey height is still the exact shape that gets grabbed. If you go anyway: carrier, 30 minutes, nothing in small hands. Robin left it out and put the birds in instead.
Raising kids in Indonesia: fun facts
- A Balinese baby's feet do not touch the ground for the first 105 days; the child is still close to the gods. The three-month ceremony that finally sets the feet on the earth is the moment they become fully human.
- The Balinese calendar year is 210 days, so a child's birthday, the otonan, comes round every 210 days, with blessings and a ceremonial haircut.
- Names tell birth order. First-borns are Wayan, Putu or Gede, second Made or Kadek, third Nyoman or Komang, fourth Ketut. A fifth child is often Wayan again. Your driver will almost certainly be one of the four.
- At adolescence six upper teeth are filed flat in the mepandes ceremony, one for each inner enemy: desire, greed, anger, intoxication, confusion and jealousy.
4 days
Have 4 days?
Drop the cliff and one park
Keep arrival, the lagoon day, the terraces and the farewell swim. Day 5's Uluwatu drive is the first thing to go with a 2 year old, and Bali Zoo covers the animals on its own.
Keep the driver for the terraces only
With Uluwatu gone the driver is needed for one day trip and the two airport legs. Everything else is on foot along the path.
8 days
Have 8 days?
Add a Waterbom splash day
The AquaPlay zone has no height minimum and toddler slides that cap at 130 cm, and everything is in the ticket. It is 40 minutes to Kuta and on the way to nothing else, so give it its own morning with the nap drive home.
Add a do-nothing lagoon day, or Melasti Beach
A second Sanur day with no plan at all is the best thing you can give this trip: path at 07:30, swim at high tide, cot by 13:00. If you want the south coast without monkeys, Melasti Beach on the Uluwatu peninsula is reef-pooled and paved to the sand.
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