Hiring a private driver in Bali: costs and what is included

The short answer

Choose a car with driver for the day when you want to pick your own stops and there are several of you. Choose an organised tour when a ready-made programme suits you. For a single ride from A to B, a transfer is enough. With a car and driver you pay for the car and the time, not for each passenger, so it works best for families and small groups.

When a car with driver pays off

A car with driver makes sense when you want to see several places in a day that are not combined in one ready-made tour, or when you travel with children and need breaks on your own schedule. The driver picks you up at your accommodation, waits for you at the stops and takes you back at the end of the day.

It pays off less if you travel alone and want to see exactly what a ready-made tour offers. In that case an organised programme, where the stops and the time for each are already worked out, often gives you more.

Price per car or per person?

This is the most common mistake when comparing. Our car with driver is priced for the whole group of up to 5 people, not per person. Organised tours are often sold per person, but not always, so check what the price covers in every offer.

Compare the total for the whole group and the whole day, including what is not in the price. For two people one option may work out better, for five the other.

What is included and what is not

Our offer is a private car or minibus with a driver for 10 hours. Pickup at your accommodation and the ride back are included. The driver speaks English.

• Service length: 10 hours. If the day runs longer, overtime is charged separately for every extra hour.
• Parking: not included.
• Entrance fees and food: not among the included items, so budget for them separately.
• Fuel: not explicitly listed among the included items, so check the conditions before you pay.
• Tips: optional.

A driver is not automatically a guide who will explain the history of the sights to you. If you want commentary, choose a guided tour or arrange a guide on site.

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The area in your booking matters

The booking is tied to the area you give in it. The driver may decline to go to an area that is not in the booking, and additional areas have to be arranged through GetYourGuide customer support. So do not assume that all of Bali costs the same or that you can extend the plan freely along the way.

The car with driver is a service on Bali. It does not go with you to Nusa Penida; there you need a boat and transport on the island, or a full-day tour that includes both.

Two example days depending on where you stay

These examples are editorial suggestions, not the programme of a specific offer. Driving times change with traffic and nobody can guarantee them.

• You stay in the south, for example in Seminyak or Canggu: pick one direction, not the whole island, for example the area around Ubud with rice terraces and a waterfall. The drive there and back takes up part of your 10 hours.
• You stay in Ubud: the drives are shorter, so you can fit in a more relaxed day with more stops nearby. Plan the more demanding places for the morning and the easier ones for the afternoon.

If you are moving to a different place to stay that day, ask when booking whether you can end the day at another address and whether your luggage will fit in the car. Do not take it for granted.

If you would rather have a ready-made programme, see the private Ubud tour with rice terraces, the Monkey Forest and a waterfall. It has a driver-guide and fixed stops; entrance fees are included only with the entrance-fee option. To put together an Ubud day yourself, read Ubud in one day: what to combine and what to skip.

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For a single ride, a transfer is enough

If you only need to get from the airport to your hotel or move between two places, you do not need a car for the whole day. How to choose your airport ride is covered in Bali airport to your hotel: which transfer should you book?

What to tell them when you book

• Accommodation: the exact name, the address and ideally a map pin.
• Pickup time: earlier in the morning if you want to go far.
• Number of people and luggage: so that you all fit comfortably in the car.
• Child seat: if you need one, have it confirmed explicitly.
• Plan for the day: a list of stops and the area, so the driver can tell you in advance what you can realistically fit in.

Tags: BaliUbudprivate driver