Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS) is Indonesia's second-busiest international airport, serving over 24 million passengers each year. Arriving after the long flight can be overwhelming, so with this Bali airport guide, hopefully, you get everything you need to relax.

Bali airport guide and general information

Bali airport is located about 13 kilometers (8 miles) from Denpasar, or 2.5 kilometers (1.56 miles) from Kuta. The international terminal was opened in 2013 and covered about 28.630 m2 area (308.17 sq. ft.), with 62 check-in counters and seven baggage collection carousels, immigration, and Visa on Arrival (VOA) in the arrival hall. This terminal has a capacity of 20 million passengers each year. Expect a long queue in the immigration with up to 1 hour waiting time, so you might be able to get to the front row by getting to the queue as quickly as possible. Restaurants and shops are mostly located in the departure area.

While the domestic terminal was refurbished in 2014 and covers about 9.039 m2 (97.3 sq. ft.) area, with eight departure terminal gates which five of them have the 'avio' bridge. This terminal can serve up to 9 million passengers each year. Besides at the departure hall, many restaurants are located just outside the arrival gate before the parking area.

To get to Bali airport

If you are about to fly from Bali, it is easy to reach the airport by car, motorbike, or taxi – including the online transport service. Otherwise, you can arrange the airport transfer service with your accommodation. If you rent the motorbike, the rental company might also be able to drop off or pick up the motorbike at the airport.

However, if you bring a motorbike, the parking area is a bit far from the terminals, and you should walk through the uncovered path. Meanwhile, car parking is a lot more accessible and convenient to drop or load the baggage.

From Denpasar, Sanur, Ubud, Nusa Dua, you have the option to go through the toll road or the main street of By Pass Ngurah Rai. From each tourist areas to the airport, it takes approximately about:

To get from Bali Airport

Airport official taxi

If your accommodation cannot or do not arrange the airport transfer for you, you have some options to get to your lodging from the airport. The first option is the airport official taxi that changes a fixed rate depending on your destination, ranging from Rp.100.000,- up to Rp.850.000,- (to the east or north of Bali). Book in the airport taxi counter to avoid overcharged, and you can find them at:

  • International arrival: after the arrival gate, pass through the Duty-free shops and the drivers waiting for their guests, then you will find the counter with the signboard with the published prices.
  • Domestic arrival: just outside the arrival gate (the glass sliding doors), on the right side.

After booking, they will quote you the price accordingly, and you will get the ticket with the confirmed price and taxi number. You will pay directly to the driver at the end of the trip. The rate is higher than the online transport service but might be better than bargaining with the random Bali taxi drivers.

Online transportation service

However, if you find the counter is closed or cannot find the counter, another option is to use the online transportation apps, such as Go-Jek, or Grab. Grab now has the official pick up zones in both international and domestic terminals, with green and white booth which is usually located between the terminals and car park. However, the Grab airport rate is much higher than the Grab fare outside the airport; you can also compare the rates with the airport official taxi.

Taxi

While Blue Bird taxi, one of the most reputable taxi in Bali, is only allowed to drop-off the passengers, not pick-up. Therefore, if both options above are not working for you, you can try to leave the arrival area to the departure area to find the Blue Bird taxis dropping off passengers, and make sure the driver turns on the meter. Please note that there are many other blue taxies very similar to Blue Bird, but stick to Blue Bird taxis if possible – they also have the apps available in Android and iPhone called My Blue Bird.

Useful Bali airport guide and facilities tourists should know

  • Upon your arrival at the airport, you can exchange some money in the authorized money changers nearby the arrival gate – just in case you don’t have any Indonesian Rupiah to grab a taxi or simply to buy the phone SIM card. Rates might be a bit higher than other money changers outside the airport.
  • ATMs are also available in both terminals. There is also an ATM center between the domestic arrival gate and the parking area.
  • After the arrival exit gate in both terminals, some Telco kiosks are selling local SIM cards. Read here about Wi-Fi & Phone in Indonesia.
  • GST Refund is located in the check-in areas of international departure.
  • Some nearby airport hotels are Novotel Bali Ngurah Rai Airport, a four-star hotel with direct access from and to the international departure area, and Hilton Garden Inn located around 500 meters (547 yards) away from the airport.
  • If you need to store your luggage and go around while waiting for your flight, go to the luggage storage service at the drop off zone of both international and domestic departures.
  • Airport lounges are available in the international departure area with shower facilities, among many other perks. Some are free for Priority Pass holders, or you can pay for a guest pass.
  • Charging stations and outlets can be found at some gates in both terminals.

Bali airport guide for dining and shopping

Ngurah Rai International Airport has many options to dine and shop after check-in in departure halls, including the airport lounges.  Some duty-free shops are available in both terminals, aside from a couple of convenience stores, pharmacy, bookstores, souvenir shops, wine and spirits shops, and a few branded stores. Most of them accept either card or cash payments in Indonesian Rupiah.

But if you want to eat upon arrival, you should go to the domestic terminal and find some restaurants between the arrival gate and parking area.