Planning guide
Which Bali port should I use?
Padang Bai in east Bali has the most boats to the Gili Islands and Lombok. Sanur has the most boats to Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan. Serangan and Nusa Dua, closer to Kuta and the airport, have 1 to 3 boats a day to the Gili Islands, Lombok and Nusa Penida.
Short answer
Padang Bai, Sanur or Serangan: choose your port
Start from the island you are going to, then compare the road from where you stay the night before.
-
Padang Bai port
East Bali. Choose this port if
- you are going to the Gili Islands or Lombok
- you want the most departures: 17 a day to Gili Trawangan and 13 to Bangsal on Lombok
- you travel with a car or motorbike: the public ferry to Lembar sails from here
- Road transfer
- 40 km from Ubud; 50 to 56 km from Seminyak, Canggu, Kuta and the airport
- Where to go
- Fast boats: the people’s pier (Dermaga Rakyat), with ticket counters around it. Public ferry: the ferry piers, Dermaga 1 and 2 (map of the ferry piers). Check your ticket.
- Route guides
- Gili Islands, Lombok
- The night before
- Places to stay in Padang Bai (opens Booking.com in a new tab)
-
Sanur harbour
South-east Bali. Choose this port if
- you are going to Nusa Penida or Nusa Lembongan: 37 to 38 and 14 to 16 boats a day
- you stay in south Bali or Ubud, 17 to 21 km away
- you go to the Gili Islands or Lombok and 4 or 5 boats a day are enough
- Road transfer
- 17 to 21 km from Seminyak, Canggu, Kuta, Ubud and the airport; 38 km from Uluwatu
- Where to go
- Sanur harbour, on Jalan Matahari Terbit (map of the harbour). Check your ticket: in 2026 some operators trialled boats from Mertasari Pier in south Sanur.
- Route guides
- Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan
-
Serangan and Nusa Dua
South Bali. Choose these ports if
- you stay in Kuta, Uluwatu or near the airport
- one of their 1 to 3 boats a day per route fits your plans; they leave between 07:30 and 13:30
- Road transfer
- Serangan 10 km from Kuta and 13 km from the airport; Nusa Dua 16 km from the airport and 25 km from Uluwatu
- Where to go
- Serangan harbour in South Denpasar; the Nusa Dua harbour on the Tanjung Benoa peninsula, used by Ekajaya Fast Ferry. Check your ticket for the check-in place.
- Boats to
- Gili Islands, Lombok and Nusa Penida; Nusa Lembongan from Nusa Dua only
Links to places to stay open Booking.com through Stay22. We may receive a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Kusamba, in east Bali, has local speedboats to Sampalan on Nusa Penida: 5 a day, about 30 min. Benoa is not in this comparison: for 5 and 12 November 2026, Ferryhopper lists no boats from Benoa to Lombok or the Gili Islands.
How to decide
How to choose between the ports
Four things decide which port fits your trip. The first two narrow the choice, the last two decide between the ports that are left.
Your island
Not every port has boats to every island. Kusamba only has boats to Nusa Penida, and Padang Bai has none to Nusa Lembongan.
Where you stay
Sanur, Serangan and Nusa Dua are 10 to 38 km from Seminyak, Canggu, Kuta, Uluwatu and the airport. Padang Bai is 40 to 56 km from Ubud, Seminyak, Canggu, Kuta and the airport.
Departures a day
Padang Bai and Sanur have boats spread over the day. Serangan and Nusa Dua have 1 to 3 per route, all leaving between 07:30 and 13:30.
Vehicles
Only the public ferry from Padang Bai to Lembar and the car ferry from Padang Bai to Nusa Penida carry vehicles. The fast boats take passengers only.
Side by side
Compare the Bali ports
Departures a day, the shortest crossing and starting fares per port, from the Ferryhopper timetable for November and December 2026.
| Compare | Padang Bai | Sanur | Serangan | Nusa Dua |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Location | East Bali | South-east Bali | South Bali | South Bali |
| Boats a day | Gili Trawangan 17, Gili Air 16, Gili Meno 8; Bangsal 13, Senggigi 4; Nusa Penida 1 | Nusa Penida 37 to 38; Nusa Lembongan 14 to 16; Gili Trawangan 4 to 5, Gili Air 4; Bangsal 4 | Gili Trawangan 3, Gili Air 2; Bangsal 2, not every day; Nusa Penida 1, not every day | Gili Trawangan 3, Gili Air 2, Gili Meno 1; Senggigi 3, Bangsal 2; Nusa Penida 1; Nusa Lembongan 1, not every day |
| Shortest crossing | 30 min to Nusa Penida; 1 hr 30 min to the Gili Islands and Bangsal | 30 min to Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan; 2 hrs to Gili Trawangan | 1 hr to Nusa Penida; 2 hrs 45 min to Gili Trawangan | 45 min to Nusa Penida; 2 hrs 15 min to Gili Trawangan |
| Fast boat fares from | €17.70 to the Gili Islands and Lombok | €7.50 to Nusa Penida; €10.06 to Nusa Lembongan; €25.50 to the Gili Islands | €22.50 to Nusa Penida; €38.00 to the Gili Islands | €19.25 to Nusa Lembongan; €42.50 to the Gili Islands |
| Vehicles | Public ferry to Lembar; car ferry to Nusa Penida | No | No | No |
| Road distance | 40 to 73 km | 17 to 38 km | 10 to 32 km | 16 to 45 km |
Ferryhopper timetable for 5 November, 12 November and 3 December 2026; road distances from Seminyak, Canggu, Kuta, Ubud, Uluwatu and the airport. Fares change with the date and the operator.
From your hotel
Road distance from where you stay
The road to the port is part of your travel day. Drive times depend on traffic, so check a navigation app at your departure time.
- Fast boat
- Fewer fast boats
- Public ferry or local boat
- Bali port
- Where you stay
Indicative routes, not for navigation. Terrain: Mapzen Terrain Tiles (SRTM, ETOPO1). Coast and places: © OpenStreetMap contributors.
| If you stay in | Padang Bai | Sanur | Serangan | Nusa Dua | Kusamba |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seminyak | 51 km | 17 km | 14 km | 22 km | 43 km |
| Canggu | 50 km | 18 km | 22 km | 31 km | 42 km |
| Kuta | 52 km | 18 km | 10 km | 17 km | 43 km |
| Ubud | 40 km | 20 km | 32 km | 45 km | 32 km |
| Uluwatu | 73 km | 38 km | 30 km | 25 km | 65 km |
| Bali airport | 56 km | 21 km | 13 km | 16 km | 48 km |
Road distances from OpenStreetMap route planning (OSRM), October 2026.
How the parts of the travel day add up: crossing time and door-to-door time.
Live from Ferryhopper
Compare the ports: times and prices
Choose your port, your island and your date to see the fast boats Ferryhopper sells, with departure times and fares.
Next step
Route guides from Bali
Each route guide covers the ports at both ends, the boat options, a map and the travel day, with live fast boat times from Ferryhopper.
Route guide
Bali to Gili Islands
- Boat type
- Fast boat
- Crossing time
- From 1 hr 30 minTime on the water
- Fare per adult
- From €17.70Fast boat
Route guide
Bali to Lombok
- Boat type
- Fast boat or public ferry
- Crossing time
- From 1 hr 15 minTime on the water
- Fare per adult
- From €17.70Fast boat
Route guide
Bali to Nusa Penida
- Boat type
- Fast boat or car ferry
- Crossing time
- From 30 minTime on the water
- Fare per adult
- From €7.50Fast boat
Route guide
Bali to Nusa Lembongan
- Boat type
- Fast boat
- Crossing time
- From 30 minTime on the water
- Fare per adult
- From €10.06Fast boat
What this comparison covers
The Bali departure ports for the four routes in these guides: the Gili Islands, Lombok, Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan. Long-distance ships and routes to other parts of Indonesia are not included.
Questions about Bali ports
Which Bali port has the most boats?
Sanur, with 37 to 38 fast boats a day to Nusa Penida and 14 to 16 to Nusa Lembongan. For the Gili Islands, Padang Bai has the most: 17 a day to Gili Trawangan on the Ferryhopper timetable for November 2026.
Where is Sanur harbour?
On Jalan Matahari Terbit in Sanur, south-east Bali. The harbour opened in December 2022 and handled 3,000 to 5,000 passengers a day in February 2025. Most boats to Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan leave from here.
Can I go straight from the airport to a boat?
It is possible if you allow enough time after landing for immigration, your bags, the road and check-in, but flight and boat are separate bookings and either can be delayed: what to count. By road, the airport is 13 km from Serangan, 16 km from Nusa Dua, 21 km from Sanur and 56 km from Padang Bai. Check-in time is on your boat ticket.
Why is Benoa not in this comparison?
Ferryhopper lists Bangsal on Lombok and Gili Trawangan as destinations from Benoa, but lists no boats on either route for 5 and 12 November 2026.
Last checked: 2 November 2026. Port details, times and fares change. Check them with the operator before you travel.