Respect in Bali: Everyday Etiquette Locals Appreciate

Balinese people are famously gracious with visitors, and they rarely tell you when you have got something wrong. That is exactly why it helps to know the unwritten rules. Most of them are small: which hand you use, how you point, how you react when things run late. Together they shape how you are received in a warung, at a temple or in the lane outside your villa.

This guide covers the everyday etiquette locals appreciate, for first-time visitors and for people settling into a Balinese neighbourhood. None of it is complicated. It mostly comes down to modesty, patience and noticing what the people around you are doing.

Hands, heads and feet

• Use your right hand to give and receive money, food, gifts and business cards. The left hand is traditionally used for washing and is considered unclean. If you want to be especially polite, touch your left hand lightly to your right forearm or elbow as you hand something over.
• Do not touch anyone's head, including children's. The head is considered the most sacred part of the body. Patting a child's head, however affectionately meant, makes many parents uncomfortable.
• Mind your feet. Feet are the lowest part of the body. Do not point them at people, at shrines or at offerings, do not put them up on tables, and take your shoes off when entering someone's home or where you see shoes left at the door.

Pointing and beckoning

Pointing with your index finger is considered rude. To show a direction, use your right thumb with your fingers folded, or gesture with your whole open hand. To call someone over, such as a waiter, hold your hand out palm down and make a gentle scooping motion towards yourself. Beckoning with an upturned finger is how people call animals.

Smiles, patience and jam karet

Indonesians joke about jam karet, "rubber time". Appointments stretch, a driver arrives a little late, a builder starts next week rather than tomorrow. Getting visibly frustrated rarely speeds anything up, and it costs you goodwill.

A smile and a few words of Indonesian or Balinese do more than you would expect:

• Terima kasih: thank you (Indonesian)
• Suksma: thank you (Balinese)
• Permisi: excuse me, used when passing in front of people or entering a space
• Tidak, terima kasih: no, thank you
• Om Swastiastu: a respectful Balinese Hindu greeting

When you need something sorted, be friendly, be clear and allow a little more time than you think. If it is genuinely urgent, say so calmly.

Dress away from the beach

Swimwear belongs on the beach and by the pool. Walking through a town, a market or a supermarket in a bikini or bare-chested is a common complaint among locals, and Bali's 2025 rules for foreign tourists ask visitors to dress modestly in public places as well as at temples.

• In towns, shorts and a T-shirt or a light dress are fine.
• For temples, wear a sarong and sash with your shoulders covered. Many temples lend or rent them at the entrance.
• For ceremonies, government offices, banks and immigration appointments, cover shoulders and knees. Neat clothes signal respect.
• Topless sunbathing is not part of local culture, even where you see it done.

Temples, shrines and offerings

You will see small palm-leaf trays of flowers, rice and incense, called canang sari, on pavements, doorsteps, dashboards and shop counters. They are offerings, placed every day. Walk around them when you can. If one is in your way and you nudge it by accident, do not panic, but do not deliberately step on or over one.

At temples, stay in the areas open to visitors, do not climb on walls or shrines, do not walk in front of people praying, and never sit higher than a priest. Bali's rules for tourists also bar women who are menstruating from the inner temple areas, and Balinese custom asks the same of people with bleeding wounds or in recent mourning.

Public affection

Holding hands is fine. Kissing and close physical contact in public are not part of Balinese manners, especially in villages and near temples. Keep it for your hotel or villa. It is also worth knowing that Indonesia's new criminal code, in force since January 2026, covers unmarried cohabitation and sex outside marriage, although only on complaint from a close family member.

Keep your voice down

Balinese culture places great value on staying composed. Shouting, swearing or a public outburst does not make you look strong; it embarrasses everyone present, including you, and it can make people less willing to help.

If something goes wrong, from a wrong order to a dispute with a driver, lower your voice rather than raising it. Speak to a manager quietly. Bali's 2025 rules for foreign tourists specifically prohibit aggressive behaviour, swearing and rudeness towards locals and officials, and incidents of tourists losing their temper with police or officials have ended in deportation.

Photos, social media and ceremonies

Bali is beautiful to photograph, and many Balinese are happy to be in a photo when asked. Ask first, especially with older people, children and anyone praying.

• At ceremonies: do not use flash, do not push to the front, and do not stand in the way of priests, processions or people carrying offerings. Stay at the edges and lower than those taking part.
• Cremations (ngaben): these are family events, even when they look public. Attend only if invited or clearly welcome, dress as you would for a temple, and keep the camera discreet.
• Drones: ask permission before flying near temples or ceremonies. Many temples do not allow them.
• Social media: Bali's tourist rules prohibit spreading hate speech or misinformation online, and Indonesia's electronic information law applies to posts about people and businesses. Think before you post, and never pose for indecent or nude photos at sacred sites.

Ceremonies and road closures

Ceremonies happen all year. Many temple anniversaries (odalan) follow the 210-day Balinese calendar, so somewhere on the island there is almost always one under way. Processions can close roads for a while, managed by pecalang, the traditional village guards in black and white chequered sarongs.

• When a procession is coming, pull over, turn off your engine if asked, and wait. Do not honk or try to squeeze past.
• Follow pecalang instructions as you would police.
• Around Galungan and Kuningan, also on the 210-day cycle, you will see tall decorated bamboo poles (penjor) along the roads, and some businesses close or run reduced hours.
• On Nyepi, the Balinese day of silence, usually in March, everyone on the island stays indoors for 24 hours, with lights low and no noise. The airport closes too. Tourists are expected to stay inside their hotel or home.

Tipping

Tipping is not traditional in Bali, but it is appreciated, and wages in tourism are modest.

• Many restaurants show prices with "++", meaning tax (usually 10 percent) and a service charge are added at the till. If service is already included, a further tip is optional.
• Where no service charge is added, rounding up or leaving 5 to 10 percent for good service is generous.
• Drivers, guides, spa therapists and villa staff appreciate a tip given directly, with your right hand, at the end.

Bargaining fairly

Bargaining is normal at markets, small shops without price tags, and with independent drivers. It is not done in supermarkets, fixed-price shops or restaurants.

• Ask the price, make a friendly counter offer and meet somewhere in the middle.
• Keep it light and smiling. If you cannot agree, thank the seller and walk away politely.
• Only start bargaining if you actually want the item.
• Remember what the difference is worth to you compared with the seller. Fighting hard over the price of a coffee is not a good look.

Respecting the environment

• Plastic: Bali's rules restrict single-use plastic, including bags, straws, styrofoam and drinks in plastic packaging. Carry a refillable bottle and a tote bag. Many cafés and hotels have refill stations.
• Water: fresh water is under pressure in the busy south. Take shorter showers and reuse towels.
• Reefs: do not stand on or touch coral, do not feed fish, and keep your fins off the reef. Choose sunscreen marketed as reef-friendly and apply it well before you get in.
• Rubbish: take it with you from beaches, waterfalls and hikes. Bali's rules prohibit littering and polluting rivers, lakes and the sea.

Being a good neighbour in a banjar

If you live in Bali, even for a few months, you live in a banjar, the neighbourhood community that organises ceremonies, cremations, security and much of village life. Its meeting hall (bale banjar) and slit drum (kulkul) are at its heart.

• Introduce yourself to the head of your banjar (kelian banjar) or neighbourhood head soon after you move in, ideally with your landlord.
• Register properly. Your landlord or host is meant to report foreign residents to the authorities, and some banjars keep their own register of newcomers. Ask what is expected.
• Contributions: some banjars ask non-Balinese residents for a regular contribution towards ceremonies, security and rubbish. Ask your landlord what is normal in your area.
• Noise: ceremonies and gamelan practice can run late. Accept them as part of living here. In return, keep your own music and parties reasonable, especially at night.
• Help when asked: if there is a ceremony or a community clean-up, offering to help or making a small donation is warmly received.
• Ceremony days: expect roads to close and neighbours to be busy. Plan around them rather than complaining.

Small gestures add up. A greeting in the morning, patience on the road and respect for the island's rhythm are what turn a visitor into a welcome neighbour.