Legian

Legian is a beachfront town in South Bali, north of Kuta and south of Seminyak. Stretching north from Kuta, Legian offers the same easy access to shops and bars but a slightly more relaxed and less chaotic feeling. It is a low-key area where you can still get the low prices of Kuta without some of the hassle. The northern area of Legian bordering Seminyak offers a bit of an escape from the crowds and is also a popular surf beach.

Orientation
This is a small area fronting the beach which stretches from Jalan Melasti (where Kuta ends), north to Jalan Arjuna (better known as Jalan Double Six) where Seminyak begins. Most of the popular Legian hotels are on or close to the beach. The whole of Legian is no bigger than a few blocks in a large city, but despite its small size, this area has a very high profile with visitors due to the lovely beach frontage, and proliferation of mid-market hotels.

The most popular stretch of Legian Beach is at the bottom of Jalan Padma, and is sometimes called Padma Beach. It is more relaxed than Kuta, has a better and less crowded surf break, and is home to many nice vendors selling beers under umbrellas. There is easy parking here for Rp 1,000 per motorbike.

There is a long north-south road between the beachfront hotels and the beach, which is only open for authorised vehicles when there is a ceremony being held. Otherwise it is a well paved footpath, and makes for an excellent walking route, allowing users an easy beach-side stroll along to restaurants, bars and nightclubs on Double Six Beach.

The main road is Jalan Legian which can get very jammed indeed. All roads to the beach run westwards, more or less perpendicular to Jalan Legian.

Get in
The airport is located south of Legian and a taxi or car journey from there will take about will take about 20 minutes. A pre-paid coupon taxi fare from the airport is Rp 55,000.

Kuta and Seminyak are either side of Legian and you can walk, drive or bike in from both those areas.

Get around
Most of Legian can be covered on foot if you are not in a hurry, but taxis are plentiful as are motorbike rental outlets. Expect to pay Rp 50,000 to 80,000 per day for renting a motorbike.

See
Aside from the obvious (the gorgeous beach!), there is not a great deal to see in Legian. It is a place where visitors stay, shop, eat, drink and go to the beach. Legian Beach is one of the best in Bali for viewing the sunset.

The beach
Head into the ocean with boogie boards (Rp 20,000/hour) and surfboards hired from at beach or take surfing lessons from the Surf School based at Blue Ocean beach.

On Saturday and Sunday evenings, the beach front is packed with tourists, expats, locals and motorbikes, with fire pois and musicians jamming on the beach - you'll be more than welcome to join in.

Almost every evening at about 17:00 a game of beach football begins right in front of de ja vu on Blue Ocean Beach. Visitors are normally welcomed if they want to join in.

A more leisurely beach pursuit is to situate yourself, cocktail in hand, at one of the many beach front cafes on this stretch, and watch one of the world's great sunsets. Be in position by about 17:30.

Spas and treatments
Informal massages, manicures, pedicures and hair braiding, are all widely available while you relax on the beach in this area.



Buy
Legian is crammed full of shops selling everything from the latest designer surfware to Balinese souvenirs to take home. This is a shopping destination. Covering the main shopping area in Legian will not take too long. It encompasses Jalan Melasti, Jalan Padma, Jalan Werkudara and Jalan Arjuna, all of which run perpendicular to Jalan Legian on the beach side. Jalan Padma is especially good for beads, shell work and other similar trinkets. Jalan Arjuna is lined with small stores selling sarongs and fabrics. On Jalan Legian look for slightly more upmarket boutiques, and the ubiquitous surfwear/sportswear stores (although the larger of these are in neighbouring Kuta).

There are two markets on Jalan Melasti. Close to the beach at the western end there is a large art market selling Balinese handicrafts and other items for tourists. You could easily buy all of your presents to take home in one visit here. At the eastern end where Jalan Melasti becomes Jalan Sri Wijaya, there is a morning fresh produce market which opens from about 05:00.

Eat
Legian's beachfront restaurants are popular spots for sunset and people watching.

Budget
You can get sup bakso (soup with meat balls), mie goreng (fried noodles) and nasi goreng (fried rice) from the small warungs (outdoor cafes) on the beach. Very cheap and very tasty.



Mid-range






Sleep
Squeezed between Kuta and Seminyak, this area has a wide variety of accommodation options, and especially so in the mid-range market. Legian is a bit more upmarket compared to the surfer and backpacker-oriented Kuta, but distinctly downmarket from hip Seminyak.

Usually hotels in Legian are slightly cheaper than in Kuta, but due to many big discounts, there are possibly discounted hotel prices in Kuta that are cheaper than in Legian. Legian has more small cafes than in Kuta.

Mid-range
Mid-range accommodation abounds in Legian and there is an almost endless selection. Shop around and look for the best deals. Outside of the peak seasons you can get substantial discounts from decent beachfront hotels in this area.



Cope
A Malaysian honorary consulate is in Legian:


 * 🇲🇾 Malaysia

Go next

 * The airport is a 20-min drive from Legian and once you are out of the often congested streets close to the beach, this area is well connected to the main road network of the island.
 * Walk 10 min north along the beach and sample one of Semniyak's super chic restaurants.