The short answer
Bali is generally a safe place to travel and violent crime against tourists is rare, but the real dangers are ordinary ones: scooter crashes, a handful of money scams, rip currents and petty theft. Most trips pass without trouble if you ride carefully, count your cash and swim where it is patrolled. Save the local emergency number, 112, in your phone before you land. Treat the rest of this guide as a short list of the things that actually go wrong, not a reason to stay home.
The road is the real danger
The single biggest risk in Bali is the road, not crime: moped and motorbike accidents injure and kill visitors every year, and traffic discipline is poor. If you rent a scooter, wear a proper helmet every time and carry both a valid motorcycle licence and an International Driving Permit. Riding without them can void your travel insurance and draw police fines. Never ride after drinking, go slowly on wet or unlit roads, and skip the scooter entirely if you have never ridden one. A Grab or Gojek car costs little and removes the risk.
Money, taxi and temple scams
Most Bali scams are about money, not force, and a little suspicion defeats them all. Change cash only at licensed counters and count every note yourself, because the classic sleight-of-hand trick sees a clerk palm a note back while handing you the pile. Ignore touts who claim a temple is closed today and steer you to a shop or a pricier site. At the airport and on the street, agreed taxi fares run high, so a metered Grab or Gojek ride is usually cheaper and clearer. Use bank ATMs and check the card slot for skimming devices before you insert a card.
Monkeys, water and your belongings
Watch your belongings around monkeys, in the surf and on a parked scooter. The monkeys at Uluwatu Temple and the Ubud Monkey Forest snatch phones, sunglasses and bags, so hold valuables tight or leave them behind. Some beaches have strong rip currents and no lifeguards, so ask locally, swim between the flags where they exist, and stay out if the water looks rough. Petty theft is opportunistic: bags left in scooter baskets get grabbed by passing riders, so keep your bag on the road side of your body and nothing loose on show.
Drinks, drugs and the law
Take drink safety and Indonesia's drug laws seriously, because both carry real consequences. Drink spiking has been reported in Bali, Lombok and the Gili Islands, so watch your drink being made, never leave it unattended, and be wary of very cheap spirits, which can carry a methanol poisoning risk. Drug penalties are severe and include long prison terms. Some medicines are restricted too: pseudoephedrine cold tablets and codeine are controlled, and cannabis and CBD products are banned outright, so carry prescriptions and check anything unusual before you fly.
If something goes wrong
For any emergency, call 112, the national number that reaches police, ambulance and fire, and ask for the tourist police for help with theft or disputes. Note your accommodation address and your embassy contact, and read an official advisory before you go: the UK government keeps a current one at UK FCDO Indonesia travel advice. Reliable mobile data is quietly part of staying safe here: a working Goodbars eSIM lets you call a Grab instead of an unlit street taxi, map the nearest clinic and reach help without hunting for a signal.
