What should you wear in Bali?

Bali is relaxed about clothing in the tourist areas and not at all relaxed at temples and in villages, and the gap between those two catches people out daily.

The general rule

Beachwear belongs at the beach. Walking through a village, a market, a shop or a restaurant in a bikini or without a shirt is seen as disrespectful, and the province has run public campaigns about it. It is also, practically, very easy to avoid: a shirt and a sarong take three seconds.

Temples and ceremonies

A sarong to the ankles and a sash at the waist, with shoulders covered. Both are provided or rented at temple entrances, usually within the ticket.

Men and women follow the same standard. Vest tops, short skirts and beach shorts will get you turned away at the more serious temples.

Women are asked not to enter temples while menstruating. It is posted and taken on trust.

If you are invited to a family ceremony, traditional dress is the courtesy: a sarong with a kebaya for women and a sarong with a shirt and udeng headcloth for men. Any market sells the pieces for very little and your hosts will be visibly pleased.

Fabrics that work here

Linen, cotton, light rayon. Anything synthetic in 85 per cent humidity is unpleasant within an hour.

Loose over tight. Airflow is the whole game.

Light colours for daytime, since the sun is directly overhead.

Nothing that needs ironing, because nothing dries flat here.

The layers people forget

A light jumper or fleece for the highlands: Munduk, Bedugul, Kintamani and any volcano before dawn. Batur at 4am is around 10 degrees.

Long sleeves and trousers for the evening, mostly against mosquitoes rather than cold.

A light rain layer in wet season, not a heavy waterproof. It is warm rain.

For dinner

Most restaurants are relaxed. The better ones in Seminyak, Ubud and on the Bukit expect smart casual in the evening: a collared shirt or a dress, closed shoes or decent sandals rather than beach flip-flops. A few beach clubs enforce it.

Nobody wears a jacket. It is 28 degrees at 9pm.

For scooters

Closed shoes and long trousers, whatever the temperature. A minor fall in shorts and flip-flops is weeks of dressings, and this is the most common visitor injury on the island. Residents who ride any distance wear trainers and trousers for exactly this reason.

What the climate does to clothing

Everything moulds. Leather, canvas and anything left damp in a bag will grow mould within days in wet season. Air things out and do not pack anything damp.

Laundry is cheap and everywhere, usually 10,000 to 20,000 rupiah a kilo, back the next day. This is why you can pack for four days and stay for three weeks.

Swimwear does not dry in wet season. Two sets is the minimum.

For women, specifically

In Canggu, Seminyak, Ubud and the beach areas, anything goes and nobody looks twice. In villages, markets, government offices and the north and east of the island, covered shoulders and knees attract less attention and are simply more comfortable socially.

On Lombok and in Java, which are predominantly Muslim, dress more conservatively again away from the tourist beaches. This is straightforward courtesy rather than a rule anyone will enforce.

What a week's packing actually looks like

Four or five light tops, two pairs of shorts, one pair of long trousers, one long-sleeved shirt, two swimsuits, one sarong, a light jumper, a rain layer, flip-flops and one pair of closed shoes. Laundry costs a dollar a kilo and comes back the next day, so there is no reason to pack more.

Add a dress or a collared shirt if you plan on the better restaurants, and a hat, because shade is scarce at the beaches and the sights.

Buying clothes here

Bali is a good place to buy light clothing: local brands in Seminyak and Canggu, markets everywhere, and tailors who will copy a garment for very little. If you have packed wrong, it is a two-hour problem to fix rather than a trip-ruining one.