Kandy, I believe, is truly the heart of Sri Lanka both in spirit and location. The great thing about this city is that you don’t need long days to explore it; must-see places are situated so close to each other, you could visit most of them in a day.
Located inland, pretty much in the middle of Sri Lanka. It is approximately 120 KM away from Colombo, and the drive from Colombo to Kandy will take 3 hours
The laid-back way to get to Kandy is by train from Colombo. It’s the second-largest city in Sri Lanka. Surrounded by beautiful tea plantations and mountains, temperatures in Kandy are between 19 – 28C all year round.
Before getting to Kandy
On the way to Kandy from Colombo, you could visit the Railway museum- Kadugannawa and climb the 125 feet tall Dawson’s Tower
Once you get there, the easiest way to travel around is by tuk-tuk. (make sure to talk to your driver, negotiate the travel rates and they’re great storytellers), or you could always walk to beat the traffic.
1. Walk around the Royal Botanical Gardens
If you get there by mid-day, The Royal Botanical Gardens at Peradeniya is a great place to walk around, relax, and escape the mid-day heat. it is a massive landscape of around 60 hectares with a wide variety of exotic plants and ancient trees. It’s also a great place to do cartwheels
Interactive map: Peradeniya Royal Botanical Gardens
2. Visit The Temple of the Tooth Relic
Towards the end of the afternoon, you could visit the Temple of the Tooth Relic. It houses the tooth of Lord Buddha and is both a religious and heritage site in Sri Lanka. Given the religious value of the place, admittance requires visitors to wear clothing that is below knee length and with sleeves. The Temple is open from 05:30 to 20:00 hours. It is usually crowded on Poya days and weekends.
On your way, you will pass the fountain sponsored by British Coffee planters in 1875 by the Coffee Planters of Ceylon in Commemoration of the visit of Albert Edward, The Prince of Wales (1841-1910)
Read: Things you should know before visiting the most sacred Temple of the Tooth Relic
3. Take a stroll around the Lake
Take a walk around the Kandy Lake. Created in 1807 by the last Sinhalese king of Kandy, Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe, using forced labour. Deveda Moolacharya is the architect of the Kandy Lake. The king used land which was a paddy field to create the lake.
It’s particularly attractive in the early mornings and evenings. You might be lucky to spot a few water monitors and tortoises sunbathing on logs.
4. Bird-watching at Udawattakele Forest Reserve
If you’re interested in bird watching then Kandy’s Udawatta Kele, Royal Forest Park or Udawattakele Sanctuary is the spot! Situated around 1.5km from the city centre, you’ll find lots of exciting trails, birds, and cheeky monkeys. The sanctuary is open from 07:00 to 18:00 with the last admission ticket issued at 16:30. This is a historic forest reserve on a hill-ridge in the city of Kandy
5. Take a dip in the stream
You could take a dip in the Mahaweli River to cool off from the day’s heat and there are some great locations with natural pools around Nillambe or Narampanawa, outside the city.
Find accommodation close to Nillambe or Narampanawa
6. See the city from The View Point
Kandy being “The Hill Capital” has some great locations with amazing eagle-eye views. Right in the middle of the city you could enjoy the great view from The View Point, or you could visit Bahirawa Kanda Vihara Buddha statue (it’s impossible to miss seeing this 88ft statue from anywhere in Kandy as it sits above the city). But if you want to see the whole city from outside, you could go up to the Hanthana ground.
7. Sip a chilled beer
You could probably do all this in one day and wind down with a beer at Slightly Chilled Lounge (I guess it’s the view from the spot that makes the beer extra good).
8. Hike the Hanthana mountains or Learn about the Tea Culture at The Ceylon Tea Museum
If the plan is to stick around for a few days, the Hantana Mountain range is a must. The transition from Pine forest to stream, to green mountains, amazes me every single time.
But if hiking is not your thing, there are a couple of tea estates. The 1925-vintage Ceylon Tea Museum at Hantana is such one. Tea Factory, 4km south of Kandy on the Hantane road. Abandoned for more than a decade, it was recently refurbished and has good exhibits on tea pioneers James Taylor and Thomas Lipton, and lots of vintage tea-processing paraphernalia.
Only to finish the tour with a wonderful cup of tea as you overlook the scenic view. It is open on Tuesdays to Saturdays from 08:30 -15:30, and on Sundays till 15:00.
9. Visit the Nelligala Meditation Centre
If you want to end your day with a cultural or spiritual vibe, visit the Nelligala Meditation Centre, (well, even if you’re not looking for a cultural vibe, the Nelligala Temple is a great location to catch the evening sunset). Located about 12km from Kandy city, Nelligala is a temple is built on a cliff with a panoramic view.
10. Enjoy some wine at Helga’s Folly
Have a glass of wine at Helga’s Folly, and enjoy its odd and unique art. Helga’s Folly is an individualist hotel/restaurant 4KM east of (and above) the city centre. With its ancient candelabras and paintings from wonderland, Helga’s Folly looks like a page from a fantasy. Each fraction of the hotel is unique and covered with murals.
Book your accommodation at Helga’s Folly Sri Lanka
While these are some fun, must-do experiences, there are many other things to do around the city. Make sure to take note of all the religious buildings (temples, churches, mosques, and Kovils); their architecture is unique and steeped in history. Also, make sure to stop and have a bite at a Hela Bojun if you see one; the food is both traditional and cheap (not to mention, fresh).
Kandy is exciting year-round, but if it’s a seasonal speciality that you’re looking for, visit Kandy around July/August for the Esala Perahara, one of the grandest and oldest traditional events in Sri Lanka. It is a Buddhist festival of parading dancers, jugglers, musicians, fire-eaters, and lavishly decorated elephants.
One thing I’d recommend when it comes to travelling around a small city like Kandy is to network with people instead of Google Maps. I’ve found so many routes that are actually non-existent as pop-ups on maps.
Stay in Kandy
Sri Lanka Holiday Guru Tip
Regular buses travel between Kandy and Peradeniya Royal Botanical Gardens.
You can also take the intercity train from Colombo (see below) to Peradeniya station.
For a day trip from Colombo to Kandy, the train journey takes about three hours. Perhaps the most convenient train is Intercity. As Train No.1009 it leaves Colombo Fort station at 07:00, arrives at Peradeniya at 09:21 before reaching Kandy at 09:31. At Kandy railway station, tuk-tuks can be hired but negotiate the price first.
For the return trip, the Intercity Train No. 1010 leaves Kandy at 15:00, arriving Colombo Fort at 17:36.
