Positioned in the heart of Sri Lanka, the famous hill city Kandy is a must included tourist destination in your travel itinerary. Surrounded with mesmerizing green filled mountains, forests and a beautiful lake in the middle of a commercial city does explains on the all the hypes on why even locals love to live in this city one day. More importantly Kandy is the home to the famous temple of tooth relic, which is also declared as a UNESCO world heritage.
Here is everything you need to know why you should visit Kandy…
TIP> We recommend you to stay at least a day or two in Kandy Because there is many things to see and many things to do while you are here!
Where is Kandy?
Located in the central highlands of Sri Lanka Kandy is the hill capital and everyone’s favorite place to spend time. During the ancient era Kandy also known to be ‘Udarata’ was the last Kingdom of the island and you can see some colonial architectural buildings, archeological ruins which resulted due to the British invasion during 1800s.
How to travel to Kandy?
From Colombo
Getting to Kandy is easy considering it is one of the popular cities. If you are coming from Colombo the best way is to use the bus or train. The trains are scheduled 4-5 times through out the day and you can find buses every 15 mints of time. You can also use a hired vehicle or a domestic flight.
By Bus | Available regularly at Colombo fort main bus station, you can either use the intercity air conditioned bus or regular bus, the cost is slightly different
- One-way ticket price: around $3 USD
- Journey duration: 3.5 hours
By Train | Available at fixed time lines at Colombo fort Railway station, you can either reserve the seats (2nd class) or use third class compartment, ticket price depends on the class
- One-way ticket price: around $2 USD
- Journey duration: 2.5 hours
By Hired Car | Book a car with us! www.takemesrilanka.com
- One-way price: around $50 USD
- Journey duration: 3 hours
By Domestic airflight | Available by booking www.cinnamonair.com
- Journey duration: 20 minutes
From Dambulla
If you are Travelling from Dambulla you can either take a bus or a hired car.
By Bus | Available on every 30 minutes (leave before 7 pm, after that is rare to find long distance buses) at Dambulla main bus station, you can either use the intercity air conditioned bus or regular bus, the cost is slightly different
- One-way ticket price: between $1.5- $2.5 USD
- Journey duration: 2 hours
By Hired Car | Book a car with us! www.takemesrilanka.com
- One-way price: around $20 USD
- Journey duration:1.5 hours
From Ella
Many tourists, who directly visit down south to enjoy the beach, visit udawlawe and then Ella. Their next destination usually is Kandy. Another reason to this is booking Kandy to Ella train tickets are harder than Ella to Kandy. The cheapest way to get to Kandy via Ella is through train but you can also use a hired taxi.
*Book your Train tickets with us! *
By Train | Available at fixed time lines, Train is arriving from Badulla and you can get in from Ella railway station.
- One-way ticket price: around $3 USD
- Journey duration: 5-6 hours
By Hired Car | Book a car with us! www.takemesrilanka.com
- One-way ticket price: around $60 USD
- Journey duration: 2.5 hours
Hint> As Kandy is the Central city if you are planning to go to Sigiriya Lion’s rock or central high lands aka Nuwara Eliya or Ella via the famous train ride you anyway have to pass Kandy. So why not stay a day or two and relax!
Things to do in Kandy
Sri Lanka being the No 1 travel destination in the world according to Lonely Planet is no wonder. Just like travellers visit to get some vitamin D from the beautiful coastal line of the island, the hill country also plays a part of to this Island’s popularity.
Being one of the smallest cities in Sri Lanka why would someone should travel Kandy? One can ask! In simply, Kandy is a total package and there are many things to do in Kandy. You can enjoy the scenic mountains, breezy weather coming from Kandy lake in the evenings, picturesque gardens and calming forest reserves along with the cultural heritages in the city.
Who says this kinda relaxation cannot go hand in hand with the cultural aspects surrounded by it!
There are many attractive places you can visit while you stay in Kandy. To know more read our more elaborate blog on things to do while you are in Kandy.
Places to stay in kandy
Being a popular destination there are many accommodation options in Kandy ranging from budget hostels to 5 star hotels. Below are few recommended options.
Hotels
- Earl’s Regency Hotel
- The grand kandyan
Homestays
- Travellers Home (try to shorten the link , there may a source to shorten this link in the internet, )
- Rivora residence
Bed and breakfast
- Kandy City Stay
- Selyna Sky Terrace
Hostels
- Bunk Planet
- Deck on the hills
Hint> If your next destination is Ella via train, book an Accommodation near Kandy Railway Station.
Where to eat in kandy
Kandy is also a perfect spot to enjoy some Lankan cuisines ranging from street food to the famous Lankan kottu to whatnot. Enjoy the flavors while you are here.
Local taste
- Hela bojun- Lankan
- Sharon Inn- Lankan/Asian
- Sri Krishna Dosi – Indian/Asian
- The whizz –Café/Fast food / koththu
- Vito wood fired Pizza – Pizza
- Fire plate restaurant –Chinese/Asian
- Licensed to grill- European
Tip> If you had a long day or did not feel like going out to eat use Pick me foods or Uber Foods for delivery.
Note : prices are slightly higher with comparing to the actual price for the delivery.
Hope the above frequently asked questions helped you to plan your trip to Kandy. If you’ve got further questions feel free to comment below and we are here to assist you. Happy travels!