Kandy
Kandy is a major city located in the Central Province of Sri Lanka.
Kandy is a major city located in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. It was the last capital of the Sinhalese monarchy from 1469 to 1818, under the Kingdom of Kandy. The city is situated in the midst of hills in the Kandy plateau. Kandy is the administrative capital of the Central Province, and considered as the cultural capital of Sri Lanka, due to its architectural heritage. Kandy is the home of the Temple of the Tooth Relic, one of the most important places of the Buddhist world. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988. Historically the local Buddhist rulers resisted Portuguese, Dutch, and British colonial expansion and occupation.
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Worth seeing in and around Kandy
10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.
- 01Temple of the Tooth
Sri Dalada Maligawa, commonly known in English as the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, is a Buddhist temple in Kandy, Sri Lanka. It is located in the Royal Palace Complex of the former Kingdom of Kandy, which houses the relic of the tooth of the Buddha.
700 m · Buddhist temple housing the relic of the tooth of Buddha · Wikipedia - 02Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya
Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya are about 5.5 km to the west of the city of Kandy in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. In 2016, the garden was visited by 1.2 million locals and 400,000 foreign visitors.
5 km · botanical garden in Sri Lanka · Wikipedia - 03Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium is a cricket stadium in Kandy, Sri Lanka. It is located about 15 km east of Kandy along the A26 highway.
9.7 km · cricket stadium in Sri Lanka · Wikipedia - 04University of Peradeniya
The University of Peradeniya is a public university in Sri Lanka, funded by the University Grants Commission. It is the largest university in Sri Lanka, which was originally established as the University of Ceylon in 1942.
6 km · state university in Kandy, Sri Lanka · Wikipedia - 05Roman Catholic Diocese of Kandy
The Diocese of Kandy is a suffragan diocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Archbishopric of Colombo, but depends on the missionary Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. The episcopal seat is St.
600 m · diocese of the Catholic Church · Wikipedia - 06Gadaladeniya Vihara
Gadaladenyia Vihara is an ancient Buddhist temple situated in Pilimathalawa, Kandy, Sri Lanka. It is located on Gadaladenyia Road, just up from the Gadaladeniya junction of the Colombo - Kandy Road, approximately 12.5 km to the west of Kandy and 3 km from the ancient buddhist temple, Lankatilaka Vihara.
9.6 km · ancient Buddhist temple in Pilimathalawa, Sri Lanka · Wikipedia - 07Royal Palace of Kandy
The Royal Palace of Kandy, situated in Kandy, Sri Lanka, is a historical complex that served as the official residence for the monarchs of the Kingdom of Kandy until the advent of British colonial rule in 1815. It is noteworthy for its adherence to traditional Kandyan architectural styles, the buildings within the palace complex contains well-preserved examples of intricate woodwork, finely crafted stone carvings, and ornate wall murals.
700 m · royal palace of the Kingdom of Kandy · Wikipedia - 08National Museum of Kandy
The National Museum of Kandy in Kandy, Sri Lanka is located next to the Temple of the Tooth in part of the former Royal Palace of Kandy. The primary exhibits are housed in the Palle Vahala building, which was the former home of the King's harem.
800 m · museum in Kandy, Sri Lanka · Wikipedia - 09Asgiriya Stadium
Asgiriya Stadium, is a cricket ground located in Kandy, Sri Lanka. Uniquely owned by Trinity College, Kandy, it is situated a short distance away from the city centre.
700 m · cricket stadium in Sri Lanka · Wikipedia - 10Hanthana Mountain Range
The Hanthana Mountain Range lies in the central highlands of Sri Lanka, south-west of Kandy. It was declared as an environmental protection area in February 2010 under the National Environment Act.
3.9 km · mountain range in Sri Lanka · Wikipedia
Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What Wikivoyage says to see
- 01Temple of the Tooth
- 02Royal Palace of Kandy
Entrance fee included into Temple of the Tooth ticket.
- 03World Buddhist Museum
World's first International Buddhist Museum.
- 04Raja Museum
Entrance fee included into Temple of the Tooth ticket.
- 05St. Paul Church.
- 06National Museum of Kandy
From Wikivoyage: Kandy, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Things to do
Kandyan dancing — traditional form of dancing, which can be seen at multiple venues including that the "Kandy Cultural Centre" near the Kandy lake. As of 2024, expect prices to range from 2000 to 3500 per ticket for about 1 hour performances, not including intermission time.
- 01Buddhist Publication Society
You can participate in discussions about Buddhism, meditation or you can buy some introductory materials about Buddhism.
- 02Nilambe Meditation Centre
Galaha (take a Galaha bus passing Peradeniya.
- 03Asgiriya International Cricket Stadium
From Wikivoyage: Kandy, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Where to eat
Green Leaf Hotel and Bakers, De Soyza Lane (near corner of Yatinuwara Lane). Great local eatery just one block back from the main street. Full range of rottis, rice and curry and hoppers (evening only). Good service and very affordable prices. Bakehouse. For snacks or traditional Sri Lankan meals.
From Wikivoyage: Kandy, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Getting to Kandy
- Airports
- Bandaranaike International Colombo (CMB), 84 km · Colombo Ratmalana (RML), 98 km · Jaffna (JAF), 285 km
- Stations
- Peradeniya Junction Railway Station, 6.3 km
- Colombo → Kandy95 km · quickest by road, 3h 12m · Rs1,090–1,450
- Jaffna → Kandy273 km · quickest by road, 7h 36m · Rs2,990–3,980
- Thiruvananthapuram → Kandy427 km · quickest by air, 8h 21m · ₹14,760–22,500
- Plan a tripFrom anywhereThe planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.
No local-transport research exists yet for Kandy
Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Kandy. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.
- Get inThe train line goes further to Badulla, passing on its way Nuwara Eliya (Nanu Oya station from where one needs to take a short bus or tuk-tuk ride to Nuwara Eliya proper), Haputale and Ella.
- Get inIf you are in Negombo you will have to take some bus, taxi or tuk-tuk to some of the cities where the Main Line train goes to Kandy: Ragama, Gampaha or Veyangoda, on the trip you will see the Bible Rock, which resembles the more famous Sigiriya citadel.
- Get inWhen you arrive, watch out for the tuk-tuk mafia at the railway station.
- Get inIt is better catch a tuk-tuk some distance from the station, or even better use Uber, PickMe or the like (again, some distance from the railway station tuk-tuk stand, as otherwise the tuk-tuk mafia there will threaten and chase your driver away).
- Get inWalk or take a tuktuk to the bus terminal, where the friendly locals will direct you to the bus to Kandy, 3½ hr, Rs 150 (as of Jan 2013).
From Wikivoyage: Kandy, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-09.
- 0165 km
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- 05491 km
If you know how people move in Kandy – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.
Next door to Kandy
- Peradeniyasuburb of Kandy, Sri Lanka5.1 km
- Aladeniyavillage in Central Province, Sri Lanka8.8 km
- Attaragamavillage in Central Province, Sri Lanka8.5 km
- Katugastotasuburb4.9 km
- Bamunupolavillage in Central Province, Sri Lanka9 km
- Madawalavillage in Central Province, Sri Lanka5.8 km