Nestled in the heart of Sri Lanka’s central hills lies Kandy, Sri Lanka’s second largest city with tons to do. Despite its busy streets and occasional smog, Kandy has a lot of peaceful spots waiting to be discovered. While many travelers might only think of it as a stop on the scenic train ride to Ella, Kandy has much more to offer – we speak from experience. Let us tell you about 7 great things to do in Kandy!
Table of contents
- 1. Explore the Royal Botanic Gardens of Peradeniya
- 2. Climb to the top of the Ambuluwawa Tower
- 3. Explore the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic
- 4. Visit Bahiravokanda Vihara Buddha Statue
- 5. Take a walk around Kandy Lake
- 6. Stay the night at High View Homestay
- 7. Enjoy great food in Kandy
- Where to stay in Kandy
- How to get to Kandy
1. Explore the Royal Botanic Gardens of Peradeniya
One of the top spots near Kandy is the Royal Botanic Gardens of Peradeniya. Just a quick 10-minute drive from the city, it’s the perfect escape from Kandy’s hustle and bustle. With over 4000 species of plants, including spices, medicinal herbs, orchids, and majestic palm trees, the gardens are a true botanical paradise.
We highly recommend starting your day here, we arrived right at opening time (7:30 AM) and had the entire place to ourselves for about an hour. It’s so cool to wander around the Botanic Garden without another person in sight. Very peaceful! It might have something to do with the Gardens being almost 150 acres big, too. You could spend hours here and still not see everything this place has to offer. Make sure to head straight to Royal Palm Avenue when you enter the park, it’s the most Instagrammable spot of the Royal Botanic Gardens! We’re not ashamed to admit that we had a fun little photoshoot here. 😂 Why not make use of it, too?
Good to know
The entrance fee is 3000 LKR (about € 9). Quite pricey for Sri Lankan standards, but definitely worth it if you plan on spending a few hours here!
2. Climb to the top of the Ambuluwawa Tower
If you’re up for an adventure, climbing to the top of Ambuluwawa Tower is a must-try experience in the area. Situated near Gampola, just an hour’s drive from Kandy, this landmark stands out as one of Sri Lanka’s most unique attractions. Rising 48 meters high within the Ambuluwawa Biodiversity Complex, it serves as the country’s first multi-religious center. Even before you enter the tower (if you do plan on climbing it), it’s worth it to stop and admire this structure from afar. You’ll notice that the architecture does not resemble your “regular tower”, which makes it an even more fun experience!
As you climb up, the views get better, but there’s the catch: the path gets narrower the higher you climb, and there’s only one way up and down! Yes, you read that right: whether you’re climbing up or going down, everyone has to use the same pass. If heights make you nervous, it might not be your cup of tea. 😉 Thysia stopped climbing at the most narrow part, but Kelvin made it to the top and was treated to stunning 360° views. The climb takes about 20 minutes, depending on crowds and whether people let you pass or not. It’s best to go early in the morning to avoid the crowds and, more importantly, the hot sun! The entrance fee is 2000 LKR, which is about € 6.
Pro tip
Be sure to hop on a tuktuk to reach the entrance of the complex. You’ll need to pay a little extra (the fare for the tuktuk itself, and 50 LKR to enter the park), but it’s totally worth it to start the climb rested. We noticed some people walking up from the ticket office, which is about 2,5 km from the entrance. They looked pretty tired even before they began climbing the tower! The way up from the entrance of the park to the tower itself can get quite steep, you really don’t want to conquer all this before climbing Ambuluwawa Tower. We were so happy that we had a tuktuk!
3. Explore the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic
The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, also known as Sri Dalada Maligawa, is a magnificent Buddhist temple located in the heart of Kandy. This golden-roofed temple holds the actual tooth relic of Buddha, making it the number one attraction in Kandy.
The temple is a place of great significance for both locals and international visitors. The surprising part is that locals still visit this place to pray and ask for forgiveness. You’ll see hordes of people with flowers in their hands, waiting to donate them and start their prayers. Since it’s an active place of religion, it can get quite busy here. Because of this, we were very aware of our surroundings and didn’t want to disturb anyone in their moment. It would be nice if you did the same! Nonetheless, it’s a really neat place to visit where you can stroll around for a bit. Last but not least: make sure to cover your shoulders and knees, and to take off your shoes.
4. Visit Bahiravokanda Vihara Buddha Statue
The white Bahiravokanda Vihara Buddha Statue is about 27 meters high, making it the biggest Buddha statue in Sri Lanka. From the outskirts of the premises you can see this massive statue towering over the area. Really impressive! It’s already quite nice from a distance, but for the best experience we recommend climbing the statue itself! By doing this, you will get treated to some incredible panoramic views of the city. Locals told us it’s one of the best places in the area if you want to see amazing views, and they are totally right.
Again, you must cover your shoulders and knees, and take off your shoes. If you forgot to wear clothes that cover you up, they will provide you with a sarong (free of charge). Do know that they expect a small donation at the shoe storage place. This doesn’t have to be a lot, we gave around 100 LKR in total and they seemed really happy with that. The entrance fee itself is only 250 LKR per person, which is less than € 1!
5. Take a walk around Kandy Lake
In the evening, we really recommend taking a walk around Kandy Lake – a must-do activity in Kandy. It’s a peaceful escape right in the heart of the lively city. As you stroll around the lake, soak in the serene atmosphere and enjoy the beautiful sunset views. Be sure to take a moment to admire the tiny island with its palm trees nestled in the middle of the lake, it’s a sight not to be missed!
You can find countless benches and rocks around the lake where you can take place, it’s really peaceful. Bring some food and drinks, and have an amazing time! Don’t worry if you forgot to take food or drinks, though. Tons of ice cream, soda, and food stalls can be found around the lake, so you can always buy some if you want. 😉 There even are some supermarkets, too, you really have all the tools to make it a memorable evening!
6. Stay the night at High View Homestay
When it comes to viewpoints in Kandy, our top pick has to be the stunning scenery from our homestay. We spent two nights at High View Homestay for less than € 25 per night, and let us tell you, the sunsets from our balcony were pure magic! Honestly, they were among the best we’ve experienced during our time in Sri Lanka. We had a balcony all to ourselves where we watched the sun hide behind the mountains in the distance. 🥹 We bought some drinks and snacks, and had an amazing evening.
If you’re planning a trip to Kandy, we highly recommend booking a stay here. For us, High View Homestay definitely is one of the most memorable places we’ve stayed at in Sri Lanka! We loved every single moment of our two nights stay here. Honorable mention to the great breakfast and amazing tea we had!
Read all about High View Homestay in Kandy.
7. Enjoy great food in Kandy
Kandy is home to some amazing restaurants, both local and international. Below are two of our favorite places in Kandy, make sure to check them out when in town!
The Kandy Garden Cafe
If you’re looking for cheap and delicious local specialties, check out The Kandy Garden Cafe. It’s not a fancy place, but a cozy spot popular among locals. This place is really buzzing, during our time here we saw tons of people (mostly locals) walk in! Some of them sat down for an actual meal, others ordered some food on the go… When this happens, you know it’s a great place!
We had some delicious chicken kottu and vegetable fried rice here, all for under € 5! It’s located across the street from the Royal Botanic Garden, which makes it the ideal place to go for lunch after a morning full of exploring.
Hideout Lounge
The Hideout Lounge offers both local specialities and Western cuisine like pizzas and burgers. This can be a great restaurant for when you’re halfway through your trip in Sri Lanka and craving something “not so local”. You can either go “full Western” and order pasta or fries, or go for the local dishes with a Western twist.
Thysia had a really tasty vegan lentil burger, and Kelvin went for the Chicken Kuwayaki. Both dishes were really good! We liked that they take “our way” of spicy food into account, too. 😂 When we said “little spicy”, it really was just a tad bit spicy and nothing more. If you’ve traveled Asia before, you know this is not always the case! Hideout Lounge is a really trendy place so the prices are slightly higher, but the food is really good and so is the atmosphere!
Where to stay in Kandy
How to get to Kandy
Now, how do you reach this amazing city of Kandy? In Sri Lanka, you have several options. First of all, you can take a taxi from almost anywhere to get here! Sure, prices can be high depending on where you’re coming from – but that’s a small price to pay for extra comfort.
You can also take the bus, which is much cheaper and usually our favorite way of traveling Sri Lanka. If you are coming from Colombo, though, we wouldn’t recommend it. The bus ride takes over 3 hours, and compared to a taxi you’ll be (way) less comfortable. But if you’re coming from neighboring cities like Nuwara Eliya or Ella: be our guest!
Last option: a scenic train ride. This is by far the most fun way of getting to Kandy! Amazing landscapes along the way, and on top of that you’ll pay peanuts for a 2nd or 3rd class ticket. To make your life easier, use the widget below to find out what options are available to you. 😉
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- Complete travel guide to Ella
- 8 best things to do in Mirissa
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