7 Wonderful Things To Do In Sri Lanka

By: Paul Healy // Last Updated: September 18, 2026

We spent 2 weeks travelling around Sri Lanka by bus and train, cycling through ancient cities, exploring historic temples and eating rice and curry at every opportunity.

Rice and curry. Never a disappointment, and never the other way round.

It restored us after fast-moving ceremonies and even faster-moving bus journeys, then kept us going through long days of sightseeing.

But what we loved most about Sri Lanka was the variety: ancient treasures, beautiful landscapes, memorable journeys and excellent local food, all packed into a relatively small island.

Based on our experience, we’ve selected the best things to do in Sri Lanka. These are the places we would prioritise on a first visit.

Table of Contents show

Kandy to Ella train, Sri Lanka — Near Kandy

Map: Our Top Things to Do in Sri Lanka

Here’s a map with the places listed in this guide so you can get a feel for where they are all located.

Interactive Map

View all the locations we covered in this guide on our map.

Click on the top right corner to open our map in your Google Maps app. Click the star next to the title to save it to your Google account.

Places to Visit in Sri Lanka

1. Visit the Ancient City of Polonnaruwa

The ancient city of Polonnaruwa, deep in the central plains of Sri Lanka, was the playground of kings and the country’s capital.

It peaked in the 12th century, but within 100 years power and wealth fled from Polonnaruwa, and it was subsequently abandoned in 1310.

Hiring a bike is by far the easiest and most fun way to see Polonnaruwa. Pick up your bike near the bus stop in town, then cycle to the museum to buy your ticket to the ancient city.

We explored the museum a bit, then walked to the nearby palace of King Nissanka.

From here, we cycled south to check out Pothgul Vehara, before heading back north to the Royal Palace of King Parakramabahu. Then we went to the Sacred Quadrangle, Pabalu Vehera and Rankoth Vehera, before visiting the sights of Lankatilaka & Gal Vihara.

The entire route took us about 4 to 5 hours at a very leisurely pace.

Wear shoes that are easy to take on and off. Socks are useful for walking over hot stones in areas where you’re not allowed to wear shoes.

Historical Places in the ancient city of Polonnaruwa — Polonnararuwa

2. Take a Ride on a Local Bus

We were met by a broad-toothed grin as the bus doors flung open. Waving us on with excited arms, the ticket inspector grabbed the fare from our upturned palms. Neon lights beckoned us down the aisle as rave music pumped from tiny speakers.

A Sri Lankan bus ride is like no other, and we recommend you give it a try if you’re feeling adventurous.

Every seat was full, most overflowing. Parents, children, grandchildren and their pets occupied a small vinyl space designed for far fewer people. Still, locals scooted over to give us half a cheek of space on the edge of their seats.

We took a local bus to Polonnaruwa (mentioned above). It’s a great, and cheap, way to get there.

3. Visit Kandy, Sri Lanka’s Cultural Heart

Kandy is a busy city in Sri Lanka’s central hills, built around a lake and surrounded by forested slopes. It’s worth visiting for its central role in Sri Lankan culture and its attractive lakeside setting in the forested central hills. It is also a convenient stop before taking the scenic train into the Hill Country.

As the country’s cultural capital, it is an important centre for Buddhist traditions and a popular stop between the Cultural Triangle and Hill Country.

Its main attraction is the Temple of the Sacred Tooth, which is believed to hold a tooth relic of the Buddha inside a series of golden caskets.

We visited during a daily puja ceremony, when drummers perform, and worshippers gather with flowers and incense. The relic itself is not displayed, but you can see the casket in which it is kept.

4. Relax on Mirissa Beach

Mirissa is one of Sri Lanka’s livelier south-coast beach towns, with surfing during the day and restaurants setting out tables on the sand in the evening.

We arrive before sunset to watch the last surfers come ashore, then find a wonderful table for dinner.

Many of the beachfront restaurants display the day’s catch, allowing you to choose your fish before it is grilled to order. Check the size and agree on the price before it goes on the barbecue.

We chose a sea bream, which was simply grilled pretty good. Mostly though, we just love eating with our feet in the sand.

5. Take the Kandy to Ella Train

Sri Lanka’s railway network was conceived, designed and introduced by the British colonial government in 1864 to transport tea – also a British introduction – from the mountain highlands north to Colombo.

Today this Sri Lankan institution carries 200,000 locals and tourists through some of the country’s most scenic landscapes.

The classic Hill Country train journey runs from Kandy to Ella, passing tea plantations, forested valleys and small mountain villages.

The complete journey usually takes around seven hours. If you are visiting Nuwara Eliya, leave the train at Nanu Oya, the nearest station. The shorter journey from Nanu Oya to Ella takes around three hours and includes some of the most scenic parts of the route.

Reserved seats can sell out, so book in advance through the official Sri Lanka Railways reservation website. Services and timetables can change, so check the route again shortly before travelling. We recommend booking second-class tickets and collecting them from Kandy train station the afternoon before you depart.

6. Ramboda Falls & Blue Field Tea Factory

Ramboda is an easy stop on the journey between Kandy and Nuwara Eliya, where the main road climbs through Sri Lanka’s tea country. The main attraction is Ramboda Falls, a 109-metre tiered waterfall surrounded by steep valleys and tea plantations.

Parts of the waterfall can be seen from the road, but reaching the closer viewpoint requires climbing a long series of concrete steps through the grounds of a nearby hotel. We spent about 30 minutes getting down there and having a look around.

After the falls we went to the Blue Field Tea Factory. We watched tea leaves being sorted and dried, and learnt how black, green and white teas are produced and graded. Factory tours generally include an explanation of the production process followed by a tea tasting and an opportunity to visit the shop.

Allow around two hours for the waterfall and factory together. They work well as stops while travelling between Kandy and Nuwara Eliya, rather than requiring a separate overnight stay.

7. Try Vegetable Curry & Rice

Rice and curry is not a single curry but a complete meal built around rice and several contrasting dishes. A typical plate includes dhal, two or three vegetable curries, a meat or fish curry, sambol and something pickled or fried.

Rice has long been central to Sri Lankan cooking, while the curries vary between regions, communities and individual households. This flexibility helps explain why the meal is eaten so widely: it can be adapted to whatever vegetables, fruit, fish or meat are locally available, and no two plates are quite the same.

Our first rice and curry was from a simple roadside canteen between Colombo and Habarana at the start of our trip, and it really set the scene for what Sri Lanka is all about.