Kandy sits around a small lake in the hills, quieter and cooler than Colombo, and most Sri Lanka itineraries use it as the last stop before the road and rail climb into tea country, and it's the spiritual centre of the island. It was the capital of the last independent Sinhalese kingdom, which is why its temple holds the country's most sacred relic and why the city still runs its calendar around it. This guide covers the temple, the lake, the gardens, the viewpoints, the evening dance show and how to get here and onward to Ella.
The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic
The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, or Sri Dalada Maligawa, holds a tooth relic believed to be the Buddha's, and it's the reason most people come to Kandy at all. The temple is open every day from 5.30am to 8pm.
The temple's own FAQ lists LKR 3,000 for visitors from most countries and LKR 2,500 for visitors from SAARC countries, Thailand and Myanmar. The ticket covers the temple, the Dalada Museum, the World Buddhist Museum, the Tusker Museum and the Royal Elephant Stable. Other 2026 listings still show LKR 2,000, and older guides say LKR 1,500, so treat the price as one to confirm at the ticket machines on the day.
The relic chamber opens three times a day, according to the temple: 5.30am to 7am, 9.30am to 11am and 6.30pm to 8pm. Many visitors build their day around the evening service. A weekly ritual called Nanumura Mangallaya takes place on Wednesdays at 9.30am.
The temple doesn't allow shorts, sleeveless tops or clothing that shows a lot of skin, and it has appropriate clothing available at the entrances. Cover your shoulders and knees, and expect to take off your shoes and any hat. Ask staff before you take photos, especially during a service.
Kandy Lake and the viewpoints
Kandy Lake sits right below the temple. The last Kandyan king, Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe, had it built in the early 1800s, and the path around it is about 3.2km. It's the easiest way to get your bearings in the city: a shaded walk with the temple, the hills and the town in view.
For the view down onto the lake and the city, there are three places to try:
- Bahirawakanda Buddha statue: a seated white Buddha of about 27 metres, finished in 1992 on a hill roughly 2km from the centre, with views over the city and the hills beyond.
- Arthur's Seat: a lookout on Rajapihilla Mawatha, south-west of the lake, with views of the lake, the temple, the royal palace and the city centre.
- Udawattakele Forest Reserve: a 104-hectare forest on a ridge inside the city. The visitor entrance is about a 15 to 20 minute walk from the temple, and foreign visitors pay at the gate, so check the current ticket price there.
Peradeniya Botanical Garden
The Royal Botanic Gardens at Peradeniya are Sri Lanka's largest botanical garden, with more than 4,000 plant species, including orchids, spices, medicinal plants and palms. The grounds cover 147 acres, and the gardens are about 5.5km west of central Kandy. The Department of National Botanic Gardens lists opening hours of 7.30am to 6pm every day. The royal palm avenue and the orchid house are the highlights. It's an easy half day, either as a morning before the temple or an afternoon after it.
Sources differ on the price. A 2023 gazette notice set the foreign adult ticket at LKR 3,000, and some 2026 listings give LKR 3,540, so confirm at the ticket office.
The Kandy cultural dance show
Most evenings, venues around the lake put on an hour of traditional Kandyan dance and drumming, usually ending with a fire show. The Kandy Lake Club's website lists its show as daily from 5pm to 6pm, with an earlier 4.30pm start during the Esala Perahera. Ticket prices vary by venue and the Kandy Lake Club's site doesn't publish one, so ask the venue or your accommodation. It's touristy, but it's the easiest way to see Kandyan dance without a special trip to a village festival, and it fits into the same evening as the temple service.
Esala Perahera
Kandy's big festival is the Esala Perahera, ten nights of processions around the temple each July or August. The 2026 festival ran from 18 to 28 August. The 2027 dates are estimated at 6 to 16 August, and the temple usually announces them in July. Our Kandy Esala Perahera guide has the night-by-night detail.
How many days do you need in Kandy?
Two days covers the temple, a lake walk and one viewpoint. A third day is worth adding for Peradeniya's gardens, or if you want a slower pace between the temple, the market and the evening dance show without rushing between them.
Sigiriya and Dambulla sit north of Kandy in the Cultural Triangle. Our Sigiriya guide covers the Sigiriya ticket and its opening-hours conflict. Sources disagree on the Dambulla fee, so we don't quote one.
Getting to Kandy from Colombo
Kandy is around 115km from Colombo by road.
By road, a bus from Colombo takes about 4 hours and leaves from the Bastian Mawatha bus station, near Pettah. A private car or taxi costs more but is more comfortable with luggage.
On to Ella
From Kandy, most travellers continue into the hill country toward Ella, usually cited as Sri Lanka's most scenic train ride. You can't ride it end to end right now. Trains between Nanu Oya and Badulla, through Ella, have run again since 20 June 2026, but there's no train between Kandy and Nanu Oya. The workaround is a road transfer from Kandy to Nanu Oya, about 3 to 4 hours, and then the train to Ella, about 2.5 hours. Our Kandy to Ella train guide has the booking details, and our Ella guide and Nuwara Eliya guide cover what's at the other end.
