Top places to visit in Kandy

• Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic

  Temple · 4.6 rating · about 1.5 h · entry LKR 2,000

  Sri Lanka's holiest Buddhist shrine, housing a tooth relic of the Buddha within the former royal palace complex; daily pujas draw pilgrims from across the island.

• Royal Botanical Gardens, Peradeniya

  Nature · 4.5 rating · about 2.5 h · entry LKR 3,000

  147-acre botanical garden on a loop of the Mahaweli River — vast lawns, an orchid house, giant Javan fig and an avenue of royal palms.

• Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage

  Wildlife · 4.0 rating · about 2 h · entry LKR 2,800

  Government-run sanctuary for orphaned and injured elephants, famous for the herd's twice-daily river bathing in the Maha Oya.

• Kandy Lake

  Nature · 4.4 rating · about 0.7 h

  Tranquil man-made lake built by the last king of Kandy in 1807, ringed by a walking path with views of the Temple of the Tooth.

• Bahirawakanda Vihara Buddha Statue

  Temple · 4.4 rating · about 0.8 h · entry LKR 250

  A 26.8 m white seated Buddha on a hill above Kandy, offering one of the best panoramic views over the city and lake.

• Kandyan Cultural Dance Show

  Cultural · 4.4 rating · about 1 h · entry LKR 1,500

  Nightly performance of traditional Kandyan dance, drumming and a finale of barefoot fire-walking at the Kandy Lake Club / YMBA halls.

• Udawatta Kele Forest Reserve

  Nature · 4.3 rating · about 1.5 h · entry LKR 660

  Historic forest sanctuary on the ridge behind the Temple of the Tooth — shaded trails, birdlife, giant lianas and a quiet pond.

• Ceylon Tea Museum

  Museum · 4.1 rating · about 1 h · entry LKR 800

  Restored 1925 tea factory at Hantana documenting Sri Lanka's tea heritage, with vintage machinery and a top-floor tea room with valley views.

• Embekka Devalaya

  Temple · 4.5 rating · about 0.8 h · entry LKR 500

  14th-century shrine renowned for the finest wood carvings in Sri Lanka — intricately sculpted pillars of dancers, swans and wrestlers.

• Gadaladeniya Temple

  Temple · 4.5 rating · about 0.7 h · entry LKR 500

  Elevated 14th-century rock-platform temple of South Indian Vijayanagara style, with a stone Buddha image house and panoramic countryside views.

Things to do

• Kandyan Cultural Dance Performance Cultural · 1 h · from LKR 5,300 per person
• Kitulgala White Water Rafting Adventure · 3 h · from LKR 28,100 per person
• Matale Spice Garden Tour Cultural · 1 h · from LKR 7,000 per person

Day trips and tours

• Kandy, Pinnawala & Spice Garden Day Tour 9 h · from LKR 42,200
• Temple of the Tooth & Cultural Show Evening 4 h · from LKR 17,600

Where to stay in Kandy

• City Centre & Lake about LKR 18,000 per night

  Heart of Kandy beside the lake and Temple of the Tooth — central, walkable, full of restaurants.

• Hilltop (Bahirawakanda) about LKR 22,000 per night

  Hillside stays above the city with panoramic views over Kandy and the lake.

Hotels

• Theva Residency 4-star · LKR 26,000 to LKR 50,000 per night
• Earl's Regency Hotel 5-star · LKR 28,000 to LKR 55,000 per night
• Kandy City Hostel 2-star · LKR 3,500 to LKR 8,000 per night
• Mahaweli Reach Hotel 4-star · LKR 22,000 to LKR 42,000 per night
• OZO Kandy 4-star · LKR 20,000 to LKR 38,000 per night
• Hotel Suisse 4-star · LKR 18,000 to LKR 36,000 per night

Where to eat

• Balaji Dosai South Indian, Vegetarian · about LKR 900 per person
• Slightly Chilled Lounge Sri Lankan, Chinese, International · about LKR 2,500 per person
• Kandy Muslim Hotel Sri Lankan · about LKR 700 per person
• Cafe Secret Alley Cafe, International · about LKR 1,800 per person
• The Empire Cafe Cafe, Sri Lankan, International · about LKR 2,000 per person

Getting around

• Car With Driver main way to get around

  Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.

• Tuktuk main way to get around

  Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.

• Walking

  Every city has walking. 2.5 km ceiling is a placeholder default, not a researched per-city figure -- Singapore is sheltered and air-conditioned, Bangkok often has no pavement.

Safety and scams to avoid

• Gem shop commission run

  Kandy city & en route

  Tuk-tuk and tour drivers earn commission for bringing tourists to gem and batik shops, eating into your time with hard-sell stops.

  How to avoid it: Tell your driver up front you don't want shopping stops. Insist on going straight to the sights.

• Cultural show ticket touts

  Near Kandy Lake

  Touts sell marked-up or fake tickets to the evening Kandyan dance show.

  How to avoid it: Buy tickets at the official hall box office (Kandy Lake Club / YMBA) shortly before the show.

More in Sri Lanka

• Sigiriya
• Ella
• Galle
• Colombo
• Nuwara Eliya
• Polonnaruwa