Sri Lanka itinerary, day by day

Sigiriya, Kandy, Ella and Galle, by car and by rail: the map, what is worth booking, everything that costs nothing, and where to sleep at three budgets.

🗓️ 7, 10 or 14 days📍 4 stops☀️ Best time: December to March (east coast: May to September)

Ella · Photo Ruchira Nethmina / Pexels

Route map (numbers = order of the stops).

Sri Lanka in 7 days

3 stops · 18 things to do · ≈ 320 km

1Sigiriya and Dambulla

Days 1-2

A fifth-century palace built on top of a 200-metre rock, known as the Lion Rock and UNESCO-listed. The cave temples of Dambulla are half an hour away.

🎟️ Worth booking

The Lion Rock at SigiriyaHalf day · from €30
Twelve hundred steps past the frescoes and between two carved paws, up to the palace on the summit. Start at dawn, before the heat.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Elephant safari at MinneriyaHalf day · from €40
From July to October, hundreds of wild elephants gather on the dry lake bed. The rest of the year, fewer but still there.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

The Golden Temple at Dambulla · The rice paddies · The villages · Sunsets

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Sigiri Lion Lodge (€15 a night) · Mid-range: Aliya Resort (€110 a night) · Luxury: Water Garden Sigiriya (€280 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Sigiri Chef Lady Restaurant & Cookery Class ↗ ★ 5 · 1014 reviews
Chill Hut sigiriya ↗ ★ 5 · 359 reviews
Kaluwara Restaurant & cooking lessons SIGIRIYA ↗ ★ 5 · 304 reviews
Little Hut Sigiriya ↗ ★ 4.9 · 1680 reviews
Kenoli Restaurant ↗ ★ 4.9 · 1190 reviews · €

Photo Stephanie Perera / Pexels

🚗 Car · 2h30 · 90 km

2Kandy

Days 3-4

The last royal capital of the island, held until 1815. The Temple of the Tooth keeps a relic of the Buddha and draws pilgrims all year.

🎟️ Worth booking

The Temple of the Tooth, guided2h · from €20
The relic is shown three times a day behind drums and horns. A guide explains what is happening; without one it is only a crowd.
Book on GetYourGuide →
An evening of Kandyan dance1h · from €15
An hour of drumming, masks and fire walking, in the court style the kings of Kandy kept alive.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

Kandy Lake · The Peradeniya botanical gardens · The market · The viewpoints

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Kandy City Hostel (€14 a night) · Mid-range: Theva Residency (€120 a night) · Luxury: Mahaweli Reach Hotel (€120 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Hungry Brunch Café & Restaurant ↗ ★ 4.9 · 1520 reviews
Cafe Banana Chill ↗ ★ 4.9 · 1008 reviews
MANDIYA ↗ ★ 4.9 · 611 reviews
Kulture32 ↗ ★ 4.9 · 363 reviews
Le Charcoal ↗ ★ 4.9 · 343 reviews

Photo Atlantic Ambience / Pexels

🚗 Car · 4h30 · 230 km

3Galle and the south

Days 5-7

A Dutch colonial fort from the seventeenth century, UNESCO-listed, built out on a headland. The beaches run east and west from its walls.

🎟️ Worth booking

Leopard safari at YalaFull day · from €55
Yala holds one of the densest leopard populations anywhere. A full day, starting before first light.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Whale watching from MirissaHalf day · from €45
Blue whales pass close to shore here between December and April. Boats leave at six, and the sea is calmest then.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

Galle Fort, UNESCO-listed · Mirissa and Unawatuna beaches · The stilt fishermen · Sunsets

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Sol Y Mar Unawatuna (€42 a night) · Mid-range: Fort Bazaar (€150 a night) · Luxury: Jetwing Lighthouse (€180 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

MARU - Galle Fort ↗ ★ 4.9 · 3232 reviews
The Bungalow Galle Fort - Restaurant & Cocktail Bar. ↗ ★ 4.8 · 2456 reviews
Double Barrel Restaurant Galle BYOB ↗ ★ 4.8 · 885 reviews
PUPPETS RESTAURANT & CAFE ↗ ★ 4.8 · 685 reviews
Comida Restaurant ↗ ★ 4.8 · 635 reviews

Photo Thilina Alagiyawanna / Pexels

Sri Lanka in 10 days

4 stops · 24 things to do · ≈ 430 km

1Sigiriya and Dambulla

Days 1-2

A fifth-century palace built on top of a 200-metre rock, known as the Lion Rock and UNESCO-listed. The cave temples of Dambulla are half an hour away.

🎟️ Worth booking

The Lion Rock at SigiriyaHalf day · from €30
Twelve hundred steps past the frescoes and between two carved paws, up to the palace on the summit. Start at dawn, before the heat.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Elephant safari at MinneriyaHalf day · from €40
From July to October, hundreds of wild elephants gather on the dry lake bed. The rest of the year, fewer but still there.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

The Golden Temple at Dambulla · The rice paddies · The villages · Sunsets

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Sigiri Lion Lodge (€15 a night) · Mid-range: Aliya Resort (€110 a night) · Luxury: Water Garden Sigiriya (€280 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Stephanie Perera / Pexels

🚗 Car · 2h30 · 90 km

2Kandy

Days 3-4

The last royal capital of the island, held until 1815. The Temple of the Tooth keeps a relic of the Buddha and draws pilgrims all year.

🎟️ Worth booking

The Temple of the Tooth, guided2h · from €20
The relic is shown three times a day behind drums and horns. A guide explains what is happening; without one it is only a crowd.
Book on GetYourGuide →
An evening of Kandyan dance1h · from €15
An hour of drumming, masks and fire walking, in the court style the kings of Kandy kept alive.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

Kandy Lake · The Peradeniya botanical gardens · The market · The viewpoints

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Kandy City Hostel (€14 a night) · Mid-range: Theva Residency (€120 a night) · Luxury: Mahaweli Reach Hotel (€120 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Atlantic Ambience / Pexels

🚆 Scenic train · 6h · or 3h by car

3Ella and the tea country

Days 5-6

Misty valleys in the hills, planted with tea since the 1860s. The Nine Arch Bridge and the trains crossing it are why most people stop.

🎟️ Worth booking

The Kandy to Ella train7h · from €12
Seven hours through tea estates and cloud, at walking pace for much of it. Book the reserved seats, then sit in the doorway anyway.
Book on GetYourGuide →
A working tea factoryHalf day · from €15
Withering, rolling, oxidising, firing, grading. Half a day that explains what the word Ceylon is doing on the packet.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

The Nine Arch Bridge · Little Adam's Peak · The waterfalls · The tea fields

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Ella Flower Garden (€16 a night) · Mid-range: 98 Acres Resort (€140 a night) · Luxury: EKHO Ella (€200 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Sleek spoon restaurant Ella ↗ ★ 5 · 1361 reviews
River Face restaurant-Ella ↗ ★ 5 · 471 reviews
Cafe Samsara ↗ ★ 4.9 · 2003 reviews · €€
The Clay Pot Ella ↗ ★ 4.9 · 1588 reviews
Bees Honey Cookery & Restaurant ↗ ★ 4.9 · 1331 reviews

Photo Dr.S.Rajivraja / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

🚗 Car · 4h · 200 km

4Galle and the south

Days 7-10

A Dutch colonial fort from the seventeenth century, UNESCO-listed, built out on a headland. The beaches run east and west from its walls.

🎟️ Worth booking

Leopard safari at YalaFull day · from €55
Yala holds one of the densest leopard populations anywhere. A full day, starting before first light.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Whale watching from MirissaHalf day · from €45
Blue whales pass close to shore here between December and April. Boats leave at six, and the sea is calmest then.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

Galle Fort, UNESCO-listed · Mirissa and Unawatuna beaches · The stilt fishermen · Sunsets

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Sol Y Mar Unawatuna (€42 a night) · Mid-range: Fort Bazaar (€150 a night) · Luxury: Jetwing Lighthouse (€180 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Thilina Alagiyawanna / Pexels

Sri Lanka in 14 days

4 stops · 24 things to do · ≈ 500 km

1Sigiriya and Dambulla

Days 1-3

A fifth-century palace built on top of a 200-metre rock, known as the Lion Rock and UNESCO-listed. The cave temples of Dambulla are half an hour away.

🎟️ Worth booking

The Lion Rock at SigiriyaHalf day · from €30
Twelve hundred steps past the frescoes and between two carved paws, up to the palace on the summit. Start at dawn, before the heat.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Elephant safari at MinneriyaHalf day · from €40
From July to October, hundreds of wild elephants gather on the dry lake bed. The rest of the year, fewer but still there.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

The Golden Temple at Dambulla · The rice paddies · The villages · Sunsets

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Sigiri Lion Lodge (€15 a night) · Mid-range: Aliya Resort (€110 a night) · Luxury: Water Garden Sigiriya (€280 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Stephanie Perera / Pexels

🚗 Car · 2h30 · 90 km

2Kandy

Days 4-5

The last royal capital of the island, held until 1815. The Temple of the Tooth keeps a relic of the Buddha and draws pilgrims all year.

🎟️ Worth booking

The Temple of the Tooth, guided2h · from €20
The relic is shown three times a day behind drums and horns. A guide explains what is happening; without one it is only a crowd.
Book on GetYourGuide →
An evening of Kandyan dance1h · from €15
An hour of drumming, masks and fire walking, in the court style the kings of Kandy kept alive.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

Kandy Lake · The Peradeniya botanical gardens · The market · The viewpoints

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Kandy City Hostel (€14 a night) · Mid-range: Theva Residency (€120 a night) · Luxury: Mahaweli Reach Hotel (€120 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Atlantic Ambience / Pexels

🚗 Car · 3h · 140 km

3Ella and the tea country

Days 6-8

Misty valleys in the hills, planted with tea since the 1860s. The Nine Arch Bridge and the trains crossing it are why most people stop.

🎟️ Worth booking

The Kandy to Ella train7h · from €12
Seven hours through tea estates and cloud, at walking pace for much of it. Book the reserved seats, then sit in the doorway anyway.
Book on GetYourGuide →
A working tea factoryHalf day · from €15
Withering, rolling, oxidising, firing, grading. Half a day that explains what the word Ceylon is doing on the packet.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

The Nine Arch Bridge · Little Adam's Peak · The waterfalls · The tea fields

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Ella Flower Garden (€16 a night) · Mid-range: 98 Acres Resort (€140 a night) · Luxury: EKHO Ella (€200 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Dr.S.Rajivraja / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

🚗 Car · 4h · 200 km

4Galle and the south

Days 9-14

A Dutch colonial fort from the seventeenth century, UNESCO-listed, built out on a headland. The beaches run east and west from its walls.

🎟️ Worth booking

Leopard safari at YalaFull day · from €55
Yala holds one of the densest leopard populations anywhere. A full day, starting before first light.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Whale watching from MirissaHalf day · from €45
Blue whales pass close to shore here between December and April. Boats leave at six, and the sea is calmest then.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

Galle Fort, UNESCO-listed · Mirissa and Unawatuna beaches · The stilt fishermen · Sunsets

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Sol Y Mar Unawatuna (€42 a night) · Mid-range: Fort Bazaar (€150 a night) · Luxury: Jetwing Lighthouse (€180 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Thilina Alagiyawanna / Pexels

Hotel prices are per room per night, activity prices per person, checked when written. Some links are affiliate links (Booking, GetYourGuide): we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

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Good to know before you go

🍽️ What to eat

Rice and curry: half a dozen curries around a mound of rice, all at once.
Hoppers: a bowl-shaped pancake of fermented rice flour, often with an egg in it.
Kottu: roti chopped and fried on a griddle, to a rhythm you hear down the street.
Dhal: lentils cooked slowly in coconut milk, on every table.
Ceylon tea, drunk where it grows, in the hills of the interior.

⚠️ What to avoid

Bare feet and covered shoulders in temples. Hats off too.
Never turn your back on a Buddha image for a photograph. It is an offence here, and people have been deported for it.
Agree the tuk-tuk fare before you get in, or use the PickMe app.
Bottled water only. The monsoon hits the two coasts at opposite times of year, so check which one you are on.

Plan this trip

📒 The free printable Sri Lanka guide→ 🗓️ Best time to visit Sri Lanka, month by month→ 🎟️ What to book before you go→

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