Sri Lanka Attractions

Kandy

A restored tea factory at Hantana telling the story of Ceylon tea, with vintage machinery and a top-floor tea room.

🎟 LKR 1000 (foreign)

Matale

Roadside herbal and spice gardens where guides walk you through cinnamon, cardamom, pepper, nutmeg and Ayurvedic plants.

🎟 Free

Matale

A small, complete ancient stone temple blending Buddhist and Hindu architecture, near the geographic centre of Sri Lanka.

🎟 LKR 500 (foreign)

Elkaduwa

A windswept viewpoint on the western edge of the Knuckles Range, with sweeping views over montane grasslands and valleys.

🎟 Free

Sigiriya

A 5th-century royal citadel atop a 200-metre granite monolith, famous for its frescoes, mirror wall and lion-paw gateway.

🎟 LKR 9000 (foreign)

Nuwara Eliya

A famous roadside tea estate and factory with free guided tours and a cafe overlooking the tea gardens.

🎟 Free

Nuwara Eliya

One of Sri Lanka's grandest gardens, set against the Hakgala rock at high altitude and famous for its roses and orchids.

🎟 LKR 3540 (foreign)

Nuwara Eliya

A high-altitude plateau of montane grassland and cloud forest, home to the sheer cliff viewpoint known as World's End.

🎟 LKR 10000 (foreign)

Nuwara Eliya

A colonial-era reservoir at the edge of town, ringed by a park with boat rides, cycling paths and pony rides.

🎟 LKR 200 (foreign)

Arugam Bay

A palm-backed crescent of golden sand and one of the world's classic right-hand point breaks, the heart of Sri Lanka's east-coast surf scene.

🎟 Free

Nilaveli

A long, quiet stretch of white sand north of Trincomalee, popular for swimming and as the gateway to Pigeon Island.

🎟 Free

Trincomalee

The nearest sweep of golden sand to Trincomalee town, lined with guesthouses and calm swimming water.

🎟 Free

Anuradhapura

The sacred fig tree grown from a cutting of the Buddha's own Bodhi tree, said to be the oldest historically documented tree in the world.

🎟 LKR 200 (foreign)

Anuradhapura

A colossal red-brick stupa, once among the tallest structures in the ancient world, at the ruins of the Jetavana monastery.

🎟 Free

Mihintale

The mountain where Buddhism was introduced to Sri Lanka, reached by a monumental stairway past ancient stupas and monastic ruins.

🎟 LKR 500 (foreign)

Anuradhapura

A gleaming white dome-shaped stupa and one of the most sacred and revered monuments in the Buddhist world.

🎟 Free

Polonnaruwa

Four colossal Buddha images carved from a single granite wall, among the greatest masterpieces of ancient Sri Lankan sculpture.

🎟 Free

Polonnaruwa

A serene circular relic house crowning a low rock hill about 30 km north of Polonnaruwa, ringed by concentric rows of stone pillars.

🎟 LKR 500 (foreign)

Polonnaruwa

An exquisite circular relic house at the heart of the Sacred Quadrangle, regarded as the finest surviving example of vatadage architecture in Sri Lanka.

🎟 LKR 9000 (foreign)

Ratnapura

A museum in the City of Gems displaying precious and semi-precious stones alongside the tools and story of Sri Lanka's gem trade.

🎟 LKR 500 (foreign)

Galle

A UNESCO World Heritage fortified old town of Dutch ramparts, churches and cobbled lanes jutting into the Indian Ocean.

🎟 Free

Unawatuna

A curving, palm-fringed bay with calm reef-protected water, one of the south coast's most popular beaches.

🎟 Free

Mirissa

A wide, gently curving bay just west of Mirissa, known for beginner-friendly surf and the famous stilt fishermen of the south coast.

🎟 Free

Ella

An easy hilltop hike rewarded with panoramic views over Ella Gap, tea slopes and the surrounding hill country.

🎟 Free

Ella

An iconic curved stone railway viaduct set amid jungle and tea, famous for photos of the train crossing its nine arches.

🎟 Free

Ella

A wide, roaring cascade tumbling down the hillside on the road below Ella, tied to the legend of the demon king Ravana.

🎟 Free

Colombo

A breezy oceanfront promenade in the heart of the city, famous for kite-flyers, families and legendary street food at sunset.

🎟 Free

Colombo

The oldest surviving colonial building in the Fort, now a stylish precinct of restaurants, bars and boutiques.

🎟 Free