I have visited Sri Lanka 5 times already and it is my second home! My start was a bit hysterical. At the airport of Colombo my pickup didn’t show up, causing my already present sweat moustache (I’m travelling alone again) to grow into a full body sweat attack. The driver who finally picked me up was constantly on his phone and has a driving style of an average roller coaster. After 2,5 hours of driving with sloshing armpits, I arrived with a heartfelt ‘Hallelujah’ at my hotel in Kandy.

The best things to do in Kandy fit neatly into 2 days: visit the Temple of the Tooth in the morning, book an Ayurveda treatment at Green Chaya in the afternoon, take a slow tuk tuk ride through the hills above the city, and add the day trip to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Peradeniya if you have extra time. Kandy works especially well if you love authentic travel with a bit of comfort: it is one of the easiest places in Sri Lanka to mix culture, nature and a few memorable local experiences without feeling overwhelmed.

After that most people take the train to Ella, and so did I. These are my favourite sights, highlights and tips!

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So if you’re the kind of traveller who likes solo adventures, buddhist temples, good food, beautiful stays and places that feel a little less polished and a little more real, this guide is for you. I share my favourite sights and activities, plus where to stay, where to eat, how to get around, what to wear, solo female travel tips, and what to expect from the weather and seasonal events!

Best things to do in Kandy

The 3 things to do in Kandy I would repeat tomorrow are the Temple of the Tooth, an Ayurveda treatment at Green Chaya and a ride through the hills by tuk tuk. Kandy town is small and the city centre is that compact: my hotel was a 4 minute walk from the temple. Add the Royal Botanical Gardens in Peradeniya and you have filled a few days without rushing.

Best hotels in Kandy

The Radh is the one in town, a 4 minute walk from the temple. The other 3 sit outside the centre, which in Kandy buys you a pool, a view and a tuk tuk ride back into the noise.

The Radh Hotel, Kandy town

My home for the first 2 nights in Sri Lanka is The Radh Hotel. A fairly new and beautiful hotel! What a friendly welcome. I get a soft, moist towel to freshen up and a glass of ‘king coconut’ with lime and local sweets with coconut. My room is amazing! I have a huge rain shower, a JBL box, a kettle, delicious tea, a soft bathrobe, complimentary snacks and an huuuge and soft bed that screams my name! On the cushions the words ‘soft pillow’ and ‘hard pillow’ are embroidered. Love it! Totally jetlag proof…

Breakfast at The Radh Hotel – Kandy City

The next morning I have a typical Sri Lankan breakfast at The Radh Hotel with pittu, dahl, coconut sambol, Sri Lankan tea and lots of fruit. Soursop juice! It looks a bit strange, but it is so delicious! A hopper is a typical breakfast here: a thin pancake made with rice flour and coconut milk. I try the option with an egg in it! The best way to eat your hopper is with some dahl and sambol. This was the best hopper I had during my stay in Sri Lanka!

3 more hotels in Kandy

Villa Rosa is the closest of the 3, around 3 km from the Temple of the Tooth on a hillside above the Mahaweli river. About 10 rooms, an infinity pool and a private tuk tuk that runs you up and down, because the access track is too steep to walk.

Elegant Hotel lies further out, in Handessa, roughly 7 km from the Botanical Gardens. A 4 star with 9 rooms, a pool and mountain views, so treat it as a quiet base with a driver rather than a walk everywhere hotel.

GODDESS Kandy is a small bed and breakfast in Pilimathalawa, west of the city, with an infinity pool and a garden. The quietest of the 4 and the one I would book if I wanted to sleep more than sightsee.

More hotels in Kandy are listed here, from guesthouses in the centre to the old colonial places around the lake.

Spending time on the south coast? Read my guide to the best restaurants in Hiriketiya and, if you are travelling solo, my solo travel Sri Lanka guide is worth bookmarking before you go.

Rent your own tuktuk in Kandy

If you are looking for an amazing way to explore Sri Lanka, rent your own tuktuk at TukTuk Rental! They rent tuktuks from locals to boost their income. A great way to travel around, visit all the places off the mainstream tourist route and support a local family as well! Go to tuktukrental.com to book your tuktuk.

Crossing the street can be a bit tricky in Kandy.

Things to do in Kandy: the Temple of the Tooth

The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, or Dalada Maligawa, is the reason most people come to Kandy at all. After breakfast I leave The Radh at 09:00 to visit the famous Temple of the Tooth, just a 4 minute walk from the hotel. It houses a tooth of Buddha, a significant relic, widely regarded as the most important Buddhist relic in Sri Lanka and still revered as an important Buddhist relic in the country.

Built between 1687 and 1707, the temple is part of the royal complex and a UNESCO World Heritage Site centered around this sacred relic. The temple hosts pooja ceremonies three times daily at 5:30 AM, 9:30 AM, and 6:30 PM. After making my way thorugh the security scanner and putting my shoes on the right side of the temple, I buy an offer (flower) for 100 LKR and join the huge queue to see the famous tooth. Entrance fees usually range from 1,500 to 2,000 LKR. It is a hustle and bustle. Left and right I receive blessings, women are breastfeeding on the ground.

If you would rather let someone else deal with the traffic, a private city tour by tuk tuk is the easy way to see the city in half a day. There is a second tuk tuk tour with a local guide if that one is booked out. For a full day out of the city I would pick the day trip to Nuwara Eliya via Ambuluwawa, tea plantations and that strange white tower included. All other tours and activities in Kandy are here.

The famous Temple of the Tooth.

Visiting the Temple of the Tooth: my tips

This place moves me, and I can’t explain why exactly. Maybe it’s because a collective faith is centered on this sacred relic, but it is not the only temple worth visiting in Kandy, which makes you feel so much love. The people are so friendly and welcoming here! If you are up for the challenge as well, don’t forget to look inside at the ‘moment suprême’! Don’t let yourself be pushed ahead to fast! If you are prone to claustrophobia, this may not be the best place for you.

Bring a small towel to dry your feet after your visit, in case it starts to rain. I arrived back at my flip-flops looking like a little troll with muddy feet. Dress appropriately for your visit to this temple. Cover your legs and shoulders. If you want a viewpoint afterwards, the Bahirawakanda Vihara is another prominent Buddha statue near the city centre.

From Kandy the rails climb straight into tea country, and my train ride from Kandy to Ella and my Ella guide cover what comes next.

Best restaurants and cafés in Kandy

Kandy is not a big food city, but 3 places worked well for me: Chai for tea, Café Secret Alley for a working lunch and Café Banana Chill for something healthy. All 3 are cheap and both cafés have wifi.

Chai – explore Kandy

After my visit to the temple I head to Chai for a delicious chai tea. Heartwarming, but very sweet! Ask if you can get the sugar on the side, otherwise you can almost feel your teeth falling out after your first sip. The have all kinds of chai here, like Masala Chai. Loved it!

Planning to stay in Ahangama? My Ahangama hotel guide covers the best area to stay for every type of traveller, surfers included.

Chai tea at Chai.

Staying connected in Sri Lanka is easy. I love using Saily when I travel because it lets me download an eSIM in minutes and stay connected as soon as I land. No roaming fees, no SIM card stress. Click here to try it yourself.

Café Secret Alley

After a little powernap I head out for some food at Café Secret Alley. I really like the Iced Coco Latte and my sandwich with avocado. There is wifi and this seems like a great place to work!

Café Banana Chill

For a healthy lunch I decide to go to Café Banana Chill. On my way I see schoolgirls and people jumping in and out of a moving bus. Apparently this is normal here… Café Banana Chill turns out to be a very small cafe with a very friendly owner. He makes a very nice tropical smoothie bowl for me. The avocado coffee with little chunks is not a huge success, but there is wifi and the bowl is delicious. I feel fine despite the jetlag!

Later on that same trip I stayed at a surf camp in Weligama on the south coast.

A breakfast hopper

Things to do in Kandy as a solo female traveller

Before I left home I was warned by people that Sri Lanka can be quite unfriendly to women, but I feel fine here. The people are so friendly and the question ‘can I help you?’ is sincere. Because of Buddhism the Sri Lankan believe in karma. Who does well, meets well. Of course, you have to use your common sense, like you would at home. Men flirt a little, but in a sympathetic way. Just smile back and be open.

There is more of Sri Lanka on my Instagram. My full Ahangama guide and my Weligama guide are the south coast versions of this one.

Special Ayurveda treatment at Green Chaya, Kandy

Fun things to do in Kandy: Ayurveda at Green Chaya

For 30 euros you get 2 hours at Green Chaya: a full body massage, a herbal sauna and a facial. It rains all day and I walk around in a white t-shirt so it is time to go back to The Radh. I book an Ayurveda massage at Green Chaya. I’m not going to walk through the Botanical Gardens in this monsoon for fun. We have enough rain back home in Amsterdam haha.

What an AMAZING treatment! You have to go here when you’re in Kandy! For 30 euros you’re in for 2 hours, get a full body massage, go into a special sauna and enjoy a wonderful facial. The water in the sauna contains 13 different herbs. I think this is the best wellness treatment I’ve ever had. An Ayurveda massage is different from a deeptissue massage, but you can choose between soft, medium and firm. The herbal tea afterwards is incredibly tasty. Lovely incense burn everywhere. A tuktuk will pick you up and bring you back to your accommodation in Kandy for free. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! When you book a ‘full body massage’ always ask for a masseur of the same sex, because your front/ torso will also be massaged and this can feel uncomfortable otherwise…

Entrance to the Temple of the Tooth

Top things to do in Kandy in 2 days

The Radh Hotel is an ideal hotel to start your journey. The location is perfect, the breakfast is delicious and the room is super comfortable! It is nice to have some luxury after such a long flight. I think two nights in Kandy are enough. Visit the Temple of the Tooth, the Botanical Gardens, book a massage at Green Chaya and discover how incredibly friendly the Sri Lankans are! A great way to explore Kandy is with a guided tuk tuk tour!

One of my favourite places in the whole country is still Hiriketiya, and my Hiriketiya guide explains why. If you want somewhere to sleep down there, Salty Pelican is where I would send you.

One thing to skip in Kandy

Never visit an elephant park where elephants are ridden and, even at an “orphanage” or “shelter”, do your research in advance to check if the animals are treated well. At the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage in Sri Lanka, the animals are chained up underwater. Do not go there!

What to wear in Kandy

Cover your legs and shoulders in Kandy, especially near the temple. Dress appropriately in Sri Lanka, especially when visiting temples. I wore a t-shirt and long pants every day in Kandy. On the coast you can wear your summer dresses, but in Kandy and the North it is appropriate to cover up a bit more.

After several solo trips through Sri Lanka, I never travel without travel insurance. Whether you are surfing, hiking jungle trails or riding a scooter along the coast, things happen and being sick or injured alone in a foreign country without cover is something you really do not want to deal with. I use SafetyWing because it is flexible, affordable and easy to arrange even while you are already on the road.

Appropriate clothing for Kandy.

Getting to Kandy and on to Ella

Colombo airport to Kandy took me 2,5 hours by car, and that was with a driver who treated the road as a personal challenge. Reckon on 3 to 4 hours with normal traffic. I would recommend booking a transfer through Welcome Pickups. The train from Colombo takes around 3 hours and is the calmer option, and Kandy’s train station also connects onward to Ella for a scenic train journey. Going on to Ella, the Ella train ride is the whole point: 6 to 7 hours through the tea hills, and the Kandy to Ella route is considered one of the world’s most beautiful. Train tickets for Kandy to Ella sell out quickly, so book ahead.

Best time to visit Kandy

January to March is the driest stretch in Kandy, with February and March the driest of all, but Kandy has two monsoon seasons, so weather can still be volatile across the year. October to December is the wettest, November worst of the lot. The monsoon seasons also keep the hill country around Kandy, including the Knuckles Mountain Range, especially green. I went in the rain and it came down from morning until night, which is exactly how I ended up in a spa instead of the Botanical Gardens. Kandy sits at 500 metres, so it stays cooler and greener than the coast all year.

July or August brings the Esala Perahera, 10 nights of processions with dancers, drummers and decorated elephants. The city is at its busiest then, so book months ahead or come outside those weeks.

Things to do in Kandy: frequently asked questions

What are the best things to do in Kandy?

The Temple of the Tooth, an Ayurveda treatment at Green Chaya and a tuk tuk ride through the hills above the city. Add the Royal Botanical Gardens in Peradeniya if the weather cooperates. Kandy lies in Sri Lanka’s Central Province, and many travellers also use it as a base to explore the city and wider hill country before the train ride to Ella.

How many days do you need in Kandy?

2 days is enough. I arrived in the afternoon, spent one full day in the city and left the next morning. Add a third day if you also want the Botanical Gardens and a day trip to Nuwara Eliya.

What are the free things to do in Kandy?

Walking around the iconic Kandy Lake, an artificial lake, and through the city centre market costs nothing and shows you more of the city than any ticket. Also called Kandy Market or the Central Market, it’s a lively stop for fresh fruits, spices, and vegetables in the bustling city, while the full loop around the idyllic lake is about 3 kilometers.

These are among the city’s major attractions you can enjoy without an entrance ticket. The streets around the temple are free to wander. Only the temple, the gardens and organised tours have a fee.

Is Kandy safe for solo female travellers?

Yes. I travelled alone and never felt unsafe in Kandy. Men flirt a little, but in a sympathetic way, and the question ‘can I help you?’ is sincere. Cover your legs and shoulders near the temple and use your common sense after dark, like you would at home.

When is the best time to visit Kandy?

January to March is usually best, but Kandy has two monsoon seasons to keep in mind. Avoid October to December, one of the wetter monsoon seasons, and weather can still shift quickly outside it. July or August brings the Esala Perahera, spectacular but busy. I visited in the rain and lost a full day to it, so plan an indoor backup.