Sri Lanka Itinerary: 7 Days in Colombo, Kandy, Ella
This week climbs from the coast into the tea-covered hills and back down to the ramparts of the south. It starts in Colombo, threads inland to the sacred city of Kandy, then rides the famous hill-country train through tea estates to Ella before dropping to the Dutch-walled port of Galle. The centrepiece is the slow scenic rail leg, so the route is built around the journey as much as the stops.
Sri Lanka had 2.05 million international arrivals (2024, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) tourist arrivals). Last reviewed 2026-08-21.
Sri Lanka · 7 days Colombo → Kandy → Ella → Galle
Best time: The southwest and hill country are driest from December to March.
Colombo: Gangaramaya TempleDay 1
🏛️9:00 AMGangaramaya Temple
Eclectic Buddhist temple beside Beira Lake
🚶 ~14 min · 🚗 ~2 min · 0.5 mi
🖼️1:30 PMColombo National Museum
Largest museum in the country, royal regalia and antiquities
🛺 Tuk-tuk hop
🌆6:00 PMFort
Historic administrative and business quarter near the harbour
Arrive in KandyDay 2
🚗8:30 AMDrive or rail to Kandy
Colombo to Kandy inland by expressway and road, or by intercity train
🚗 3 hours · 72 mi
🛺 Tuk-tuk hop
🏛️2:00 PMTemple of the Sacred Tooth Relic
Golden-roofed shrine housing the Buddha’s tooth relic
🛺 Tuk-tuk hop
🌆6:00 PMKandy city centre
Compact old town around the lake and temple
Kandy: Bahirawakanda Vihara Buddha statueDay 3
🏛️9:00 AMBahirawakanda Vihara Buddha statue
Large white seated Buddha overlooking the city
🛺 Tuk-tuk hop
🖼️1:30 PMNational Museum Kandy
Kandyan-era royal and cultural collections
🛺 Tuk-tuk hop
🎟️6:00 PMKandyan cultural dance show
Evening drumming, dance and fire-walking
Arrive in EllaDay 4
🚄8:30 AMTrain to Ella
Kandy to Ella on the hill-country line through tea estates and tunnels
🚄 6 to 7 hours
🚶 On foot
🏛️2:00 PMNine Arch Bridge
Curved stone railway viaduct set in jungle and tea
🚶 On foot
🌆6:00 PMElla town
One-street hill town of guesthouses and cafes
Ella: Little Adam’s PeakDay 5
🏛️9:00 AMLittle Adam’s Peak
Short climb to a ridge viewpoint over the valley
🚶 On foot
🥾1:30 PMElla Rock
Longer half-day hike to a high lookout
🚶 On foot
🎟️6:00 PMTea-country train ride
Scenic rail between hill stations through the estates
Arrive in GalleDay 6
🚗8:30 AMDrive to Galle
Ella down to the south coast at Galle by road
🚗 4 to 5 hours · 143 mi
🛺 Tuk-tuk hop
🏛️2:00 PMGalle Fort ramparts
Walkable sea walls circling the old town
🛺 Tuk-tuk hop
🌆6:00 PMGalle Fort
Walled old town of Dutch and colonial streets
Galle: Galle LighthouseDay 7
🏛️9:00 AMGalle Lighthouse
White colonial-era lighthouse on the fort point
🛺 Tuk-tuk hop
🖼️1:30 PMMaritime Archaeology Museum
Shipwreck finds in a Dutch warehouse on the ramparts
🛺 Tuk-tuk hop
🎟️6:00 PMWhale-watching boat tour
Seasonal trip for blue and sperm whales off the south coast
This is how Petrel lays out a trip. Upload your own confirmations and it builds this for your dates: flights and hotels included, with live flight status and the travel time between stops.
Make this Sri Lanka trip yours
Forward your real booking confirmations to Petrel and it builds this exact day-by-day view for you: flights, hotels, reservations, live flight status, and the travel time between stops. Under a minute.
Start your free tripFirst trip free. No account, no credit card.
Best time to goThe southwest and hill country are driest from December to March. The famous train and the Galle coast are best in this window; May to September brings the southwest monsoon and heavier rain to this side of the island.
Recommended splitColombo 1d · Kandy 2d · Ella 2d · Galle 2d
Local tip: Reserve seats on the Kandy-to-Ella train well ahead, especially the observation and second-class reserved carriages, which sell out fastest in high season.
Colombo, 1 day
Sri Lanka’s commercial capital layers colonial-era Fort buildings, a crowded bazaar quarter and modern lakeside temples along the Indian Ocean. A single day covers the seafront green, the old trading streets and a couple of the city’s landmark temples and museums before heading inland.
Neighborhoods to base yourself inFort. Historic administrative and business quarter near the harbourPettah. Dense bazaar district of market streets and old mosquesGalle Face Green. Oceanfront promenade and open lawnCinnamon Gardens. Leafy district of embassies, parks and museums
LandmarksGangaramaya Temple. Eclectic Buddhist temple beside Beira LakeIndependence Memorial Hall. Commemorative hall marking independence in 1948Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque. Red-and-white striped mosque in PettahLotus Tower. Lotus-shaped broadcasting and observation tower
Nature and outdoorsGalle Face Green. Long seafront lawn for evening walksBeira Lake. City-centre lake with a temple on its shoreViharamahadevi Park. Largest park in the city, near the museum
MuseumsColombo National Museum. Largest museum in the country, royal regalia and antiquitiesDutch Period Museum. Colonial history in a former Dutch governor’s residence
Worth a guided tourCity heritage walk. Guided loop through Fort and PettahTuk-tuk city tour. Three-wheeler circuit of the main sights
Getting around ColomboFort, Pettah and Galle Face are walkable in a cluster; metered tuk-tuks and app-hailed cars cover the rest of the city and the trip to the station.
Kandy, 2 days
Getting here: Drive or rail, Colombo to Kandy inland by expressway and road, or by intercity train
The last capital of the Sinhalese kings, Kandy sits in a bowl of hills around a man-made lake and guards the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, one of Buddhism’s most revered sites. It is a cultural centre for dance, drumming and craft. Two days covers the temple, the lakeside old town and the great botanical gardens at Peradeniya.
Neighborhoods to base yourself inKandy city centre. Compact old town around the lake and templeKandy Lake. Walkable lake ringed by a low parapet wallPeradeniya. University and botanical-gardens suburb on the river
LandmarksTemple of the Sacred Tooth Relic. Golden-roofed shrine housing the Buddha’s tooth relicBahirawakanda Vihara Buddha statue. Large white seated Buddha overlooking the cityRoyal Palace of Kandy. Former royal complex beside the temple
Nature and outdoorsRoyal Botanical Gardens Peradeniya. Historic gardens in a bend of the Mahaweli RiverUdawattakele Forest Reserve. Old royal forest on the ridge behind the templeHanthana range. Green hills and walking trails south of the city
MuseumsNational Museum Kandy. Kandyan-era royal and cultural collectionsWorld Buddhism Museum. Buddhist history across Asia, beside the tooth templeKandy Garrison Cemetery. Colonial-era British cemetery and its records
Worth a guided tourKandyan cultural dance show. Evening drumming, dance and fire-walkingSpice garden tour. Working garden of cinnamon, pepper and cardamomTea-country day trip. Estate and factory visit in the surrounding hills
Getting around KandyThe lake and temple area are walkable; tuk-tuks handle the hills to the Buddha statue and the ride out to Peradeniya. The railway station is central for the onward train.
Ella, 2 days
Getting here: Train, Kandy to Ella on the hill-country line through tea estates and tunnels
Ella is a small hill town in the tea belt, set among ridges, waterfalls and estate slopes and reached by one of the world’s celebrated train rides. The pace is slow and the draw is walking: short climbs to viewpoints, a photogenic railway viaduct and misty tea country stretching toward Nuwara Eliya and Haputale. Two days suits the walks and the tea estates.
Neighborhoods to base yourself inElla town. One-street hill town of guesthouses and cafesNuwara Eliya. Cool colonial-era tea town on the higher plateauHaputale. Ridge town with sweeping estate views to the south
LandmarksNine Arch Bridge. Curved stone railway viaduct set in jungle and teaLittle Adam’s Peak. Short climb to a ridge viewpoint over the valleyDowa Rock Temple. Roadside cave temple with a rock-cut Buddha
Nature and outdoorsElla Rock. Longer half-day hike to a high lookoutRavana Falls. Wide roadside waterfall below the townHorton Plains and World’s End. High plateau reserve with a sheer escarpment viewpointDiyaluma Falls. Tall multi-tier waterfall near Koslanda
Worth a guided tourTea-country train ride. Scenic rail between hill stations through the estatesTea factory and estate tour. Working factory visit showing plucking and processingTea-plantation walk. Guided walk through the estate slopes
Getting around EllaThe town centre is walkable and trailheads for Little Adam’s Peak and the Nine Arch Bridge are within reach on foot; tuk-tuks cover the waterfalls and estate visits, and short train hops link the hill towns.
Galle, 2 days
Getting here: Drive, Ella down to the south coast at Galle by road
Galle is a walled Dutch-era port on the southern coast, its ramparts enclosing a grid of colonial streets, churches and a working lighthouse. Beyond the fort lie palm beaches and whale-watching waters. Two days covers the fort walk, the museums inside the walls and a coastal day for beaches or a boat trip.
Neighborhoods to base yourself inGalle Fort. Walled old town of Dutch and colonial streetsUnawatuna. Curved beach bay just east of the fortKoggala. Lagoon and stilt-fishing coast further east
LandmarksGalle Fort ramparts. Walkable sea walls circling the old townGalle Lighthouse. White colonial-era lighthouse on the fort pointDutch Reformed Church. Eighteenth-century church with gravestone floorsGalle Fort Clock Tower. Landmark tower on the northern ramparts
Nature and outdoorsUnawatuna Beach. Sheltered swimming bay with palmsJungle Beach. Small cove below Rumassala hillRumassala. Forested headland with coastal viewsKoggala Lake. Island-dotted lagoon east of the fort
MuseumsMaritime Archaeology Museum. Shipwreck finds in a Dutch warehouse on the rampartsHistorical Mansion Museum. Private collection of antiques in a restored fort houseNational Museum Galle. Regional history in the oldest Dutch building in the fort
Worth a guided tourWhale-watching boat tour. Seasonal trip for blue and sperm whales off the south coastStilt-fishermen coast tour. Visit to the traditional fishing perches near KoggalaFort heritage walk. Guided loop of the ramparts and colonial streets
Getting around GalleThe fort is entirely walkable within its walls. Tuk-tuks reach Unawatuna, Rumassala and the Koggala coast, and the coastal railway and road run on toward Colombo.
The full plan as text
The same day-by-day plan, expandable day by day. Times are starting points, not homework.
Day 1: Colombo: Gangaramaya Temple
9:00 AMGangaramaya Temple
Eclectic Buddhist temple beside Beira Lake
1:30 PMColombo National Museum
Largest museum in the country, royal regalia and antiquities
6:00 PMFort
Historic administrative and business quarter near the harbour
Day 2: Arrive in Kandy
8:30 AMDrive or rail to Kandy
Colombo to Kandy inland by expressway and road, or by intercity train
2:00 PMTemple of the Sacred Tooth Relic
Golden-roofed shrine housing the Buddha’s tooth relic
6:00 PMKandy city centre
Compact old town around the lake and temple
Day 3: Kandy: Bahirawakanda Vihara Buddha statue
9:00 AMBahirawakanda Vihara Buddha statue
Large white seated Buddha overlooking the city
1:30 PMNational Museum Kandy
Kandyan-era royal and cultural collections
6:00 PMKandyan cultural dance show
Evening drumming, dance and fire-walking
Day 4: Arrive in Ella
8:30 AMTrain to Ella
Kandy to Ella on the hill-country line through tea estates and tunnels
2:00 PMNine Arch Bridge
Curved stone railway viaduct set in jungle and tea
6:00 PMElla town
One-street hill town of guesthouses and cafes
Day 5: Ella: Little Adam’s Peak
9:00 AMLittle Adam’s Peak
Short climb to a ridge viewpoint over the valley
1:30 PMElla Rock
Longer half-day hike to a high lookout
6:00 PMTea-country train ride
Scenic rail between hill stations through the estates
Day 6: Arrive in Galle
8:30 AMDrive to Galle
Ella down to the south coast at Galle by road
2:00 PMGalle Fort ramparts
Walkable sea walls circling the old town
6:00 PMGalle Fort
Walled old town of Dutch and colonial streets
Day 7: Galle: Galle Lighthouse
9:00 AMGalle Lighthouse
White colonial-era lighthouse on the fort point
1:30 PMMaritime Archaeology Museum
Shipwreck finds in a Dutch warehouse on the ramparts
6:00 PMWhale-watching boat tour
Seasonal trip for blue and sperm whales off the south coast
Make this Sri Lanka trip yours
Forward your real booking confirmations to Petrel and it builds this exact day-by-day view for you: flights, hotels, reservations, live flight status, and the travel time between stops. Under a minute.
Start your free tripFirst trip free. No account, no credit card.