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Best Things to Do in Kandy, Sri Lanka

Kandy is Sri Lanka's second-largest city and the last royal capital of the island kingdom, a hill city at 500m elevation centered on its sacred lake and the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic (Dalada Maligawa), one of the most revered Buddhist sites in the world. The Esala Perahera festival (July-August) is considered one of Asia's most spectacular Buddhist processions.

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The unmissable in Kandy

These are the staple sights — don't leave Kandy without seeing them.

1
Maha Vishnu Temple (Maha Vishnu Devalaya)
#1 must-see

Maha Vishnu Temple (Maha Vishnu Devalaya)

📍 Temple Square, Kandy
🕐 Mon–Sun 6:00-19:00
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2
Natha Devale
#2 must-see

Natha Devale

📍 Temple Square, Kandy, 20000
🕐 Mon–Sun 08:00-18:00
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3
Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic (Sri Dalada Maligawa)
#3 must-see

Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic (Sri Dalada Maligawa)

📍 Sri Dalada Veediya, Kandy, 20000
🕐 Mon–Sun 5:30 AM-8:00 PM
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Attractions in Kandy

More attractions in Kandy

Maha Vishnu Temple (Maha Vishnu Devalaya) 1
#1 must-see

Maha Vishnu Temple (Maha Vishnu Devalaya)

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📍 Temple Square, Kandy

Situated within the sacred precinct beside Kandy’s Temple of the Tooth, the Maha Vishnu Devalaya is one of the four guardian shrines that together form the spiritual heart of the Kandyan kingdom. Dedicated to Vishnu, one of the primary deities in the Hindu tradition but also deeply venerated among Sinhalese Buddhists as a protector of the island’s Buddhist heritage, the temple reflects the syncretic religious culture that has long characterized Sri Lanka’s sacred landscape.

The shrine complex features a colourfully painted gateway tower and an inner sanctum where Vishnu is worshipped in his blue-hued form. During major poya days and festival periods, the devale comes alive with offerings, drumming, and the smoke of incense. The Esala Perahera, held in July or August, routes through this precinct with particular ceremony, and the Maha Vishnu deity participates in the grand procession alongside the Tooth Relic itself.

Any time of year is suitable for a visit, though the Esala Perahera season in July and August gives the entire temple complex exceptional energy and pageantry. The cooler months from December through March are generally the most comfortable for walking the broader area. Arriving early morning or late afternoon avoids the busiest pilgrimage periods and allows for more peaceful observation of daily worship.

The Maha Vishnu Devalaya is accessible on foot from the Temple of the Tooth on Temple Square, grouped with the Natha, Pattini, and Kataragama devales. Modest dress covering shoulders and knees is expected, consistent with requirements across the entire sacred precinct. The devale adds important context to understanding the layered Hindu-Buddhist tradition of Kandy and takes relatively little time to visit as part of a broader tour of the temple district.

Natha Devale 2
#2 must-see

Natha Devale

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📍 Temple Square, Kandy, 20000

Among the four devales that surround Kandy’s Temple of the Tooth, the Natha Devale is regarded as the oldest surviving monument in the city. Dedicated to Natha, a bodhisattva venerated in Sri Lankan Buddhism who is sometimes associated with the future Buddha Maitreya, the shrine dates to at least the fourteenth century and represents a distinctive chapter in the island’s religious history—a period when Mahayana and Theravada traditions coexisted in unusual proximity.

The main shrine rises from a raised stone platform on a mandapa, a pillared hall typical of Kandyan sacred architecture. The structures here—including a dagoba on the grounds—show clear evidence of construction across multiple centuries, giving the complex an architectural layering that rewards close attention. The atmosphere is relatively quiet compared to the busier Temple of the Tooth next door, and the devotional rituals conducted here follow a rhythm less observed by tourists.

Kandy’s highland climate keeps temperatures moderate throughout the year, but the driest and most comfortable months for exploration run from January through March and again from June through August. Visiting on a poya day, the full-moon holiday observed monthly in Sri Lanka, brings additional devotional activity to the devale precincts and offers a more vivid sense of living religious practice.

The Natha Devale stands within easy walking distance of the Temple of the Tooth on Temple Square, forming part of a cluster of sacred sites that also includes the Maha Vishnu, Pattini, and Kataragama devales. Modest dress is required, and visitors should be respectful of ongoing worship. The site is included naturally in any walking tour of Kandy’s temple precinct and takes only twenty to thirty minutes to absorb at a thoughtful pace.

Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic (Sri Dalada Maligawa) 3
#3 must-see

Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic (Sri Dalada Maligawa)

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📍 Sri Dalada Veediya, Kandy, 20000

The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, known in Sinhalese as Sri Dalada Maligawa, stands at the cultural and spiritual center of Kandy, housing what is venerated as a tooth of the Buddha within an inner chamber accessible only to senior clergy. The temple complex forms part of the royal palace precinct beside Kandy Lake, and its importance to Sri Lankan Buddhism makes it the country’s most sacred Buddhist site.

The outer structure is open to visitors, who pass through a succession of courtyards and antechambers before reaching the golden casket shrine room during designated viewing hours. The ritual drumming that accompanies the three daily puja ceremonies draws both pilgrims and visitors, providing an immersive experience of living religious practice. The adjacent Kandy National Museum and the Archaeological Museum within the palace complex add historical depth to a visit.

The temple is active every day of the year, with the Esala Perahera festival in July or August representing the high point of its ceremonial calendar. This procession, one of Asia’s largest Buddhist festivals, brings elaborately decorated elephants and costumed performers through the city streets over ten nights. Visiting during the festival requires advance planning due to accommodation demand, but the experience is singular. Outside festival season, weekday mornings offer the most reflective atmosphere for visiting the inner precincts.

Kandy sits in the hill country roughly three hours by train from Colombo, and the journey itself through the foothills is worth taking. The city functions as the gateway to the tea country to the south and east, and many visitors combine the temple with time in Nuwara Eliya or along the scenic rail route to Ella. Modest dress covering shoulders and knees is required at the temple entrance.

World Buddhist Museum (International Buddhist Museum) 4

World Buddhist Museum (International Buddhist Museum)

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📍 Old Courts Building, Hemamali Mawatha, Kandy

Housed in a colonnaded colonial building near Kandy’s Temple of the Tooth, the World Buddhist Museum offers one of the most comprehensive surveys of global Buddhist traditions found anywhere in Sri Lanka. The museum draws together artifacts, dioramas, photographs, and historical objects representing Buddhist cultures from India, China, Japan, Thailand, Tibet, Myanmar, and beyond, making it an unusually broad survey of how a single religious tradition evolved across very different societies.

The permanent galleries are organized by country and region, allowing visitors to trace the distinct visual languages that developed in each Buddhist culture. Gilded Burmese Buddhas stand alongside Japanese temple relics, while Tibetan thangka paintings contrast with the more restrained aesthetic of Sri Lankan Theravada art. Detailed dioramas recreate sacred sites from across Asia, and explanatory panels provide context without assuming prior knowledge. The building itself—a former colonial courthouse—adds quiet architectural interest to the visit.

Kandy’s cooler highland climate suits a visit at any time of year, though the dry periods between January and March and from June through September bring the most reliable weather. The museum is particularly rewarding during the Esala Perahera festival season in July or August, when the surrounding temple district becomes the focal point of one of South Asia’s great religious processions, and the museum’s context enriches an understanding of the celebrations.

The museum sits within the sacred precinct near the Temple of the Tooth on Hemamali Mawatha, making it a natural complement to the main temple visit. Admission is charged and dress codes apply, as with all sites in the temple complex. Allocating at least an hour allows a thorough look at the galleries, and the peaceful interior offers welcome relief from Kandy’s busy streets just outside the gates.

See all things to do in Kandy

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Kandy sits in the central hills of Sri Lanka, 115 km northeast of Colombo, in a natural basin surrounded by hills. The things to do in Kandy are anchored by the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic (Sri Dalada Maligawa), which according to Buddhist tradition houses the left canine tooth of the Buddha, brought from India in the 4th century AD. The temple complex adjoins the royal palace; the tooth itself (stored in a gold casket inside a series of nested reliquaries) is revealed only during the Esala Perahera, the 10-day festival in July-August when the relic is carried through the city on the back of a ceremonially decorated tusker elephant, accompanied by acrobats, drummers, dancers, and 100+ elephants — one of Asia’s most extraordinary public spectacles. The Kandy Lake (an artificial lake built in 1807 by the last king of Kandy) is the center of the city; the Cloud Wall on the lake’s southern shore was built to obscure the king’s bathing pavilion. The Royal Botanical Gardens at Peradeniya (5 km from the city) are among the finest in Asia, with giant Java fig trees, an orchid house, and a bamboo grove large enough to create a temporary tunnel effect. Dambulla Cave Temple (80 km north) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with 153 Buddha statues and 2,100 sq m of cave murals dating from the 1st century BC.

Best time to visit

December through April is the best season for Kandy: the northeast monsoon affects the east coast but leaves the central hills largely dry. The Esala Perahera (July-August) is the most compelling cultural event but coincides with the wetter months in the hill country; accommodation books up months in advance. May-June is wetter (southwest monsoon). October-November is transitional.

Getting around

The Kandy-Colombo train (2.5-3 hours, scenic) is one of the best rail journeys in Sri Lanka and preferable to the bus. For the continuation to Ella (the celebrated highland train through tea country), trains from Kandy depart for Nanu Oya (Nuwara Eliya) and Ella — the highest section (above 1,800m) between Nanu Oya and Haputale is the most dramatic. Within Kandy, tuk-tuks and taxis serve the main sites; the lake and town center are walkable.

What to eat

Kandyan cuisine is hill-country Sri Lankan: rice and curry with multiple dishes, string hoppers, and fresh tropical fruit from the surrounding hills. The Kandy market area (near the bus station) has the densest concentration of cheap local eating. Hotel restaurants surrounding the lake have views but charge accordingly. Devon Restaurant on Dalada Veediya is a reliable local choice for rice and curry, hoppers, and short eats. Curd and treacle (buffalo milk yogurt with palm syrup) from the central market is the hill-country specialty dessert.

Frequently asked questions

Can I see the Sacred Tooth Relic in Kandy?

The relic itself is normally hidden inside nested reliquaries and not visible to the public. Visitors can enter the inner sanctum of the Temple during puja (daily prayer ceremonies, three times daily) and see the golden casket that contains the relic — the doors are opened during puja to allow veneration. During the Esala Perahera, the casket (not the tooth itself) is carried on an elephant. The temple complex and its collection of Buddha images, royal gifts, and the surrounding moat area are extraordinary regardless of the relic's visibility.