Colombo to Kandy: the best way to get there, and the train that stops short

The best way from Colombo to Kandy is a private car: about three to four hours, door to door. The train is running again but stops at Peradeniya, a few kilometres short of Kandy, because the bridge into the city is still being rebuilt. From November, a daily 30-minute flight also leaves the international airport.

Kandy is the last royal capital of Sri Lanka and still a working religious city, built around a lake and the Temple of the Tooth. It is also the hinge of most first trips: the point where the Cultural Triangle meets the hill country. Of all the long transfers from Colombo, this is the easiest, which is why it is worth getting right rather than just getting done.

Which option should you choose?

By road

The direct route is the old Kandy road: out of Colombo by way of Kegalle, then up the Kadugannawa pass into the hills. Some drivers prefer the Central Expressway as far as Kurunegala and a cross-country road from there. Your driver will choose on the day; either way, the slow part is leaving Colombo, so an early start saves more time than any route.

From the airport, the journey is about the same length, three hours or a little more, because you avoid the city entirely. A new section of the Central Expressway, from Pothuhera to Rambukkana, is due to open in April 2027 and should shorten the drive further.

What the drive does well

• •The pass. The climb up through Kadugannawa, where the lowlands give way to the hills.
• •The stops. Cashew sellers along the road at Cadjugama, and the Royal Botanic Gardens at Peradeniya, just before Kandy, for an hour among the trees.
• •The door. No station transfer at either end, and your luggage stays with you.

What the drive does not do well: Colombo's morning traffic, and Kandy's own congestion in the late afternoon.

Pinnawala's elephant orphanage is also on this road, and opinion about it is divided. If elephants are the point, we would rather show you them in the wild, at Minneriya in the dry season or Udawalawe at any time of year.

By train: back, but only to Peradeniya

Cyclone Ditwah, in late November 2025, broke the line to Kandy in dozens of places. Since 2 October 2026, trains from Colombo Fort have run again as far as Peradeniya and on to Gampola, on a revised timetable. The last few kilometres into Kandy station are still closed while the railway bridge over the Mahaweli River at Peradeniya is rebuilt.

That still leaves a very good journey. The climb from Rambukkana to Kadugannawa, the most dramatic part of the line, is open again, with the track clinging to the hillside above the valley. From Peradeniya, Kandy is a 20 to 30 minute drive, and we have the car waiting at the station.

Book reserved seats on the official site, as we explain in Sri Lanka train tickets, and check the revised timetable before you travel, as times have moved since the line reopened.

By air: 30 minutes from the airport

From 1 November 2026 to 30 April 2027, Cinnamon Air flies daily from its own terminal at the international airport to the Victoria reservoir, east of Kandy, in about half an hour. The flight leaves mid-morning and is timed to connect with international arrivals.

It suits travellers who land in the morning and want to be in the hills by lunch, or anyone on a short trip. The aircraft are small, the luggage allowance is tight and the weather has the final say. From the reservoir, the drive into Kandy itself takes under an hour.

By bus

Buses between Colombo and Kandy are frequent, and the air-conditioned intercity services are a reasonable way to travel with a light bag. Allow three and a half to four and a half hours. Kandy is also one of the hubs in a government pilot scheme for booking long-distance bus seats online.

Arriving in Kandy

Kandy is compact but congested, and the roads around the lake slow to a crawl in the late afternoon. Arrive by early afternoon if you can, check in, and walk the lake in the cooler hours.

The Temple of the Tooth is at its most atmospheric during the evening ceremony, when the drums sound and the queue of worshippers moves slowly past the inner shrine. Dress with shoulders and knees covered, and leave shoes at the entrance. One night is enough to see the city; two let you add the Peradeniya gardens and a morning in the hills around it.

Dates and changes worth knowing

• •Since 2 October 2026: trains from Colombo run as far as Peradeniya and Gampola, on a revised timetable.
• •Still closed: the railway bridge at Peradeniya and the short stretch into Kandy station. No reopening date has been confirmed.
• •Sunday 25 October: Vap Full Moon Poya. The Temple of the Tooth is at its busiest, and alcohol is not sold.
• •From 1 November 2026 to 30 April 2027: the daily Cinnamon Air flight from the international airport to Kandy.
• •April 2027: the Pothuhera to Rambukkana section of the Central Expressway is due to open.
• •July 2027: the Esala Perahera, Kandy's great procession, builds over ten nights to the full moon on 18 July. Rooms sell out months ahead.

What to book first

1. 01Your Kandy hotel, on the hills above the lake rather than in the centre if you value quiet.
2. 02The car, the train or the flight, depending on how you are arriving.
3. 03Train seats, if you are taking the train, as soon as the 30-day window opens.
4. 04The next leg, usually up into tea country or north to the Cultural Triangle.

A route that works

1. 01Nights 1 to 3: the Cultural Triangle. Sigiriya at opening, Dambulla on the way south; we explain the first leg in Colombo to Sigiriya.
2. 02Night 4: Kandy. The lake in the afternoon and the Temple of the Tooth in the evening.
3. 03Nights 5 and 6: tea country. Up past Ramboda to an estate near Nuwara Eliya, as we describe in Colombo to Nuwara Eliya.
4. 04Day 7: the train from Nanu Oya to Ella. The most beautiful stretch of railway in the country, with the car waiting at the other end.

This is the heart of our Ceylon Icons journey, and like every route we design, it is a starting point rather than a package.

Who each option suits

• •The car suits most travellers, families and anyone with luggage.
• •The train suits travellers who want the climb through Kadugannawa and do not mind a short drive to finish.
• •The flight suits short trips, and anyone landing in the morning who wants to be in the hills by lunch.
• •The bus suits light packers and tight budgets.

If Kandy is on your route, tell us your dates. We will choose the road, the rail or the plane to fit your arrival, and have the car waiting wherever it ends. Plan my Sri Lanka trip.

Last checked 15 October 2026.

Author @Mahinsa Hennakgedara