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You can explore some impressive cultural sights in the ancient city of Anuradhapura. Another highlight is a visit to the Buddhist monastery complex of Mihintale.
The main reason to visit Anuradhapura is its ancient city. This vast area was one of the largest religious and cultural centers over 2,000 years ago. Today, you can explore countless excavations, religious temples, and buildings, making it a must-visit for anyone interested in culture.
Due to the extensive nature of the site, we recommend renting a bike to navigate between buildings. Alternatively, you can hire a tuk-tuk to take you around. Some drivers also offer to guide you but always pay the entrance fee in person at the official ticket counter.
The old town is divided into two parts. A freely accessible area and an area for which admission costs $25.
As this is quite expensive, we hired a bike and only explored the free part. We only paid 500 LKR each for the Isurumuni Royal Temple. If you are nearby, there is a small path along a stream in front of the Royal Park, from where you have a wonderful view of the stupa in the morning light, through palm trees and rice fields.
Although we missed out on some of the larger buildings, we could still soak up the city’s vibe and marvel at some equally impressive buildings. And like almost everywhere in Sri Lanka, some peacocks also live there. We were happy that we didn’t pay the $25 as the few hours we spent driving around and looking at things were enough for us.
In the small village of Mihintale, about a 30-minute drive from Anuradhapura, lies one of the oldest Buddhist complexes in Sri Lanka. It was a real highlight of our trip, and we recommend visiting at sunset.
We negotiated 11 € with a tuk-tuk driver for the round trip. Simply arrange a time with your driver, and he will wait there for you. At the foot of the complex, you pay a 1000 LKR (3 €) entrance fee. A few steps and monkeys later, you take off your shoes and can admire a huge Buddha statue, a stupa, and, of course, the stunning views.
The moment I left the stairs an officer warned me, because I forget to cover my shoulders for the moment. So always bring something to cover your shoulders and knees. You can then climb multiple stairs to get amazing views and watch the sunset. I really enjoyed this trip, as it was very calming and not as crowded as I expected.
Anuradhapura is located north of Colombo and is easy to reach from Colombo, Negombo, Dambulla, Jaffna, and Kandy. There are direct bus connections from these cities. It’s best to ask at your accommodation for details about the connections. We took a direct bus from Negombo (it stops regularly along the main road) and paid around 5 € for two people and a 3–4 hour bus ride.
There is also a train connection between Colombo and Jaffna, but it is closed until at least summer 2024. We also heard that it can get quite crowded on this route.
We spent a total of two nights in Anuradhapura. While it might be possible to stay just one night, we prefer a more relaxed way of travelling. If you plan to explore Anuradhapura by bike, we recommend staying near the old town. There are two larger supermarkets, fruit stands, and small restaurants here.
We highly recommend the super-affordable and authentic Rasa Gedara, where you can get rice and curry for under 2 €. It is definitely a local place. We also enjoyed good Chinese food at the Alankulama Casserole Restaurant Bank Side.
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