Things to do in Anuradhapura
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Anuradhapura
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Most comfortable window as Maha rains ease, green tanks, full lotus ponds and the best cycling weather, with January and February the sweet spot.
Peak heat with inter-monsoon afternoon storms. Sightsee at dawn only, and expect Vesak crowds and no alcohol sales in May.
Yala months: the west and south coasts are wet but Anuradhapura is comparatively dry, windy and hot, good for ruins and Wilpattu. Poson fills the city in June.
Maha season brings the serious north-east monsoon rain, fullest tanks, muddy Wilpattu tracks, leeches at Ritigala and uncrowded ruins.
What's on
- Vesak Full moon in May
Lanterns, dansala free food stalls and large pilgrim crowds mark the birth, enlightenment and passing of the Buddha.
- Poson Full moon in June
Sri Lanka's second most important Buddhist festival, centred on Anuradhapura and Mihintale, with all-night observances.
Best things to do in Anuradhapura
Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi
A sacred fig grown from the Bodh Gaya tree and tended since 288 BC, the living heart of pilgrimage in Anuradhapura.
Ruwanwelisaya
The great white stupa at dusk, circled by pilgrims in white with flowers and oil lamps, is the city's finest hour.
Jetavanaramaya
A brick stupa once among the tallest structures on earth, its sheer bulk only lands when you stand at its base.
Abhayagiri Monastery
A ruined monastic city of stupas, twin ponds and carved stones in woodland, the best place to feel ancient scale.
Thuparamaya
Traditionally the first stupa built in Sri Lanka, small and quiet beside its giant neighbours, and all the better for it.
Isurumuniya Temple
A rock temple by Tissa Wewa famous for the Lovers carving, with a sunset view from the rock over the tank.
Anuradhapura Archaeological Museum
A modest museum of models and sculpture that gives the ruined mounds outside a human scale, best done early.
Where to stay in Anuradhapura
New Town
practical base, food, station and guesthouses
East of the Sacred City with the station, bus stand, restaurants and the town's best cheap stays.
Tank side and west edge
quiet, gardens and pool time
Greener roads by the tanks and Puttalam Road, a short tuk tuk ride from the ruins and the centre.
Thirappane
splurge resort stay
Rural estate country about 30 minutes south, worth it only for Ulagalla itself and its dining.
Think twice about
- Mihintale village as a base
Lodging and food are thin, the village goes dark after pilgrims leave, and you will commute into Anuradhapura daily anyway.
Best restaurants in Anuradhapura
Liyawela Restaurant
The closest thing to a luxury table near the city, Sri Lankan and fusion cooking in the Ulagalla mansion and deck.
Seedevi Family Restaurant
Where local families eat out, rice and curry, Indian dishes and kottu in a big welcoming room with a bakery.
Ambula Restaurant
A local lunch favourite trading on its rice and curry spread of vegetable curries with fish or chicken, for little money.
Hela Rasa
Traditional Sri Lankan breakfast and lunch of hoppers and rice and curry at local prices, closing mid-afternoon.
Outdoor things to do in Anuradhapura
Mihintale
Around 1,840 granite steps climb to where Buddhism is said to have come to Sri Lanka, with a summit view over the plain.
Wilpattu National Park
Sri Lanka's largest and quietest safari park, forest and lake villus with leopards, sloth bears and few other jeeps.
Ritigala Forest Monastery
Paved meditation paths and monastery ruins vanishing into dense jungle on a protected mountain south-east of the city.
Tissa Wewa
Cycle the ancient tank bund at dawn past lotus ponds, fishermen and egrets for the best hour of the Anuradhapura day.
Avukana Buddha Statue
A standing Buddha over 11 metres high carved from living rock in the 5th century, near the shore of Kala Wewa.
Best hotels in Anuradhapura
Uga Ulagalla
Pool villas in paddy and forest around a 150-year-old mansion, the one true luxury stay near Anuradhapura.
Forest Rock Garden Resort
Suites and plunge pools in forest gardens built to echo the ancient city, but recent reviews split sharply on upkeep.
Palm Garden Village Hotel
The dependable mid-range resort, garden grounds and a pool on Puttalam Road within easy reach of the Sacred City.
Milano Tourist Rest
Simple, clean and central, rooms around a flower garden with helpful owners and bicycles arranged without fuss.
Lievi's Tourist Accommodation
A family guesthouse travellers hand on by name, for home-cooked food, a garden and hosts who map the ruins for you.
Is Anuradhapura expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | LKR 12,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | LKR 30,000 a person |
| Splurge | LKR 95,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Wilpattu National Park: a few days ahead
- Uga Ulagalla: weeks ahead
- Forest Rock Garden Resort: a few days ahead
- Liyawela Restaurant: a few days ahead
- Book rooms and transport well ahead for Poson in June and Vesak in May, when pilgrim crowds fill the city.
- Book Wilpattu safaris and Ulagalla dining days ahead, and confirm whether park entry is included.
Is Anuradhapura safe?
- Terrorist attacks cannot be ruled out, so take care in crowded places and places of worship.
- Avoid demonstrations and large political gatherings, stay on paths at Wilpattu and Ritigala, and use repellent against dengue mosquitoes at dawn and dusk.
- Heat is the main hazard: carry more water than you think you need and treat monkeys around temples as thieves of unguarded food.
Anuradhapura travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Anyone at a car park offering a cheaper Sacred City ticket or a compulsory guide. Buy at the official office and keep the ticket all day.
- Midday cycling between stupas in March to May. Sightsee early and late, and rest in shade at midday.
Getting around Anuradhapura: public transport and more
- Hire a bicycle for the flat Sacred City and tank bunds, and agree tuk tuk and car prices, including waiting time, before setting off.
- Trains and buses link the New Town station and bus stand with Colombo and Jaffna.
Who Anuradhapura suits
| Solo travellers | Great |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Anuradhapura your trip
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