Anuradhapura (Sri Lanka) - tourist information

Tourist information about Anuradhapura

Anuradhapura (Anuradhapura, Anura) - a large city by Sri Lankan standards, the capital of the northern central province Sri Lanka. Population 63,000. Anuradhapura on the map of Sri Lanka

This is the first ancient capital of the Sinhalese Kingdom that once existed on the island. The first mention of a settlement in this place dates back to the 6th century BC. And it became the capital in 377 ad. Then the city was called Anuradha. It was a very developed city, but in the 9th century it was destroyed by South Indian invaders. After that, the capital was moved to Polonnaruwa.

Today, Anuradhapura is a popular sightseeing destination for tourists, as well as very significant and very visited by Buddhist pilgrims. Tourists here are attracted by numerous ancient monuments (most of them, unfortunately, are restored), included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Basically, these are ancient bell-shaped stupas, called Dagoba in Sri Lanka (shrines in which Buddha particles are kept), statues, temples, palaces, artificial reservoirs. A special attraction and place of pilgrimage is the Mahabodhi tree, one of the main symbols in Buddhism. In general, Anuradhapura is one of the most interesting cities in the country from an excursion point of view.

Very close to Anuradhapura is another remarkable place- Mihintale. These are the ruins of ancient temples located on the mountain. Mihintale, although much inferior in scale to Anuradhapura, is no less interesting. Be sure to visit Mihintale if you find yourself in these places.

If you have limited time, then you can cursorily explore the sights of the city for one day, as most independent travelers or tourists do as part of an excursion. To see all the sights in the city and district, two full days are recommended, plus half a day on Mihintala. But it is worth saying that if you are not a passionate lover of ancient sights of a religious nature, then after examining several monotonous stupas and temples, you will simply become bored. Therefore, one day for most tourists is really enough. To spend the entire period of rest in Sri Lanka in Anuradhapura is out of the question. The recommended maximum stay in the city is 2 days.

The city has minimal tourist infrastructure for a short stay. Here, of course, there are no beaches (the nearest coast is very far away), entertainment for tourists and nightlife, but there is a necessary minimum of hotels and hostels. There is no separate tourist area. Food for tourists is mainly concentrated in hotel restaurants, and it is difficult to find something to eat in the city. There is nowhere to go in the evening, even just for a walk. With the onset of darkness, everything here quickly falls asleep, and after nine o'clock in the evening, the city is almost completely immersed in sleep and darkness.

The city is divided into two parts: Old Town and New Town. All residents from the territory of the Old City, where all the sights are located, in 1950 were relocated by the government to a new place, in a new city. Now all the infrastructure and transport is located in the new city, and the Old City can only be visited for sightseeing.

How much does it cost to visit Anuradhapura

Sightseeing in Anuradhapura is not cheap. A single ticket for sightseeing in the Abhayagiri complex costs $ 25. The rest of the Old City (and most of it) is free, but in some places you will have to pay extra.

But there is an opportunity to save. Some tourists refuse to buy a ticket at all, go around the sights on their own, not entering the territory of Abhayagiri, but visiting only free ones. In principle, this is a good option, since paid and free dagobs are generally monotonous, and you will most likely get bored after the third or fourth. At the same time, it is very easy to be deceived. Often local tuk-tukers offer to take tourists around the complex at the standard price for hiring a tuk-tuk for 40-50 dollars, and at the same time they promise that they will take tourists to the paid part for FREE, allegedly agreeing with local security. We have a very big doubt that such tuk-tukers really take tourists to paid places. According to our information, they simply transport unsuspecting tourists to free places, and pass it all off as a paid zone. For more on how and what to see in Anuradhapura, see attractions of Anuradhapura.

And finally one piece of advice: during the inspection of the temples, you will often have to take off your shoes and walk on the hot plates of the sun. But socks can help out, they will not be so hot.

Weather, tourist seasons in Anuradhapura

You can visit the ancient capital at any time of the year, it is always warm and cozy. However, during the rainy season, when a huge amount of rain falls from the sky, it is likely that instead of sightseeing, you will have to hide from the downpours. The rainiest months are October-December, as well as April.

Seasons in Anuradhapura by month, when is the best time to go

Current Anuradhapura weather and forecast

How to get to Anuradhapura

You can get to Anuradhapura from other cities in Sri Lanka by bus, train or rented transport.

If you want to get to Anuradhapura via Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport Immediately upon arrival in the country, you can take a bus or taxi.

Buses run quite often, so if you arrive by plane in the morning, you will be there on the same day. You will have to go with transfers, but it will be inexpensive, and the route can be done in six hours. But, if you arrive at the airport after about 15 hours, it is better to spend the night in the nearest city, for example in Colombo or Negombo, because at night the buses do not run and you may not have time to transfer to one of the buses and get stuck somewhere in the Outback.

The route from the airport to Anuradhapura will look something like this: after leaving the airport, you need to get to the airport bus station. You can do this by tuk-tuk or on foot (see Colombo airport). There is no direct bus from this station to Anuradhapura, but from there you can get to Colombo and then change to a direct bus (No. 5).

Another option is to go to the bus station in Negombo, and there change to a bus to Anuradhapura or to Kurunegala (Kurunegala) where you can again change to another bus. Direct bus service goes through Puttalam. You can also transfer via Kandy, Matale, Kurunegala.

You can get to Colombo more comfortably with a transfer by train. To do this, you will need to get to the Colombo Fort Railway Station and change trains there. Low-class tickets can always be purchased on the spot before the train departs. The cost is from 360 to 750 rupees. The journey takes 4-5 hours. 7 trains depart daily, including one late night at 20:15. Train schedules can be found here: https://eservices.railway.gov.lk, http://colombofort.com

There are two Anuradhapura railway stations in the city (on the map) and Anuradhapura New Town (on the map). Different trains stop at different stations from these two.

And here is the schedule of trains and other transport to Anuradhapura available for online booking:

Transportation, how to get around Anuradhapura

The new city is easy to get around on foot, and you will not need transportation. And there is no need to walk around the new city, there is absolutely nothing to do. But the Old Town, where all the attractions are located, is much larger. Usually tourists hire a tuk-tuk for a trip around the Old Town, which is quite reasonable. Renting a tuk-tuk for a full day for a trip to the sights costs about $ 20.

Another option is to move on rented transport. In the city you can easily rent a bicycle or Motorcycle (Scooter).

Short tuk-tuk trips around the city, for example, in search of a hotel on arrival, cost 100-200 rupees (see currency of Sri Lankaand exchange rate).

Hotels in Anuradhapura where to stay

As mentioned, the city is divided into Old Town (on the map) and new city (on the map), separated by a river. All hotels and tourist infrastructure are located in the new city. There you can find quite budget accommodation at reasonable prices. A room for two with minimal amenities on site will cost from $ 15. A normal room with air conditioning and breakfast can be obtained from $ 30 for two.

The location of the hotel does not matter in principle, as long as it is located within the new city near the center.

You can find and book accommodation in Anuradhapura on these websites or through the search form. All sites have a Russian interface and Russian-language customer support, a lot of reviews from real guests.

• 🛌 Search for hotels in Anuradhapura on Yandex.travel
• 🛌 Search for hotels in Anuradhapura on Trip.com (💥 our choice)
• 🛌 Search for hotels on Ostrovok.ru