How to get to Bentota

Bentota, Alutgama, Beruvela and Induruwa Beach are nearby, so the ways to get to them and the rates are about the same. All of them are along the main Galle Road (aka A2) which goes from Colombo to the south in Galle. A branch line of the Southern Railway from Colombo also passes through the cities.

There is no bus station directly in the center of Bentota. The bus simply passes through the city on the main Galle Road, making a stop at signposted stops. In the suburb of Alutgama, there is a bus station behind the bridge, where many people end or start driving.

To Bentota from Colombo and airport

The nearest International Airport to Bentota is Colombo Bandaranaike airport located 70 kilometers to the North. This is the main gateway to the country, so it is almost certain that you will arrive at it.

You can find and book flights to the main airport of Colombo in Sri Lanka through the search form. The search is very flexible, and allows you to find flights on different dates, with or without transfers, both ways or one, etc.:

ЦЕНА	ПЕРЕСАДКИ	АВИАКОМПАНИЯ	ДАТА ВЫЛЕТА	ДАТА ВОЗВРАЩЕНИЯ
Купить от 45278 ₽	1 пересадка		18.06.2026	16.07.2026
Купить от 54858 ₽	1 пересадка		09.07.2026	16.07.2026
Купить от 54684 ₽	1 пересадка		09.08.2026	08.09.2026
Купить от 51095 ₽	2 пересадки		25.09.2026	08.10.2026
Купить от 52732 ₽	1 пересадка		07.10.2026	22.10.2026
Купить от 51416 ₽	2 пересадки		30.11.2026	21.12.2026

• By taxi

  Getting from the airport or from Colombo to Bentota is easiest and fastest by taxi. Cost from 10000 rupees (from 30.22 USD, see Sri Lankan currency and exchange rate), 2 hours on the road. You can order a car directly at the airport at the exit counter (expensive but reliable), catch it on the street (cheaper, but you need to be able to bargain), through Uber or PickMe applications (cheaper).

  A more comfortable way to get from the airport to Bentota directly is to order a tourist transfer via the search form from Kiwitaxi or on the website intui.travel. You can place an order online at home, and then the driver will meet you at the airport with a sign and take you to the hotel:

• By bus

  If a taxi is not an option for you, then you can get to Bentota by bus. True, you will have to go with a transfer to Colombo, the road will take at least 4 hours, you will spend about 200 rupees.

  In general, the route looks like this: from the airport you need to get to the bus station in Colombo by bus number 187 from 100 rupees (more about it here), and then transfer to the bus to Bentota for 150 rupees. The bus to Bentota and the resorts mentioned above is passing through, so you need to look for transport to Galle, Matara, Tangals. To find the right bus at the station, just call the destination to passersby or drivers, you will be directed to the right bus. The mentioned buses run very often, almost every 15 minutes, but only in the daytime from about 6:00 to 22:00.

  The bus makes stops at marked locations on Galle road, but stops are only on demand. Therefore, you need to try to explain to the driver or conductor where you need to be dropped off at the right place. They do not know the names of the hotels, so try to point them to something else as a guide. They don't know much about maps, so it's useless to show it.

• By train

  

  An even cheaper option is to get from the airport by bus number 187 to the Colombo Fort Railway Station (this is the final bus), and then take the train to Bentota. Trains do not run often, and in the daytime they are very crowded.

  Trains stop in Bentota almost in the most tourist area at the railway station Bentota. But not all trains make a stop here, but only 7 daily. It is much more common for trains to stop at Alutgama railway station (at least 12 trains per day). Only five trains stop at Induruwa. The timetable for all stations can be found at http://railway.gov.lk/. See our map of Bentota.

As for the ways to get from the city of Colombo itself, they are all similar to what has already been written, except that it is not necessary to get from the airport to the railway station or bus station. If you want to travel by bus, then you can take it in Colombo directly on Galle road, it is not necessary to go to the bus station. Galle road starts in Colombo from the center (Colmbo Fort district) and goes through the whole city along the coast, including The Beach area of Mount Lavinia (see districts and hotels of Colombo).

If you want to take the train, or go to the bus station to take seats, you can easily get from any area of Colombo to them on the local city bus for a penny. To do this, you need to find a bus to the Pettah area, because it is in it that the Colombo Fort railway station is located (that's right, the railway station is not in the same area) and the bus station. Such buses can be found almost everywhere, because it is the main terminus of almost all Colombo city transport.

From other cities in Sri Lanka

You can get to Bentota from anywhere in the country by bus or train within one light day, but so that the night does not catch you on the way, it is best to leave early in the morning.

Direct train or bus access to Bentota is available only from Colombo, Galle, Matara, Hikkaduwa, Unawatuna, and other cities on the south-west coast. And the bus and trains on these routes go very often, so there is no need to study the schedule, but you can just come to the bus station or station, and wait for the next departure.

From other parts of the country will have to go with a transfer to Colombo. Here is a brief description of the routes, how to get to Bentota from major cities:

• From Negombo. From Negombo with transfer via Colombo by train or bus. Transport goes often, you can just come to the station and go.
• From Jaffna. Go also through Colombo by bus or train. The train is preferable, but you need to leave either early in the morning or take the evening train, which arrives in Colombo at 4 am.
• From Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Ella and other cities of the mountainous part of Sri Lanka, it is best to get by train with a transfer through Colombo, there are, including, night trains. Also at least from Nuwara Eliya once a day in the morning there is a direct bus to Ambalangoda, where it is easy to transfer to the bus to Bentota (go very often).
• From Trincomalee. There is only an overnight train from Trincomalee to Colombo, but you can change trains during the day via Batikaloa or Galoya Junction (see how to get to Trincomalee). Bus service is available during the day via Colombo. Sometimes it is faster not to wait for the next direct bus from Trincomalee to Colombo, but to take the nearest bus to Kandy, where you can change trains.

Transport Bentota, what to move

The center of Bentota is quite compact and you can move on foot. To move between beaches or to neighboring beaches, it is better to use transport.

The most convenient way to move is to rent a motorcycle (Motorcycle, Scooter). Big problems in order to rent a bike in Bentota or on the neighboring beaches will not arise, but you still have to look. Rental offices are not as common here as, for example, in Hikkaduwa, but motorbikes are offered by locals. But it will be difficult to find on the nearby quiet beaches of Induruwa or Kosgoda. It is even likely that you will not be able to find a motorcycle for rent there for reasonable money. But you can always drive to the center of Bentota and look there. Reasonable price starts from 2200 rupees (from 6.65 USD, see Sri Lankan currency and exchange rate) for a plain old Motobike, but you need to bargain to this price. In hotels, the price can be called higher at times.

In theory, to drive a motorcycle in Sri Lanka, you need at least an international license (International Driving Permit), which are presented with a national driving license. If they are not, then you can get a temporary permit on the spot and on the basis of ordinary Russian (national) rights in Colombo, but you must have an open category "A". In practice, the tenant is not interested in the question of whether tourists have rights at all, so some tourists rent a motorcycle at their own risk without rights. Read more about renting motorcycles in Sri Lanka and what rights you need here...

Another common option for moving is the tuk-tuk. Tuk-tuks are everywhere, they are even constantly on duty on remote beaches near hotels, and indeed everywhere. Of course, tuk drivers are constantly trying to rip off tourists like sticky, so you should always bargain. Normal prices are 100 rupees a trip within the beach, 300 rupees a trip from one beach to another. But the price can not always be brought down. Surprisingly, it is especially difficult to knock it down when there are a lot of tuk-tuks. They are usually in cahoots, and refuse to lower prices in front of other drivers. But if the driver of the Tuk-Tuk is alone, he is much more willing to give in to reasonable bargaining.

For experienced tourists, buses are a good option for trips from beach to beach or even to neighboring cities. All routes go along the coast on the main road Gale road-A2 without turning anywhere. Therefore, it is enough to go to the main road and take the first bus in the direction you need to the north or South. The fare depends on the distance, but within the nearest beaches to Bentota it is no more than 40 rupees. Not all buses stop anywhere, most pick up passengers only at bus stops marked with a sign.

Read more about buses in Sri Lanka and how to use them here...